The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Catherine the Great

Robert K. Massie2011

A biography of the German princess who took the Russian throne. It covers her marriage, her coup, and her correspondence with philosophers.

pace0·prose0·bleak0

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.

earnest → clinical

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1

Karl Marx2015

An analysis of the capitalist mode of production focusing on commodities, surplus value, and the exploitation of labor.

earnest → clinical

pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

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.

earnest → meditative

pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

The Love Hypothesis

Ali Hazelwood2021

A biology PhD candidate enters a fake relationship with a young professor to satisfy a friend. They navigate academic politics and attraction.

earnest → playful

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

Beautiful Bastard

Christina Lauren2013

An MBA intern and her demanding media executive boss engage in a series of sexual encounters while competing at work. It is an erotic romance.

earnest → playful

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

The Hating Game

Sally Thorne2016

Two executive assistants at a publishing house compete for a single promotion through a series of psychological games and mutual sabotage.

earnest → playful

pace+1·prose-2·bleak-1

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.

earnest → playful

pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

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.

earnest → playful

pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

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.

Same earnest register

pace+2·prose-2·bleak-1

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.

earnest → meditative

pace-1·prose+1·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.

earnest → mysterious

pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

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.

earnest → dreamlike

pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

Escape from Camp 14

Blaine Harden2012

The biography of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person born in a North Korean political prison camp known to have escaped.

earnest → bleak, still biography

pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2

Nagasaki

Susan Southard2015

A historical account follows five survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki across seven decades of their lives.

earnest → elegiac, still biography

pace0·prose-1·bleak+2

House of Sticks

Ly Tran2021

A Vietnamese girl grows up in Queens while working in her family's sweatshop. She navigates poverty, failing eyesight, and cultural isolation.

earnest → elegiac, still biography

pace+1·prose0·bleak+2