While Reading
Here is where I record my one (maybe two) sentence reviews of books I've read. You can find my Goodreads shelf here.
Book: There is no anti memetics division - qntm
Date: March 17, 2026
Opinion: From the SCP genre, think inexplainable occurrence in the modern world being studied by a modern bureaucracy, like HP Lovecraft for the present day. Here the story posits that there are things (places, creatures, concepts etc) that cause people to forget they exist after learning of them, and there is a division of a quasi Men in Black organization that deals with this, but how do you deal with things that you forget about as soon as you are done? While I'm not a Lovecraft fan or find SCP that interesting, I found this a very engaging premise that was well written. It does go off the rails a bit in the later chapters but I felt the writing was strong enough to make it still enjoyable to read. 3/5
Book: Circular Motion - Alex Foster
Date: March 17, 2026
Opinion: I did not enjoy this book. The plot hook is that the world's rotation is speeding up because of this new faster flight system that only goes westward. It is an analogy for climate change but I found it a very ineffective one, not least because half way through they introduce an even more convoluted solution that really under cuts the challenges of dealing with climate change. The story itself follows a few characters emotional journeys through life, who all have some loose connection to each other. Again some are interesting but half way through also change on a dime, leaving a lot to be inferred without the literary skill to support that. There is also a lot of weird Product name drops which I just found odd. Not one for me. 2/5
Book: Is This Working - Charlie Colenutt
Date: February 21, 2026
Opinion: A contemporary version of 'Working by Studs Terkel', it is an account of people talking about their jobs, what they think and feel about their work. This is a much lighter read then Working, each section is shorter and more contemporary so easier to understand. I thought it a great read, a snapshot of life in Great Britain at this time. While I don't think it gets to the heights of Working in terms of literature it is more approachable and so might help people understand their work and lives. 4/5
Book: Winter's Orbit - Everine Maxwell
Date: January 4, 2026
Opinion: While an engaging read and I didn't find it that interesting a book. It's basically a romance space opera. The premise is two characters forced into a marriage when one's husband dies. You get both characters perspectives and both think they aren't good enough for the other and have lots of self doubt. It's a bit over done to be honest. It also appears to borrow a lot from the Left Hand of Darkness. 2/5
Book: Working - Studs Terkel
Date: October 11, 2025
Opinion: An oral history book written in the early 70s, shedding a light on people's relationship to work by listening to them talk about it. Each person's piece is a few pages and the book is 640 pages long. It was in practice a slog to get through but at no point did I want to stop. Deeply moving and thought provoking. 4/5
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