I was perusing my Goodreads today when I noticed something a little strange; my average book rating is 4.05 stars and I've rated a high majority of my books 5 stars. It may seem very high, but it's not like I love every book I read, and if you've followed me since the beginning you may recognize that I do really have the ability to bash a book. So, I've decided to create a blog post explaining what it means when I rate a book a certain number of stars.
★ 1 star means I did not like the book at all. (aka the one I never use)
★★ 2 stars means I liked the concept of the book but didn't really enjoy it and/or didn't like the way it was presented. Also awarded if I liked the concept but read it super slowly and/or couldn't get into it. (ex. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by Ms Rowling, Forever by Ms Stievater)
★★★ 3 stars means I liked the book, I thought it was good, but it had too many flaws for me to really enjoy it and/or I couldn't put my all into it. (ex. To All The Boy I've Loved Before by Ms Han, Seraphina by Ms Hartman)
★★★★ 4 stars means I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I liked it, it was good and had some good developing, but it wasn't all there. Perhaps I couldn't connect with the characters, or maybe the plot dragged on too much at some points. I really liked it, but I didn't love it.
★★★★★ 5 stars means that I loved the book! There may have been a few flaws but they were easily looked over, hence, the 5 stars rating. Sometimes this means it's one of my favourite books, and sometimes it means that I just really liked it and would recommend it. For me to enjoy a book, it has to have great character dynamics; I have to love the relationships whether they're good or bad; the writing has to be good (and not full of cliches and other annoying things); the characters have to be relatable the plot has to be intriguing; I need to be kept on the edge of my seat, things have to keep moving; and finally, depending on whether it's a stand alone of part of a continuing series, I need closure or be left wanting more.
The directory above is always subject to change and some conditions might be transferred to others. For example I could have not really liked or felt strongly about the character dynamics but that doesn't mean I'm not going to rate it five stars, or maybe it had a lot of flaws but I was kept reading so maybe I'll decide to keep it at 3 stars or move it up to four or even give it 3.5 stars. Basically, it's pretty hard for a book to receive a rating lower than 3, hence the high rating average.
I find myself always wondering my own rating system, so I think this will help because I tend to go at least 24 hours before rating a book because I tend to really have to think about it.
If you're curious about my favourites shelf - https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6995336-emily?shelf=favorites
How do you rate your books on Goodreads?
★ 1 star means I did not like the book at all. (aka the one I never use)
★★ 2 stars means I liked the concept of the book but didn't really enjoy it and/or didn't like the way it was presented. Also awarded if I liked the concept but read it super slowly and/or couldn't get into it. (ex. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by Ms Rowling, Forever by Ms Stievater)
★★★ 3 stars means I liked the book, I thought it was good, but it had too many flaws for me to really enjoy it and/or I couldn't put my all into it. (ex. To All The Boy I've Loved Before by Ms Han, Seraphina by Ms Hartman)
★★★★ 4 stars means I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I liked it, it was good and had some good developing, but it wasn't all there. Perhaps I couldn't connect with the characters, or maybe the plot dragged on too much at some points. I really liked it, but I didn't love it.
★★★★★ 5 stars means that I loved the book! There may have been a few flaws but they were easily looked over, hence, the 5 stars rating. Sometimes this means it's one of my favourite books, and sometimes it means that I just really liked it and would recommend it. For me to enjoy a book, it has to have great character dynamics; I have to love the relationships whether they're good or bad; the writing has to be good (and not full of cliches and other annoying things); the characters have to be relatable the plot has to be intriguing; I need to be kept on the edge of my seat, things have to keep moving; and finally, depending on whether it's a stand alone of part of a continuing series, I need closure or be left wanting more.
The directory above is always subject to change and some conditions might be transferred to others. For example I could have not really liked or felt strongly about the character dynamics but that doesn't mean I'm not going to rate it five stars, or maybe it had a lot of flaws but I was kept reading so maybe I'll decide to keep it at 3 stars or move it up to four or even give it 3.5 stars. Basically, it's pretty hard for a book to receive a rating lower than 3, hence the high rating average.
I find myself always wondering my own rating system, so I think this will help because I tend to go at least 24 hours before rating a book because I tend to really have to think about it.
If you're curious about my favourites shelf - https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6995336-emily?shelf=favorites
How do you rate your books on Goodreads?
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