When I picked up Sourdough at the library last week (on the recommendation of my favorite bookish podcast, Reading Glasses) I discovered it was written by the same author as Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - a book I devoured last year in just a few sittings. Sourdough quickly became a new favorite, though this time I forced myself to put the book down and savor it a bit more slowly. And savor I did. The story follows a young female protagonist navigating a demanding coding job in San Francisco when she discovers a new takeout spot serving spicy soup and sandwiches. The food is the first hint of magical realism in the story that quickly takes on a mystical element. When the cafe's owners unexpectedly leave the country, they gift her a crock of sourdough starter which becomes a character in and of itself.
All the lovely descriptions of bread had me drooling throughout the book and I very much want to know what the "Double Spicy" takeout tastes like (well... aside from "spicy"). The quirky characters and lovable protagonist had me hooked already, but I was totally delighted when the storyline started examining the tension between old-world food traditions and tech-driven consumables. Here's one quote from that subplot that I really liked (as spoken by the "librarian" at the funky food market): "...I have come to believe that food is history of the deepest kind. Everything we eat tells a tale of ingenuity and creation, domination and injustice - and does so more vividly than any other artifact, any other medium..."
On a completely different note, we have Happy Money - an examination of how certain spending habits can make us happier, as confirmed by hundreds of studies and peer-reviewed articles. For a research-heavy text, the authors found a way to make this book fun and engaging from start to finish. The book focuses on 5 principles of "smarter spending": buy experiences, make it a treat, buy time, pay now/consume later, and invest in others. Some of these may seem like no-brainers... buying the experience of a vacation is likely to bring us more happiness than a new electronic gadget, right? But others are a bit less intuitive... we will actually derive more happiness from that vacation if we pay for it well in advance.
The book walks through what each of the five principles means in practice, and how we can use them to increase the joy in our own lives as consumers. But it's easier said than done... not just for us regular folks, but even for the authors themselves. "We selected the five principles in this book not only because each one is supported by rigorous research, but also because many of us - including the two of us - don't always follow them. Why? Because we mistakenly believe that we're already spending money in ways that will make us happier - the flatscreen TV and enormous house in the suburbs just feel like they'll provide lasting happiness. So, one reason why people's efforts to try to get happy often fail is, well... it's just not that easy to figure out".
Now that I've finished several "comfort zone" books this year, I'm ready to push myself into less familiar territory. Next up in nonfiction: Wilmington's Lie (The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino) and White Fragility (Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo). And for some fictional contrast: Nothing to See Here (by Kevin Wilson... it involves kids who catch on fire when they get upset... but I think in a funny way, not a horrifying one).
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