I had a co-worker who was, I thought, the best read man I knew at the time. Best read in what is considered serious literature. Then he met, or rather was caught by, a woman with a degree in sociology or political science, a moonbat, and started reading what I considered trash, popular literature, politically correct novels. I asked him why. He answered that he was doing it to be able to converse with people. Fair enough. I understood then that people read what other people read for strictly social reasons, to fit, and wanting to be like others. Most people read trash, Oprah Book Club recommendation, politically correct authors and so on. The lesson for a discerning reader is the same as the one for a discerning listener - don’t follow the crowd, don’t ask it what to read and what to listen to.
Thus why I don’t trust top ten lists or things like the B&N top seller lists. problem is, I don’t have a lot of money to spare with everything the way it is, and can’t waste money on books without a recommendations I can trust.