purringlion

purringlion t1_jdcprcp wrote

Reply to comment by pensieve64 in How do you rate your books on Goodreads? by pensieve64

I fully agree. I came up with my way after I looked back at my earlier ratings and they sort of felt wrong. I think it's easy to rate a book higher when I've just finished it and I'm riding the emotional high from it.

Boiling a whole book down to a star rating is simplifying so much. Maybe too much. But star ratings in general are a whole another topic.

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purringlion t1_jdcnpp0 wrote

Reply to How do you rate your books on Goodreads? by pensieve64

Edit: I wish Goodreads had a bigger range because just 5 options seems too limiting. (Storygraph is better, yes, it's just that most people haven't made the switch yet.)

I rate based on how good a book I think it is, not how much I enjoyed it. I can enjoy a book and know it's not redefining the genre. Sort of like "yes, I enjoyed this trilogy about superpowered magical werewolves and devoured it in a week but is it actually as good as Pride and Prejudice? Should I really be putting it on the same shelf?"

5*: It's a masterpiece in its own way. The themes are on point, the prose is amazing, the plotlines are all superb.

4*: Wow. This book did something so well that I keep coming back to it. Will/have reread. Not quite a masterpiece but wow.

3*: It's a good book. The plotlines tie up nicely, the pacing is good. It's a well-crafted book. (Most books I read end up in this category)

2*: It's an alright book. Some of the plotlines didn't quite get resolved well, the pacing felt off, the characters are mostly cardboard cutouts. It was just interesting enough to keep reading. I'll most likely give the book away but won't encourage people to read it.

1*: DNF, not even planning to get back to it. Or I managed to finish (hoping it'd get better with the ending) but I wish I hadn't. What a waste of time.

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