I work in a public library, so am privy to the reading habits of the public as a whole. One thing I’ve noticed is there is a significant number of people who will read something just because they heard about it or because they saw it on a bestselling list or some celebrity book club. Now, there is obviously nothing wrong with getting recommendations from those sources, but these people just see these titles and want to read them without knowing anything about them other then they’re popular. Now, that’s fine, you do you, but in my opinion it’s the worst way to go about finding new reads you will enjoy. Everyone has their own tastes and likes and dislikes in reading, and simply reading what’s popular is a horrible way to find books you will enjoy. Solely choosing books based on what is popular only works if the publishing trends favor stuff you like, like how romance and fantasy are the major genres right now. Choosing books this way will make it less likely you will like what you read and dampen your love of reading as a whole. The best way to select books, if you ask me, is knowing what types of stories you have liked in the past and look for that in the book summary. In my life as a reader, I have become much more adapt at seeing the plot summaries of books and knowing if I would probably enjoy the book or not. Not that I don’t take reading risks of course, but I feel that knowing your own tastes and base your browsing on them helps ensure you are more likely to enjoy what you read.
I’d be interested to hear what others have to say on this subject. Have you guys noticed this trend? How do you guys find the books you enjoy most? Do you find your tastes align with what is popular and that going off what’s popular leads you to a lot of things you enjoy?
by Nice-Definition-8360