I was on Twitter last night and came across a conversation between several authors about ratings. One commented that she didn't understand why people continued reading a particular genre of books when they constantly give them 3.5 ratings. She could have been talking about me. The majority of my ratings tend to fall in that range. For me, a 3 is "good". A 3.5 is better than "good", but not quite to the point of being "very good" (which would be a 4). Some might say that makes me hard on books. While others probably think I'm too easy. Talk like that always makes me pause and wonder if I should bother rating the books I read at all. I gave up rating for awhile, at least publicly. I find rating a book helpful for personal reasons, when my thoughts on a book aren't as clear as I would like them to be or if I'm on the fence. I eventually came to the conclusion though that if I was going to rate books for my own purposes anyway, I might as well share the ratings with you.
Ratings can be very confusing. Scales vary with each user, each point on the scale representing a different value. A 3 to me may mean "good" but to my friend Denise, a 3 is just average. It's extremely subjective, even when someone is trying to be as objective as possible.
So, maybe I give most books in a particular genre a 3.5 rating. It doesn't mean I do not enjoy those books. And I have rated books higher within that genre when I felt it was warranted. And sorry, authors, my 5 spot is highly coveted. I may love your book for many reasons, but it isn't a rating I give out often. For me at least, it would take away the significance of that top spot.
I did not offer my opinion into the Twitter conversation, and obviously the authors weren't talking specifically about me. I will continue to rate the books I read, and probably disappoint an author or two when I give their books 3 or 3.5 rating instead of the big 5.
To rate or not to rate has been an ongoing discussion for longer than I have been blogging, I know. It does not bother me when someone chooses not to rate the books he or she reads, nor if he or she does rate them. Readers have to do what works best for them.
How do you feel about rating what you read?
I somehow managed to finish A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman yesterday in between Mouse's and my games of mermaid princesses, being chased by paper snakes and bad men, ring toss, bowling and chasing each other around the house. Probably the only time I am grateful for Caillou these days. It was a fun girl's day--and we didn't even have to leave the house. Mouse even helped me with the laundry.
Now I am reading another mystery, this one the first in a series by Rich Zahradnik called Last Words. It is set in 1975, and is about a journalist stuck writing obits after having been demoted from working the police beat. He's determined to change his fate and solving a murder case may just be the ticket he needs.
What are you reading at the moment? Would you recommend it?
Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where
participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a
book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.
Here is a sampling of the beginning of Last Words by Rich Zahradnik:
The dead sitting on his desk could wait.
Instead of going back to the office, Coleridge Taylor stopped at the newstand on 23rd Street and looked at the front page of the Daily News. MAYHEM IN QUEENS spelled out in two-inch type. Another story that should have been his. The Times led with a dull speech by President Ford. It made him miss Nixon. Nothing like a crook in the White House to sell papers. He spent a nickel on a pack of Teaberry gum, folded a stick into his mouth, pulled his filed jacket tight against the wind, and turned east toward Bellevue.Would you continue reading?
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at Broke and Bookish.
This weeks' Top Ten Tuesday theme was left up to the participant, and I decided to make a list of Books I'll (Probably) Never Read. There are some obvious titles on this list, and others that may not seem so. A few of these come highly recommended. It isn't meant to be, however. With so many books out there I do want to read, these did not, and likely will never, make the cut.
Ulyssess by James Joyce ~ There are several classic novels I have loved over the years and many more I still want to read. This is not one of them.
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville - This is yet another classic that has never appealed to me.
Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan ~ I love animals, especially cats and dogs. If the animal is going to die at some point in the memoir, I will pass on it no matter how many people say I must read the book.
The Orvis Guide to Prospecting For Trout by Tom Rosenbauer ~ I am sure this is a wonderful book if you are interested in fishing and trout.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert ~ I actually owned a copy of this one when it first came out. I lost interest in reading it before I even got to it. I won't be reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed either.
Othello by Shakespeare ~ I am not a fan of Shakespeare's plays. I have read several, but only because I had to. (I do like this poetry, however.)
Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever (100% Official) by Justin Bieber ~ I enjoyed Tina Fey's Bossypants quite a bit, but for the most part, I stay away from celebrity memoirs or autobiographies, especially one about Justin Bieber.
