Is not being picky enough a problem when choosing a book?

So first of all, I apologize for not posting for almost a week. College classes and work has kept me really busy and I haven’t had a lot of time to post on my blog. While I haven’t had much time to write, I have been brainstorming about fun things to write about.

Today I wanted to talk about a topic that has made me think twice about what I read and how I review books ever since I became a blogger. “Am I not picky enough about the books I choose to read?” or even “I am enough of critical reviewer?”

I know that as far as books, I’m particularly not too picky when it comes books. I enjoy all genres and there’s only been a few times I can recount that I’ve ever fully turned down a book at first glance. If my friends and family recommend a book to me, I know they’re thinking of my best interests at heart, so I’ll probably go and give that book a try. However, I’ve run into other readers (friends/family) or overheard people in bookstores that tend to over-generalize a genre and say something like “Why would I read The Hunger Games, I mean it’s like every other dystopian book that’s out there?” And I feel that kind of thinking is harsh.

There are also people who are accusatory (never towards me) of having to be super picky and selective about what they want to read. That’s okay because it’s their own prerogative. But sometimes this makes me feel like I’m not selective enough of the books I want to read. If a book has a solid plot line and a good cover (doesn’t have to be extraordinarily eye-popping) 99% of the time I’ll pick it up and read it.

As for reviewing books, it can sometimes be a difficult process. It all depends on the depth of the plot, use of characters, theme, etc. Whereas classic literature and lengthy books are sometimes geared toward more of an analytical review, other novels can be lighter in content so the review is shorter. It’s a hard decision to choose how to write book reviews. You usually want to give good book synopsis, and talk about the best parts of the book that make it such an enjoyable read, but also mention things the author could have done better or left out all together. It can be difficult to talk about a book without giving away spoilers. If a book is not 100% good I feel guilty about being too harsh in my reviews and completely putting the book down altogether. So instead I’ll give some suggestions about how the book could improve in ways, because I know writing a book is not necessarily an easy thing to do.

Overall, the point I’m trying to get at here is: should there really be an intense selection process when choosing books or should we just whimsically pick them off the shelves? What is your book selection process? I’d like to hear from you and know what you think! 🙂