While reading books is extremely important for one’s cerebral acuity and intellectual development, every serious nonfiction reader is intimately aware of the fact that not all books are created equal. There are some books that are written to be read, and there are other books that are written because someone merely wants to publish a book. There is a significant difference between the two. The point of the former is that a writer has a thoughtful, novel argument to make on a topic, whereas the point of the latter is that someone wants the clout (and money) that comes from publishing a book—without developing anything of value to add to the subject. Without understanding the difference between books that are written to be read and books that are written for clout, one will waste precious time on useless texts while neglecting more serious and worthwhile reads. Here are the kinds of books that perspicacious readers ought to diligently avoid.