There are so many options for summer reads and so little time. After all, we also use our summer to complete long to-do lists for those tasks marked “When time permits.” Only in song can we say, “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.”

With that in mind, I ran a small personal experiment. I picked two books — one entirely out of my preferred genre and the other a classic — to see if my reading tastes have expanded. It would help me with subsequent picks and maybe tell me how I adapt to the world around me.

I started with Colleen Hoover’s “November 9.” Hoover started as an indie author, became wildly successful, and then got picked up by book publisher Simon & Schuster. When I recently visited a bookstore, an entire table was devoted to Hoover’s work right when you walked in. “What’s the fuss?” I wondered, recalling that she held six of 10 spots on the New York Times bestsellers list in 2022.  With that, I chose my first Hoover book, which had 65,000 Amazon reviews and a 4.7 rating.

The plot of “November 9” is simple: The main character (Fallon) has suffered hideous burns that have sidelined her once-promising career as an actress. Fallon is 18 and preparing to move to New York, but first, we must witness an opening scene where she argues bitterly with her dad. A young man (Ben) observes this fight at a restaurant and casually inserts himself into the scene.

Ben is an aspiring author, and wouldn’t you know it … Ben and Fallon have chemistry. Without ever exchanging contact information, they agree to meet on the same day (November 9) for the next five years. Thus begins the annual one-day romance, but the reader suspects that uncertainty, secrets and some odd omissions of information will conspire against a happy ending.

The book offers romance, spicy details, quick evolution, grief and eventual resolution. I imagine Hoover’s readers are millennials or younger and almost all women. Its genre is romance. It didn’t fit my profile, so my response to the book was predictable.

I then read Charles Dickens “David Copperfield,” which is double the length. The novel tells the story of Copperfield as a young boy whose mother is widowed and then remarries. The stepfather is evil, David’s mother dies, and David is left to navigate a cold hard world on his own. Without spoiling the story, through immense strength, smarts and a prickly but devoted aunt, Copperfield emerges from the abyss and eventually does quite well.

If “November 9” is a fast plot with intrigue, David Copperfield is a measured and slowly evolving story with a rich array of subplots that add dimension and sorrow. Suppose Colleen Hoover’s readers feel they’ve experienced the challenges of love in the 21st century. In that case, Dickens’ readers are experiencing a history lesson in Victorian society.

I used to say that a person cannot have lived a quality life without reading “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy. I am prone to hyperbole, and many people lead great lives without knowing Anna’s story. Even still, I have amended my claim to, “A person cannot have lived a quality life without reading ‘David Copperfield.’”

But mostly, it is good to go beyond your automatic book preferences so that you can expand your range or affirm what you like. Either way, you come out ahead, and summer is a great time to experiment.

We know our attention spans are short, as is our time. There are 90 days in the summer, and it takes the typical reader five hours to read a book. I aim to read eight books this summer, and I want my picks to count.

After this small experiment, I understand myself better as a reader. Hoover offered me a fast plot, but I prefer finely drawn characters who take more time to get to know. I also realized I care about the artfulness in word choice.

One author writes, “It took four years for me to fall in love with him. It only took four pages to stop.” The other writes, “There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose.” Guess which one I liked better?

If you run the experiment, you’ll find your preferences, too. We all have them. It will be something to mull over while you tend to your to-do lists.

Happy reading!