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.

  • cwagner@lemmy.cwagner.me
    4·
    1 year ago

    For random books I encounter:
    Does it sound interesting? Are the negative reviews not something I have an issue with?
    Now, it depends on the price. Free (KU) or 1-2€, I’ll probably just try it.
    For higher prices, I’ll also want some positive reviews that sell me on the book. More than 5€ requires external recommendations.

    Recommendations from elsewhere: Similar to random, but the requirements are a bit lower, more the better the recommendation/review was ;)

    In both cases, I might try the free kindle sample to check the writing style.

    Authors I like: Negative reviews really turn me off the book, or the description makes it sound not for me, otherwise I’ll get it.

    And of course, a subgenre I don’t like (mainly YA and romance) is an automatic exclusion.