LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Kommandant's Girl

Pam Jenoff2007

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • The Queen's Lady

    Heather Graham2007

    In 16th-century Scotland, a lady-in-waiting to Mary, Queen of Scots, navigates a dangerous attraction to a rival laird during a royal power struggle.

    Same tense register, still historical romance

    pace0·prose0·bleak-1

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • The Argonauts

    Maggie Nelson2015

    A memoir of the author's relationship with her partner and her pregnancy. It mixes personal narrative with academic theory on gender and family.

    tense → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-2

  • 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.

    tense → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-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.

    tense → bleak

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Truce

    R.L. Mathewson

    Two neighbors who have feuded since childhood are forced to interact during a house party. Their long-standing prank war turns into a romance.

    tense → playful, still historical romance

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

  • These Old Shades

    Georgette Heyer1926

    The Duke of Avon buys a young person in boy's clothing to use in a revenge plot. He soon discovers his new servant is a girl in disguise.

    tense → wry, still historical romance

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • In search of serenity

    Pamela Griffin2010

    In 1939, an aspiring novelist meets a stranger who offers to repair her family home. His presence reveals secrets that upset her father.

    tense → earnest, still historical romance

    pace0·prose-1·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    tense → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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.

    tense → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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.

    tense → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

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.

    tense → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

  • 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.

    tense → 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.

    tense → 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.

    tense → bleak

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+1

  • 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.

    tense → earnest

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1

  • Hiroshima

    John Hersey

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

    tense → clinical

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1