How I rate books

Let's talk about rating. There are so many methods out there and it is really subjective. I have struggled determining what the number of stars mean and how I use them to promote my favorite authors. I have been using a five star format for years through good reads. I have also been a very stingy reviewer. I have not given out a lot of five stars in the past. However, as I get older, the more I realize how much weight people take the five star reads into account. There are people out there who will not even consider reading anything under a 4 star reviewed book. This is interesting to me because I don't put a lot of weight into the number of stars the reviewer gave the book and I put more weight in what they said about the book.

Due to the subjectivity of the stars, I will read books as low as 3 stars automatically, if I think the plot looks good and the premise seems to have potential. This has definitely burned me in the past, but not as much as it has rewarded me.

In the past I have set my ratings compared to other books I have read, so I have been even more subjective than I should have been. So I am going to clear up the muddy waters as it relates to my ratings anyways.

One star: HORRID, didn't finish, or it was a challenge to finish for the following reasons: writing style, lack of character development, editing mistakes, plot pace and direction. No recommendations from me.

two stars: BAD, there is potential, but it was still a challenge to finish, editing mistakes are still obvious and I wouldn't recommend this book to my enemies.

Three stars: GOOD, I enjoyed this book. There were still some problems, specifically lack of character development or depth. I probably won't re-read this book, but it was worth the read. I would recommend this book to people I know well, and know that they will enjoy this book.

Four stars: VERY GOOD, I really enjoyed this book. There was good characters and decent development. This is a book I would recommend for most fans of the genre to read.

Five starts: AMAZING. I died and went to heaven. It was incredibly entertaining. There wasn't a single editing mistake that I found. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!


So there you go...How do you rate the books you read? What system do you use? Please Share!