ah, you have much fun in front of you,
mewgartigan. And, FWIW, Local Custom was an unabashed hommage to Georgette Heyer, so if you don't like Heyer, you're unlikely to find this your favourite book in the Liaden Universe. It does, however, have a lot of useful information and world-building for exactly how this whole thing holds together.
I've given up deciding what the "correct" reading order is, beyond noting that certain books are direct sequels, and some others build on information in previous books. But even there, I find it matters less than I thought. Whatever order you choose, enjoy the journey.