The Shack by Wm. Paul Young ~ When this book first came out, it caused quite a stir. People seemed to either love or hate it, and few opinions fell in between. Enough of the reviews, both positive and negative, made it clear this wasn't a book for me.
The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon ~ I enjoy historical fiction and time travel. In many ways, this would seem like a series I would have already devoured and maybe even loved. It does not appeal to me, however, and I have no interest in reading it no matter how many people say I should.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell ~ A favorite of many, both the book and the movie. I saw the movie years ago and did not care for it. It took care of any interest I might have had in reading the book. Despite the efforts of those who insist I should read it, I haven't heard of an argument to convince me to give it a try.
What are the books you will never read?
© 2015, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
My ratings are done on instinct, whole numbers only and if I love a book it gets a five, if it's OK it gets a three and most books sit at four because I'm good at choosing books I'm likely to enjoy but... I prefer people to read the words in my review rather than judge whether they would like it or not based on a single number...
ReplyDeleteCleo - My husband doesn't like that I use halves. I just can't help myself. :-) Like you, I am good at choosing books I will like. It's not often a book gets a rating below a 3 (good) for me. Also like you, I would prefer a person read my actual thoughts on a book and not just go by the rating. It'd be too easy to dismiss a book that might be well suited for that person.
DeleteI agree with you on the ratings. Now I use them as a sort of code just for myself.
ReplyDeleteI like the opening paragraph and the little details in it. Started me off with a feeling for the time period. I'd keep reading.
Margot - That makes sense--using your ratings as a code to yourself. Sometimes I think of going back to that and keeping them to myself.
DeleteI was drawn into the first paragraph too. So far, I'm enjoying the book. :-)
1) I usually rate a book between 3-4. Why do I still read that genre? Well, maybe just once in awhile i will find a 5 there.
ReplyDelete2) Am now reading Elites by Natasha Ngan. Not sure yet whether I would recommend to others but so far so good
3) yes, i would continue reading
I have tried reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert but cant seems to digest the story.
MamaKuckingBooks - I agree with your #1. You never know when a book might be a 5. Genre doesn't matter.
DeleteThe more I heard about Eat, Pray, Love, the more I realized it probably wasn't something I would enjoy.
I will have to look up Elites. I'm not familiar with it or the author.
Like you, I didn't care much for the movie Gone with the Wind. I thought Scarlett was a spoiled brat. I don't know why I decided to read the book, but she came across differently in the book and I've never been able to put my finger on why. Obviously, I liked the book much better.
ReplyDeleteSuzi - It's good to know Scarlett came off differently in the book. I really did not like her character in the movie.
DeleteI must admit, I probably won't read a lot of these books either. However, Marley and Me was one of my favourite books as a child, so you should definitely pick it up if you have the time! Check out my Top Ten Tuesday here: http://obsessionsofabookaholic.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/top-ten-book-series-i-feel-everyone-has.html
ReplyDeleteAmy - I am sure I would love most of Marley and Me if I did read it. I just can't though. I know what the book will do to me if I do. And I just can't go there. I made that mistake with another book about a dog that died in the end--and it tore me up for days after.
Delete'Last Words' sounds like a really interesting book! Not quite sure whether I agree with him about Nixon, but it looks like there's definitely some wry humour in there! Thanks for sharing :) I hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteMy Tuesday post
Juli @ Universe in Words
Juli - I am enjoying Last Words so far. And Taylor definitely has that wry sense of humor you mentioned. :-) I hope you have a great week too!
DeleteNo Outlander or Gone with the Wind!! Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI like the opening paragraph, but I like books that involve publishing -- books or newspapers.
Beth - If it makes you feel any better I may eventually watch the Outlander television series when I get a chance. :-)
DeleteGoing through my feedreader and am woefully behind in commenting! But I couldn't help but say NO OUTLANDER?! ;) The TV series is a fairly good adaptation, though--I know Mrs. Beth F would agree with me. LOL!
DeleteOh my! You may be my new book twin. Agree, agree, agree, agree.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Top Ten Tuesday!
Deb Nance - I am glad I am not the only one who feels this way about these titles! :-)
DeleteThat intro sure is different Wendy, but I am curious for more for sure.
ReplyDeleteAs for rating the books we read, I tend to do it more for me than anything else. I do like to see ratings by other bloggers though.
Diane - Taylor, the main character, and I are getting along great so far. I hope it continues to be as good as it is right now.
