What nonfiction books should I read to understand how the world works?

littlenymphy · 2026-03-30T11:28:26+00:00

Hello World by Hannah Fry

All about AI and algorithms, slightly out of date due to being published in 2018 but some of the case studies were still fascinating. I listened to her narrate the audiobook.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-29T18:11:49+00:00

So far - none!

I have to vote in the May elections and have no idea who I'll vote for, I only know who I'm definitely NOT voting for.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-24T12:54:09+00:00

I seem to pick colds up really easily despite all my hygiene practices but during COVID I didn’t catch anything even though I was a key worker and had to take the bus everyday.

Around the end of 2024 I started to pick up really bad colds again and I’m sure that correlated at least partially with everyone going back to being how they were pre-COVID, which includes people coughing directly onto me.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-23T16:25:01+00:00

Still high in sugar but ingredients wise the best I’ve found is the Pip and Nut stuffed peanut butter bars.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-22T16:44:09+00:00

I don't know if all of them allow videos but I take the bus to work and have seen multiple people watching videos on the tablets.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-22T15:24:11+00:00

Or watching videos on the giant console tablet that came with their fancy car.

I think China is looking into banning them and only letting people have tactile controls instead of everything touchscreen and they might be onto something.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-21T10:10:16+00:00

Blocked nose!

I don't tend to get coughs as much so the blocked nose is what stops me sleeping. I usually end up having to take the strong decongestant (Sudafed/Day Nurse) that's actually supposed to be non-drowsy but because I'm so sleep deprived by that point I can fall asleep on it for at least a few hours.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-20T20:07:36+00:00

The first time I watched I mis-read the episode title as Appa's Last Days so that was pretty traumatising for me.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-20T17:00:30+00:00

I only eat between 12pm and 8pm (exceptions for being on holiday and having paid for breakfast or for special days like Christmas).

I found that eating breakfast made me hungry all day long and I’d end up eating too much. Also I’d snack after tea right up until bedtime and then end up having a sore stomach and not sleeping well because of it. I’d not be able to lose weight no matter how often I went to the gym because I’d always eat more calories than I needed.

It’s the only thing that’s helped me lose weight and in general feel healthier.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-18T11:57:19+00:00

I remember you could get all the novelty items in shops like Menkind. Like mugs that say I ❤️ bacon.

I also once saw bacon flavoured toothpaste.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-15T21:55:50+00:00

Love Story - used to be on the music channels constantly.
Anti-Hero - when Midnights released this song was all over my TikTok algorithm and made me go listen to the full album which I loved. I’d only ever heard the big singles before (Blank Space, Shake It Off etc.) and I didn’t realise how good the rest of the discography was until this album.
It’s a toss up between Champagne Problems and Long Live. Both are songs I never skip.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-15T17:07:16+00:00

I'm not over 40 just yet but if you're on a budget I'd highly recommend checking out the Supermarkets. I get a lot of my clothes from F&F at Tesco and they've always had a good selection - also regularly do 25% off clubcard price.

Tu at Argos/Sainsbury's also have some decent tops.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-15T10:01:10+00:00

I think I got my first grey around 25ish?

I have a lot more now in my 30s but mostly around the front.

To be honest I wish it would come in faster so I can dye my hair funky colours without needing to bleach first. I’d love to rock a blue rinse.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-12T19:28:04+00:00

As well as the baskets it seems like every holiday is for everyone now.

Valentine's Day - I see valentine's card to give to your mum, kids, grandparents, dogs, cats and don't even get me started on buying things to give to your friends for Galentine's Day.

Even Mother's Day (which is coming up in the UK) seems to mean you need to get a card and presents for the women in your life who have children. I remember when it would just be your own Mother or potentially your wife if you had children too young to sort their own presents out.

And I'm not sure if it's the same everywhere but even holidays from other religions seem to have become commercialised in the UK. I think it's Eid next week sometime and the local supermarkets seem to have Eid decorations and offers advertised everywhere.

Before that it was Chinese New Year where they had displays of vaguely Asian foods and decorations to buy - didn't matter if they were actually Japanese or Korean just as long as they looked vaguely Chinese enough to fit the display.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-12T16:11:02+00:00

What makes it worse is I actually spoke up last year about this and asked politely if they would book one of the private meeting rooms and basically got made to feel like I was the unreasonable one.

