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Available
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Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Description
"A new novel about an underground food community by the author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore"-- A software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions, Lois Clary codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. When the brothers have Visa issues, they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her-- and learn to bake with it. Soon Lois is providing loaves to the General Dexterity cafeteria, then the farmer's market, and a whole new world opens up-- including a secret market that aims to fuse food and technology.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member JJbooklvr
It has been a long wait since the author’s last book Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Book Store. It was worth it. Like a good sourdough bread the author takes a special starter and lets it bloom into a story that went places I never imagined and left me feeling very satisfied. We explore the world of
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food, where it comes from, and the simple joy of cooking. Then we add in a dash of technology and a hint of where food culture may be heading. All wrapped up with engaging characters, a sly sense of humor, and a bit of a love story. A sure fire recipe for a hot Fall read! Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
Lois Clary is a young software programmer in San Francisco who spends all her time working on a robotic arm that can “end work.” The development effort, ironically, involves “a shit ton of work.” The company’s biggest challenge is getting the arm to do delicate work like breaking an egg;
Lois mostly eats and even sleeps at the office, but is “saved,” as she explains it, by Clement Street Soup and Sourdough. This small take-out run by two immigrant brothers quickly turns Lois into their “number one eater.” Their spicy soup is addictive to her, as is their wonderful sourdough bread.
Lois orders so much from the brothers that when they have visa problems and have to leave the country, they ask her to take custody of their sourdough starter and keep it alive. She buys a book on baking sourdough bread, builds an oven in her tiny backyard, and starts to bake bread. She also gets regular advice from one of the brothers, Beoreg, via email. Before long she has been accepted as a vendor at an experimental food market in Alameda called the Marrow Fair, on the condition she bring a robot arm with her to attract customers.
The bread made by the brothers' starter is unique not only for its taste, but because the bread loaves have faces. As Lois explains:
“It was an illusion, of course. Jesus Christ in an English muffin. It’s called pareidolia. Humans see faces in everything.”
But, as she allowed, the illusion was compelling, and before long, her bread business literally gets out of control.
The robot arm turns out to be a godsend, because Lois’s bread is so popular she needs extra help, especially since she is still working full-time at the software company. The arm provides the labor. Moreover, when the baking is done, she has the arm right there to continue her work on the egg problem.
The new venture opens up Lois's world: she makes friends and expands her horizons. Suddenly new options for the direction of her life are on the table, and Lois realizes she must make a decision.
Evaluation: This short little satire ribbing both foodies and techies has lots of unexpected humorous touches, such as the Lois Club that the protagonist joins - a group with chapters in numerous cities for women named Lois. But be warned: I was digging out recipes for sourdough bread by about the third chapter, and couldn’t rest until I had made a fresh loaf slathered with butter hot out of the oven!
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the “egg problem” is their holy grail.Lois mostly eats and even sleeps at the office, but is “saved,” as she explains it, by Clement Street Soup and Sourdough. This small take-out run by two immigrant brothers quickly turns Lois into their “number one eater.” Their spicy soup is addictive to her, as is their wonderful sourdough bread.
Lois orders so much from the brothers that when they have visa problems and have to leave the country, they ask her to take custody of their sourdough starter and keep it alive. She buys a book on baking sourdough bread, builds an oven in her tiny backyard, and starts to bake bread. She also gets regular advice from one of the brothers, Beoreg, via email. Before long she has been accepted as a vendor at an experimental food market in Alameda called the Marrow Fair, on the condition she bring a robot arm with her to attract customers.
The bread made by the brothers' starter is unique not only for its taste, but because the bread loaves have faces. As Lois explains:
“It was an illusion, of course. Jesus Christ in an English muffin. It’s called pareidolia. Humans see faces in everything.”
But, as she allowed, the illusion was compelling, and before long, her bread business literally gets out of control.
The robot arm turns out to be a godsend, because Lois’s bread is so popular she needs extra help, especially since she is still working full-time at the software company. The arm provides the labor. Moreover, when the baking is done, she has the arm right there to continue her work on the egg problem.
