I Don't Know How To Rate Books Anymore
I’ve been reading and posting about the books I’m reading on the Internet for a few years now. Flash forward to now: the predicament of not knowing how to rate the books that I read. I rate books on a 1-5 reading scale, with 1 being the absolute filth I have ever read (or tried to read but had to mark DNF) and 5 being life-changing, show-stopping, incredible, legend status books. But in the past year or so, I’ve begun to question my rating scale. It started when I was rating multiple books five stars, and those books were books that I happened to read back to back. I started questioning my methods with, “Am I rating it five stars because I’m in a good mood?” Or “Am I just rating this book five stars because of the vibes and it put me in a good mood? Is it actually five stars and one of the best books ever written with the right amount of prose and character development and story development?”
I didn’t study English or literature in college. I didn’t take classes to study books and how they’re written. (I actually don’t know what you learn in college-level English classes.) I read for enjoyment and good vibes. I read as a hobby, to have fun, and to help myself feel better when I’m having a bad day. I typically read romance books with a “happily ever after” (HEA) and if I like it enough, meaning it made my day and genuinely put a smile on my face, then I will rate it 4 or even 5 stars if it’s REALLY well-written (well-written meaning what?). And personally, I rate books closer to five stars. If I didn’t “vibe” with it, meaning I didn’t connect to it or engage with it as I would with a five-star read, then I’ll rate it three stars. I always thought less of myself as a reader because I tend to rate higher in contrast to those who rate books lower than four stars and only hand out five stars once or twice every 10 books they read. Nothing against those people who are stingy with their five star reads. In their defense, I take their five star reads very seriously because that’s when I know they really love that book.
So, how do I rate books? What goes through my head when I’m considering my book rating?
I mentioned earlier that I love romance books. I love a fun, delightful romance book that explores little to no themes (think Lynn Painter, who writes these low-pressure books well!) and will rate it five stars if I really feel like it. If it includes themes like grief, second chance, or any other things like that, then that is only a cherry (or two) on top. But even if it doesn’t, like the fun, low-pressure romance book, I think the question at the bottom of my rating sheet (this sheet only exists in my brain) is, “Does this make me feel better? Is this a book that genuinely puts a smile on my face?”
And I know those two questions can’t be the two questions for consideration for every book I read— including thrillers, fantasy books, memoirs, lit fiction, historical fiction, just to name a few. But the first question is: “Does this book make me feel better?” Or, “Does this book make me better?” For thrillers, the question turns into, “Does this book keep me on the edge of my seat?” For fantasy books, the question turns into, “Does this book keep me engaged and up to date on the lore?” For memoirs, the question turns into, “Does this book make me feel and does the author tell the story in a way that I can follow along?” (I try not to rate memoirs because it’s someone’s life, but sometimes memoirs are just poorly written.) For literary fiction, “Does this book make me better or does it allow me to think about more complex issues?”
To be honest, I don’t know how to rate books anymore. I wrote this blog post to explore this topic. The more I think about how I rate books, the more I don’t want a “solid” rating system. I want to judge any book that I read individually, not on some scale. Yes, I think having a foundation of what makes a five-star read, a four-star read, and so on, is important. But I’m not going to put books in these slice and dice columns “five star reads = life-changing books.”
With that said, I almost thought about switching my rating system altogether to a classroom grading scale and rate my books A-F. And instead of rating a book 4.5, I can give it an A-. But switching the rating systems altogether wouldn’t solve my problem. I am re-thinking how I rate the books altogether and double-down on the foundation of what constitutes a five star. What does a 4.5 rating mean? Can I rate a fun, contemporary romance with little to no themes outside of the typical romance HEA five stars (or even a 4.5 stars)? Maybe. Can I put a fun, low-pressure contemporary romance as a same rating as I do with thought-provoking, serious literary fiction read? As I explore this topic further, I think I can do that. This rating scale isn’t perfect (and I think I want to re-examine it every few months), but it’s mine and it seems to be working for me.
But what does my rating scale say about me?
I think it says that I have a wide range of taste in books. I can read a lit fiction exploring themes of grief and cults and justice, but also enjoy a fun, delightful romance with no deeper themes except for a nice HEA.
What are your thoughts on how you rate books? Do you have a 1-5 rating scale? Do you tend to rate books closer to five stars or one star? I’m curious to know!