Really good post. I like the distinction you made between a personal list and a list of recommendations. I think it's an important point. Everyone has their own favorites and is free to share them, but when you cross the line into recommending as an expert (real or perceived) you have to be more careful. One thing I've learned from working on the Cybils is to look beyond what I like, and judge a book in relationship to its audience and the larger body of work, rather than my personal preference. I've discovered some great books that way that I wouldn't have read otherwise, and also some that I didn't particularly care for due to personal preference but that I thought were deserving of recognition. I'm an old SF reader from way back; I read Heinlein, Asimov, and many others from about 4th grade. I loved those books, too, and still love them, but they aren't the only books out there, and I've seen lists of recommendations that don't seem to notice that any SF good books have been published in the last 30 years. Sheila Ruth