LitQueuelitqueue

After

The Wager

David Grann2023

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

    Alfred Lansing1959

    A chronological account of Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Antarctic expedition. It details the crew's two-year struggle after their ship is crushed.

    Same propulsive register, still narrative nonfiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak-2

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • 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

    pace-1·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.

    propulsive → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak-2

  • Antifragile

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb2012

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

    propulsive → reflective

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

To recover

propulsive → playful

3 more ↓

  • The Martian

    Andy Weir2011

    A man does arithmetic to stay alive on Mars. Problem, attempt, result, repeat.

    propulsive → wry

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-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

  • 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

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.

    propulsive → 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.

    propulsive → 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.

    propulsive → earnest

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-2

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Umbrella

    Will Self2013

    A psychiatrist in 1971 treats a woman who has been catatonic for decades. The prose shifts between eras and consciousnesses without paragraph breaks.

    propulsive → clinical, still historical

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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

  • 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

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Random family

    Adrian Nicole LeBlanc2003

    Two women and their extended families navigate poverty, romance, and prison in the Bronx over ten years of immersion reporting.

    propulsive → bleak, still narrative nonfiction

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+1

  • In the Garden of Beasts

    Erik Larson2011

    The American ambassador and his daughter live in 1933 Berlin as the Nazi party seizes power. They observe the shift from socialites to witnesses.

    propulsive → tense, still narrative nonfiction

    pace0·prose+1·bleak+1

  • The Good Soldiers

    David Finkel2009

    A journalist embeds with an infantry battalion during the 2007 surge in Iraq. It documents the daily physical and mental toll of the deployment.

    propulsive → bleak, still narrative nonfiction

    pace0·prose0·bleak+1