Can you just pick up any book (novel) and read it right thru ? Or do you have to “select” the books you read?

I went through a phase where I would go to the library, pick a shelf and just grab a book and start reading.
Lots of hits, some misses.
I would kind of cheat though and go through the fiction area, which is what I mainly read.

Now, I look at the cover, the title, the plot summary, the author, the reviews, most everything before deciding on reading it.