This is my third year in the VIP scheme, I get enough extra super points to make it worthwhile joining, so the free book is just a bonus. The lists are country-specific I think, at least the book I chose this year doesn't seem to be on the OP's list. This has been my experience with the New Zealand lists:
The first year I thought the free book selection was quite good, there were a number published by Atlantic books on the list, I chose
Dark Eden by Chris Beckett and it was well worth reading.
The second year there was nothing I had even the slightest interest in.
This year's list has recently added a few published by Canada's Dundurn Press, I chose
Strange Things Done by Elle Wild, I haven't read it so we'll see[*]. (The setting is intersting to me at least, I got to Dawson City in spring, before the river had thawed, while hitch-hiking around Canada when I was younger,)
Edit: The lists do seem short on science fiction and long on romance and cosy mystery though.
Edit:[*] Now read it, it was nothing special.