My 5-Point Book Rating System
How do you judge a book?
If you’re like me, you’re faced with this question every time you finish a book and click “I’m finished!” on Goodreads. Goodreads is by far my favorite book tracking + review system. I love that it’s personal to me, but that I can also see what others have rated a book—despite how subjective I know the ratings are.
We all have to decide for ourselves what it means to bestow on a book a low number or a high number, knowing the gravity of that decision: your rating helps to decide the future of that book, whether others choose to buy and read it. I take that responsibility seriously, perhaps because I work in publishing and I have a firsthand view of what it’s like for authors when they don’t receive a favorable rating. I try to be sensitive, not because I’m trying to shield them from an unpleasant truth, but because I don’t want them to perceive an honest reflection on their writing as a reflection on them.
I know from the book club I was part of last year that everyone weights the numbers differently; some people are quite generous with their 5’s and 4’s; others are quite stingy. For some a 3 could very well be a book they enjoyed and would recommend; for others, a 3 is not worth theirs or anyone else’s time.
Here’s what I’m thinking when I rate a book on Goodreads. I’m curious to know how you rate yours! And—let’s connect on Goodreads!
5
This book still has more to teach me and more delights to be discovered; I will be reading it again.
Goodreads defines a 5 as “It was amazing!” I try to limit my 5’s to only the books that I would really read again. I may think a book is fantastic—I may think it’s absolutely perfect for you—but I will not give it a 5 unless it passes the “Would I read it again?” test.
Books that have fallen in this category:
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- Educated by Tara Westover
- Think Again by Adam Grant
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
- The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
- The Book of Boundaries by Melissa Urban
4
Really good, enjoyable read; probably won’t read again, but definitely worth reading once.
Most of the books I finish and rate on Goodreads fall in this category. Like I said, I like to be generous. If I liked it, it’s a 4.
Some of my 4’s:
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
- Night Blindness by Susan Strecker
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday
3
Ok, worth finishing, but didn’t leave a big impression on me either way. Take it or leave it.
A lot of books fall in this category, too. They may be great books, but I know at the end of them that the story isn’t going to stick with me for long. In a few years, I’ll probably have forgotten most of the storyline.
Some of the 3’s on my list:
- When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff
- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
- Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
- Own the Day, Own Your Life by Aubrey Marcus
- The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
2
Did not enjoy, quite possibly did not finish
You’re not going to find a lot of books with this low of a rating on my list because I usually know fairly early on whether I will like a book, and how much I’ll like it. In fact, one of my goals this year has been to try to abandon books earlier. Life is too short, folks.
But, some 2’s do exist on my list and here they are:
- The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer
- My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
- The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
- The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
1
This book offended me for some reason. Almost certainly did not finish.
These are the books that I really don’t want to talk about. Just… no.
- Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
- Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Neslund
So how does your rating system compare? Are you surprised at any of the books in each category? How would you rate them differently?
