Since my commute has expanded somewhat, I've been getting through more and more audio books (thank the literary gods for audible.com). Doing a lot of science, physics, and history with the occasional fiction book tossed in. I'm currently about a third of the way through Michael Chabon's Summerland. Assuming the rest of the book stands up to the quality of the first part, I'm not sure why the folks who love John Myers Myers' "Silverlock" haven't jumped all over this book. Crossing Native American, Irish, British, and Norse mythologies (and more) while tossing in baseball as a metaphor for life, it's about growing up, dealing with loss, finding yourself, magic, quantum universes, and baseball playing fairies (or fairishers, as they prefer to be called). There's an oracular clam, a flying orange SAAB, and Coyote, the eternal trickster, trying to bring about Ragged Rock (Ragnorak).

A big plus is the reading by the author. Chabon does an excellent job of reading his own work, and brings his characters to vivid life. Yeah, it's YA, but first and foremost, it's a wonderful story populated with interesting characters. Highly recommended.

A man who could get people to reveal their innermost thoughts, fears, and hopes and present them to his readers and listeners in such a way to get them to feel that moment in all its fullness. A national treasure. Gone at 96. A good long run, and much good work done along the way. Go out and read a copy of The Great Divide or Hard Times if you've never done so, or if it's been a few years since you have. I can think of no better way to pay tribute to the man.

Yeah, I bit on this one, ganked from jbriggs, asimovberlioz and others.

Instructions: "This is a list of the 50 most significant science fiction/fantasy novels, 1953-2002, according to the Science Fiction Book Club. Bold the ones you've read, strike-out the ones you hated, italicize those you started but never finished, and put an asterisk beside the ones you loved."


( Here it is )

Note: I have never not finished a science fiction book I have started (and only a bare handful of books in general).