LitQueuelitqueue

After

Wandering in Strange Lands

Morgan Jerkins2020

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

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  • The Song of the Cell

    Siddhartha Mukherjee2022

    A history of cellular biology from the first microscopes to modern gene therapy. It combines medical case studies with personal memoir.

    Same meditative register, still memoir

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Gödel, Escher, Bach

    Douglas R. Hofstadter1979

    An exploration of how cognition emerges from hidden neurological patterns. It uses math, art, and music to explain self-referential systems.

    meditative → playful

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak-1

  • Either/Or

    Søren Kierkegaard1992

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

    Same meditative register

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • The Souls of Black Folk

    W.E.B. Du Bois1903

    A collection of 1903 essays examining the psychological and social effects of racism in America through the concept of double consciousness.

    meditative → elegiac, still history

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Going Cowboy Crazy

    Katie Lane2011

    A woman travels to a small Texas town to find her secret twin sister and is mistaken for her by the local residents and her sister's ex-flame.

    meditative → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Unfinished

    Priyanka Chopra Jonas2021

    The actress details her childhood in India, her time in American schools, and her transition from pageantry to a global film career.

    meditative → earnest, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

  • Marrying Mr. Wrong

    Claire Kingsley

    Two rivals wake up married in Las Vegas and decide to stay together to help their respective careers.

    meditative → playful

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak-1

Faster

3 more ↓

  • The Sun and Her Flowers

    Rupi Kaur2017

    A collection of short, illustrated poems organized into five stages of growth. It covers themes of loss, trauma, and self-healing.

    meditative → earnest

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak0

  • 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.

    meditative → tender

    pace+2·prose-1·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.

    meditative → playful

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • The Education of Henry Adams

    Henry Adams

    A man writes a sardonic third-person account of his life and his failure to adapt to the technological shifts of the late 19th century.

    meditative → sardonic, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak+1

  • No Archive Will Restore You

    Julietta Singh2018

    The author examines the history of her own body through the lens of race, desire, and pain. It is a collection of fragments and academic theory.

    Same meditative register, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+2·bleak0

  • M Train

    Patti Smith2015

    A musician travels to various cafes and gravesites around the world. She reflects on her late husband, her favorite books, and her daily rituals.

    meditative → elegiac, still memoir

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak0

Heavier

3 more ↓

  • Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz

    Rena Kornreich Gelissen

    A woman details her three years in Auschwitz, where she focuses on keeping her younger sister alive through the first transport of women.

    meditative → earnest, still memoir

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

  • Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account

    Miklós Nyiszli1960

    A Jewish prisoner forced to assist Josef Mengele describes the daily operations of the gas chambers and medical experiments at Auschwitz.

    meditative → clinical, still memoir

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+2

  • 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.

    meditative → bleak, still memoir

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+2