I don’t use a star rating on my blog specifically
because I don’t like them. But since Goodreads and NetGalley still use them, I
am stuck. Lately, I have been wondering if I have gotten too picky with my Goodreads ratings. Have my standards gotten so high??
I have noticed that it is getting harder and harder
for me to justify a five star review. In the last two months, for example, I have a read a total of 44 books. Of those 44 books, I have given out only FIVE five star ratings, while I gave TWENTY-TWO four star ratings. That is a huge discrepancy, right?
So why do those books not rate a five star? I do
believe that I have become a perfectionist with my ratings. Or maybe I have just read so many amazing books that I can't help but play the comparison game. It seems like I am striving for perfection with my five star books. These are a couple of books that I recently rated five stars.
These books were amazing in every way and I can't thing of a single thing I would change. Nothing at all.
When I rate a book four stars, I absolutely loved the book . . . but typically, there are still one or two flaws.
I think maybe the issue is that I am reading way more books than I did before blogging. Of course, I am unemployed now so that does add a bit of free time to my day. But reading so many books makes me raise my standards even more. When I read books like The Book Thief, which freaking destroyed me, I just can't help comparing other possible five star books to that one.
But I do think it's my personality. I am an obsessive compulsive perfectionist when it comes to just about every aspect of my life. So it is no surprise that I am applying that same philosophy to my books. But maybe I should stop the comparing and stop the strive for perfectionism. Maybe if there is a book I absolutely adored, but it had one or two minor flaws (such as Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers), maybe that book still deserves the coveted five star rating.
How do you decide which books to rate five stars? Do you think a book has to be perfect to receive the coveted five star rating?
Yup, I definitely know what you mean! I think the more books we read, the more we have to compare them to. Five star books are flawless, but I can still love a 3-4 star book as well.
ReplyDeleteJeann, oh I am so glad someone else agrees with me and has this problem too! There are many, many four star books that I LOVE, but something about them just stops me from giving that coveted five star rating. :)
DeleteUsually a 5 star means I won't shut up about the book, that it moved me enough to tell everyone I run into about it; the book meant something to me. I don't give out many 5s. And I don't think everyone will love the book as much as I do, but I still want everyone to read it.
ReplyDeleteKwizgiver, that is a great way to look at it! If I can't shut up about it, then it probably deserves that five star rating. :)
DeleteI'm with you, I have a really hard time with ratings (which is why I don't use them on my blog.) I reserve my 5-star ratings on Goodreads for books that are so special that they really stick with me or move me, or books where I simply can't think of a thing that I'd change or complain about. 4 star books are really good, but just don't have the same impact on me. It's all subjective, of course, but I know I'm pretty stingy with my 5 stars!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa! I am so glad someone else agrees with me. 5 star books are ones where I wouldn't change a single thing. I have loved and adored many four star reads, but if there is even one thing wrong with it, then I can't bring myself to give it five stars.
DeleteI am not crazy about a rating system. If I enjoy the book and would read another book by the author, the rating doesn't matter. After so many years of reading I know what I like and seldom do not finished a book. If I have question on the book I give the book the higher ratin. I find some harder to write reviews than others.
ReplyDeleteAn example I have finished the book it is one I really enjoyed; I rated a 5 I am sure if I wanted dissect the book I would find errors. My purpose is to let others know how I like that book. My English were always my lowest grades.
Good points Betty! I am really not crazy about the rating system either. That's why I don't use them on my blog. I would love for Goodreads to come up with another way to rate, besides stars.
DeleteIt's a perfectly normal progression, Cynthia, I noticed it in myself as well. The more you read, the more sophisticated your "palate" becomes, and therefore the more difficult it is to actually surprise and wow it. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it's not like we can go back to simpler times and unlearn what we have learned.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ramona! I am so glad others have this issue. I have always been a big reader, but the numbers of books that I read have gone up dramatically since I started blogging. You are so right that we can't unlearn what we have learned . . . or in this case unread what I have read. :)
DeleteI think sometimes I am being too hard on books. BUT then I read a 5 star book and I immediately know the difference. A 4 star book is one I loved but a 5 star book is one that blew me away. I can't even put it in to words but when I read a 5 star book, I instinctively know it! If I have to ask the question, is this 5 star, then the answer is no.
ReplyDeleteAnd nope, it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to move me in some special way that only a few books do. Your figs work out at just about 10%, that sounds about right to me and that's why they are so special.
You are so right Trish! If you have to think about it, it isn't a 5 star read. Generally, a 5 star read makes me feel EVERYTHING and stays with me long after I stop reading it.
DeleteA Five star blew me away, I couldn't stop reading and it was perfection for me..it gave me that book high I chase. Typically my reviews fall between 3 and 4.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kimba! Most of my reviews are generally 3's and 4's too. I have gotten better about picking books I know I will like, so luckily one and two star books aren't super common.
DeleteIt is SO hard to rate a book without comparing it to something else. I try really hard to judge each book on its own, without thinking about what ratings I have given other books, but I inevitably find myself thinking 'oh I gave that book a five, and did I like this one as much?' Also, five stars doesn't leave a lot of room for diversity...maybe if it was out of 100 it would be easier!? ;)
ReplyDeletebornandread . . . oh yes, a rating out of 100 would be so awesome!! I have read some amazing books that got 5 stars this year. So when I read a book that is amazing, I just can't help but play the comparison game. If it has even one flaw, I just can't do it. Sigh. Oh well
DeleteI am basically the worst with this, because I really think it is a crap shoot whether I will rate a book 5 stars or 4 stars. Or 4.5 stars. I am glad I added a 6th star for my FAVORITES- those I am very, very selective with. Because if I can't really find any big flaws AND I loved the book, it is getting five stars from me. Only if it has that extra something will it get the 6th.
ReplyDeleteI DO worry that I am too free with my 5 stars but... meh. I guess it's better to be happy with the book? Idk. I will just tell myself that I even out for the ridiculously LOW star givers out there ;) Great topic!
Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight
Shannon, ooooh you are such a rebel for creating 6 stars. There are probably only a handful of books I can think of that would get a coveted sixth star. Yeah, it is better to be happy with the book than miserable. I am probably too stingy with my five stars, so if you are too free, then you can balance me out. :)
DeleteI think this has happened to just about all of us the longer we've been blogging. I don't give out 5 stars as often anymore either - but I do half stars, so 4.5 isn't thatuncommon for me!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Nicole, I really wish Goodreads and Amazon did half stars. I would probably give out a lot of 4.5 stars!
DeleteRight? I never really gave anything lower than 3 stars when I first started to use GR. Even at 3 stars, I had a lot of guilt. If I finished it and didn't want to shred the book, then it was 5 or 4 stars, period. I had a HORRIBLE rating system.
ReplyDeleteAs for getting picky, that is actually a good thing! If you rated everything at 5 stars, then your balance would be off. You now have a whole slew of books that have set the bar. Before I did online book blogging or ratings, I had no base of comparison. But now? I have a list of books that set the standard, and, yes, my own ratings have become pickier and picker. I have given more 2 stars this year that all the other years combined, But I like being more honest and fair with my own personal ratings.
For me, I see it as an accomplishment in my hobby. :)
Lyn, you are so right. I do think when someone gives out all 5 stars, there is something off. But the fact that I am picky means that when I give a 5 star, you can known it's because I REALLY loved it.
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