Discussion: Your systematic approach...

is one way to go about it. I've been picking anthologies lately:
'The Years Best Science Fiction' volumes, or "Top sci-fi books" type collections :)

Nice, that works too. They're all somewhat arbitrary in the end.

NERD!

I also took this approach when looking for audiobooks that interested me. My motivation was to just find good books, not read all the winners, but your system seems like a good way to try a variety. You might also consult the Nebula Award for Best Novel list. I *highly* recommend Speed of Dark, Flowers for Algernon, and Arthur C. Clark's Rama series. The Red Mars series is interesting and realistic, though I've only read the first book. There's also this book called Ender's Game that I've heard is pretty ok.

I didn't really get To say nothing of the dog, American Gods, or Paladin of Souls, and I stalled in Hyperion.

I need to read more Vonnegut and Asimov; I may join you in your Hugo quest.

Vonnegut is a fav!

I have heard great things about a lot of sci-fi but have largely stayed on the fantasy side of the New Worlds / Dystopian Future umbrella concepts - though I do love me some Douglas Adams. I shall mine these lists for excellent books with which to enter the genre!!

I am in desperate need to jump out of the non-fiction realm in which I have been trapped these past 5 years. Learned lots about people and culture but some escapism into these lessons in metaphor is required.

I think we just inaugurated the Attackpoint Sci Fi book club right here.

And since we got this out of the way, anyone read The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson? Very well praised, but I can't get past the first few chapters. Started intriguing with some action then it went on and on describing a dystopian world and not much happening.

Haven't read that one but I have read his Snow Crash which was really fun. Tori apparently was a contemporary (in the same class?) at Lakeside with Stephenson's...daughter, if I recall correctly. I'll put The Diamond Age on my list.

I also am pretty weak on Vonnegut, Douglas Adams too. Have read some Asimov but I'm lukewarm on him; I think of all the big Golden Age guys his stuff ages the worst. His Foundation series is good and the robot thing is cool to a point but in the end all revolves around the same concept which isn't so revolutionary anymore. More than that, he just wasn't that great of a writer. I prefer Clarke, Dick, Robert Heinlein, and Joe Haldeman to Asimov.

I've read Rama I but still need to finish the series. My fave Clarke is Childhood's End which I found pretty mindblowing. Also A Fall of Moondust and Fountains of Paradise are good.

What's not to get about American Gods? It's a pretty genius idea.

I went to the library today and it wasn't until I saw the cover of "Flowers for Algernon" that I remembered reading it in high school and it all came flooding back. Great book!