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Books vs. Cigarettes
by George Orwell • 1946
A dusty bookshop, a public ward, a totalitarian state: Orwell's unsparing truth in each.
3.83
9k+
Books vs. Cigarettes Summary
Books vs. Cigarettes 91%
A dusty bookshop, a public ward, a totalitarian state: Orwell's unsparing truth in each.
by George Orwell 1946
3.83
9k+ ratings
The Wisdom of the Heart
by Henry Miller • 1941
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
4.03
663
The Wisdom of the Heart Summary
The Wisdom of the Heart 91%
Modern men are half-alive and call it progress. The cure starts when the thinking stops.
by Henry Miller 1941
4.03
663 ratings
Aspects of the Novel
by E.M. Forster • 1927
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
3.80
5k+
Aspects of the Novel Summary
Aspects of the Novel 91%
A novelist dismantles fiction into its working parts: story, plot, and the characters who breathe.
by E.M. Forster 1927
3.80
5k+ ratings
The Deadline
by Jill Lepore • 2023
The dead still run the country. A historian shows how, from the Constitution to the smartphone.
4.31
621
The Deadline Summary
The Deadline 90%
The dead still run the country. A historian shows how, from the Constitution to the smartphone.
by Jill Lepore 2023
4.31
621 ratings
Nonconformity
by Nelson Algren • 1996
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
4.07
268
Nonconformity Summary
Nonconformity 90%
Real writing means siding with the damned, risking obsession, and refusing to comfort.
by Nelson Algren 1996
4.07
268 ratings
Preface to Shakespeare
by Samuel Johnson • 1778
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
3.62
376
Preface to Shakespeare Summary
Preface to Shakespeare 90%
Why Shakespeare's greatness survives his flaws: Samuel Johnson's landmark verdict from 1778.
by Samuel Johnson 1778
3.62
376 ratings
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
by Annie Dillard • 1974
A year beside one creek reveals a world where grace and violence are the same water.
4.08
30k+
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek Summary
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek 90%
A year beside one creek reveals a world where grace and violence are the same water.
by Annie Dillard 1974
4.08
30k+ ratings
A Man Without a Country
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. • 2005
America as failed empire, Earth as casualty, laughter as survival: Vonnegut's final dispatch.
4.10
50k+
A Man Without a Country Summary
A Man Without a Country 90%
America as failed empire, Earth as casualty, laughter as survival: Vonnegut's final dispatch.
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 2005
4.10
50k+ ratings
Best American Essays 2018
by Hilton Als • 2018
The essay as weapon and refuge: twenty-seven writers on race, memory, and a nation on edge.
3.53
350
Best American Essays 2018 Summary
Best American Essays 2018 90%
The essay as weapon and refuge: twenty-seven writers on race, memory, and a nation on edge.
by Hilton Als 2018
3.53
350 ratings
Paranoia
by Shirley Jackson • 2015
A stranger's hat, a fork's grudge: how Shirley Jackson turned daily unease into lasting horror.
4.05
4k+
Paranoia Summary
Paranoia 90%
A stranger's hat, a fork's grudge: how Shirley Jackson turned daily unease into lasting horror.
by Shirley Jackson 2015
4.05
4k+ ratings
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro
by Vladimir Nabokov • 1981
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
4.26
2k+
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro Summary
Lezioni di letteratura russa. Gogol', Turgenev, Dostoevskij, Tolstoj, Čechov e Gor'kij nelle lezioni di un grande maestro 90%
Nabokov on Russian masters: art alone matters, not message. Dostoevsky fails, Gogol soars.
by Vladimir Nabokov 1981
4.26
2k+ ratings
The Complete Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson
by Ralph Waldo Emerson • 1844
Trust your private thought over all scripture: the source that made the world put it there.
4.23
3k+
The Complete Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson Summary
The Complete Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson 90%
Trust your private thought over all scripture: the source that made the world put it there.
by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1844
4.23
3k+ ratings
Lyrical and Critical Essays
by Albert Camus • 1970
Poverty and sunlight taught Camus a philosophy without resentment. These essays are its laboratory.
