I’ve generally found that reading a random page in the book is most indicative of whether I’ll like it. Especially with well-reviewed, famous authors that have

I’ve generally found that reading a random page in the book is most indicative of whether I’ll like it. Especially with well-reviewed, famous authors that have awards and laudatory quotes all over the book cover. For example, I picked up a book by Salman Rushdie, thinking “he’s an award-winning author and this plot summary seems interesting.” But after reading a few pages, I simply can’t get through the style…it’s not for me. This is something that oddly enough isn’t covered in book review magazines like the NYRB or LRB, which don’t contain excerpts.