I think it is important for any writer to at least read one chapter or so of a book they genuinely don't enjoy.
Study it. Figure out what about it is not to your taste.
And understand that it doesn't mean it's bad writing. It can be very good writing, but not what you want.
For example, I read both Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye. And I absolutely hated both of them. But for different reasons.
With Huckleberry Finn, it was the incorporated illiteracy of the main character. The book is from his point of view, it makes sense, it's good writing. But I cannot stand it. To the point that I have found that in my own style there is a degree of separation from the main character to allow for an uneducated character to make observations while using more clear language.
With Catcher in the Rye, I found that I had a fundamental disconnect with the messages in the book. This one is again extremely well written. To its own detriment. It describes a very 'me vs them' and a distrust of those around you. In story, this is indicative of the main characters personal philosophy. In this book however, the author does not go out of his way to express that these thoughts are the angry and dangerous panicked ramblings of a neo nihilist teenager. Unfortunately this has created a phenomenon where people that do not realize the purpose of the text using it as rhetoric.
Because of this I became very aware that for modern audiences, the actions of the text is more influencial than the message.
But I find these both have helped me. I hate them. They are good writing. They teach me what I personally don't want to make.
