I do have a problem with "magical realism"

I just realized that I have had enough of all these baffling supernatural themes. I want to read straightforward stories that deliver realistic narratives with emotional depth and human warmth.

There's enough material out there, including true stories, that can be used for writing fiction or otherwise. I don't need wtf kind of stories such as "Behind Her Eyes" bordering on the supernatural.

Not surprisingly, after I read just one book, I said goodbye forever to Haruki Murakami. I came to know later that another Maldivian friend donated his Murakami books to a library because he found it not worth keeping them in his personal collection, not even for sentimental reasons.

Why should I read those type of stuff when I find stories like "The Descendants" more understandable and engaging? When I have books like "The Stranger" and "Crime and Punishment", why should I waste time on "Midnight's Children"?

At least "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" successfully distinguished its supernatural setting that allowed us to, without any confusion, understand the spiritually uplifting messages conveyed in the book.

Similarly, "Boy's Life", which used to be my favorite book of all time was clear that boys can fly into the sky on their bicycles, or spot monsters in a lake, only through the wild imagination of, well, a boy who has yet to transition into adulthood.

In the end, I do recognize that this inability for me to appreciate books with "magical realism" depends on personal taste. I agree that all kinds of people exist and their reading needs will be different from mine.

So, to be fair, there should be writers and books for all kinds of readers. My mistake is that I mistakenly choose these kinds of books to read. But then the unavoidable tragedy is I wouldn't know what the book is about until I read it. As the cliché goes, you can't judge a book by its cover.

Or perhaps I should immediately stop reading when I find it not to my taste - just like the way I gave up reading "Dune" after reading a few chapters.