There is a uniquely strange feeling that happens when you finish a wildly beloved book and think:

 “That was… fine?”

Not terrible.

Not offensive.

Just oddly hollow compared to the internet-wide emotional breakdown everyone else seemed to be having.

I think many readers have experienced this, especially in the age of algorithm-driven recommendations and relentless online hype.

At some point, it becomes difficult to tell whether we genuinely want to read a book or whether we simply want to participate in the conversation surrounding it.

One of the most unexpectedly helpful exercises in *The Intentional Reader Reset* is identifying:

•  books you genuinely loved
• books you felt obligated to love but didn’t

Because your reading taste becomes clearer at both ends of the spectrum.

Sometimes the fastest way to understand yourself as a reader is recognizing what quietly drains your enthusiasm.

For me, picking out three books that I loved reading from the past year was pretty easy. I imagine your favorites will stand out right away, too. Finding the patterns that connect them might take a little more work, but it’s worth the effort.

Three books I have loved in this first year since starting the Lacey In The Library blog are:

• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy 
• The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow 
• Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson 

When I look at this list, it is not immediately apparent what connects them.

• They are not the same genre–Cli-Fi, Fantasy, and Mystery.
• They do not share a setting–Antarctic Island, a fantasy world called Dominion, and a train traversing the Australian outback.
• They are not by similar authors or publishers. Their covers vary wildly.

But when I look closer, I realize that they all have depth. Meaning lingers beneath the surface of the story.

• I like books that make me think.
• I like to be challenged.
• Characters I admire or can empathize with also connect these books.

Reading overhyped books is a slippery slope into a reading slump (say that ten times fast)! How can you avoid getting bogged down when there is so much hype out there? It starts with knowing your reading taste. Just as with identifying books you love, spotting the ones you were disappointed in is the other side of the same coin. Once you can see the patterns, they are easier to spot early. Stop falling prey to the hype machine. Self-awareness gives you the power to make reading choices that support your bookish lifestyle.

Three books I have read due to hype in this first year since starting the Lacey In The Library blog are:

• Phantasma by Kaylie Smith 
• Rose In Chains by Julie Soto 
• The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters 

I read each of these books in full to write a review, as that is my blog’s purpose. None of the three was bad. They didn’t resonate with me. Each was highly rated. Phantasma and Rose In Chains were social media darlings for a stretch. But I found them more surface-level than I usually enjoy. I was clearly influenced by hype.

There’s something strangely isolating about not loving a book everyone else seems emotionally transformed by.

Part of me wanted to join the gushing fan-girls in their frenzy over these stories. I wanted to understand what everyone else was seeing.

But forcing enthusiasm rarely creates meaningful reading experiences.

Sometimes the fastest way to understand your taste is to identify what drains it. My selections may be wildly different from yours, and I support that! I encourage you to take time to analyze your reading preferences to help you make reading choices that enhance your bookish lifestyle. Find reviewers you trust for great book recommendations (hopefully, I am one of them). And trust yourself when you realize a book isn’t for you (it’s okay not to finish what you start, I promise).

The more I paid attention to what energized or drained me as a reader, the easier it became to build a reading life that actually felt personal again.

If this resonated with you, you may enjoy The Intentional Reader Reset, my free 7-day guide for building a more meaningful reading life.