I'm filing this as a bug because it makes no sense otherwise. The first iteration of this recs section(just before Xmas) had around 40-45% of the books on its list from genres and topics that are my favourites, and included an author explicitly named in my reading preferences ()Wodehouse). It also had a few books I've already read, but different editions. I bought one, added another to my Kobo wishlist and submitted an email report on how very much NOT out of my comfort zone those recs were.

When I logged in just now my whole "recommendations" tab was blank and I was invited to press "generate", which I did. Once again, the "out of your comfort zone" list is stacked with books on my favourite NF topics, language and linguistics, includes a Wodehouse book, and several I've already read, albeit again in different editions.

If the algorithm used has access to my ratings history, it would see that the genres and topics its suggesting are "out of my comfort zone" are in fact ones I read most often AND have the highest average rating of any genres in my history.

It is amusing in a slightly ironic/surreal way that the section of my personalise recommendations now MOST likely to contain books I want to read is the one that should allegedly be the one LEAST likely to do so.