LitQueuelitqueue

After

How to Fail

Elizabeth Day2019

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Contagious

    Jonah Berger2013

    An examination of why ideas and products spread. It identifies six psychological principles that drive word-of-mouth and social influence.

    Same playful register

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    playful → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • Antifragile

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb2012

    A philosophical exploration of systems that thrive under stress and disorder. It argues against fragility in economics and personal life.

    playful → reflective

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • How to Read a Book

    Mortimer J. Adler1940

    This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

    playful → mysterious

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • The Sun and Her Flowers

    Rupi Kaur2017

    A collection of short, illustrated poems organized into five stages of growth. It covers themes of loss, trauma, and self-healing.

    playful → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1

  • Pillow Thoughts

    Courtney Peppernell2016

    A collection of short poems and prose pieces organized by emotional state. It focuses on themes of heartbreak, healing, and loneliness.

    playful → tender

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    Neil deGrasse Tyson2017

    A summary of the origin of the universe, the laws of physics, and the nature of space and time.

    Same playful register

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    playful → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • How to Read a Book

    Mortimer J. Adler1940

    This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

    playful → mysterious

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

  • The Red Book: Liber Novus

    C.G. Jung2009

    A psychologist records his visions and internal dialogues in an illuminated manuscript created during a period of intense self-exploration.

    playful → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • A Child Called "It"

    Dave Pelzer1987

    A memoir of the author's childhood survival against severe physical and psychological abuse by his mother in California.

    playful → bleak

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+3

  • Twelve Years a Slave

    Solomon Northup1853

    A memoir by a free Black man from New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. He details twelve years of labor on Louisiana plantations.

    playful → earnest

    pace0·prose0·bleak+3

  • Hiroshima

    John Hersey

    The book follows six people in Hiroshima during and after the atomic bombing. It records their movements and physical symptoms.

    playful → clinical

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+3