DeleteI share my ratings with others, but really do it more for me in the end.
I don't do ratings. Used to a few years ago, but I just got out of the habit. My test is that if I'm not enjoying it, I don't finish it. And I do not care. There are way too many books out there for me to read.
ReplyDeleteLove the fact that you share your Mouse and Mom play with us. Those were the days!
I've only read 2 of your "I won't ever read" books - OUTLANDER and GONE WITH THE WIND. I've actually read OUTLANDER twice and keep meaning to continue but so far, no. I love not being obligated to read anything. And I'm finally getting to some of the books I've been meaning to read for a long time. Love that.
Kay - I think that's one of the reasons I don't have many ratings below a 3. It isn't often I finish a book I am not enjoying all that much. There are some that have something that keep me reading and end up with a 2 or 2.5 rating (which for me is average), but it's not often. A one is even more rare. I tend to not finish those and so don't feel it's appropriate to rate them.
DeleteI do have fun playing with Mouse and seeing where her imagination will take us. :-)
I haven't reached that point with review book yet--where the obligation outweighs my enjoyment of the books I agree to read.
I read very little into ratings, unless they are my own. Like you said, they are subjective and mean different things to different people. When I have read enough reviews written by a blogger, I kinda know how to interpret ratings and translate them to my system. Still, I trust the review more - they tell me things about the book I may be interested in or not.
ReplyDeleteI hope you loved A Man Called Ove!
Athira - That is so true. The actual reviews are much more revealing. I have read books based on negative to so so reviews before, knowing what bothered the other person wouldn't necessarily bother me.
DeleteA Man Called Ove - My darling daughter asked me several times as I was reading what I was laughing about. And I was quickly drying my eyes at other times, hoping she wouldn't notice. :-)
I'd read Gone With the Wind again, a great classic.
ReplyDeleteHarvee - I have a couple of friends who continue to push Gone With the Wind on me, hoping I'll cave. :-) I'm glad you liked it.
DeleteI rate on GoodReads but not on my blog because ratings are subjective. Having said that, I think ratings are fine, especially if you know the rater's system.
ReplyDeleteKathy - Even on GoodReads I've noticed people have their own interpretations on the ratings--even with GoodReads' guide. I think my system is very close to theirs.
DeleteI've several books which I'm sure I won't be reading, and that includes Moby Dick and a few classic, just because they kinda intimidated me. ;) Another reason is I'm simply not interested in the stories.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your thoughts on Last Words. :)
Melody - There are probably many more classics that don't interest me. I feel kind of bad about that, but then I remember how many there are I do want to read. I only have one lifetime to read them in, after all. Intimidation and lack of interest are factors for me too.
DeleteI haven't read Marley & Me or seen the movie for the reasons you said. I love animals and if there's a chance an animal will die, I just can't do it.
ReplyDeleteAs for ratings, I've struggled with this for awhile myself. I don't know if I want to continue using them. I'm extremely selective in the books I read - because I have so many that I can't catch up - so my ratings are usually in the 4-5 range. Ratings are just so subjective. I once read that someone wouldn't give a short story a 5 even though they loved, loved, loved it because it's a short story and didn't feel short stories should get a 5. For me, if I loved, loved, loved it, it would get the 5 regardless of the length. Anyway, it's a question I still wonder about...to rate or not rate :)
"Last Words" sounds good and it's a time period that I like to read about.
Yvonne - I remember reading a memoir about a dog a few years ago and I was such a mess after. It's not something I want to experience again if I can help it.
DeleteI go back and forth with whether to use ratings too. I used them even when I didn't post them on my blog--I couldn't help it. So, I figure it's better just to do it. Whether I continue posting them on my blog may be another matter depending on which way I'm feeling at the time. I can't imagine not rating a short story a 5 just because it's a short story. I would rate it a five if I loved it that much too.
Oh how I dislike the five star rating system. Far too limiting. I sometimes find one aspect of a book worthy of a say five stars and yet another aspect of the same book only a lets say 2 stars.
ReplyDeleteGreat meme and one I may well join in with. confess Gone With The Wind is not a book I can ever see myself reading.
Tracy - My husband and I talk about the rating system probably more than he would like. LOL I can see where you are coming from. You try to be much more objective than I am willing to be, I think.
