LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Residence

Kate Andersen Brower2015

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

1 more ↓

  • As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

    Cary Elwes

    The actor who played Westley shares anecdotes from the set of the 1987 film. It includes interviews with the cast and production crew.

    Same warm register, still behind the scenes

    pace+1·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

    A collection of papers presents two life philosophies: the aesthetic pursuit of pleasure and the ethical commitment to duty.

    warm → meditative

    pace-1·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.

    warm → bleak, still history

    pace0·prose+2·bleak+3

  • The Annals of Imperial Rome

    Tacitus1956

    A Roman historian chronicles the reigns of emperors from Tiberius to Nero. He focuses on the corruption of power and the decline of political liberty.

    warm → sardonic, still history

    pace0·prose+2·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.

    warm → playful

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

  • 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.

    warm → playful

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

  • Bad Blood

    John Carreyrou2018

    A journalist tracks the rise of Elizabeth Holmes and the eventual exposure of her multibillion-dollar blood-testing startup as a fraud.

    warm → propulsive, still journalism

    pace+2·prose0·bleak+1

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.

    warm → meditative

    pace-1·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.

    warm → mysterious

    pace-1·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.

    warm → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    warm → elegiac, still history

    pace0·prose0·bleak+3

  • 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.

    warm → elegiac, still history

    pace0·prose0·bleak+3

  • 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.

    warm → clinical, still history

    pace0·prose0·bleak+3