The new venture opens up Lois's world: she makes friends and expands her horizons. Suddenly new options for the direction of her life are on the table, and Lois realizes she must make a decision.
Evaluation: This short little satire ribbing both foodies and techies has lots of unexpected humorous touches, such as the Lois Club that the protagonist joins - a group with chapters in numerous cities for women named Lois. But be warned: I was digging out recipes for sourdough bread by about the third chapter, and couldn’t rest until I had made a fresh loaf slathered with butter hot out of the oven!
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LibraryThing member phyllis2779
Truly enjoyed this book. Very quirky, with engaging characters, including the main protagonist. Loved the concept of a Lois club and wished there was a Phyllis club I could join. As someone who has visited San Francisco many times, I also loved having the book set there. But what made this book so
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good, was the story -- very fresh and different, not predictable. The one reason I didn't give it five stars is because it followed that modern style of ending abruptly and not letting you see where the characters and events ended up. Show Less
LibraryThing member cburnett5
4.5 stars
I absolutely loved this unique, beautiful, frequently hilarious, life-affirming book. I am a huge fan of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore and was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Robin Sloan’s new work early; thankfully, Sourdough does not disappoint. Lois Clary works
Although the book seems to take place in present day, the book includes futuristic components such as liquid meal replacement called Slurry consumed by some individuals in lieu of regular food and robotic elements not yet achieved in our everyday life. I enjoyed the occasional futuristic element and felt that these items added a thought-provoking component to the book. Sloan’s writing is lovely, and his frequent sly, witty comments had me constantly cracking up. I also like his method of alternating between Lois’ tale and emails from one of the brothers; it was a very effective way to allow the story to unfold. Sourdough is enhanced by clever, quirky things like Lois’ cactus named Kubrick, a Lois Club with chapters in numerous cities for women named Lois (the Lois Club in SF was one of my favorite parts of the story), Lois’ nickname by the brothers of “Number One Eater”, and a brochure offered to Lois by the company nurse when she is sick entitled “Taking Care of Yourself While You’re Changing the World”.
There is so much packed into this book, and I am still thinking about the story long after I finished it. I do not want to ruin the joy of reading Sourdough for the first time by describing any more of Lois’ adventures so I will end my review here. Sourdough is a quick, laugh-out-loud, very enjoyable read for anyone who enjoys creatively told tales. I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, & Giroux for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this unique, beautiful, frequently hilarious, life-affirming book. I am a huge fan of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore and was thrilled to have the opportunity to read Robin Sloan’s new work early; thankfully, Sourdough does not disappoint. Lois Clary works
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incredibly long hours at a robotics company in San Francisco and almost nightly orders takeout from two brothers who operate a nearby neighborhood restaurant. The brothers encounter visa issues and are forced to leave the U.S. They grant Lois a small gift of their special sourdough starter with instructions to keep it alive by feeding it and playing it music. This present sets Lois down a new path she never could have envisioned and changes the course of her life.Although the book seems to take place in present day, the book includes futuristic components such as liquid meal replacement called Slurry consumed by some individuals in lieu of regular food and robotic elements not yet achieved in our everyday life. I enjoyed the occasional futuristic element and felt that these items added a thought-provoking component to the book. Sloan’s writing is lovely, and his frequent sly, witty comments had me constantly cracking up. I also like his method of alternating between Lois’ tale and emails from one of the brothers; it was a very effective way to allow the story to unfold. Sourdough is enhanced by clever, quirky things like Lois’ cactus named Kubrick, a Lois Club with chapters in numerous cities for women named Lois (the Lois Club in SF was one of my favorite parts of the story), Lois’ nickname by the brothers of “Number One Eater”, and a brochure offered to Lois by the company nurse when she is sick entitled “Taking Care of Yourself While You’re Changing the World”.
