
After
In the Kingdom of Ice
Hampton Sides2014
- pace
- prose
- structure
- bleakness
6 of 6 directions open
More like it
Same propulsive register, still history
- pace0prose0bleak0
Astoria
Peter Stark2014
Two expeditions travel by land and sea to establish a fur-trading post in the Pacific Northwest in 1810. Many participants die of hunger or violence.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak0
The Last Days of the Incas
Kim MacQuarrie2007
A history of the Spanish conquest of Peru. It follows the Pizarro brothers and the Inca resistance during the fall of the empire.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak0
Empire of Pain
Patrick Radden Keefe2021
A history of the Sackler family and their role in the opioid crisis. It tracks three generations of wealth and pharmaceutical marketing.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

- pace0prose0bleak0
Killing Lincoln
Bill O'Reilly2011
A chronological account of the final days of the Civil War and the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. It follows both the victim and the killers.
pace0·prose0·bleak0

1 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose0bleak0
Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin
Hampton Sides
This account follows James Earl Ray’s movements before the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the global manhunt that followed.
pace0·prose0·bleak0
Denser prose
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas R. Hofstadter1979
An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.
propulsive → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

- pace-1prose+2bleak+1
The Gulag Archipeligo 1918-1956: An Experiment In Literary Investigation I - Ii.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
A history of the Soviet forced labor camp system based on survivor reports and the author's own imprisonment. It documents state-run repression.
propulsive → bleak, still history
pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-1prose+2bleak0
Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison
Michel Foucault
A philosophical history examines the shift from public torture to modern prison surveillance. It analyzes how power controls the body.
propulsive → clinical, still history
pace-1·prose+2·bleak0
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
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.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

To recover
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
The Martian
Andy Weir2011
A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.
propulsive → wry, still survival
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
The Kaiju Preservation Society
John Scalzi2022
A food delivery driver joins a secret organization that travels to an alternate Earth to care for massive, dinosaur-like creatures.
propulsive → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace0prose-1bleak-2
Smokin' Seventeen
Janet Evanovich2011
A bounty hunter investigates bodies found in her boss's lot while choosing between three suitors. The story follows her daily mishaps in New Jersey.
propulsive → playful
pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

- pace-1prose-1bleak-2
The Comfort Book
Matt Haig2021
A collection of short reflections, lists, and anecdotes intended to provide mental support. It is a non-linear book of philosophy and memoir.
propulsive → warm
pace-1·prose-1·bleak-2

- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
Odessa Sea
Clive Cussler2016
Dirk Pitt investigates a ghost ship in the Black Sea and discovers a conspiracy involving a lost Romanov secret. It is a high-speed adventure.
Same propulsive register
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster
- pace+1prose-1bleak-1
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.
propulsive → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
propulsive → tender
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
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.
propulsive → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
Steal Like an Artist
Austin Kleon2012
A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.
propulsive → playful
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

- pace+1prose-1bleak-2
Poke the Box
Seth Godin2011
A short manifesto encouraging readers to start projects and take initiative. It argues that the greatest risk is staying in place.
propulsive → earnest
pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2
Slower
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
Gödel, Escher, Bach
Douglas R. Hofstadter1979
An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.
propulsive → playful
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

- pace-2prose+2bleak-1
Either/Or
Søren Kierkegaard1992
A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-2prose+2bleak-2
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.
propulsive → meditative
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
propulsive → mysterious
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1

- pace-2prose+2bleak-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.
propulsive → dreamlike
pace-2·prose+2·bleak-1
Heavier
propulsive → elegiac, still history
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Dee Alexander Brown
A chronological history of the displacement and systematic destruction of Native American tribes in the late 19th century.
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1

- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Dee Brown
A chronological account of the displacement and slaughter of Native Americans by the U.S. government in the late 19th century.
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1
3 more ↓ ↑
- pace-1prose0bleak+1
Auschwitz
Laurence Rees2005
A chronological history of the camp's evolution from a Polish barracks to a site of mass industrial murder, based on archival research.
propulsive → clinical, still history
pace-1·prose0·bleak+1

- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
By Hands Now Known
Margaret A. Burnham2022
An investigation into racial violence and legal failures in the Jim Crow South using previously unexamined archives.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1

- pace-1prose+1bleak+1
The Great Hunger: Ireland 1845 - 1849
Cecil Woodham-Smith
A detailed record of the Irish Potato Famine, focusing on the failure of British government policy and the resulting mass starvation.
pace-1·prose+1·bleak+1