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Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness (Paperback, 2010, Ace Books)

On the planet Winter, there is no gender. The Gethenians can become male or female …

I get why it's held in high esteem, but not a top favorite for me

It's well-written, contains interesting ideas, and takes place in an interesting setting, but the story itself just didn't grab me. It was still pretty easy to keep reading though, in part because the writing was so enjoyable, and in part because there were some bits of lore sprinkled in that I actually found more engrossing than the main plot. They don't feel clunky enough for me to call them infodumps, though I suppose that's kind of what they are. Whatever you want to call those, I think they were my favorite parts.

Ultimately, I would say this is one of those books I admire more than I like, but don't take that overly harshly. I would say this is purely a matter of taste, not quality.