Is There Such Thing as a Bad Book?

I’ve already said multiple times that I can easily DNF a book in the midst of it if I don’t enjoy it right away. Probably because I view reading as a pastime that I love rather than a task that I must do at all costs. I mean, why waste time reading awful books? Let’s investigate these “bad books” though.

Undoubtedly, you’ve read a book that someone suggested to you and questioned their enthusiasm for it. The inverse is also true: perhaps you appreciated a book too much, while another reader only rated it one star. To observe how different individuals feel about the same book, simply look at reader Facebook groups. Some people are impressed, while others want to throw the book out the window.

Users of Goodreads will undoubtedly also find themselves here since I usually check the comments after finishing a book, and frequently, they are so much at odds with my experience that I pause to ask, “Are you sure we are talking about the same book?”

You must have accidentally referred to a book as “bad” while discussing books with your friends and other book lovers. Can a book be considered poor in and of itself, though? 

We may not be able to categorically declare a book to be a “bad book” because reading habits and views tend to vary so much from person to person. After all, a book that one person may deem to be subpar may be deemed excellent by another. How therefore can we decide who is right?

I may draw the personal conclusion that even my understanding of a book evolves with time. For instance, I would now describe a book that I formerly thought was “excellent” as being utterly mediocre. Readers likely get more adept at recognizing an excellent book over time via consistent reading, making it a bit more difficult for us to be moved by anything.

I posed the question on my Bookstagram, and 69% of you responded in the affirmative, while 31% disagreed. And although while I often support the majority in such surveys, that was not the case this time.

There isn’t a bad book in the world, in my view. Only novels that we dislike exist. Just about the worst novel you’ve ever read: a boring plot, unclear pacing, predictable events, overused dialogue, and unlikeable characters… Trust that someone enjoyed it. Somewhere in this world of ours, someone was happy reading that exact bad book.

We should look at the standards by which books are evaluated for prominent awards if we are going to be focused on peer review of books; of course, I started by looking up the standards for the Pulitzer Prize. However, as far as I can tell, there are no specific requirements; instead, the committee is allowed to pick which works “stand out.”

I next looked for the requirements for additional prizes, among which I discovered the IPPY awards (Independent Publisher Book Awards) requirements, which are as follows:

• First Impression (How the book looks; would you pick it up in a library or bookstore?
• Design (Does the cover tempt you to peek inside? Typeface, cover statement, front, and rear general looks, etc.)
• Originality: Does the book provide a fresh perspective?
• Grammar, spelling, and writing style (does the story flow easily? Do you continue to read it?
• Message transmission (Has the message, as specified on the cover, been accurately captured?)
• Meaning (Is the book still relevant today? Is this message important to understand?)

In light of this, I once more believe that using these criteria to judge something might be quite subjective. However, since there is no longer opportunity for a free review, I would omit spelling from this discussion.

It ultimately comes down to personal preference whether a book is excellent or poor. And there is a reason why the tastes are not discussed.

What are your thoughts on this?