It is not possible to read all the Sci-Fi books out there. So you must have a process for selecting what you do read. Reading a book is an investment in your time. Your time is valuable. No one wants to waste that time reading unworthy books.
I have never codified my criteria. And it has changed and evolved over time. I suspect it will continue to change moving forward, as who I am tomorrow is not who I was yesterday.
What is your criteria to date?
Mine is that it must meet ALL the following criteria, some objective and some subjective.
- it must have at least 1,000 reviews
- it must have at least 70% 5-star reviews
- if after reading about it I get the suspicion that it’s a romance disguised as Sci-Fi, I automatically reject it no matter what
- if it’s YA, it really needs to be exceedingly compelling to choose it
- Space Opera also needs to be exceedingly compelling
- if I get the feeling it’s trying to preach I’ll reject it
- if i get the feeling it has (messaging, strong opinions, or political overtones) about today’s societal issues, I probably won’t choose it. Not judging; I primarily read for escapism.
I guess that’s about it. There’s probably more but I just haven’t put that much thought into it yet.
I’m very interested in how y’all decide to choose a book to spend your valuable time reading.
I look at something and decide to read it. If I enjoy it, I keep reading. That’s my very strict criteria.
You said nobody wants to “waste time” reading “unworthy” books. But if you enjoy it, it’s not wasted time. I didn’t even read your whole post, because it seems to me like you spend most of your time trying to find something perfect and very little time enjoying a book. That doesn’t really appeal to me at all, but you do you.
lol my standards for fiction are basically “does it catch my eye?”, “is it available on my library/scribd apps?”, and usually “if it’s a series, is it book one?”. If I like it I go through the series. I like a broad variety (though a lot of mysteries).
Nonfiction I definitely have stronger standards. If it’s not well sourced it’s too much noise vs signal.
Of course if you enjoy it, the time is not wasted. Worthy to me, means I enjoy it. I’m sent dozens of book recommendations each week from various sources in which I subscribe. I have to weed them out because I certainly don’t have time to read each one. The longer my queue becomes, the stricter my criteria becomes. I read almost every night for hours before bed, so not sure why you think I spend very little time enjoying a book. What an odd thing to say.