I guess when 60,000 people vote on something, as with NPR's just-released list of the 100 most popular sci fi/fantasy novels, it shouldn't be surprising that the results are, well, predictable. Lord of the Rings? No way!

Since lists like this are made to be grumbled over: American Gods is in no way a better book than Stranger in a Strange Land; I don't understand why two Discword books made the list while other series are bundled (speaking of Pratchett, would I find Good Omens as hilarious now as I did at age 13? I'm guessing no); if a Piers Anthony series deserves best-of listage (IF, I said), it's Apprentice Adept or Incarnations of Immortality; it's weird that the only graphic novel on the list is Watchmen.

And speaking of science fiction: Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross is at Powell's tonight, reading from his near-future thriller Rule 34.