How to Figure Out if a Book is Worth Reading 📚

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• There are so many books and not enough time. But when you finally sit down to read, you want to ensure you hold a book worthy of your time.
• The fear of “wasting” time on a bad book can prevent you from reading altogether. Today, when the amount of content at our disposal is so large, distinguishing mediocre content from good one is a valuable skill to have.
• Knowing the difference will save you a lot of time and will make sure you only consume worthwhile stuff.

Find 3-Star Reviews

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The first step is going to the book’s page on Goodreads.com for reviews.
Some important things to look at:

• No. of reviews — tens of thousands (or more) reviews could mean that this book is a best seller or just really recommended.
• Most liked reviews — these reviews will let you know the general opinion about this book. Reviews on Goodreads are usually very detailed, followed by comments and discussions.
• 3-⭐ reviews — I found this tip the most helpful. While 5-star reviews are always “This is the best book ever,” and 1-Star reviews are “It’s total crap,” 3-star reviews usually give you a balanced take on the book’s pros and cons. The reviewer will explain his reasons and provide more information than the 1/5 stars reviews, which tend to be less helpful.

Read a Summary

• Use summaries to understand the content of the book, and it’s main ideas.
• See if you are interested in what the book has to offer. You might be interested only in a few chapters, and you only what to read these. You might notice that the title is misleading, and this is not what you have expected.
• Whatever it is, use summaries to get a quick overview of the main points and see if you like to dive deeper.
• I suggest reading more than one summary since different people will find different things to highlight (which is also a con of the summary approach).
• Lastly, you can pay an app like Blinkist for an easy way to both listen and read book summaries or just google “[name of your book] summary” to find free ones.

Blinkist offers key insights from top nonfiction books

Test the Book for Free

Still can’t decide whether it’s worth the full price? Maybe you can test it for free:

• Digital copy — google “[Book name] + PDF.” Some free copies may be lying around the web.
• Kindle users — the majorities of Kindle books allow you to get the first chapter for free.
• Audible users — Audible premium users can return any book and replace it with a new one, no questions asked.
• Physical copy — visit your local library.
• Here are a few more ways to find free books online

Just Try It

Finally, if you are still unsure, the best option is to buy the book.

• Most books are not very expensive — check out audible format, kindle versions, or used hardcovers on Amazon to compare prices.
• Skim and stop — detach from the perception that you need to read every single word. You don’t. Skim the book, read chapters that interest you, and feel free to stop after a while. Don’t force yourself to do anything.
• One insight is all you need — if you bought a book and you learned one new thing or explored one original idea, that alone will be worth the price.

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