I was trying to think of good sci-fi books to rec to
abyssinia4077on her recent post, and took a look at my bookshelves, and realised that I needed some help there myself. My sci-fi collection consists of William Gibson, more William Gibson, Doctor Who, Stargate, Dune (unread), Spider Robinson, a wonderfully trashy book called Pzyche that no one but me has read, as far as I know, and that’s about it. It’s a travesty! I do have more sci-fi books, I’m sure, but they’re at my dad’s and I can’t remember titles. I should be getting them soon, though, along with the enormous bookshelf they're in. *rubs hands gleefully*
So, knowing that there are people out there (*looks hopefully at
secretrebel*) who like to recommend books and love sci-fi, and have in fact recommended sci-fi books to me which I’ve stupidly not taken note of (I really need to be holding a pen and paper rather than alcohol when people tell me these things – oh, my lamentable memory) – what’s good?
ETA: Just for clarity, I have read Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, some Harry Harrison, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and a ton of Star Trek novels (How Much For Just The Planet rools) - and yes, I'm an ungrateful cow to ask for recs and then say, "But I've read that!" :-) (But this is making me think I should re-read Orson Scott Card, because I remember very little about those books.)
So, knowing that there are people out there (*looks hopefully at
ETA: Just for clarity, I have read Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, some Harry Harrison, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and a ton of Star Trek novels (How Much For Just The Planet rools) - and yes, I'm an ungrateful cow to ask for recs and then say, "But I've read that!" :-) (But this is making me think I should re-read Orson Scott Card, because I remember very little about those books.)

Comments
An insto-list of good SF follows. I'm limiting myself to ten titles or I'll be here all day. In no particular order then:
- A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge
- The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin
- Her Smoke Rose Up Forever (short stories), James Tiptree Jr/Alice Sheldon
- Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
- Steel Beach, John Varley
- Permutation City, Greg Egan
- Snow Queen, Joan D. Vinge
- Xenogenesis trilogy a.k.a. Lilith's Brood, Octavia Butler
- Drinking Sapphire Wine, Tanith Lee
- Palace, Katherine Kerr and Mark Kreighbaum
I have The Dispossessed somewhere, come to think of it (probably with the books I've got coming). I've never read it - the cover puts me off. But everyone recommends it, so I have to get past the ugly cover.
And yeah, I read Ender's Game yonks ago (due to you, of course), and loved it. Don't remember much about it, now...
(Yikes - thunder!)
There's a bunch of sequels to Ender's Game as well.
I also think you'd like Steven Brust's Dragaera novels, they're fantasy on the outside but SF is you scratch them hard enough.
*adds to list*