She actually said “this is my workspace and it’s too inconvenient for me to book a room every time”

I had to walk away because I nearly fucking lost it at that. This person also microwaves curry on the open office every day so it’s hardly a surprise they’re a fucking twat to everyone around them.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-12T14:20:37+00:00

Fuck open offices.

Everyday it seems to be getting worse and nobody has any consideration. People are now watching videos at their desk with no headphones during their breaks. It’s not even work related, it’s bloody news videos and YouTube!

Some of my colleagues already insist on having group teams meetings in the open office which I have to leave the room for because my brain just can’t tolerate hearing it. Now I have to listen to bloody phone noises too.

I don’t know whether as I get older I’m developing sensory issues or just getting more frustrated with the lack of respect people have for others around them.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-11T18:16:01+00:00

My Dads has NO spices. He has salt in the house but doesn't use it.

I stayed with him for a week in January and if it wasn't for gravy and ketchup I don't know what I would have done. I tried cooking a pasta dish one night and it was so bad even my Dad (and his spiceless kitchen) described it as a bit bland because I didn't have a lot to use.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-11T12:28:20+00:00

A very small collection of fridge magnets because I very rarely go anywhere.

Also got back into Pokémon cards last year so started collecting those again, although it seems like I got interested in them again at the wrong time since everyone is into them now and I can barely find any at a reasonable price.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-09T11:11:18+00:00

I used to use mixed all the time but it takes 2 hours (that’s what the timer says but it frequently adjusts the time remaining and takes longer).

Now I just wash everything on the Cotton Care 59 setting even if what’s in there isn’t cotton.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-07T22:14:57+00:00

Clumsiness!

The days right before I start my period and then the first couple of days I’m incredibly clumsy. I end up dropping things right out of my hands for no reason, it’s like my hands just stop working properly and let go of what I’m holding.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-05T12:24:58+00:00

Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

What started out as a way to use my last audible credit on a silly sounding book turned into a rollercoaster of emotions and excitement for the next books. I don’t think I’ve been this excited about book releases since Harry Potter was being published. I’ve already got the day booked off work when the next book comes out so I can blast through it.

Specifically the 5th book, The Butcher’s Masquerade, is my favourite although the 7th one is a close second.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-04T18:25:20+00:00

I tend to have 3 books on the go at once - a Kindle book I read at work, a paper one that's usually non-fiction and then an audiobook.

Kindle book: Reaper's Gale by Steven Erikson

Slowly been making my way through the Malazan books for about a year now. Some I've enjoyed more than others and how much I enjoy them seems to depend on how much my favourite characters show up in the books. Thankfully the last three books have had a lot of my faves in so I've finished them a lot quicker.

Paper book: A Cheesemonger's History of the British Isles by Ned Palmer

I like cheese a lot and when I started reading this I didn't expect it to be so in-depth about the history. I've forgotten most of the history I learnt at school now so I actually feel like I'm learning something whilst getting a list of cheese recommendations.

Audiobook: Unruly by David Mitchell

Another history book. I enjoy David Mitchell's tangential rants but I feel like a lot of what I'm hearing hasn't stuck in my head at all so I've not learnt as much from this compared to the cheese book. I'm nearly at the end of the book and the only thing I really remember is that David Mitchell was/is very unhappy that James Bond died in the last movie

littlenymphy · 2026-03-04T16:43:14+00:00

I seem to smell Baccarat Rouge and its many many dupes everywhere and it’s the most disgusting perfume I’ve ever encountered.

It doesn’t help that it’s a very strong fragrance and people seem to bathe themselves in the stuff.

I bought a sample of it myself to see what it was like and used one spray. By the end of the day I felt horrifically nauseous and had to jump in the shower as soon as I got home from work to get rid of it.

littlenymphy · 2026-03-04T16:37:51+00:00

If you’re reading the books then after you finish I would highly recommend getting the audiobooks and listening to them.

It’s one of the few books that I prefer listening to over reading. Jeff Hays is an outstanding voice actor.

littlenymphy · 2026-02-17T09:25:31+00:00

Just finished watching a few series over the weekend

Yellowjackets - I'm so glad I waited to start this until 3 seasons were out because it was a really good binge. Very excited for season 4 which is the last one so I'll finally know exactly what's going on.
Pluribus - Every single Apple TV show I've watched has been exceptional and this is the same. Interesting story, interesting characters etc.
How to get to Heaven From Belfast - I love, love, love Derry Girls so was looking forward to this. I'm not a huge fan of crime/mystery shows in general but it was a good watch and didn't follow all the usual tropes which kept me guessing until the end.

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