DeleteI'm like you- I give the ratings for my own benefit, and they're based on my own response. Sometimes a great classic just gets a 2 if I couldn't stand it! And in my scale, a 3 is perfectly respectable, any decent book I'd recommend to someone deserves that. But 5's are very rarely merited- those are only for the best.
ReplyDeleteYour list of Books I'll Never Read made me laugh- because of the trout fishing one! Is that book well-known in certain circles, or a classic of it's kind? I've never heard of it, whereas all the others I'm familiar with. Ulysses- gah. Don't think I'll ever try that. Moby Dick- that was tedious, but I'm glad I read it. Of the rest I'm just not interested (except maybe Gone with the Wind- I've always wondered if I ought to read that one).
The commentator who said she read Marley and Me as a child made me feel OLD! I remember clearly when that book was first published!
Jeane - Yes, we seem to have similar rating criteria. :-)
DeleteI couldn't help but add the trout fishing book in. I randomly selected it from a list of fly fishing books. If you do read Gone With the Wind, I hope you enjoy it. It seems to be a favorite of many. :-)
That was my first thought too when I read Amy's comment. LOL I was definitely an adult when that one came out. It wasn't that long ago was it? Ten years ago . . . Wow. I am old.
The ratings game is definitely fodder for bloggers, etc., and, like you said, very subjective. I usually rate mine higher than you do, apparently, but that's okay. I think that if we have a page on our blogs that explains what each number means to us, that helps those who visit.
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of your book today...I love anything about writers and journalists, and love mysteries.
I read Eat Pray Love and wished I hadn't...not one I enjoyed. An expensive year spent traveling, written by an entitled person...not my thing. LOL
Thanks for visiting my blog.
Laurel-Rain - Yes, a ratings key on a blog can be very helpful. I have one, and then I also write in parentheses what my ratings mean in case someone doesn't want to look it up. It was my way of clearing up confusion about those 3 ratings which are actually good ratings. :-)
DeleteI am a sucker for mysteries with reporters and journalists as the protagonists.
It sounds like your reason for disliking Eat, Pray, Love is one of the big reasons I am avoiding it.
great list! I wish I had thought of that. :O
ReplyDeleteMY TOP TEN TUESDAY!
Christine - Thank you!
DeleteI've thought about giving up number ratings because they're so meaningless. Most of my reads are probably 3, 3.5 or 4 stars. I only give a handful of 5s a year and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Most books aren't 5s but most are enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteOh Marley and Me! I read it soon after it came out and sobbed at the end. Like my husband couldn't believe it was really about a book I was sobbing so hard. And Joyce and I don't get along. I'm still a bit scarred from Portrait of the Artist. Great list!
Katherine - Exactly! I don't see anything wrong with that either. I do understand authors wanting all five star reviews. I really do. But I do not rate books for them. I rate them for me.
DeleteI agree that ratings are tricky. That's why I actually did a post explaining my ratings one day. To me, a 3 is one I like, but not one that will stick with me, and a 4 means I like it enough to recommend to others. So a 3-1/2 isn't a bad rating. I will continue to read a genre that gives me 3 or 3/1/2 because I do enjoy reading the book, but it is a 'fun' read and not one I expect to make and impact on me. Nothing wrong with having a little fun once in awhile!
ReplyDeleteToday I'm featuring The Girl With A Clock For A Heart by Peter Swanson.
Kim - I did that too. :-) I link to my ratings' post at the top of my blog, just under my header. And really, you are right. For me, often the books I rate 3 or 3.5 are the ones that haven't made a huge impact on me. It doesn't mean they weren't fun or enjoyable.
DeleteGreat idea for a list!
ReplyDeleteWhen I did ratings on my blog, I considered 3.5 or 4 to be quite a compliment. I reserved 5's for the occasionally book that just thoroughly knocked my socks off.
Irene - Thank you. :-) Coming up with this list was a little harder than I expected. I asked some bookish friends what they would put on their list and most gave general categories. I hesitate to do that because you never know when a book in a particular genre or category might appeal to you.
DeleteI think a 3.5 is a perfectly respectable rating too.
I have so much to say about this post!
ReplyDeleteRatings: I agree that ratings mean slightly different things to everyone. On my blog, I merely say "Read it" or "Skip it"...simplify things for people :) On Goodreads, 3 stars for me means I liked some things about it, but there were things I didn't like too. 4 stars is really liked it and 5 is loved it and is in contention for my best books of the year list.
