Completely agree, I used to give 5 star so easily but now I'm much more more discerning. Most of what I read now is 3-4 stars, with 5 reserved for all time favorites.
Yeah, my rating system has definitely changed over the years. Re-reads have sometimes gotten a lot harsher scores from me at times, namely because the issues show up more. I tend to rate a lot of books in the three star range. I translate that mostly that they are ok. Great video! :)
I’m with you. I’ve been notoriously rare about rating books 5 stars in the last couple years. They really have to personally impact me or be so entirely well made, that even if it didn’t affect me as much as my personal 5 stars, I can recognize its greatness.
I’m heading to this as well, it’s getting harder and harder to get a 5 star from me, but I definitely seek books with that kind of power! That’s always the goal!
I can just imagine Oprah shouting “Everyone gets 5-Stars!” 🎉 😂 I no longer rate books for several reasons, but I really enjoyed hearing about your evolving system here! 😊
Always interesting to hear about someone's rating qualifications! Sounds like we have a very similar mindset in how we give out star ratings. Though, I do sometimes use half star ratings, which mostly results in my 4.5 stars being the equivalent of what other people would deem 5 stars, and then I actually save my 5 stars for the all-time favourites that have just really left a mark on me!
Honestly, same. I’m my written piece, I’ll usually stipulated if it’s a .5 one way or another. Obviously some of my 5⭐️ will be rounded up from 4 somethings. But those really special true 5⭐️…I think I’m saving them a little more lately.
Loved this peek into the rating system! I have a similar approach but am pretty lenient with what can fall under the 5-star fold -- being a bit more stingy seems good to reserve that for the more special and moving reads.
Thanks, man! I think what I’ve decided is, way more 4 stars probably, and saving the 5s for the greats - I’m still not going to be ultra stingy, I think books deserve a shot at being a 5, but I’ll think a little longer on them, maybe even sit on the rating for a bit.
Excellent video Theo, I agree with your reserving 5 star reviews for those truly exceptional reads, I think there needs to be a bit of exclusivity, otherwise if there's so many 5-star reviews it kinda loses the meaning? Also I like your approach of a book "tracking toward" a particular star rating; as I read, I do mentally have a dial of where the star rating is heading, and yes it can be knocked off quite dramatically and very suddenly. I use Goodreads' recommendations: 1* is "didn't like"; 2* is "it was okay"; 3* is "I liked it"; 4* is "I really liked it" and 5* is "It was amazing". A bit controversially... I do award books I DNF an automatic 1 star because if I DNF a book I "didn't like it". I get your point about the 2-star; an example I had recently where a book really disappointed or aggravated me was a "side book" in a series I previously enjoyed a lot where the author, er, decided (seemingly out of nowhere) to soapbox their strident opinions on social issues 👀 which I did not approve of! 😂 Keep up the good work with the videos, enjoyed this one!
Thanks, Richard! Yeah all that makes total sense to me! We wouldn’t have to have this chat if all books were top tier - that’s the goal. But as you alluded to…would that be as special? We need 1 star books to make the 5s GLEAM.
Giving out 5 to favourites is a great idea. Whilst I appreciate why people are hesitant to give out low scores some books deserve it. For decades my system has been out of 10 and I never give out 10s as that is perfection. Generally I'm a tough scorer. Anything under 5 means I won't reread it.
Just caught u on Johanna’s channel and your and Brian’s chat was amazing! Such an interesting discussion. For me I see ratings as kind of like a standard deviation/distribution sort of thing: - 68% will be 4>x>2 stars -13.5% will be 5>x ≥4 stars - 13.5% be 1
Wera, I literally just found your channel a few days ago, what a coincidence. I was just about to deep dive into your content - you are INCREDIBLE. And what an interesting way to look at the ratings - as a finance / statistics guy, that is brilliant 🙌🏻🤣 I struggle rating re-reads too. Most of the weight I place on my initial experience I think. Thanks so much for connecting with me :)
Art is subjective, exactly 🥳 super interesting how you rate your books. I do give 1 star ratings but it has to be truly terrible and I likely have DNFd for reasons. 5 stars typically are books I was just crazy excited about while reading, that have blown my mind, or have just taken me out of reality in such a unique way. 4 stars is still a fantastic book for me. I might have simply been not as excited while reading it.