4.31
1k+
Lyrical and Critical Essays Summary
Lyrical and Critical Essays 90%
Poverty and sunlight taught Camus a philosophy without resentment. These essays are its laboratory.
by Albert Camus 1970
4.31
1k+ ratings
More Baths, Less Talking
by Nick Hornby • 2012
A book column about what a middle-aged man actually read, not what he pretended to.
3.88
2k+
More Baths, Less Talking Summary
More Baths, Less Talking 90%
A book column about what a middle-aged man actually read, not what he pretended to.
by Nick Hornby 2012
3.88
2k+ ratings
Men and Style
by David Coggins • 2016
Fashion chases the new; style lives in the worn-in, the inherited, the second whiskey.
3.63
221
Men and Style Summary
Men and Style 90%
Fashion chases the new; style lives in the worn-in, the inherited, the second whiskey.
by David Coggins 2016
3.63
221 ratings
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
by Alain de Botton • 2008
From cargo ships to rocket launches, a philosopher finds why work delights and disappoints us.
3.62
6k+
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work Summary
The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work 90%
From cargo ships to rocket launches, a philosopher finds why work delights and disappoints us.
by Alain de Botton 2008
3.62
6k+ ratings
The Strength to Dream
by Colin Wilson • 1962
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
3.93
123
The Strength to Dream Summary
The Strength to Dream 89%
The crisis of modern literature is a failure of imagination, and the cost is human freedom.
by Colin Wilson 1962
3.93
123 ratings
What If This Were Enough?
by Heather Havrilesky • 2018
Enforced cheer imprisons you. The bars are Instagram and Whole Foods; the key is giving up.
3.64
3k+
What If This Were Enough? Summary
What If This Were Enough? 89%
Enforced cheer imprisons you. The bars are Instagram and Whole Foods; the key is giving up.
by Heather Havrilesky 2018
3.64
3k+ ratings
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five
by Curtis Smith • 2016
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
4.27
41
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five Summary
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five 89%
A writer unpacks the alien logic and buried grief inside Vonnegut's time-jumping anti-war classic.
by Curtis Smith 2016
4.27
41 ratings
Interventions 2020
by Michel Houellebecq • 2020
A provocateur on religion's sudden return, America's exit from power, and hell's disappearance.
3.57
579
Interventions 2020 Summary
Interventions 2020 89%
A provocateur on religion's sudden return, America's exit from power, and hell's disappearance.
by Michel Houellebecq 2020
3.57
579 ratings
Arguably
by Christopher Hitchens • 2011
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
4.20
10k+
Arguably Summary
Arguably 89%
Tyranny, religion, empire, sentimentality: what remains after clarity and history have their say.
by Christopher Hitchens 2011
4.20
10k+ ratings
It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It
by Robert Fulghum • 1989
Life is a burning bed, a child's paper sack, and a mirror fragment reflecting light.
4.10
6k+
It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It Summary
It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It 89%
Life is a burning bed, a child's paper sack, and a mirror fragment reflecting light.
by Robert Fulghum 1989
4.10
6k+ ratings
The Lonely Voice
by Frank O'Connor • 1961
The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.
3.89
246
The Lonely Voice Summary
The Lonely Voice 89%
The short story speaks for the outsider the novel was never built to see.
by Frank O'Connor 1961
3.89
246 ratings
What On Earth Have I Done?
by Robert Fulghum • 1997
Life's biggest questions, answered by lemonade stands, neighbors, and a village in Crete.
4.09
1k+
What On Earth Have I Done? Summary
What On Earth Have I Done? 89%
Life's biggest questions, answered by lemonade stands, neighbors, and a village in Crete.
by Robert Fulghum 1997
4.09
1k+ ratings
A Field Guide to Getting Lost
by Rebecca Solnit • 2005
Getting lost is where transformation begins. The unknown is the destination, not the detour.
3.90
21k+
A Field Guide to Getting Lost Summary
A Field Guide to Getting Lost 89%
Getting lost is where transformation begins. The unknown is the destination, not the detour.
by Rebecca Solnit 2005
3.90
21k+ ratings
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
by Joan Didion • 1968
At the continent's edge, the American dream frays into murder, lost children, self-deception.