There is so much packed into this book, and I am still thinking about the story long after I finished it. I do not want to ruin the joy of reading Sourdough for the first time by describing any more of Lois’ adventures so I will end my review here. Sourdough is a quick, laugh-out-loud, very enjoyable read for anyone who enjoys creatively told tales. I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, & Giroux for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member JBD1
Sometimes I'm not entirely sure how Robin Sloan's mind works ... but I really enjoy that he puts his clever ideas down on paper. This new novel focuses less on books (though not entirely to their exclusion, to my delight), and turns to food, with the continued technological element that Sloan
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usually brings to his work. A little weird, but that made it all the more fun to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member emanate28
I picked this up because I was thoroughly entertained by Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. This book was kind of entertaining and bizarre, but it didn't really do anything for me. Other than want to eat sourdough (^^)
LibraryThing member BillieBook
Well, that was weird. It nudges right up to the edge of going full sci-fi/horror and then backs off, which was a little disappointing.
LibraryThing member kimkimkim
Just a little too “out there” for me.
LibraryThing member kamoorephoto
What an interesting read, as in, I’ve never read anything quite like that before, and I’ve never come away from a book that was NOT a cookbook, thinking about food like I have with this one. Bread, glorious bread! It’s the central subject, and I was actually warned before reading it about the
What I didn’t expect was the underlying long-distance love story, which I enjoyed very much, and several other little quirks that author Robin Sloan brings to the (restaurant) table. He has a way with words that is so unusual and full of fabulous descriptions that your senses are filled up when you read this book. I hate to admit it, but there were times that I was so distracted by the descriptions of noises (these were surprisingly the most amazing to me), smells, tastes, that I lost track of the story at times. Sloan also comes up with the most glorious names for characters! And the contrast in the book between technology and the basic act of doing something simple like baking bread is such a fantastic thing to think about. What may turn off some readers is the constant dialog about bacteria and fungus (which of course is central to the basis for starting off bread, as well as cheese); I’m not squeamish but it distracted me sometimes! But there’s a lot of science in cooking, and that has to brought up if you’re talking about this topic in-depth.
I can absolutely see this novel being made into a TV show, and these characters and the concept being written about by the creators of maybe ‘The Good Place’ plus the writers of ‘The Office’. There’s a lot of ‘food for thought’ for a TV version for something even beyond the confines of this book.
I can see why this has become an unusual, and almost ‘cult’ hit of a book; just don’t read it when you’re hungry.
*It’s also the best advertisement I’ve ever seen for King Arthur Flour.
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‘dangers’ of reading it on an empty stomach, and about how you end up craving your carbs afterwards. A young lady who discovers a love of baking bread and gives up her life in the tech world is the simplest way to put this book, but it’s SO much more.What I didn’t expect was the underlying long-distance love story, which I enjoyed very much, and several other little quirks that author Robin Sloan brings to the (restaurant) table. He has a way with words that is so unusual and full of fabulous descriptions that your senses are filled up when you read this book. I hate to admit it, but there were times that I was so distracted by the descriptions of noises (these were surprisingly the most amazing to me), smells, tastes, that I lost track of the story at times. Sloan also comes up with the most glorious names for characters! And the contrast in the book between technology and the basic act of doing something simple like baking bread is such a fantastic thing to think about. What may turn off some readers is the constant dialog about bacteria and fungus (which of course is central to the basis for starting off bread, as well as cheese); I’m not squeamish but it distracted me sometimes! But there’s a lot of science in cooking, and that has to brought up if you’re talking about this topic in-depth.
I can absolutely see this novel being made into a TV show, and these characters and the concept being written about by the creators of maybe ‘The Good Place’ plus the writers of ‘The Office’. There’s a lot of ‘food for thought’ for a TV version for something even beyond the confines of this book.
I can see why this has become an unusual, and almost ‘cult’ hit of a book; just don’t read it when you’re hungry.
*It’s also the best advertisement I’ve ever seen for King Arthur Flour.
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LibraryThing member jmoncton
Set in the Bay Area, this is the story of Lois Clary, a successful software engineer at a tech startup who chooses to escape the high tech rat race for a life of artisan baking and gourmet markets. On the surface this book is humorous and light, but keep an eye out for some astute observations
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about our life choices, while mocking the crazy world of Silicon Valley. Show Less
LibraryThing member andreas.wpv
Starts really nice, stays really entertaining and fun, but 2/3 into the book it veers off into fantasy land. The author seems to want to wrap it up, but uses elements that really don't match the setting and larger part of the book.