Most of my reviews are 4 stars too. I look at it this way. 1 star - Have you considered hiring an editor? 2 stars - There were some highlights, but it needs work. 3 stars - It's a book. I don't regret the time I spent reading it, but I'm probably not recommending either. 4 stars - This was a good book. Maybe it's not perfect, but I enjoyed reading it and I wouldn't feel bad about recommending. 5 stars - Loved this book. Would probably read again (shut up TBR pile). This is for books like Swan Song and The Count of Monte Cristo and Dragons of Autumn Twilight and The Name of the Wind, etc. I also don't round down. I may give a book a 3.5 on a video review, but GR will be rounded up to 4.
Oh Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Take me back - much nostalgia. Yeah I agree, that’s a great way to approach ratings. Makes total sense. The Count of Monte Cristo is the next classic I plan to read. It’s been on my list for way too long and I think I’ll love it!
The way I review books, I do them according to the way I learned to comment on the text in school. They were mandatory subjects for the baccalaureate exams (oral and written). Philip Chase has a video on how to approach reviews.
4 and 5* on goodreads is very common for me. Very rarely do I give an actual, full 5* to a book, but I round up more often than I round down for Goodreads. -T
@@AnEruditeAdventure I tend to do the same. A lot of rounding, though I will say I’m a little more even these days as far as rounding up or down. It really depends!
For me, giving a book 5 stars is rare. In the 3 years that I've been reading again after a 2 year reading slump(didn'tread a book at all), only 2 books have earned 5 stars.
Right there with ya. I read about 35 books a year but only about 2 or 3 usually get 5 stars. Conversely, none get 1 star because I would just dnf it first, and 2 stars usually aren't bad books objectively, but ones that I just didn't connect with but plowed on and finished just so I could log it on Goodreads, lmao 😅.
The 3 star is ACOTAR 😂❤. Thank you for your efforts lol. In terms of rating, I think your system makes sense. Mine is similar but I tend to give 4 and 5 stars more frequently because I take into account the genre and the demographic the book is intended to. For example, I read Fantasy, Romantasy, Contemporary Romance, Cozy Fantasy, Mystery and Horror. And any of these could be Adult or YA. At some point I realized that I was mostly giving Fantasy Adult or Romantasy Adult a 5 star, but never a 5 star to a Contemporary Romance Adult or a Fantasy YA, despite enjoying them to the same degree. And I realized I was doing that because Adult Fantasy is my favorite genre and so I'm biased to always rate it higher. But I can't read Adult Fantasy all the time, I like to read a YA book or Romance in between....light reads that I can enjoy and give me a mental break from the heavy epics. And so I started to rate higher the other genres I am reading to be more fair and account for my bias towards Fantasy. So in my Goodreads you can find The Hero of Ages as a 5 star and being praised as a book that impacted me forever (I'm still reeling with emotion), but also you'll find Funny Story being a 5 because I think it is well done and has a significant impact on the Contemporary Romance Genre. Sorry for the essay 😂.
Nailed it 😜 OK honestly I tend to do this as well, at least I was more often than not. I was reading books under the context in which they were written and for the demographic that they’re intended for. I think to some degree, subconsciously, I will still do that, but maybe think on the rating a bit more, and hope to be able to compare it to other books I’ve read that fit that same bill. Hero of Ages was on my top 10. I know what you mean 😢
I’m trying not to give out as many 5 stars, that being said what I’m currently reading could get there (I’m not far into the book yet, but it has that feeling you know lol)
I give 5 stars to books that either stay thrilling from start to finish like The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, or flawed masterpieces like Game of Thrones. Sometimes a flawless masterpiece comes along and I do give them 5 stars and put them in my 10 best books of all time. E.g. Pride and Prejudice.
Also I'm usually a lot more forgiving to indies than trad so will adjust accordingly; I'm usually more generous for that reason. What do you think of the concept of rating an indie book higher (than maybe you'd truthfully rate) to preserve the reputation and then talking privately to the author about what you "really" thought?
@@RichardHolliday I agree with this. I’d likely round up pretty generously in that case, and if it truly didn’t work for me, I just wouldn’t rate it. Maybe a delicate review, but I’d refrain from detracting from the book’s momentum.
Yup. I only give 5 stars for a new favorite book. Well. Or almost favorite. If I know that I just read an almost fave, I’ll round up on GR. But even that is only maybe once or twice a year. I am super stingy with my stars! For me, 2.5 is half of 5, so a 2.5 was an ok book, just fine. So my most common rating is 3 stars. Anything less than just ok I usually DNF.
I definitely have an idea as to what book was bumped up to 3 stars, haha. If it is the same book I think it is… I gave the same book at a five star and I think it’s really more like a 4 or 3 now. It’s been a few years and although I have read this book only once I’ve read the sequels which should probably stay at a 3 or 4 for me. I think my tastes are slowly changing the more I read. But I’m not examining the craft of writing as much as I probably should be. That said I tend to really like what I consider to be goofy fun books even if they are predictable and not perfectly written. 😊😂 Cool to really look at your rating system. I’m too lazy to re rate my books but I definitely need to examine my system.