Tuesday Intro: I liked it...would keep reading.
Top 10: Moby Dick would be on my list too (especially after reading AJ Fikry and that book's funny quote about assigning Moby Dick as required reading in schools). I did love Gone With the Wind...and watched the movie afterwards and hated the movie. The movie leaves out some of the really meaty parts of the book that I liked. My 2 cents to convince you to give it a shot :)
Sarah - I like your method of "Read it" or "Skip it". I'd probably have to add in a "Maybe read it" or "Cautiously read it." Haha I don't think I could help myself. I'm with you on the GoodReads ratings. That's actually how I rate books on my blog too, except adding in the halves (which I really should give up).
DeleteI haven't read AJ Fikry's book yet (Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park won out for my audiobook choice today--it was either that or Fikry's book), but I look forward to seeing the reference when I do get to it.
Of all the books on my list of books I won't read, there's probably wiggle room with the last two, including Gone With the Wind. I'm still not convince I should read either, but that could change. The others . . . Not so much.
I don't really rate books myself on the blog - I do so on Goodreads / LibraryThing but for some reason have never really given them a number for myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm skipping a lot of your top 10 personally - for a lot of the reasons you have too - but I *love* Gone with the Wind. I got to the book before the movie. It's better. :)
Meghan - You are probably better off not rating books on your blog. Makes things simpler. :-)
DeleteIt's good to know Gone With the Wind is better in book form. Maybe they should remake the movie. Since so many other movies are being remade already.
When I rate books, a 3 is average, a 4 is good, and a 5 is outstanding. Most of the books I read tend to be either 3s or 4s, in my opinion. Yes, it's subjective, but I strive to be honest and rarely come across a book that leaves me gushing.
ReplyDeleteCatherine - You rate more like my friend Denise, then. :-) I strive to be honest as well. I like most of what I read, fortunately.
Deletethat first line sure reaches out and grabs you, I'd read a little bit more. Marley and Me was a great book, especially for anyone who has ever loved and lost a pet.
ReplyDeleteKelley - It certainly did me! I am enjoying the book so far.
DeleteIt just goes to show how different people can be. Having loved and lost pets and having read books like this before, I know Marley and Me isn't one I want to read.
I agree. Rating can be very personal and subjective. I may love a book but 5 stars are very difficult to come by. It's reserved only for very special books.
ReplyDeletehttp://booksatvioletcrush.com/BLOG/blog/
Violet - Exactly! Fives are for very special books.
DeleteI'm not sure if I would continue reading your book, though being of my age I do appreciate stories set in the 60s and 70s. However, I don't usually read "gumshoe" type stories so not sure in which direction this one is headed.
ReplyDeleteLol at some of your books you won't read, including Justin Bieber bio, though I do get your point. I also have not read Outlander despite fave reviews, and I do like some historicals and well-done time travels. I don't know. I did read Eat, Pray, Love, The Shack, Gone With the Wind and Wild. Gone with the Wind is a classic, but I loved the movie more, maybe because I relate to it as something my mom and I could talk about together. I didn't enjoy The Shack, and I liked Eat, Pray, Love as a movie much more than the book--enjoyed the scenery, truthfully.
Thanks for sharing this post, was fun to read!
Rita - I love mysteries so Last Words is right up my alley. It's such an interesting time period too. There was mention of how newspapers were going out of business because of how popular television news had become. History repeats itself today with the growth of the internet.
DeleteI enjoy the discussions about books people like and don't like or aren't interested in. Tastes can be so different, but it also gives one a different perspective as well.
Forgot to address your discussion on ratings. I recently revamped my ratings. I didn't do it for quite awhile because it would skew the ratings given out in the past, but with the new year I did change and made my 3 actually mean "good". Every blogger has their own interpretation of what those ratings mean that I don't even know if we should all bother...maybe just use a few key words instead...just thinking out loud.
ReplyDeleteRita - I went from a 0 to 4 rating scale to a 1 to 5 during my blogging "career", so I know how challenging changing your scale can be. I use key words too just to make it clearer. Even that doesn't always work. I feel like I can't win for trying sometimes.
