LitQueuelitqueue

After

Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners

Therese Oneill

5 of 6 directions open — nothing to recover from

More like it

Same playful register, still humor

1 more ↓

  • In the Devil's Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food

    Stewart Lee Allen

    A chronological history of foods that have been banned for religious, political, or moral reasons across different cultures.

    Same playful register, still microhistory

    pace0·prose0·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • A Room of One's Own

    Virginia Woolf

    This essay argues that a woman must have money and a private space to write fiction. It examines the history of women in literature.

    playful → meditative

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • 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.

    playful → clinical

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+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.

    playful → meditative

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak0

Faster

3 more ↓

  • 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.

    playful → tender

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

  • 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.

    Same playful register

    pace+1·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.

    Same playful register

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak0

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.

    playful → meditative

    pace-2·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.

    playful → 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.

    playful → dreamlike

    pace-2·prose+2·bleak+1

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Animal Farm

    George Orwell1945

    Farm animals overthrow their human owner to run the farm themselves. The pigs gradually seize control and establish a new hierarchy.

    playful → sardonic

    pace0·prose0·bleak+3

  • The Diary of a Young Girl

    Anne Frank2001

    A Jewish teenager records her daily life and thoughts while hiding from the Nazis in a secret annex in Amsterdam.

    playful → earnest

    pace-1·prose0·bleak+3

  • 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.

    playful → bleak

    pace0·prose-1·bleak+3