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What I read -- May 2025


LHC #278: "Semiosis" by Sue Burke. eBook. More like linked short stories than a novel really. Some of the characters and voices were distasteful but the aliens and worldbuilding were amazing. And the one about first contact with the glassmakers was laugh out loud funny. 

LHC #279: "Carry On" by Rainbow Rowell. Hard copy because there was a 6-month waitlist for the eBook but I could have the hard copy within the week. Harry Potter fanfic? I found it kind of tedious until Baz showed up, and then it was great. If there are teams, I'm definitely team Baz. 

LHC #280: "Lunch: A history" by Megan Elias. Hard copy. I didn't expect to ever read this one actually. The library had got down to one copy of it, and it was listed as lost, and I'd left this on my list in Active status for like five months, when one day it started winging its way towards me. I found it strangely organized and mostly comprising of many, many menus. There didn't seem to be much of an argument. Not sure what I was hoping for, I guess. I hear the breakfast one (in the same series) is good. 

LHC #281: "The Once and Future Sex" by Eleanor Janega. Hard copy. It wasn't quite what I was hoping for either, but at least its structure made sense. 

LHC #282: "A Radical Act of Free Magic" by H.G. Parry. Hard copy as that was all the library had. It's a sequel, and I read book 1 about two years ago, so I didn't remember many details, but I managed to pick up what was going on. Anyway, that might have made it hard to get started, but by the end I was very invested. Satisfying conclusion. 

LHC #283: "Thornhedge" by T. Kingfisher. eBook. Delightful. Tried to push it on my book club but I don't think it's going to happen. 

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