Top 100 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Pics (According to NPR)

If it's published on NPR, it's official.  The top 100 speculative fiction books ever, as determined by 60,000 NPR listeners, are listed at this link.  With trepidation, we shall look to the list and attempt to analyze and fill the holes in our education.
Predictably, the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy tops the list.  In second is a polar opposite to Tolkein's master piece: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Sprinkled through the list are true genre classics (1984, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Frankenstein) alongside a hefty dose of novels recently adapted to the big screen (Stardust, The Road, I Am Legend, The Time Traveler's Wife).  Given NPR's knowledgeable  and generally grounded audience, none of that is much of a surprise.
It was to my geeky glee, then, that I discovered personal favorites such as I, Robot and The Princess Bride listed in the top twenty.  The beautifully written but little known (and overtly Christian) Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis landed squarely at the bottom of the list.
On the recommendations of readers all over the US, I've added a few titles to my own literary bucket list, including The Eyre Affair, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and Neverwhere.
Agree or disagree with the pics?  Comment away.

Book Review: Leviathan (and Behemoth)

The year is 1914. Europe is on the cusp of war. Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie have just been assassinated.

And Prince Aleksander of the Austria-Hungary Empire is right in the middle of it.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Deryn Sharp stands in line with the other recruits for the Royal Air Service, trying hard to get into the military.

Only problem is, Deryn is a girl. And girls are not allowed in the military.

The meeting of the two will forever change history.

---

This trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, set at the very beginning of World War I, is every steampunk-loving history-fanatic's dream. Westerfeld's world, an alternate history of our own, is set between two clashing ideals: "clankers", the nations using mechs, giant metal warriors and the "land dreadnaughts" to fight their wars  (Germany and Austria-Hungary), and "Darwinists", who use Darwin's studies of evolution and DNA to literally create war machines out of animals.

Westerfeld weaves true historical facts in with his own science and mechanical world. Wonderfully written, often switching between Deryn and Alek's point of view, this novel will give you a little more insight as to what happened at the dawn of World War I.

The author teases the avid 'shippers throughout the entire first two books with Deryn's developing feelings towards Alek.

Featuring a variety of characters, ranging from teenage rebel to archduke to scientist, Leviathan is certain not your average historical fiction. It feels somewhat reminiscent of works by Dianna Wynne Jones (Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Air, House of Many Ways) or some of acclaimed director Hayao Miyazai's films (Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso, Kiki's Delivery Service).

The last book of the trilogy, "Goliath," is set for US release in October of 2011.
EDITOR'S UPDATE:  New release date is September 20, 2011

Pros:
-science
-flying whales
-Westerfeld's characteristically wonderful world building
-...and great invented dialect
-fencing
-gorgeous illustrations

Cons:
-minor language
-some sexual situations that are fairly minor but, ah, not mainstream
-some violence (not really graphic or disturbing)
-evolutionary theory may not sit well with some

Reading List: What Rin is Reading

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I tried to make it better with the Teenage Liberation Handbook review, and Kat posted a wonderful music review soon after.  But I thought I'd update you about my reading habits, in case you were interested (or just bored).  If and when I post reviews, I'll edit this and link to the articles for you.

Non-Fiction:

Do Hard Things by Alex and Bret Harris (*****/5)
How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Christie (****/5)
The Bible by God (it makes me happy every time I get to type, "by God" like that.  Any way, veryone should read it, although you might not want to take it on Genesis straight to Revelation your first time. *****/5)
The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel (*****/5)
Mere Christianity by C S Lewis (*****/5)


Fiction:

The Flavia de Luce books by Alan Bradly
*The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (****/5 stars)
*The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag (****/5)

The Sword in the Stone by T H White (not yet finished)
The War of the Worlds by H G Wells (****/5)
The Secret Sharer & Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (not yet finished)