LOTS of good recommendations here (I think I've read just about every author mentioned so far, not a bad one in the group).
Thin on Sci-fi though, so I'll add an author that I'm quite enamored of but who seems to be fairly obscure. C. J. Cherryh. She seems to be most interested in xenopsychology, the interrelationships of various (and often VERY different) intelligent species. Her technology is imaginitive and she builds a very structured technology basis for her stories (she loses it in the details on occasion though IMO).
Her Faded Sun trilogy I had a tough time putting down. I'm currently reading her Chanur series and it's also very entertaining.
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