My Book Rating System In 2024

Art is subjective. So my ratings are based more on my experience of reading the book rather than attempting to quantify its merit.

Because I use both StoryGraph and Goodreads to track my reading, I use a 5 star system. On StoryGraph I am able to break it down to 1/4 stars. On Goodreads I am forced to round.

The Rating Scale

• 5 Stars - I will probably never shut up about this. I am obsessed with this and feel that it has made a definite impact on me as a person.
• 4 1/2 Stars - Loved it! I feel strongly about how much I like this book.
• 4 Stars - Recommended. I would bring this up if someone asked me for recommendations.
• 3 1/2 Stars - Enjoyable and Above Average. I enjoyed this more than most books. It probably wouldn’t be the first in mind to recommend, but I would likely recommend it if asked depending on the asker.
• 3 Stars - Enjoyable but Somewhat Average. I enjoyed this around the same as I enjoy most books. If asked I would likely recommend it to fans of specific subjects/themes/tropes that it features.
• 2 1/2 Stars - Not Recommended. I would not recommend this book if asked but more of a meh than a dislike.
• 2 Stars - Disliked. I disliked this.

The scale doesn’t go below 2 because life is short and there are so many books I want to read I don’t want to waste time forcing myself to finish something unenjoyable.

On 1/4 Star Adjustments and Ranking “Problematic Faves”

I am aware that my approach to issues of political correctness, diversity, inclusivity, tolerance, etc. is flawed, maybe deeply.

I am open to revising everything about my system in the future. This is what I’m doing now:

• I add 1/4 Star if I feel a book addresses social themes constructively
• I subtract 1/4 Star if I feel a book contains problematic content

It is strictly always only a 1/4 Star to avoid adding or subtracting stars becoming a way of evaluating the “worth” or relative “badness” of certain social causes or issues.