bwbeach wants to read What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Alison Watts
What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo''s most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi. But she …
Reviews and Comments
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bwbeach wants to read The Real World of Technology by Ursula M. Franklin (CBC Massey lecture series)
In this expanded edition of her bestselling 1989 CBC Massey Lectures, renowned scientist and humanitarian …
bwbeach rated You Sexy Thing: 4 stars
You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo, Cat Rambo
Farscape meets The Great British Bake Off in this fantastic space opera You Sexy Thing from former SFWA President, Cat …
bwbeach reviewed Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the …
A great read, all the way through
5 stars
Lessons in Chemistry is one of the few books that kept me captivated all the way through.
It's an odd blend of horrific misogyny, a sweet love story, a hero's journey, an anti-establishment quest, and a mystery at the end. Overall, I loved the way they were woven together.
bwbeach rated Lessons in Chemistry: 5 stars
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that …
bwbeach rated The Ministry of Time: 4 stars
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what …
bwbeach rated The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store: 5 stars
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
From James McBride, author of the bestselling Oprah’s Book Club pick Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award - …
bwbeach finished reading How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine
When a company’s workers are literally dying on the job, when their business model relies …
Good overall. Lot's of good reasons to avoid using Amazon, plus some nice stories about life running a small-town bookstore.
bwbeach finished reading The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and …
Content warning Spoilers after the marker.
Some parts felt slow and draggy, but overall worth a read. The premise is interesting, and the character development is good.
SPOILER BELOW
I have trouble with protagonists who lack agency, which applies to much of the story. I find it draggy when things happen to them, but they don't do anything about it.
That said, I think that's the whole point of the story. Things finally get better when she gets out of the ministry and gets her life and her agency back.
bwbeach reviewed The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Established in 2025, the purpose of the new organization was simple: To advocate for the …
Lots of interesting ideas, but a slog to get through.
4 stars
I struggled picking a rating for this book. It's one of those books I'm happy to have read, but while reading it some sections were slow and hard to get through.
The book paints a vivid picture of what's already happening with climate change, and how it could get a lot worse. The reactions of different groups of people are interesting, and gave me things to think about.
bwbeach finished reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
I loved the diversity of characters, and their stories.
bwbeach rated Cloud Cuckoo Land: 5 stars
bwbeach rated Exit Strategy: 4 stars
Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #4)
"Martha Wells's Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling series, The Murderbot Diaries, comes …
bwbeach rated Rogue Protocol: 4 stars
Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #3)
SciFi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is again on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more …
bwbeach rated All Systems Red: 5 stars
All Systems Red by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #1)
"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved …