Calling For Protocol Suggestions

Based on several ho-hum books I've slogged through over the past year, effective immediately I'm establishing a new protocol before committing any title to my list. I welcome your ideas to assist me in potentially screening out yawners or groaners. Aside from the five women in my posse, every future recommender will now be vetted as follows.

1. Is this book the last one you read? If yes, when did you finish the one before that? I've begun to suspect the proximity of a reading experience has a disproportionate impact on recommendations, especially for those who read sporadically. Even friendly bloggers/snobs are not immune to this tendency to sometimes get over-excited about a recent read.

2. For fiction recommendations: Which character spoke most to you? Why? For non-fiction: What was one of your main takeaways? If a book is that good shouldn't something stick in the memory?

3. Most importantly: Tell me a few of your other all time adult favorites. Not getting this obvious information from someone before putting a book on my "to read" list is foolhardy. I can no longer afford to be so cavalier - the list is long and Act Three is underway.