British historian Niall Ferguson once wrote: ‘Without books we will be barbarians.’ But does that apply to every book? At first glance, I would think there is an overwhelming consensus that books are among the building blocks of education, and that holds true for all of us, even those who rarely read. How else should we teach children to read and write, preserve and transmit knowledge, or document stories that stir the soul, inspire us and nurture our minds?

And yet not all books are equal. While every genre deserves a place on the shelf, certain books add nothing to the experienced reader.

However, bad books, blacklists and poor reviews have been an essential part of my literary awakening. They have taught me, just as bad people have, that to get to know ourselves, we need to be tried and tested. We fall, roll in the mud, eat earth before we finally learn to rid ourselves of the unbearable crust we carry through life. Through bad reads, too, we learn to recognise the warning signs of poor writing, become discerning readers and, more importantly, learn to articulate the reasoning behind our judgement.