Sourdough

Lois Clary is a software engineer in San Francisco who spends her days coding robotic arms. Her isolated routine changes when she inherits a mysterious, sentient sourdough starter from two brothers fleeing the country. To keep the microbial culture alive, Lois learns the chemistry of baking, eventually moving from her apartment kitchen to a secret, high-tech farmers' market. The plot follows her navigation of the tension between digitized precision and the unpredictable, organic nature of fermentation, as the starter exhibits strange, musical qualities.

This novel is for people interested in the intersection of food science and modern technology. Readers who enjoy learning about the manual labor behind professional baking or the logistics of the tech industry will find technical details regarding automation and agriculture. The book provides a look at how a tactile hobby provides balance against a demanding corporate career. Readers walk away with a perspective on how feeding a living culture creates a bridge between digital work and the physical world.

Practical; an easy read.

Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?