Well, you sure made a provocative statement here. I think it is true that 99% of books are rubbish. Especially the modern popular books which can contain no original ideas whatsoever and it will be ok. As with other parts of life you should chose your 1% of books wisely.
Usually, quick research will reveal that in any field there are just a few truly seminal books. They are usually full of original thoughts and enlightening material. If you read them and understand them, you will be able to reconstruct the main ideas of the later books in the same field of knowledge with ease. It usually takes a brief scanning of the table of contents, finding the only chapter or paragraph with the original authors thoughts and trowing the filling material to the trashcan.
The same is true for the fiction. Concentrate on classics, but do read some of the famous works. Otherwise you might know where the modern culture came from. Currently I'm reading Ulises by James Joyce. And it one moment it struck me that this very complex book and it's "stream of consciousness" style is, in fact, the great-grandfather of blogging.
Speaking of blogging, the same less is more thinking applies here. The major reason for Steve's success is that his content is original and not rehashing the other blogger's writing.
So, yes, I agree that it's better to read few carefully selected book rather then stop reading at all. Luckily, even 1% of best books is more then we can read in a lifetime.
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