LibraryThing member bragan
Lois is a programmer working for a robotics company that doesn't remotely understand the meaning of "work-life balance." Then she comes into possession of a very weird and special sourdough starter, learns to bake rather than just trying to teach robots to do it, and gets offered a stall in an
It's hard for me to decide exactly how I feel about this one. The writing is pleasantly breezy and kind of amusing, in a low-key way, while also touching on some fairly complex questions about our relationships to food and technology. And it demonstrates a real sense of wonder about the world of microbes, which is something I can appreciate.
But the whole conceit about the sourdough starter and its seemingly magical, even sentient properties... Well, I wavered back and forth a lot between finding that charmingly whimsical and just thinking it was silly, and I think by halfway through the novel that second feeling had started to dominate. It also eventually gets a little too, well, hipster-ish for me, and I'm not sure the ending is entirely satisfying.
Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it. I did enjoy it, but with a lot of reservations, and nowhere near as much as I enjoyed Sloan's previous novel, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.
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extremely weird marketplace.It's hard for me to decide exactly how I feel about this one. The writing is pleasantly breezy and kind of amusing, in a low-key way, while also touching on some fairly complex questions about our relationships to food and technology. And it demonstrates a real sense of wonder about the world of microbes, which is something I can appreciate.
But the whole conceit about the sourdough starter and its seemingly magical, even sentient properties... Well, I wavered back and forth a lot between finding that charmingly whimsical and just thinking it was silly, and I think by halfway through the novel that second feeling had started to dominate. It also eventually gets a little too, well, hipster-ish for me, and I'm not sure the ending is entirely satisfying.
Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it. I did enjoy it, but with a lot of reservations, and nowhere near as much as I enjoyed Sloan's previous novel, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore.
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LibraryThing member LDVoorberg
I was sucked into this book immediately! I picked it up primarily because of the title (I LOVE sourdough bread, and it's hard to find good loaves around here) but as soon as I started reading, I wanted to read more. It's very readable and affable, and while I appreciated the concise storytelling
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(omitted many tedious actions and dialogue) I was sorry the book is so short because it was so enjoyable. Without being scientific, the book balances a computer programmer as a protagonist who embarks in a venture of a rather science-forward community of food markerters. Yes, there's some fantasy to the book, but it's so minor and embedded into such a realistic community that it is believable. A good book to read when you're looking for something light that has substance (ooh-- like sourdough!) Show Less
LibraryThing member voracious
Lois is an overworked software designer at a robot company in San Francisco. However, she leads a mundane life, with little human interaction or variety. One day, Lois orders delivery from a local spicy soup company and soon becomes their "Number One Eater". When the owners of the restaurant
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suddenly close the business, they leave Lois with their bread starter. With no experience in baking, Lois does her best to keep the starter alive and learns to bake amazing sourdough bread. From there, the story takes a strange twist involving robots, a strange farmer's market, and the San Francisco food scene. Like the author's first novel, Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore, this novel is rich with unusual characters and interesting twists, as well as elements of magical realism. In all, an interesting read with an unpredictable ending. Show Less
LibraryThing member busylizzie2
Sourdough is another light-hearted and entertaining read from the author of Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. Whereas the latter explored the tensions between lovers of modern technology and traditional books, Sourdough plays with ideas about old and new methods of food production and preparation.
It is very much a fairy-tale set in San Francisco with its booming IT and foodie sectors. Here the appealing heroine is presented with a lively sourdough starter that may just be the means of releasing her from her stressful IT job to find a life she loves, though not quite in the way you might imagine.
Her offbeat adventures and encounters with an array of quirky and often sympathetic characters make this uplifting and enjoyable.
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It is very much a fairy-tale set in San Francisco with its booming IT and foodie sectors. Here the appealing heroine is presented with a lively sourdough starter that may just be the means of releasing her from her stressful IT job to find a life she loves, though not quite in the way you might imagine.
