Book Recommendation Tips

I have a friend who is legendary for recommending the worst. books. ever. It seems like we have similar taste-- when we run down recent reads or classic favorites, there's often a couple in common. But, I've given up completely on borrowing books she recommends to me specifically. She has terrible judgment when it comes to other peoples' taste. While it's bad for me, it's even worse for her... it's awful to loan someone a cherished book and have them give it the thumbs down.
With this in mind, here's a quick guide to the books in your starter kit. You may not have time to listen to them all yourself (though feel welcome to if you have the chance--they're great!), and though they're chosen to be generally appealing, a bit more specifically targetted program of loaning them out will only increase your odds of success.
Whoever you loan it to will feel good that you took the time to consider their personal tastes and preferences, and they're more likely to enjoy the book.