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Criteria for Book Reviewing
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One of my big categories is sheer enjoyment. Did I end with a smile on my face, a sigh of contentment, a feeling that I wanted to keep reading about these characters. Even if the book was nothing else, did it provide an escape from my everyday life. I love HEA romance books and sheer enjoyment is one of the reasons I rate them as high as I do. Nora Roberts can get a 4 from me nearly every time despite many of the boxes she does not check.
Good addition! Although I guess my pleasure could easily not equal your pleasure, so it might not be so helpful for prospective readers . . . .
I don't think I have a set of criteria for reviewing - boxes to tick, if you will. Enjoyment is a factor for me as it is for Nicole, but so is literary quality, but those are factors in rating, not in reviewing. I have given 5 stars to a very few books in which I actually said in my review "this isn't literature", but that has happened rarely. Many of my reviews will mention prose, and nearly all will mention characterization. I don't read for plot, but will include its absence or presence when appropriate. If the book is by an author I haven't read before, I'll usually add whether I'm willing (or not) to read others by the author.
Nicole wrote: "One of my big categories is sheer enjoyment. Did I end with a smile on my face, a sigh of contentment, a feeling that I wanted to keep reading about these characters. Even if the book was nothing e..."I agree with this. If I get a lot of enjoyment or entertainment out of a book it adds a lot to my overall feeling and most likely rating. I don't really have a set criteria.
Anita wrote: "so it might not be so helpful for prospective readers . . . . "Oh, my reviews are completely subjective and while they hopefully help other people decide, they are mainly written for my own benefit and for those who know my tastes well. But really, aren't all reviews subjective?
Like, Linda, I don't have a set of criteria, it could be any number of things and they are not equally weighted or applied equally to all books. Many nonfiction books get higher ratings from me because I like learning new things. Contemporary romance also gets high ratings because I like them. But I think comparing the two genres is pretty impossible....very apples to oranges.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: ". but those are factors in rating, not in reviewing"Yes, I think this is a good distinction.
I feel as though a book that is great in certain areas will overcome a lack of pure enjoyment. I read a lot of books that I hesitate to describe as enjoyable. But they can still be very, very good, and I'm glad I read them. They may have moved me emotionally. Or I may have admired the character development. There aren't a lot of books where I feel simply joy at having read them.
Nicole wrote: "Anita wrote: "But really, aren't all reviews subjective?."Yes. But I think they are less so if the review writer can point to specific things that made the book strong for him or her. If I can tell where the reviewer is coming from, I find that will make me more or less likely to pick up a particular book based on a review.
When I write reviews, I do try to help the readers decide if the book is for them (probably not always successfully though!). . .I don't really write them solely for myself, although I like having a record of what I thought at the time!
Anita wrote: "I read a lot of books that I hesitate to describe as enjoyable. But they can still be very, very good, and I'm glad I read them. They may have moved me emotionally. Or I may have admired the character development. There aren't a lot of books where I feel simply joy at having read them. "I so agree with this. I included in a recent review that the book made me a blubberguss. Not joyful. But this book got a resounding 5 stars from me precisely because it struck an emotional chord.
I also agree with Nicole above that you can give a high rating to books that are so completely different as would be a piece of nonfiction and a fiction genre you like to read.
I guess I am a 'selfish' reviewer --- it's all about me. If a book reaches me emotionally I will rate it higher. If I want to devour it in one sitting, it will probably get a 5. Sometimes there are books that I don't like very much but the writing is so beautiful that it gets a higher rating. Case in point - I truly hated "Elegance of the Hedghog" but it was lovely writing. So, yeah, pretty selfish.
So sorry everyone for not filing my topic in a folder! That was completely unintentional. ARgh.
Ellen wrote: "I guess I am a 'selfish' reviewer --- it's all about me. If a book reaches me emotionally I will rate it higher. If I want to devour it in one sitting, it will probably get a 5. Sometimes there are..."I do like a book that you want to devour in a sitting! But I have to say, I don't read a lot of those, and they don't always get five stars from me.
I want something extra from a five star read . . .something brilliant, or original . . .
So although I'm sure my reviews are as subjective as the next person's, I am generally looking for a little bit more to award that fifth star.
Anita wrote: "I am generally looking for a little bit more to award that fifth star. "I think I tend to err on the side of generosity when rating. But I have my stingy days, too, so that a book that might have gotten an extra star one day won't make the cut on another.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Anita wrote: "I am generally looking for a little bit more to award that fifth star. "I think I tend to err on the side of generosity when rating. But I have my stingy days, too, so that a book t..."
I feel I've actually gotten more generous over time with my ratings. I used to rate LOTS of books with three stars, but either I'm getting more generous, or I'm just picking much better books. It may be the latter because this group does help in that regard!!
Nicole wrote: "One of my big categories is sheer enjoyment...."Yes, this is probably my main one, as well!
On the other end of it, if something bores me, it won't get a good rating. I *might* give it 3 stars (ok)... maybe.
Anita wrote: "Yes. But I think they are less so if the review writer can point to specific things that made the book strong for him or her. ..."This is true, but I have a really hard time doing this, myself. I never liked English class because I hated "picking apart" books, which can be what it feels like to me. This is also why I don't particularly "like" many of my own reviews! :-)
ETA: That is, what I don't like about my own reviews is that I have a hard time explaining why I did or didn't like it... probably because I don't "pick it apart" to figure out exactly why.
