Many fiction readers have a grid for deciding which novels to read (or avoid). Here are seven benchmarks I’ve found helpful. 

1. I read whatever a family member recommends. Most recently that included a novel by the winner of a Nobel Prize for Literature. It featured 238 pages of contemplation, solitary activity, minimal dialogue, and paragraphs that spanned multiple pages. Curiously, its quirkiness perfectly expressed the primary character, setting, and plot. Very clever! I’m glad I read it.

2. “Christian” is more about a story’s spiritual DNA than its cultural reference points. Though I am a Christ-follower, I don’t limit my fiction reading to Christian novels. The meaning of a story has more to do with the tensions at play and whether the narrative represents what is true about God (see Job 42:7-8). Since what we read informs who we become, it’s important to understand a novel’s meaning before ingesting it.

3. I read fiction that’s organically true. True doesn’t mean it really happened, or that it’s realistic in every way. It means the story is authentic. It’s told as one might observe or experience it, even if it happened in Middle-earth. Neither spun nor staged, it depicts situations and relationships realistically, including the tension between Good and Evil, the nature and outcomes of our choices, and the challenge of choosing well. Though not real, the story is true. 

4. Themes vs. elements is a consideration. This one is difficult. There are exquisitely written books that are organically true, yet I don’t give them as gifts. When a story’s earthier elements taint its telling, they leave the reader stained. One of my favorite novels is a book I no longer recommend for that reason. Though brilliantly written and replete with wisdom, beauty, and humor, its earthier content is visceral. Why go there?

5. Gratuitous. The world overflows with excellent novels, yet some are indulgently evil. Base narrative, gratuitous scenes, ideals that misrepresent what is true, outcomes designed to shock or indulge, and so on. When a storyline bathes the reader in things sordid, false, or profane, the journey isn’t worth its cost. Why swim in the septic tank when there’s a beautiful pool in the yard?

6. Interest & Attention Span. I don’t waste time on novels that bore me. Life is too short, and we all have different interests. Unless it’s important for me to know or experience, why go there? 

7. The Spirit. What we read is sometimes subject to conviction. I’ll occasionally begin a book that’s well-written and highly recommended, but as I read, I experience internal conflict. My spirit resists what I’m reading. I don’t mean that I object to its plot or characters. It’s more subtle than that. It’s the culture of the story. Its assumptions, liberties, or accepted permissibles. One example was a thriller I snagged on my way to a flight. Because I’d enjoyed similar books, I couldn’t wait to begin. Yet, fifteen minutes into the story, it weighed on me. No moral compass, no characters to admire, and no redemptive elements. None. My spirit said no, so I filed it in the flight attendant’s trash bag along with my empty soda can.