i have vague and hazy memories of reading loads of andre norton science fiction books borrowed from a library when i was younger -- lots of weird stories about

i have vague and hazy memories of reading loads of andre norton science fiction books borrowed from a library when i was younger -- lots of weird stories about trading ships visiting far planets, meeting aliens, some unusual amount of gem trading, "forerunner" alien races... edit: aside from scifi, garth nix' "sabriel" books are a pretty good read. fantasy, necromancy, & quite an imaginative take on how magic systems work