Adding A Little Black And White Fun To My Ratings
#BookRatingSystem
What It All Means
This page explains my fun rating system and shares a little bit about me.
I’m a person who loves to read. And when I’m not actually holding a Kindle or a physical book, I’m listening to an audiobook.
My favorite genre is mysteries: legal, psychological, and anything that feels like a thriller. Historical fiction, and memoirs might be next . . . well, pretty much everything is a close second since I love nearly all types. Just don’t give me a s-l-o-w moving story. I need to have that urge to turn the page quickly.
In the beginning I didn’t rate books. It felt so subjective and really a bit unfair. Yet without ratings I began to feel the reviews were missing something. So I eventually added them, but I’ve always tried to validate my reviews with examples and reasons.
You will find that occasionally my rating will vary dramatically from the majority of reviewers. This usually makes me rethink my reasoning, but for the most part I feel it’s just one of those things where people have different opinions. And after all, this is a very subjective art. But to make my reviews credible, I have to let them reflect my feelings, not those of others.
Writing a review for a book that I didn’t care for is very hard to do. I’m extremely aware of the love and time an author spends working on his/her precious creation, so I try to write the review with kindness, but still be honest.
Added Thoughts to Consider
Though this may not feel like it’s pertinent to my reviews, I feel it definitely has a place. And in the future, I’m going to make sure I don’t just post a Kindle in the picture, but I’m going to make sure I note if I read a physical book, eBook, or audiobook. I know it makes a difference to my reviews.
- Audiobooks
- If I listen while doing other things, I have a much larger tolerance for slow-moving stories.
- If there are too many characters I become lost pretty quickly. (On one audiobook I finally decided to write down all of the characters and who they were married to, etc. That’s just not gonna happen again!)
- Even if it’s an excellent story, if the narration is bad, it’s going to make if awfully hard to fairly judge it.
- Kindle
- If I forget who a character is I can easily highlight the name and search for it in the book. I’m not overwhelmed with lots of characters, at least to the same degree as an audiobook.
- I’m not going to read many chapters in a book if I’m not motivated to want to know what’s on the next page. No s-l-o-w stories that don’t advance until midway into the book.
- Physical Book
- If a story doesn’t catch my interest quickly I have trouble plowing through page after page.
- If there are lots of characters, I want to throw my hands up and call it a day.
On To My Rating System
Somehow this little guy waddled into my site and is now trying hard to claim ownership! Watch for his appearance and the appearance of his friends throughout the blog.
I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN! — I LOVED it. The characters were memorable and had distinct voices. The plot held my attention, and the pacing was good.
I’m slow to give this rating since I want it to be very meaningful. Most of these books are ones that I continue to think about long after I’ve finish them. In fact, if I could I’d purchase these 5-star books and hand them out everywhere I go.
Highly Recommended / My Favorite Books (click to see my favorites)
REALLY ENJOYABLE! — This is a book that I would definitely recommend. Some wonderful books will make it to this rating. I just didn’t feel the same excitement as the 5-Star books.
This book definitely was memorable and had me turning pages. / My 4-Star Books
The Newest Little Star
☆☆☆1/2
Better than GOOD but didn’t make it to the top! — Since I didn’t start out using any 1/2 star ratings I found myself having to round up too many times from 3 to 4 stars. In doing this I felt it wasn’t reflecting my real opinion.
So in a weak moment, I decided enough was enough. Thus, the little half star was created.
This is a very good book that you’ll want to check out, but it missed the mark in a few places. My 3.5-Star Books
IT’S OKAY, IN FACT GOOD— This rating is for a book I don’t feel that strongly about one way or the other. You may like this story, maybe not. Bottom Line: 3-star books just don’t have the wow effect I was looking for.
You may or may not want to give these a try. But they are all fine books. / My 3-Star Books
NO THANKS — Something about this book just didn’t click with me. It needed some serious work done to improve it. I really hate to give this rating, since it was somebody’s little creation of love. So I have to feel pretty unhappy about it, and I try to give the reasons. That way you can judge whether my concerns might bother you too.
Read At The Risk Of Being Disappointed / My 2-Star Books
A BITTER CUP OF TEA — Better known as “not my cup of tea.” I really really try not to give this rating out. But if I do, I’ll give my reasoning behind the rating.
These REALLY were distasteful, boring, unprofessional, etc. etc. / My 1-Star Books
Advance Reading Copies (ARC)
You will notice that many of the books I review are not yet available to the public. Some of these ARC books come from the publisher through NetGalley as digital books. Others come directly from various publishers and authors as print books.
I will always give my honÂest thoughts regarding these books. However, I always try to be fair and kind to authors. I feel extremely bad about rating any book as one or two stars, but if I don’t post honest opinions, my reviews are meaningless.
I do not charge for reviews, nor do I receive disÂcounts, gifts, or favors in exchange for a review.
All other reviewed books are acquired by purchase or through the local library.
