1. When I want to learn a specific skill or solve a specific problem, I read books for information. For example, I recently picked up a bunch of books on minimalist farming to learn how to take care of my property. I also recently read a bunch of parenting books because I recently had my first child. I think the thing to avoid here is reading "interesting" books without having a concrete application. With nothing to apply, I immediately forget everything I read.
2. When I want to learn and grow and explore, I reach for the classics! People have been reading a long time, and have collectively listed lots of life-changing books. To learn about humanity, go for Brothers Karamazov. To learn about computers, consider Godel Escher Bach or SICP. To learn about history, read Guns Germs Steel and Sapiens. And so on. Pick pretty much anything off of "best of all time" lists and it won't disappoint.
[0] https://taylor.town/eschew-the-new
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_top_book_lists
[2] https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/127723.The_Greatest_Book...
I have had a few people emphatically recommend a book with no specificity and came up short in actually getting anything from the book. I keep a mental tally and will disregard their recommendations in the future.
For specific categories, most reviews/ratings are (unfortunately) on Amazon and Goodreads, so I tend to visit them first (if no expert is on hand)
How do you select your next book to read? Do you have a reliable source of recommendations?
Related thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11865028