Her offbeat adventures and encounters with an array of quirky and often sympathetic characters make this uplifting and enjoyable.
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LibraryThing member shizz
I’d never heard of Robin Sloan or any of his previous work so I had no expectations whatsoever of this book from Readers First before I started it. But I found it absolutely delightful. A wonderful piece of story telling, tender, simply told despite some of the complex science and technology.
I cannot think of another story where a sourdough starter is one of the main characters. If anyone else can I’m all ears! The other characters are quirky and slightly off centre but there are no nasty people in this book, no one is unkind to anyone else, no unpleasant happenings, no violence, a gentle twist or two maybe but no one attempts to shock the reader with their behaviour.
Structurally conformist, no dual/multi chronologies. It’s straightforward first person narration with the inclusion of emails detailing the parallel lives and dreams of the two brothers who start this whole thing rolling by making Lois Clary custodian of their sourdough starter. Lois is a computer/software programmer/engineer, what she actually does is crucial to the plot so I’m keeping stumm. Lois is such a sweet character, conscientious, self effacing but seizing opportunities, solving problems and ultimately taking risks to follow ambition but ambition in a life affirming sense rather than the more cut throat, desire to reach the top type of ambition we hear much of today. And despite the book being a work concerning technology, set in San Francisco as well, there’s barely a mobile phone or tablet in evidence. No mention of social media. So refreshing.
You can simply enjoy this novel as a story but if you want to delve a little deeper there is plenty to think about in terms of technology, living organisms and their needs, nutrition and addressing the feeding of a growing population. Heaven help us if Heston Blumenthal gets hold of this. It seriously might give him ideas. But, is that necessarily a bad thing? Read this book and make up your own minds!!
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Uplifting and celebratory. It’s an unusual premise, possibly genre neutral although you could squeeze it into magical realism if you really wanted to.I cannot think of another story where a sourdough starter is one of the main characters. If anyone else can I’m all ears! The other characters are quirky and slightly off centre but there are no nasty people in this book, no one is unkind to anyone else, no unpleasant happenings, no violence, a gentle twist or two maybe but no one attempts to shock the reader with their behaviour.
Structurally conformist, no dual/multi chronologies. It’s straightforward first person narration with the inclusion of emails detailing the parallel lives and dreams of the two brothers who start this whole thing rolling by making Lois Clary custodian of their sourdough starter. Lois is a computer/software programmer/engineer, what she actually does is crucial to the plot so I’m keeping stumm. Lois is such a sweet character, conscientious, self effacing but seizing opportunities, solving problems and ultimately taking risks to follow ambition but ambition in a life affirming sense rather than the more cut throat, desire to reach the top type of ambition we hear much of today. And despite the book being a work concerning technology, set in San Francisco as well, there’s barely a mobile phone or tablet in evidence. No mention of social media. So refreshing.
You can simply enjoy this novel as a story but if you want to delve a little deeper there is plenty to think about in terms of technology, living organisms and their needs, nutrition and addressing the feeding of a growing population. Heaven help us if Heston Blumenthal gets hold of this. It seriously might give him ideas. But, is that necessarily a bad thing? Read this book and make up your own minds!!
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LibraryThing member nyiper
Although I was initially intrigued with the idea of sourdough bread as an occupation for the main character- Lois/ I became somewhat exhausted with the description of trying to find out the secrets of the 'special' starter. I was intrigued enough to remember trying to make sourdough bread myself,
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long ago. Yes, it was a clever story and the reader on the CD, Theresa Plummer, was very good. I wish I had liked it more. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shelby_Kuzma
Lois is a programmer, and she is very good at what she does. Fresh out of college she gets a job in Michigan, buys a house, and is relatively content, until a large company in California offers her a seemingly better job for a lot more money. She moves across the country and she hates it, until she
I decided to join the Book of the Month club, and this was one of the September picks. After loving Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, my choice was pretty easy. This book wasn’t quite what I thought it would be; it was labelled as fantasy, and while there certainly are some fantastical elements to the story, it is not a fantasy book the way I normally think of fantasy (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, The Night Circus, etc.). That being said, I still really enjoyed this book! Fair warning: this book made me really hungry. So much so that I ended up making my own loaf of bread (see above picture).
