I like lists and scores (as you may have gathered).

To my immense frustration, my husband doesn’t like either. When I say things like “What are your top five ice cream flavours?”, he sometimes indulges me with an answer but other times asks why it matters (especially the ranking part of the exercise, as I deliberate over whether lemon gelato or chocolate-hazelnut ice cream is my absolute favourite).

Well of course it doesn’t matter – it’s just fun!

So when it comes to giving a book a ‘score’ – well duh, I can’t help myself. I use a score out of five, simply because it translates for Goodreads fans. Occasionally I use half stars which is cheating a little but sometimes books need a half star.

I felt it was time to qualify some of my ratings –

I like to compare apples with apples.

I mostly read contemporary literature but there is also some chick-lit (no romance), lad-lit, historical fiction and occasionally YA. If you’re wondering why I give both a fluffy chick-lit novel and a Booker-nomination four stars, know that I like to compare apples with apples. For example, a five-star chick-lit novel represents what I think is the best of the chick-lit genre – it’s not weighted against books I’ve read in other genres.

What I like, you might also like… Or not.

Don’t get too hung up on how many stars I give a book – what appeals to me might not appeal to others. Although, if I give something five stars (and you do too), chances are we’ll like the same stuff.

Mood swings

I do try to qualify my ratings with reasons why I did or didn’t enjoy a book but it’s all subjective. I’m not a professional book reviewer. Some days I write a review, assign a rating and it might be a bit less than it otherwise would because I’m in a shitty mood. Or the opposite, a happy day equals a positive review. That’s life.

Image credit here.