Yep, it seems the key is to be forced to attend boring, rote, in-person meetings.

I think we're at just about the same point in the novel, only my reader is Juliet Stevenson. "Cognoscenti" is just the start of my questioning everything I've ever pronounced....

A fave, read it maybe 5 times. This winter, I listened to it in audio - my 1st audiobook ever! - read by Juliet Stevenson. Last week, I was missing it, so I started it up again during my commute. I get the "science fiction" feel - it's like a different, better timeline that was rejected.