Most of this story is told from the perspective of Lois, who I found to be a very relatable character. Her emotions are very well described which helped me ‘get into’ the story and understand her situation. I also loved how after Lois receives the sourdough starter and learns how to care for it, she is immediately all in with learning how to bake sourdough bread. I have a tendency to do this myself so this added to the ‘relatableness’ of the character; one particular scene in which Lois purchases a book on sourdough and immediately orders all of the supplies recommended by the book hit me a little too hard.
My complaints are pretty minor. As previously mentioned, this book was not quite the fantasy book I thought it was going to be, and because of this I spent a lot of the book waiting for it to get really into the fantasy world, which it never does. It was very much along the same lines of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, and if you enjoyed that book I suspect you will also enjoy this one. My second complaint is that ending did not completely satisfy me, although it is growing on me with time. I am not sure why I feel this way, as it was not a vague or “cliffhanger” ending, but I walked away from the book feeling a little “eh” about it. Looking back now though, I really did enjoy this book and would highly recommend it. I hope you guys enjoy it!
I am also pretty excited, because Robin Sloan is coming to my home state! I am not positive that I will be able to make it to his events, by I am certainly going to try!
Happy reading! :)
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finds a delivery food flier on her door and takes a chance. Lois discovers a new love; double spicy soup and sourdough bread. When the cooks have to leave unexpectedly and leave her with their sourdough starter, a whole new world is opened up to her. I decided to join the Book of the Month club, and this was one of the September picks. After loving Robin Sloan’s Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, my choice was pretty easy. This book wasn’t quite what I thought it would be; it was labelled as fantasy, and while there certainly are some fantastical elements to the story, it is not a fantasy book the way I normally think of fantasy (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, The Night Circus, etc.). That being said, I still really enjoyed this book! Fair warning: this book made me really hungry. So much so that I ended up making my own loaf of bread (see above picture).
Most of this story is told from the perspective of Lois, who I found to be a very relatable character. Her emotions are very well described which helped me ‘get into’ the story and understand her situation. I also loved how after Lois receives the sourdough starter and learns how to care for it, she is immediately all in with learning how to bake sourdough bread. I have a tendency to do this myself so this added to the ‘relatableness’ of the character; one particular scene in which Lois purchases a book on sourdough and immediately orders all of the supplies recommended by the book hit me a little too hard.
My complaints are pretty minor. As previously mentioned, this book was not quite the fantasy book I thought it was going to be, and because of this I spent a lot of the book waiting for it to get really into the fantasy world, which it never does. It was very much along the same lines of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, and if you enjoyed that book I suspect you will also enjoy this one. My second complaint is that ending did not completely satisfy me, although it is growing on me with time. I am not sure why I feel this way, as it was not a vague or “cliffhanger” ending, but I walked away from the book feeling a little “eh” about it. Looking back now though, I really did enjoy this book and would highly recommend it. I hope you guys enjoy it!
I am also pretty excited, because Robin Sloan is coming to my home state! I am not positive that I will be able to make it to his events, by I am certainly going to try!
Happy reading! :)
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LibraryThing member HippieLunatic
I thoroughly enjoyed this magical realism book about balance, self-discovery, and growth.
While there were parts that seemed out of context to the flow of the rest of the novel, I was willing to forgive then, given how wrapped up in the development of Lois I had found myself.
While there were parts that seemed out of context to the flow of the rest of the novel, I was willing to forgive then, given how wrapped up in the development of Lois I had found myself.
LibraryThing member kmajort
This was different (but that's kind of Robin Sloan's thing).
At first I thought it was cute.
Then a "show millennials how to take chances and be happy" (except not).
And then there was a twist - similar to in Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore (New Bagel makes a cameo!) The Marrow Fair is wild, I'd love
So: worth the read. I liked Mr. P's24HB better though, so read it first.
At first I thought it was cute.
Then a "show millennials how to take chances and be happy" (except not).