You are correct in which book it is lol. Honestly, I think it’s totally OK if your enjoyment is so elevated that it outweighs any potential flaws other people would see, then that is your opinion and your reading and that is always OK! Yeah I don’t have the time or energy to go back and reevaluate my previous ratings, I think you should. Evolved as a reader and it all part of the journey to look back on. 👌🏻
I seem to be getting a higher proportion of 4, 4.5 and 5 star reads- currently at 83% for these this year (I don't give 1-2* as these are DNFs). I am wondering if it is the Art of the DNF? (i.e. knowing early on which books are not for you). I generally only re-read 5*, unless it is part of a favourite series and it is a lower rated instalment.
Art is subjective, exactly 🥳 super interesting how you rate your books. I do give 1 star ratings but it has to be truly terrible and I likely have DNFd for reasons. 5 stars typically are books I was just crazy excited about while reading, that have blown my mind, or have just taken me out of reality in such a unique way. 4 stars is still a fantastic book for me. I might have simply been not as excited while reading it.
Do y’all talk with your hands as much as this? Holy moly, sometimes my Greek comes out…😂
Italian here so definitely relate to this😂
@@MKReads 🙌🏻😜🙌🏻😜
I flail around like a crazy person, and I’m not even Greek. 😂 I’m a big hand gestures weirdo too.
@@ToriTalks2 it just is what it is 🙌🏻👋🏻
Maybe I’ll just throw in Jazz Hands deliberately every now and then as well.
😂 mine too. I need to sit on my hands more.
I love seeing people’s rating systems. This was great Theo!
Completely agree, I used to give 5 star so easily but now I'm much more more discerning. Most of what I read now is 3-4 stars, with 5 reserved for all time favorites.
Yes! Makes sense…
Same
I’m fairly similar. 3 stars is fine, 4 stars means I’d be more than happy to read it again. 5 stars is just amazing loved it
👌🏻
Yeah, my rating system has definitely changed over the years. Re-reads have sometimes gotten a lot harsher scores from me at times, namely because the issues show up more.
I tend to rate a lot of books in the three star range. I translate that mostly that they are ok. Great video! :)
Makes sense to me. Interesting how re-reads get rated a little more harshly, I feel like I do the same, but if it hits all the same notes, we’re safe!
I’m with you. I’ve been notoriously rare about rating books 5 stars in the last couple years. They really have to personally impact me or be so entirely well made, that even if it didn’t affect me as much as my personal 5 stars, I can recognize its greatness.
I’m heading to this as well, it’s getting harder and harder to get a 5 star from me, but I definitely seek books with that kind of power! That’s always the goal!
I can just imagine Oprah shouting “Everyone gets 5-Stars!” 🎉 😂 I no longer rate books for several reasons, but I really enjoyed hearing about your evolving system here! 😊
😂😂 Thanks, Johanna!
Always interesting to hear about someone's rating qualifications! Sounds like we have a very similar mindset in how we give out star ratings. Though, I do sometimes use half star ratings, which mostly results in my 4.5 stars being the equivalent of what other people would deem 5 stars, and then I actually save my 5 stars for the all-time favourites that have just really left a mark on me!
Honestly, same. I’m my written piece, I’ll usually stipulated if it’s a .5 one way or another. Obviously some of my 5⭐️ will be rounded up from 4 somethings. But those really special true 5⭐️…I think I’m saving them a little more lately.
@@RekindledReader 💯💯
Loved this peek into the rating system! I have a similar approach but am pretty lenient with what can fall under the 5-star fold -- being a bit more stingy seems good to reserve that for the more special and moving reads.
Thanks, man! I think what I’ve decided is, way more 4 stars probably, and saving the 5s for the greats - I’m still not going to be ultra stingy, I think books deserve a shot at being a 5, but I’ll think a little longer on them, maybe even sit on the rating for a bit.
I totally agree with you!! 😊
🙏🏻❤️
Excellent video Theo, I agree with your reserving 5 star reviews for those truly exceptional reads, I think there needs to be a bit of exclusivity, otherwise if there's so many 5-star reviews it kinda loses the meaning? Also I like your approach of a book "tracking toward" a particular star rating; as I read, I do mentally have a dial of where the star rating is heading, and yes it can be knocked off quite dramatically and very suddenly.
