I’ll Eat Again from James W. Ziskin

Not every book can be a stone cold classic. Do you seek out only the 5-star reads or is a book just as enjoyable if it is a 3-star read? Not an all-timer, but enjoyable nonetheless. Where’s the line for recommending a book to someone else?

I have a great friend. Let’s call him Tim (since that’s his name). Whenever a restaurant meal disappoints him, he shrugs and offers, “Eh, I’ll eat again.” I think that’s a healthy attitude. Rather than taking to Yelp to bash the establishment and the wait staff, he moves on, unbothered, presumably taking away whatever good he was able to derive from the experience, albeit probably not in a doggy bag. 

I have the same attitude vis-à-vis my reading. It’s a lead-pipe cinch that some books will not be to my liking. If I come across one of those books, I don’t get angry. I don’t write cruel reviews. I pick up another book to read.

While I certainly have criteria that affect my choices, five-star ratings are not one of them. There’s entirely too much subjectivity in quality ratings on Goodreads or Amazon. I may not read a certain book because the subject doesn’t appeal to me. That doesn’t mean the book is lacking in quality. It only shows that I’m a fusty old carbuncle who’s set in his ways. So, no, I do not seek out books with five-star ratings. I might end up with a book about serial killers, which—alas—I do not enjoy. No judgment implied here. Just not my cup of tea, which I don’t enjoy either. And yet, you can always find something worthwhile in a novel, even one that’s not your cup of tea, taste-wise. No book is perfect, and few “honestly written” books are trash, deserving of vitriol and one-star ratings.

As for recommending books to others, I try to stick to their interests, not mine, as a guide. 

I’m fond of saying “That’s what makes a horse race.” My dad used to say “De gustibus non disputandum est.” The French say “À chacun son goût.” We say “To each his own.” And if you truly dislike a book, that’s okay. Just remember two things: 1. Not everyone wants to hear about what you hate, and 2. You’ll eat again.

And now, here’s an amuse-gueule. Feel free to give it a rating.

Zero

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