And then there was a twist - similar to in Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore (New Bagel makes a cameo!) The Marrow Fair is wild, I'd love
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to see/visit!So: worth the read. I liked Mr. P's24HB better though, so read it first.
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LibraryThing member RealLifeReading
I love how Robin Sloan’s books always incorporate a bit of tech in them, and the way they are set in the Bay Area. Sourdough does require some suspension of disbelief but it was a fun delightful yeast-full romp that will make you want to eat (and in my case, make) bread.
LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
I'm not quite sure what to think about this:
I didn't understand the point about "technology", but it had a big part in the plot.
For me it stood out as a slowly unfolding long-distance love story between two people.
So the woman in the story: Lois, her name is Lois, writes codes for a technology
When the brothers unexpectedly have to leave the country; they leave Lois w/ their sourdough starter that has a secret life of its own & thrives on music.
Lois also belongs to Groups of other women named Lois. Her current group encourages Lois to continue to bake the Sourdough bread & enter the try outs for an up & coming Farmers' Market.....which is really where the story picked-up for me.
I didn't understand the point about "technology", but it had a big part in the plot.
For me it stood out as a slowly unfolding long-distance love story between two people.
So the woman in the story: Lois, her name is Lois, writes codes for a technology
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company. She has little or no personal time and has come to depend on the delivery service of two brothers for the spicy & spicy dinner soup & sourdough bread they make.When the brothers unexpectedly have to leave the country; they leave Lois w/ their sourdough starter that has a secret life of its own & thrives on music.
Lois also belongs to Groups of other women named Lois. Her current group encourages Lois to continue to bake the Sourdough bread & enter the try outs for an up & coming Farmers' Market.....which is really where the story picked-up for me.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
A sweet story about a woman trying to find her life. Set in San Francisco, Lois works at a large company creating code for robotic arms. Into her daily grind, some sourdough starter arrives. Not just any sourdough starter, this one is special (we all think our own sourdough starter is special). I'm
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not giving any more details than this. If you need a mood lifter, this is the book to read, especially if you have ever shared living quarters with a sourdough starter. Show Less
LibraryThing member debkrenzer
This was a really good read. Yes, it was somewhat cheesy, but cheese goes good with bread. Ha!
A story of a woman, Lois, whose life makes a big change when she moves from Michigan to San Francisco to work at a tech company coding programs for robots. The new company sounds like a Google workplace
Lois has no friends other than those few at work and spends most of her time at the company. She finds a menu for a new restaurant, a whole in the wall, and starts ordering from them. It ends up that she orders from them so much that the brother who own it call her "Number one Eater".
Then the brothers Visa expires and they give Lois a going away present. Their starter for the Sourdough bread that they made.
This makes a big change in Lois' life and all for the better. A little sappy towards the end - yes, this is the cheesy part - but a very enjoyable read.
And yes, I looked it up, there is a "Lois Club". I didn't find any Debbie clubs, however. Ha!
Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
A story of a woman, Lois, whose life makes a big change when she moves from Michigan to San Francisco to work at a tech company coding programs for robots. The new company sounds like a Google workplace
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with free food and beds which keep the employees there way after hours.Lois has no friends other than those few at work and spends most of her time at the company. She finds a menu for a new restaurant, a whole in the wall, and starts ordering from them. It ends up that she orders from them so much that the brother who own it call her "Number one Eater".
Then the brothers Visa expires and they give Lois a going away present. Their starter for the Sourdough bread that they made.
This makes a big change in Lois' life and all for the better. A little sappy towards the end - yes, this is the cheesy part - but a very enjoyable read.
And yes, I looked it up, there is a "Lois Club". I didn't find any Debbie clubs, however. Ha!
Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
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LibraryThing member c.archer
This is another delightful and fun tale by Robin Sloan. He is pretty much a genius in my book.
Awards
Golden Poppy Book Award (Winner — 2017)
NPR: Books We Love (2017)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Fiction — 2017)
Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List (Selection — 2018)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults (Selection — 2017)
RUSA CODES Listen List (Selection — 2018)
Original publication date
2017-09-05
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Sloan |