You may notice or have heard me say that we don't rate books here with a number or star count or grade or any other method. This is because I think people read too much into ratings. We'll see a low or even so-so rating and say, "Eh, not worth my time," and never give the book a chance [for my previous rant about this, please read a post from about 6 days ago]. BUT, tonight at my book club, another member and I were urging everyone to get onto Goodreads, and we mentioned its star rating system. It turned into a fun discussion on how you'd classify your reads with a star rating of 1-5. Everyone has their own standards and criteria for each level, so I thought it'd be fun to find out some of yours.
These are mine.
★ - I detested this and wanted to throw it across the room frequently. I will specifically recommend people not read it.
★★ - Didn't like it, but maybe someone else will. Surely someone else will.
★★★ - I liked it, but I'm sure not I can give you a reason why. Or rather, I can give you a reason, but it may not be enough of a reason for you to pick it up. Or, it wasn't wasting my time, but it's not going to really stick with me. Or, it was alright, and I see it has literary merit. Or, I like it just enough to avoid saying I don't like it.
★★★★ - This was a great read, and I'll probably recommend it. Usually, recommendations in my verbal world would have to earn at least a 4 on my Goodreads rating scale.
★★★★★ - Omg omg, love love love. BUT, unlike 4-stars, 5-stars has a personal quality to it. Either it really touched me in some way, I can really relate to it, or it's a childhood favorite. Oftentimes, other people won't love my 5-stars as much as I love them, because I have some specific reason for loving them.
I'd say most of the books I read earn 3 or 4 stars. How do ratings work for you?
