I don’t like rating books with stars.
I truly believe each person will find books they enjoy and those they don’t.
However, I know that it’s impossible for each person to have the same experience with the same book because we are so different. We bring our own beliefs, experiences, mindset, and knowledge to our reading.
So remember my friend, reading is subjective BUT it is not a bad thing.
Wait, I do what?
Now I do look at ratings on amazon and Goodreads. I just want to make sure I am not. It’s not a 3 or below start book. However, I have found 3 stars books to be good reads.
I take the ratings with a grain of salt because. I noticed some reviewers give them so haphazardly, inconsiderately, or down right mean.
I do not only read classics, which can be hard to define and very wide in scope.
I am well aware of authors being actual human beings and having blind spots which can be seen in their writing. We can still learn from these authors. However, I have never written a book. I can only imagine the work and emotions that go into this creative endeavor. So I want to show respect to the author and therefore will not post the actual rating for a book that I DNF (did not finish).
I am looking for a good book for myself first and whoever else might like it.
So what am I going to do?
As I have started this blog in 2021, I will use the following rating system until I decide otherwise. I have a feeling I will toss it out completely by December but it’s worth trying.
5 Stars – Loved and would re-read in the future
4 Stars – Liked it and might re-read it
3 Stars – Okay but still recommend because the book did what it was was set to
2 Stars – Finished but found too many problems within (style, content, grammar, etc.)
1 Star – This was just plain awful – like going to the dentist sometimes,
*Please note not all DNF books are because they are 1 star books.
You can check out my YouTube video about this topic and my mi-year reading check-in.
Wait, before you go let’s talk about some of the ridiculousness that happens when it comes to ratings and reviews. I always read on Goodreads and Amazon to help me decide whether or not to read a book but I take them with a grain of salt as they say.
Reviewers who give very low ratings to books because:
– They don’t understand the book and put no effort into understanding.
– They had expectations that were so way off prior to but decided to rate them anyway.
– They did not like the cover of the book.
– The characters were so different from themselves that they could not possibly exist.
– They compared it to a different book from a different author, genre, writing style, and ect.
One reviewer I read said they do not like to think that hard so the book was bad.
Oh my goodness! That one had me rolling.
I encourage you to have your own rating if not for yourself. It will save you time to get to the good books and leave the others behind.
Let me know your thoughts about rating books, especially how you go about them.
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