Where should I set the benchmark?

[Nicole]

Just finished reading my latest Kindle download so it's time to rate it. This isn't something I've done very often in the past but - since joining Goodreads last month - I'm much more aware of how useful other readers find such feedback. I've rated a few of my old favourites (like Janet Dean's Tam Lin, 5 stars of course) yet now I'm wondering where I should set my benchmark. My top-ranking fantasy tale is Beowulf. But is that setting the bar too high? If Beowulf is a 5, I can't really justify giving Tam Lin a 5 too. Can I? Or is it even fair to include Beowulf when I'm making that kind of judgement? Should I just be thinking about other modern fantasy tales of a similar kind? I wonder how the rest of you approach this

[ladymurmur]

For me, each book is rated on its own merits, rather than comparing it to other books. How much did I enjoy it?

[Molly]

Everyone's different, but this is my usual rating scale:

3--A pretty good book, but one I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend or really think about again.

4--A book that I enjoyed and would recommend to others

5--A book that I LOVE and will physically push on people I know so that we can gush about it together.

If a book is a 1 or a 2, I usually can't get through it and so don't bother to rate.

[C.G.]

That's similar to my internal rating system, too, Molly, although I have rated a couple of books with one star. I don't give out many five stars though - I keep them for books I read over and over and don't want to part with.

[PointyEars42]

I pay no attention at all to the genre or to whether its a literary classic or a trashy guilty-pleasure read. I save my 1 star ratings for books I loathe to the point of incoherent rage and my 5 star ratings for books that make me grateful I can read (and even then I hesitate to give it a 5 if I've only read it once. The re-read is the biggest indicator that it truly connected with me rather than just being a really good book I read once upon a time). I think 5* should be a very exclusive club, but a very personal one. Judge away. I've got classics and fan-fic and non-fic and bodice rippers and science fiction amongst my 5* ratings because those all made me feel to the same extent.

2*,3*, and 4* are for everything else and I'm much more flexible on how I assign ratings here in the middle. I'll even revisit and adjust if, after I've gained some distance & perspective, I suspect I've been too harsh or too generous.

[Tegan]

When I mouse over the stars for book ratings in my web browser I get little pop up text for the stars, and I went with that in my use of stars:
1. "did not like it"
2. "it was ok"
3. "liked it"
4. "really liked it"
5. "it was amazing"

[Amanda]

I like what pointy ears says about rating. My 5 star books are the books I will re-read, the books I buy for people, and the books that felt like they touched me in a deeper way.

The 4 star books are ones I really enjoyed and would probably re-read, but not ones I had really strong emotional conection with.

3 star books are ones I liked in spite of some major problems. usually the book has a really great idea or premise but isn't written well or presented clearly. They are books I probably wouldn't re-read but might keep just in case.

2 star books are books I did not like but ones where I could see where someone else would like it. These are usually the books I was excited for and then really disappointed.

1 star is a very rare rating. I have to LOATHE the book. These are also usually my Did Not Finish books because I'm one of those people that will soldier through a book no matter how much I dislike it. So if I don't finish a book it's because I straight hated it.

Luckily for me I tend to like everything, so the majority of my books are 3 and up.

[toria (vikz writes)]

1 star Either gave up before reading or lemmed half way through
2 stars Endured the book because I had to; for instance, a reading group read
3 stars It had one of the three things I look for in a book; Story, exciting/new ways to use of language and/or some crunchy ideas.
4 stars it had 2 of the things I look for
5 stars it had all three things that I look for

[Vicky]

I use 3 stars as my basis for all ratings. For me, 3 stars represents a book that was an enjoyable read but didn't really offer anything new or overly memorable, I probably wouldn't read it again and would only recommend it if I knew it was really up someone's alley.

From there I give 4s and 5s when books impress me or have something unique or memorable about them. Likewise, I rank down to 2s and 1s for books that were disappointing for one reason or another.

As far as comparative ratings, I find it's easier to rate only on the book itself and not compare it to others. It would be perfectly reasonable for someone to rate both Twilight and War & Peace with 5 stars - you would enjoy them both for different reasons, but that doesn't mean they both can't be highly rated. The only time I do compare books is within series, if I've rated two books in the series as 4s and the third book is a stronger or weaker installment I might give it more or less stars to reflect that.

I think the best advice is to use your own judgement. Ratings on Goodreads are highly subjective from reader to reader, there is no hard and fast rule about how you rate.

[Snarktastic Sonja]

I'd like to add that very often low rated books are also very helpful in deciding whether or not to read a book. Sometimes, there are people out there that like to read books that are exactly the opposite of those that I love. So, if they hate a book, I am more likely to love it. Their low rating helps.

Also, if you have found a book unreadable, I might too. Knowing that makes it easier for me to determine whether or not to try. Doesn't always work, but it makes it a more educated guess.

I save 1 star for books I absolutely cannot finish. For whatever the reason. 2 stars are for books I finished and then wondered why I wasted my time. :D 3-5, as evidenced here, are very subjective. But, that is ok, they are all decent ratings and mean a book is readable.

The best system is to define your own system and stick with it. That is what I have done - and it has caused me to rate some books higher and some books lower than I originally thought I would - but it keeps me honest and helps prevent me from putting off the rating.

Remember - the ratings are for readers, not authors.

[Sue]

I'm new to rating books, but I've been saving the 1 star ratings for books I either hated so much I didn't finish, or books I finished but had to force myself to keep reading.

I don't give many 2 star ratings, but they are for fairly bad books that I didn't hate to the point of a 1 star rating.

Most books get 3 stars. If they were enjoyable but full of cliches, overdone story lines, huge plot holes, or other problems, they get 3.

I save the 4 and 5 stars for books that really impressed me. The story has to suck me in, make me think, and leave me wanting more when I'm done.

[Brittany]

Generally, I rate my books like this:

1 star - dnf (did not finish)

2 stars - read through once and hated it

3 stars - liked it and may or may not keep

4 stars -loved it and would recommend to friends and reread once a year

5 stars - loved so much I have to tell everyone I know about it and would reread more than once a year