Most books shouldn’t be books. They should be a blog post, or a series of tweets. In fact, some could even be condensed into a fortune cookie. As a result, most books are not worth reading.
Most people write books to make money or satisfy their ego. As a result, most books are not worth reading.
Most people don’t have a whole lot to say. And when they do, it’s typically just the same point being repeated ad nauseam in different ways. As a result, most books are not worth reading.
Most people write with emotion. They don’t know how to think critically, or arrive at conclusions logically. As a result, most books are not worth reading.
Most books are subjective, irrelevant, outdated and unhelpful. As a result, most books are not worth reading.
With that in mind, how do you know what book to read?
It’s a tough one, but here are some tips I find useful:
- Find 3-7 books on a certain topic for comparison
- Check the page count for each (100-250 is ideal)
- Read the Table of Contents to get an understanding what chapters they will cover
- Check the formatting for clear headings, line breaks & structured paragraphs
- Pick the most appealing one, and hope for the best
Reviews don’t really mean anything anymore, so I wouldn’t rely on them for guidance. Price is almost irrelevant, since a good book is worth hundreds (if not thousands) more than what you spent on it. And don’t even look at the cover as some indication of quality.
And whenever you can, stop by a physical book store and flip through a few. You’ll be surprised at what you find.