When it comes to rating books, I have no trouble handing out one star, two stars or five stars.
I give one star to books that are all-round crap (plot, writing, editing – basically the whole shebang). I give two stars to books that are quite crap in terms of plot and personal appeal but are not necessarily poorly written. I give five stars to books that make me think of nothing else but reading that particular book.
I don’t hand out one star, two star or five star ratings all that often. Most books I read I give either three stars or four stars. Sometimes it’s a clear three or four but often, it’s somewhere between three and four. And herein lies the problem.
There’s a world of difference between a three star book and a four star book. It’s the difference between ‘good’ and ‘really good’. It’s the difference between finishing it and shelving it, and finishing it and passing it on to others because it was, after-all, really good. It’s the difference between a book that I might recommend to a few particular people and a book that I am likely to be a little pushy about. It’s the difference between 60% and 80% (which to my way of thinking is a C versus an A). HELLO! That’s a big bloody difference.
So what to do? Sometimes I cop-out and allocate a 3.5. That’s a soft option. If I do allocate a 3.5, I either mark it up or down on Goodreads depending on the love I’m feeling on the day. Basically, Goodreads needs a half-star option.
Sometimes I tell myself to get a grip and just go tough for the three or generous for the four.
Sometimes I wonder if I over think this shit…