I use Goodreads' recommendations: 1* is "didn't like"; 2* is "it was okay"; 3* is "I liked it"; 4* is "I really liked it" and 5* is "It was amazing".
A bit controversially... I do award books I DNF an automatic 1 star because if I DNF a book I "didn't like it". I get your point about the 2-star; an example I had recently where a book really disappointed or aggravated me was a "side book" in a series I previously enjoyed a lot where the author, er, decided (seemingly out of nowhere) to soapbox their strident opinions on social issues 👀 which I did not approve of! 😂
Keep up the good work with the videos, enjoyed this one!
Thanks, Richard! Yeah all that makes total sense to me! We wouldn’t have to have this chat if all books were top tier - that’s the goal. But as you alluded to…would that be as special? We need 1 star books to make the 5s GLEAM.
Giving out 5 to favourites is a great idea. Whilst I appreciate why people are hesitant to give out low scores some books deserve it.
For decades my system has been out of 10 and I never give out 10s as that is perfection. Generally I'm a tough scorer. Anything under 5 means I won't reread it.
Makes sense to me!
Just caught u on Johanna’s channel and your and Brian’s chat was amazing! Such an interesting discussion. For me I see ratings as kind of like a standard deviation/distribution sort of thing:
- 68% will be 4>x>2 stars
-13.5% will be 5>x ≥4 stars
- 13.5% be 1
Wera, I literally just found your channel a few days ago, what a coincidence. I was just about to deep dive into your content - you are INCREDIBLE. And what an interesting way to look at the ratings - as a finance / statistics guy, that is brilliant 🙌🏻🤣 I struggle rating re-reads too. Most of the weight I place on my initial experience I think. Thanks so much for connecting with me :)
@@RekindledReader hey it’s like Brian said, good to get invested in other channels :) been one of my favorite parts of RUclips too 😊
Art is subjective, exactly 🥳 super interesting how you rate your books. I do give 1 star ratings but it has to be truly terrible and I likely have DNFd for reasons. 5 stars typically are books I was just crazy excited about while reading, that have blown my mind, or have just taken me out of reality in such a unique way. 4 stars is still a fantastic book for me. I might have simply been not as excited while reading it.
Most of my reviews are 4 stars too. I look at it this way. 1 star - Have you considered hiring an editor? 2 stars - There were some highlights, but it needs work. 3 stars - It's a book. I don't regret the time I spent reading it, but I'm probably not recommending either. 4 stars - This was a good book. Maybe it's not perfect, but I enjoyed reading it and I wouldn't feel bad about recommending. 5 stars - Loved this book. Would probably read again (shut up TBR pile). This is for books like Swan Song and The Count of Monte Cristo and Dragons of Autumn Twilight and The Name of the Wind, etc. I also don't round down. I may give a book a 3.5 on a video review, but GR will be rounded up to 4.
Oh Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Take me back - much nostalgia. Yeah I agree, that’s a great way to approach ratings. Makes total sense. The Count of Monte Cristo is the next classic I plan to read. It’s been on my list for way too long and I think I’ll love it!
Have never used star ratings. Will give it some thought. Best wishes.
Oh interesting!! I’m hearing of more and more people who don’t. Cheers :)
The way I review books, I do them according to the way I learned to comment on the text in school. They were mandatory subjects for the baccalaureate exams (oral and written). Philip Chase has a video on how to approach reviews.
Oh awesome. I’ll check out Philip’s video too, I think I may have seen it a while back.
4 and 5* on goodreads is very common for me. Very rarely do I give an actual, full 5* to a book, but I round up more often than I round down for Goodreads.
-T
@@AnEruditeAdventure I tend to do the same. A lot of rounding, though I will say I’m a little more even these days as far as rounding up or down. It really depends!
For me, giving a book 5 stars is rare. In the 3 years that I've been reading again after a 2 year reading slump(didn'tread a book at all), only 2 books have earned 5 stars.
@@rhondaturner971 WOW, so you really save it for the gems! I think that makes total sense.
“Elevated” may be the word you were looking for good sir 6:34
@@evandavis3678 ugh, bless you.
Right there with ya. I read about 35 books a year but only about 2 or 3 usually get 5 stars. Conversely, none get 1 star because I would just dnf it first, and 2 stars usually aren't bad books objectively, but ones that I just didn't connect with but plowed on and finished just so I could log it on Goodreads, lmao 😅.
