This may seem like a clickbait title, but I really wonder if this is a trend because I saw a book blogger ranting that she’s fed up with books being released today and she’s going back to read classic fiction and finding more satisfaction there.

It’s kinda me too. 🤔

Currently, I am reading (extremely slowly), Strange Tales from the Chinese Studio, written centuries ago during the end of China’s Ming dynasty.

I am also reading more and more badly translated Chinese webnovels 😆. Not from official publishers but from platforms like Novel Updates.

I’d much rather read these than polished, English fiction from known publishers or indie writers.

Every time I think about trying to find something new to read, I sigh and just walk away from the digital shelves of Amazon or Goodreads.

I think part of this is also due to the realization that I have spent decades reading literature from another culture (Western) and have ignored mine (Chinese). So,  Sci Fi, regency romances – my favourite “kick back and relax fiction” – no longer hold the same appeal.

I don’t think this is due to people writing shittier books these days.

I am sure there are good books that are written by modern writers still.

I think it’s a noise problem. It’s increasingly difficult to find books that will resonate with you.

This is partly due to the enshittification of platforms that we had relied on to find recommendations.

Amazon is overrun by AI-generated books. The mainstream publishers are playing it safe, publishing books with tropes that sell. They don’t stray from the proven formulas because they want profits.

Indie writers with deep pockets for advertising are drowning out writers who don’t have deep pockets.

To top it all off, search engines are also enshittiffied.

I am not familiar with Book Tock, but I believe they are often pursued by indie authors and mainstream publishers to promote their books. The loudest and most persistent (and yes, richest) will win.

I personally find myself exhausted with the pursuit of trying to find a good book so I’ve retreated to the classics because their worth have been proven ages ago.

So, have books published gotten shittier, or are good fiction just harder to find now?