the question i am asking myself is, do i want to explore something new or am i seeking comfort in a story i already know.
btw, i disagree with the statistics. it depends on how you choose the next book. i am in a book club and we nominate half a dozen titles each month and then vote on what we read. in two years about half the books were really good. the others were ok. but thanks to the discussion with the others afterwards even the not so good books provide value, especially to aspiring writers.
there is a lot of variety and also trash out there. so if you just pick a book randomly, then statistically you'll read something that is not to your liking. but if you rely on recommendations then statistics should not matter anymore, but rather how much your taste aligns with those making the recommendations.
I guess I am just picky, but I have a very hard time finding books that I want to read. I find the great majority of books either tedious or eye-rolling, and sometimes both.
Unfortunately, the books I like reading the most tend to be the hardest to write, so they are not released very frequently. I like the sorts of books that authors spend several months or years thinking about and planning for.
When I like a book, I almost always find value in re-reading it several times because it gives me an opportunity to dig in and analyze it. I will typically read a good book 2-3 times, and I usually like the second reading the best. My first reading is just a general impression, but my second reading is where I see everything in context and can really savor the author's clever plotting and writing style.
This is my general approach to a lot of other media as well. I dislike most movies, but the movies I most like are the ones that are sufficiently dense and interesting that they merit a re-watch or two. For every good movie I have re-watched and greatly enjoyed myself, I have watched dozens of completely forgettable movies that I immediately wished I hadn't bothered with.
Do you have any examples of books you enjoy? Cause I imagine a vast majority of books over like 300 pages took "several months" of thinking and planning.
But how do you know that? You are biased: you read that thing, and didn't read the not-yet-read thing.
Statistically, it is unlikely that what you already read is so good that it's the best choice for what to read next compared to all the alternatives.