I've been pondering my ratings lately. I think I need to wait a week before deciding, as I'm too impulsively generous straight after I complete a book. I've given some novels five stars, and then when I think back after some time has passed I question my generosity! Eliciting an emotional response is a criteria for me, whether that be sadness or joy.
Supposedly there are five major ways a reader engages with a book. Setting. Language. Character. Story. And one I've forgotten. Your personal criteria follows these. I'm not sure I have a point here other than maybe for each book I review I should figure what element captured me when reading that book.
Great topic!! I like having an organized way to think about it, so Anita, I liked your list. I do try to explain why or why I didn't like a book.
However, it do put a lot of stock into enjoyment and also expectations. This is completely unfair, but if I know something is more genre fiction -- or a light read, I expect more from the plot and less about being wow-ed by good literary writing. If I really liked a lighter read, it's probably going to get a 4. Also, sometimes I deduct a star if I think that it could have been a lot better!
I think my rating and reviewing tends to be more subjective. I have to enjoy the book for it to get a high rating. But why I might enjoy that book could be any number of things - great characterization, beautiful prose, eliciting a strong emotional response, sheer fun, or literary qualities. I love fantasy novels. I rate a lot of them highly as a result, but they are rarely great literature. On my member profile, I have a cheet-sheet for anyone who reads my reviews, so they can understand why the book got the number of stars it did. For those who haven't seen it, here it is.
5 Stars: I loved this It was capable of making me feel deep emotions and think. I will gush about it given half a chance. These are the books that I want to keep in my personal library without question.
4 Stars: I really liked this book. It is one I am pleased to have read, but I recognize its flaws. I will remember the details of this book.I may or may not want to own this book.
3.5 Stars: I liked this book. It is a book I would recommend to the right person, but I will not rave about it. I am unlikely to keep this book in my library.
3 Stars: I liked the book, but it was nothing special and will likely not recommend or remember much about it. I will not make space for it in my library unless part of a series I love.
2 Stars: I did not like this book and possibly did not finish it, but it has redeeming qualities. It will not be in my personal library.
1 Star: I hated this book. I will be very vocal in my disdain. May consider owning for the sole purpose of defacement and destruction.
That is worthy of adopting. Great list.
Sara wrote: "1 Star: I hated this book. I will be very vocal in my disdain. May consider owning for the sole purpose of defacement and destruction..."I'd say your rating system is close to mine. I love your 1 star description! :-)
You are very organized with that, but I don't use any sort of criteria like that. How much I like the story or book is a huge part of my points and review, but if there is anything I find particularly stellar or bad aside from my general feeling, I'll use that to affect the score. That way it's more like a fun, recreational thing than school work for me.
Another reader who rates by the enjoyment factor. That's not to say it has to be a happy book, but that I got some sort of pleasure in reading it. For that level I will usually give a 4. If there is some extra special about the writing, it would get a 5. If I finished it, but was losing interest and wishing it would end , it would get a 3. Anything less usually doesn't get finished or rated. However, I now have a did-not-finish shelf and placing a book there is a statement in itself.
I don't like writing reviews in general, so this is hard for me to say. I don't feel like I can get across whatever feelings I have about the book. My words fail me. That being said, I do seem to be able to write about one or two star books more easily than ones that I loved. What does that say about me? :^}
Marti wrote: "I don't like writing reviews in general, so this is hard for me to say. I don't feel like I can get across whatever feelings I have about the book. My words fail me. That being said, I do seem to b..."Actually we have this phenomena at our bookclub --- if everyone likes the book we have much less of a discussion. When it's generally disliked, we seem to have the longest discussions. When it's a mixed bag, sometimes people don't want to offend the people that did like it so the discussion is medium :-D
I try to say something about plot, characters, setting, and prose when reviewing, but don't always. My rating are dependent on those but also enjoyment and a great deal on emotional impact.
Given all that, I do try to assess how good of a book that is and it can raise its rate even if I personally didn't like it that well.
Anita wrote: "Right before I discovered Shelfari, I was writing blogs. My first blog was one on parenting that actually ended up being pretty popular, but I stopped writing it when I realized my children were co..."Hi Anita.
I really like your criteria in rating a book. I most enjoy reviews that are written as if you are talking to your best friend, and they just have to tell you about a book they have just finished. I do not want spoilers, but I love to feel the emotion that the book has evoked. If the review is academic, it turns me off. I enjoy reviews from people that are not writers, but people that are just plain excited about a book without trying to impress someone by their review.
I just want you all to know I am reading your comments with great interest. I have not responded because I am.skiing with my family in Montana, but look forward to when I get back!! Headed home tomorrow!
However, as I'm tediously copying my reviews from Shelfari to Goodreads, I noticed a few reviews from my old blog that I must have copied over. And I realized that I used to rate these books on a number of different criteria. I'm not sure why I stopped because this approach does actually seem more useful for potential readers.
Here are the criteria I used:
Tension/Engaging
Language
Emotion
Character Development
Dialogue
Worth the Effort
Social commentary/theme
Originality
I would rate the book across all of these criteria, but ultimately "worth the effort" usually ruled the day in terms of my final overall rating.
I'm just curious - - what criteria are missing here in your opinion? What else do you look for in a book?