Cross-posted to [email protected]
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 completely ignore ratings on Goodreads. If anything, a higher rating on Goodreads makes me less interested in it. Harry Potter 5 has a 4.5 rating on there, Heart of Darkness has a 3.5 and that’s all I need to know.
That being said, if there’s a book I’m interested, the reviews there can be helpful. I’ll usually read one 5 star review. 2-3 one star reviews, and like 5 three star reviews.
I tend to read a lot of classics so I generally don’t need to do a lot of vetting. If something is still relevant after decades/centuries, it’s probably worth my time. And honestly, there are very few books I’ve hated (other than Walden, dear god was that one bad).