Thanks for the answers!
I'll definitely read
A deepness in the sky and other books by Vinge mentioned in this thread, but I'll let some time pass to be sure to appreciate them fully (I tend to 'overdose' on some authors if I rush and read too many of their books too fast).
wayspooled, among the books you cite some are also from my favorite:
Ender's Game, the first five books of the Amber series, and Hyperion.
Others I've read I found enjoyable but not terrific (except for the Bujold books which I didn't enjoy very much).
I'll check out the others.
Other of my favorite sci-fi books include
Songmasters - Card
Red Mars - Robinson
The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy - Adams
The face of the waters - Silverberg
Les guerriers du silence - Bordge ('The silence warriors', French book, don't know if it's been translated to English).