Sounds about right!! 😂😂
The 3 star is ACOTAR 😂❤. Thank you for your efforts lol. In terms of rating, I think your system makes sense. Mine is similar but I tend to give 4 and 5 stars more frequently because I take into account the genre and the demographic the book is intended to. For example, I read Fantasy, Romantasy, Contemporary Romance, Cozy Fantasy, Mystery and Horror. And any of these could be Adult or YA. At some point I realized that I was mostly giving Fantasy Adult or Romantasy Adult a 5 star, but never a 5 star to a Contemporary Romance Adult or a Fantasy YA, despite enjoying them to the same degree. And I realized I was doing that because Adult Fantasy is my favorite genre and so I'm biased to always rate it higher. But I can't read Adult Fantasy all the time, I like to read a YA book or Romance in between....light reads that I can enjoy and give me a mental break from the heavy epics. And so I started to rate higher the other genres I am reading to be more fair and account for my bias towards Fantasy. So in my Goodreads you can find The Hero of Ages as a 5 star and being praised as a book that impacted me forever (I'm still reeling with emotion), but also you'll find Funny Story being a 5 because I think it is well done and has a significant impact on the Contemporary Romance Genre. Sorry for the essay 😂.
Nailed it 😜 OK honestly I tend to do this as well, at least I was more often than not. I was reading books under the context in which they were written and for the demographic that they’re intended for. I think to some degree, subconsciously, I will still do that, but maybe think on the rating a bit more, and hope to be able to compare it to other books I’ve read that fit that same bill. Hero of Ages was on my top 10. I know what you mean 😢
I’m trying not to give out as many 5 stars, that being said what I’m currently reading could get there (I’m not far into the book yet, but it has that feeling you know lol)
I LOVE THAT FEELING LOL
I give 5 stars to books that either stay thrilling from start to finish like The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, or flawed masterpieces like Game of Thrones. Sometimes a flawless masterpiece comes along and I do give them 5 stars and put them in my 10 best books of all time. E.g. Pride and Prejudice.
@@Kornbhangra-hc2tf makes sense to me!
Also I'm usually a lot more forgiving to indies than trad so will adjust accordingly; I'm usually more generous for that reason.
What do you think of the concept of rating an indie book higher (than maybe you'd truthfully rate) to preserve the reputation and then talking privately to the author about what you "really" thought?
@@RichardHolliday I agree with this. I’d likely round up pretty generously in that case, and if it truly didn’t work for me, I just wouldn’t rate it. Maybe a delicate review, but I’d refrain from detracting from the book’s momentum.
Yup. I only give 5 stars for a new favorite book. Well. Or almost favorite. If I know that I just read an almost fave, I’ll round up on GR. But even that is only maybe once or twice a year. I am super stingy with my stars! For me, 2.5 is half of 5, so a 2.5 was an ok book, just fine. So my most common rating is 3 stars. Anything less than just ok I usually DNF.
Makes sense to me!!
I definitely have an idea as to what book was bumped up to 3 stars, haha. If it is the same book I think it is… I gave the same book at a five star and I think it’s really more like a 4 or 3 now. It’s been a few years and although I have read this book only once I’ve read the sequels which should probably stay at a 3 or 4 for me. I think my tastes are slowly changing the more I read. But I’m not examining the craft of writing as much as I probably should be. That said I tend to really like what I consider to be goofy fun books even if they are predictable and not perfectly written. 😊😂
Cool to really look at your rating system. I’m too lazy to re rate my books but I definitely need to examine my system.
You are correct in which book it is lol. Honestly, I think it’s totally OK if your enjoyment is so elevated that it outweighs any potential flaws other people would see, then that is your opinion and your reading and that is always OK! Yeah I don’t have the time or energy to go back and reevaluate my previous ratings, I think you should. Evolved as a reader and it all part of the journey to look back on. 👌🏻
I seem to be getting a higher proportion of 4, 4.5 and 5 star reads- currently at 83% for these this year (I don't give 1-2* as these are DNFs). I am wondering if it is the Art of the DNF? (i.e. knowing early on which books are not for you). I generally only re-read 5*, unless it is part of a favourite series and it is a lower rated instalment.
Totally fair!
Art is subjective, exactly 🥳 super interesting how you rate your books. I do give 1 star ratings but it has to be truly terrible and I likely have DNFd for reasons. 5 stars typically are books I was just crazy excited about while reading, that have blown my mind, or have just taken me out of reality in such a unique way. 4 stars is still a fantastic book for me. I might have simply been not as excited while reading it.
🙌🏻 The weirdest feeling is looking at 1 star reviews of your 5 star books 🤣 Wondering if you’re living on the right planet 🤔🤔
@@RekindledReader or the other way around 🤣 when you rate it one or two stars but everybody else is raving about it…
@@FineReads 😜😅