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Books Read in June 2023

It was a good month for reading! I kept going with the Bean series, read books for two book clubs, and threw a little nonfiction into the mix (and enjoyed it). I also started reading Horse by Geraldine Brooks, a chunker I have to finish for yet another book club this weekend. Hope my fellow Americans had a good Fourth, Canadians had a good Canada Day, and everyone else a happy July.

Books Read This Month
  1.  Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card--This (sadly) finishes up Petra and Peter's arc and all the Battle School military/political fallout on Earth, setting up for what I'd consider more "hard" science fiction.
  2. The Cost of Living and Other Mysteries by Saul Golubcow--Local author wrote a Jewish detective novel, it's set in the '70s but published in 2021 so it has more modern sensibilities. I saw this on a local book club meetup, so I had to try it. Not my usual book club and don't know if I'll keep up with it, but very glad I joined this session where we got to meet and discuss with the author! Highly recommend if this sounds interesting to you.
  3. Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland--Book club read, really focuses on the differences between the generations, it's nice to see Gen Z/millenials getting into the written zeitgeist, and it was interesting to learn about the heyday and aftermath of the Jewish Catskills/Borscht Belt.
  4. Shadows in Flight by Orson Scott Card--Again, such an interesting perspective on aliens and genetics; too bad about his weird insistence on the importance of heterosexual reproduction even when it's not genetically necessary? I don't even understand. 
  5. Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman--Finished up with some nonfiction by the hosts of the podcast Call Your Girlfriend. I enjoyed their story and also the references to more research on friendship, an important human relationship that doesn't get enough attention or value in our society. 

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