In my 20s, I had gone a long time without reading much, but then decided to start reading more. I tried going to the book store and just picking books that looked interesting, but some of them ended up being just terrible. I had a friend at work who who had a part time job as a reviewer for Locus Magazine, which was and is one of the more respected magazines for science fiction. I had him go with me and help me pick books, and oh my god was it a giant change. Suddenly I was reading things that were just amazing. When he'd make a recommendation, he would often mention that the book had won one award or another, or sometimes multiple, and it made me realize that certain awards really do call out very good books.

Now, so many years later, I don't always think that they get the right winner, but the set of nominees are usually worth reading.