My Reading Rating System
for those who care to know. . .
I rate books out of 5 stars because Goodreads, okay?
Maybe out of 10 would allow for more subtlety, but honestly, ain’t nobody got time for that.
I go with my gut. Like a pop quiz for books.
Five Stars → A perfect book.
The Lord of the Rings or Pride and Prejudice are perfect books. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, Beauty and the Beast, and The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James are perfect books.
If you haven’t read this book or have it on your TBR stack, we probably aren’t friends. It will live on my re-read list ad infinitum.
Four Stars → An excellent read, far surpassing my preconceived expectations.
Think The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natali Sanmartin Fenollera or The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
As my friend, I insist you read this, and will probably give it to you if you don’t buy it. I will read it again.
Three Stars → This is a good book.
Good books are Harry Potter by J.K Rowling or The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen or Austenland by Shannon Hale.
I will tell a friend to read it based on their tastes. It might not get a re-read. . .but then again, it could, if the time is right.
Two Stars → Eh, it was okay.
Think Book People by Emily Henry or The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.
I won’t mention these books to my friends unless I know it’s their specified genre of comfort read. I will not re-read (unless of course the book is my genre of comfort read).
One Star → Wow. What in the name of the Good, True, and Beautiful is this?
Did my eyes bleed?. . . No. Did I lose some brain cells?. . . Maybe. Did the author make me laugh?. . . Let’s hope so, or this thing is headed for the thrift shop.
Think A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. I will not admit to reading this unless you are Amber, Beth, Fleur, or Vivian. (You know who you are and what I read.)
DNF Type 1 → This was so bad I quit, and I’m not a quitter.
Translation, if I had a physical copy I either threw it across the room or eyerolled so hard the book never recovered. I have very few DNFs, but there have been a few.
I recommend them to people I don’t like. These books go in the garbage. They don’t deserve a home.
DNF Type 2 → This book just wasn’t for me.
There’s nothing wrong with it, the writing is perfectly fine, I’m just not the intended audience. I have better things to do with my time, and thus Did Not Finish.
Will recommend to friends if I know they are someone’s cup of tea. Will also donate to a good home with my best wishes for success.
*Bonus* Guilty Pleasures → I love them against all odds and all reason.
I’m embarrassed by how many times I’ve read these books, despite the mountain of literature waiting to enrich my soul. But I. Just. Can’t. Help. Myself.
Recommendations of these books are rare. I only offer them to my kindred spirit readers who are also my close friends. So far, only my daughter has made that list.
I like the rating system :) I use GoodReads stills, so I am based on the 1-5 star system, often struggling between rounding up or down. Here is how my rating system plays out.
Five Stars → Amazing book that I thoroughly enjoyed and would read again and recommend to others. Usually, it will stick with me for a few days, and I want to share it with everyone.
Four Stars → A great book. One, I would be happy to keep on the shelf and will look back on it with joy. Will likely reread again at some point.
Three Stars → Decent enough book. Enjoyable but probably wouldn't read again, and unlikely to recommend unless it is someone's specific genre.
Two Stars → A book I have probably wanted to read for some reason or another, didn’t enjoy for whatever reason, but glad that I finished it for the sake of it.
One Star → This book was pure $#!7 and I regret ever picking it up. The only redeeming thing is being able to tell people how awful it is. These are pretty rare books, but they are out there!
I rarely DNF a book unless it's downright awful, in which case, I will just flip to the back of the book or Google what happens in the end to save myself the time and curiosity.