DeleteInteresting! There was a time when I used to put reviews up on Amazon and (for a very brief time) Goodreads. I stopped doing it because I found it so hard to distill my thoughts to a certain number of stars. My own ratings looked meaningless to me, so I stopped. I still do it every now and then, but only when it's a struggling author who could use an honest review (one I can legitimately give a 4 or 5). I don't rate blockbusters because they don't need me to do it.
ReplyDeleteAs for your list, I won't be reading Wild either. My husband loved it, but I am so skeptical of Cheryl Strayed after reading her compilation of Dear Sugar columns. I'm not sure I believe her, and that's not the right attitude to take when picking up a book labeled a "memoir." I have also stayed away from Elizabeth Gilbert until now. I have just started "The Signature of All Things" because of its Philly connection. I'm only 2% into it, and kind of bored, but that could be because my attention span is limited thanks to the flu (3/5 of us got it this week!).
A.M.B. - It can be difficult to settle on a rating for a book. I know several people who write reviews on GoodReads but do not rate the books. But definitely, if you find your own ratings meaningless, there's no point to using a rating scale.
DeleteI always took memoirs with a grain of salt in the total truth department, but I don't gravitate towards them as much as I might have in the past because I don't know if they are all fiction or not. It's sad not to be more trusting, but one or two or three bad apples can ruin a bunch.
I hope you and your family are all feeling better! Hopefully "The Signature of All Things" will pick up for you.
I don't rate books partly because of the confusion in knowing what they mean. I try to remember that if I rate books on Goodreads, a 3 means good yet when I see someone has rated a book a 3 I tend to pass on it. Maybe we're just looking for the very good or great books. But hey, I'm perfectly happy when I finish a book and it's been "good."
ReplyDeleteLisa - Given how differently rating scales vary from reader to reader, I imagine that adds to the confusion.
DeleteWhat works best for me when deciding whether I want to read a book or not is to look at multiple reviews to get a range of thoughts so I can make a more balanced decision. I don't tend to go by ratings alone.
"So, maybe I give most books in a particular genre a 3.5 rating. It doesn't mean I do not enjoy those books. And I have rated books higher within that genre when I felt it was warranted. And sorry, authors, my 5 spot is highly coveted. I may love your book for many reasons, but it isn't a rating I give out often. For me at least, it would take away the significance of that top spot."
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 100%! And I agree that having to come up with a rating usually helps me clarify my thoughts on the book. I do the ratings more for myself than anyone else.
Stacy - It sounds like we are of the same mind. :-)
DeleteStar ratings are extremely difficult for me, as well. And...I change my mind, even after I given them on Goodreads! Does the rating mean how good the book is in a literary sense or how much I enjoyed them? I can appreciate a good literary novel and not enjoy it, and I can enjoy an entertaining plot that has little literary value.
ReplyDeleteJenclair - I've changed my mind after posting them on occasion too. I try not to change them though--but sometimes I can't help myself. I think for me, I try to rate according to both how good a book is in a literary sense but also in how much I enjoyed it--but ultimately, I think the how much I enjoyed it wins out most.
DeleteWe have the exact same thoughts on rating. :)
ReplyDeleteJoy - I am glad we agree! :-)
DeleteI agree, it is really hard to rate books. Especially because when I review on Amazon, a three is kind of so-so, but at my blog a 3 is good.
ReplyDeleteIf I give a book a 4, it means I still really loved it. I've had people comment on my Amazon reviews questioning why my star rating is just a 4 if I loved the book so much.
Nice top 10 list, I really enjoyed The Shack and I love GWTW. I think one great book I'll never read is The Count of Monte Cristo. I own it and have zero intention of reading it lol..
Naida - Yes! A 4 is very good and worth celebrating over, I think.
DeleteI don't know if I will read The Count of Monte Cristo. It's not on my list to read, but then I haven't given it much thought.
Great discussion! Over the years I've thought about assigning a rating scale but I feel like I would have to justify my 5 star books versus 3 stars. I guess I just find it hard. My book group had this discussion recently and we all thought that we gave a lot of books a 3 (out of a 5 point scale) but there is nothing wrong with a 3 - that is still a good book. Anyway, I say if the rating scale works for you then that's great!
ReplyDeleteIliana - Thank you. Assigning grades or ratings to books can be hard. I waffle sometimes. And it's definitely not for everyone. I would prefer people not take my ratings at face value and ignore my actual thoughts on the book. I think the words say so much more than a rating can.
Delete