4.18
85k+
Slouching Towards Bethlehem Summary
Slouching Towards Bethlehem 89%
At the continent's edge, the American dream frays into murder, lost children, self-deception.
by Joan Didion 1968
4.18
85k+ ratings
The Book of (More) Delights
by Ross Gay • 2023
A year of looking closely: when joy and sorrow share the same sentence.
4.25
3k+
The Book of (More) Delights Summary
The Book of (More) Delights 89%
A year of looking closely: when joy and sorrow share the same sentence.
by Ross Gay 2023
4.25
3k+ ratings
Make Believe
by Mac Barnett • 2026
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
4.38
3k+
Make Believe Summary
Make Believe 89%
How the most daring literature ends up for eight-year-olds, and what adults can learn from them.
by Mac Barnett 2026
4.38
3k+ ratings
Missing Out
by Adam Phillips • 2012
Your regrets are not ghosts; they are the hidden architecture of your personality.
3.47
3k+
Missing Out Summary
Missing Out 89%
Your regrets are not ghosts; they are the hidden architecture of your personality.
by Adam Phillips 2012
3.47
3k+ ratings
The White Album
by Joan Didion • 1979
A writer, a psychiatric breakdown, and the California essays that defined an unraveling decade.
4.02
51k+
The White Album Summary
The White Album 89%
A writer, a psychiatric breakdown, and the California essays that defined an unraveling decade.
by Joan Didion 1979
4.02
51k+ ratings
The Abolition of Man
by C.S. Lewis • 1943
The final product of denying objective value is not freedom but a humanity ruled by impulse.
4.12
42k+
The Abolition of Man Summary
The Abolition of Man 89%
The final product of denying objective value is not freedom but a humanity ruled by impulse.
by C.S. Lewis 1943
4.12
42k+ ratings
The Anthropocene Reviewed
by John Green • 2021
From sycamores to antibiotics: a novelist rates the human age, one five-star review at a time.
4.35
182k+
The Anthropocene Reviewed Summary
The Anthropocene Reviewed 89%
From sycamores to antibiotics: a novelist rates the human age, one five-star review at a time.
by John Green 2021
4.35
182k+ ratings
How to Read and Why
by Harold Bloom • 2000
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
3.61
4k+
How to Read and Why Summary
How to Read and Why 89%
Read selfishly, chase pleasure, and recover the irony that academic jargon banished.
by Harold Bloom 2000
3.61
4k+ ratings
The Art of Intimacy
by Stacey D'Erasmo • 2013
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
3.93
248
The Art of Intimacy Summary
The Art of Intimacy 89%
Fiction's real intimacy lives in the subjunctive, the white space, and the shared glance.
by Stacey D'Erasmo 2013
3.93
248 ratings
Letters to a Young Contrarian
by Christopher Hitchens • 2001
Thinking for yourself will cost you friends and comfort. This is why you do it anyway.
4.13
13k+
Letters to a Young Contrarian Summary
Letters to a Young Contrarian 89%
Thinking for yourself will cost you friends and comfort. This is why you do it anyway.
by Christopher Hitchens 2001
4.13
13k+ ratings
No Straight Road Takes You There
by Rebecca Solnit • 2025
Direct routes fail. Change follows indirect paths, new stories, and the long arc of memory.
4.16
1k+
No Straight Road Takes You There Summary
No Straight Road Takes You There 89%
Direct routes fail. Change follows indirect paths, new stories, and the long arc of memory.
by Rebecca Solnit 2025
4.16
1k+ ratings
On Writing
by Ernest Hemingway • 1984
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
4.02
5k+
On Writing Summary
On Writing 89%
Write true, cut hard, and the reader will feel what you never said.
by Ernest Hemingway 1984
4.02
5k+ ratings
Walden and Civil Disobedience
by Henry David Thoreau • 1849
A cabin, a pond, two years, one tax refusal: the American original on freedom and conscience.
3.93
39k+
Walden and Civil Disobedience Summary
Walden and Civil Disobedience 89%
A cabin, a pond, two years, one tax refusal: the American original on freedom and conscience.
by Henry David Thoreau 1849
3.93
39k+ ratings
Dr. Seuss and Philosophy
by Jacob M. Held • 2011
Philosophy hid on your childhood shelf. Horton on knowledge, the Lorax on ethics, Yertle on power.
