A taste or a lack of it

what do i look in a book? i invariably start a book with an attitude of an outsider, the less i know of the book or the author the better, and a high expectation, wanting to be taken by surprise, to be impressed or to be exposed to unknowns. and i have also slowly developed an appreciation of the language.

admittedly, i am judgemental, partly of my training as a scientist and partly of my personality. i like to tell apart the original and the learner; the authentic and the mimic. literary trends do not concern me because i am ignorant of them, and i am looking for "individuality" anyway, of each creative mind, of each end product.

i am equipped by my own gut feeling and my training. the latter becomes quite relevant because i had spent years pondering the biological basis of human behaviors (or behavioral disorders), which are really what literature is about, or can't get away from. this scientific understanding, undoubted biased, imcomplete and imprinted by my own misunderstanding, leads to discard the overwelming amount of writings that, i perceive, are but influence of rational thinkers like Freud, literary experiements, or social sciences - it's a mismatch of knowledge.

instead, i believe individual minds are inexhaustibly original and authentic. so writings based on personal experiences or inner most thoughts are generally good. here however, all minds are not created equal and one can only be satisfied by "great minds". then even great minds often have "moments of lapse" so only some of their works are superb.

adding to that is this ideological aspect of it. there are certain sentiments and thoughts i hold dearly to myself. when writers share them, i feel more satisfied by their works, although any reflective minds would show their knowledge of the opposite thoughts and they are as good even if they differ from my own.

for language, i just feel the flow, the eloquency and the elegance of words, and hmm, texture. it's a learning and evolving process.

so at the end of the day, what do i have a taste for? one writer here or there. one book here or there - random apparently, with the consistency of their uniqueness, i suppose.