4.14
441
Dr. Seuss and Philosophy Summary
Dr. Seuss and Philosophy 89%
Philosophy hid on your childhood shelf. Horton on knowledge, the Lorax on ethics, Yertle on power.
by Jacob M. Held 2011
4.14
441 ratings
Status Anxiety
by Alain de Botton • 2004
Why you care what others think: not weakness, but modern life working as designed.
3.89
22k+
Status Anxiety Summary
Status Anxiety 89%
Why you care what others think: not weakness, but modern life working as designed.
by Alain de Botton 2004
3.89
22k+ ratings
How to Live
by Derek Sivers • 2021
The case for 27 incompatible ways to live, and the one surprise that resolves them all.
4.16
3k+
How to Live Summary
How to Live 89%
The case for 27 incompatible ways to live, and the one surprise that resolves them all.
by Derek Sivers 2021
4.16
3k+ ratings
The Longing for Less
by Kyle Chayka • 2020
The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.
3.45
1k+
The Longing for Less Summary
The Longing for Less 89%
The clean lines of minimalism hide a messy history: Zen monks, art rebels, and $8,200 stereos.
by Kyle Chayka 2020
3.45
1k+ ratings
The Language of the Night
by Ursula K. Le Guin • 1979
Beauty is morality, prose is the novel, and fantasy speaks to the unconscious.
4.28
2k+
The Language of the Night Summary
The Language of the Night 89%
Beauty is morality, prose is the novel, and fantasy speaks to the unconscious.
by Ursula K. Le Guin 1979
4.28
2k+ ratings
Book Lust
by Nancy Pearl • 2003
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
3.77
4k+
Book Lust Summary
Book Lust 89%
What to read next, organized not by genre but by how you feel right now.
by Nancy Pearl 2003
3.77
4k+ ratings
Letters on Cézanne
by Rainer Maria Rilke • 1907
One poet's letters on Cézanne: how seeing becomes the artist's hardest and most honest work.
4.16
957
Letters on Cézanne Summary
Letters on Cézanne 89%
One poet's letters on Cézanne: how seeing becomes the artist's hardest and most honest work.
by Rainer Maria Rilke 1907
4.16
957 ratings
O's Little Book of Love & Friendship
by The Oprah Magazine O • 2016
Love, friendship, and family remade: intimate stories about the connections that shape a life.
3.63
242
O's Little Book of Love & Friendship Summary
O's Little Book of Love & Friendship 89%
Love, friendship, and family remade: intimate stories about the connections that shape a life.
by The Oprah Magazine O 2016
3.63
242 ratings
Step Across This Line
by Salman Rushdie • 2002
A death sentence for a book. A decade of essays on freedom, Oz, and writing anyway.
3.93
1k+
Step Across This Line Summary
Step Across This Line 89%
A death sentence for a book. A decade of essays on freedom, Oz, and writing anyway.
by Salman Rushdie 2002
3.93
1k+ ratings
The Anatomy of Influence
by Harold Bloom • 2011
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
3.93
477
The Anatomy of Influence Summary
The Anatomy of Influence 89%
Literary influence is love with its guard up, and Shakespeare is still winning.
by Harold Bloom 2011
3.93
477 ratings
The Diaries of Franz Kafka
by Franz Kafka • 2023
Kafka's diaries: the body hatred, the office dread, the nights his fiction tried to escape.
4.28
577
The Diaries of Franz Kafka Summary
The Diaries of Franz Kafka 89%
Kafka's diaries: the body hatred, the office dread, the nights his fiction tried to escape.
by Franz Kafka 2023
4.28
577 ratings
Monsters
by Claire Dederer • 2023
Our favorite art was made by awful people. A critic's personal, unresolved struggle with that fact.
3.68
23k+
Monsters Summary
Monsters 89%
Our favorite art was made by awful people. A critic's personal, unresolved struggle with that fact.
by Claire Dederer 2023
3.68
23k+ ratings
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