Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion
2019 Weekly Checkins
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Week 10: 3/1 – 3/7
Milena wrote: "Carmen, I just added like 3 books to my TBR based on your update!."The Binding'd better be one of them haha! I should get paid for all the people I got to add it haha!
Ohh, I'm feeling a bit like a minor celebrity since my question was chosen as QoTW! So I'd better start with that. My rating system seems similar to quite a few people.5 stars is for something amazing, I absolutely loved it, it was unique or has something I found special. These are the books I'd reread in a heartbeat. For some reason they really connected with me.
4 stars are great solid reads. I really enjoyed them, would recommend them, thought they were well written. Ideally all my reads would fall here. (I'm realistic enough not to expect all my reads to be 5 stars ).
3 stars are just okay. They tend to be lighter, not as well written, not have as much depth. When my reading was based on whatever I happened to stumble across on my library shelves I tended to read a lot of 3 star books.
2 stars are generally less than okay. They weren't necessarily bad but the writing or plot (likely both) may have been formulaic or there could have been obvious errors or inconsistencies in the plot. These books I find were just not well done and I perhaps feel I've been spoken down to as a reader.
1 stars I hardly ever give. The one I can recall was for a book I hated (and it was by a Nobel Prize winner). The sort of thing I should have DNFed but wanted or needed to finish the book for some reason.
I think my struggles are for those books where I can't immediately come up with a rating. "Is it 4 stars or 5 - I liked it more than that other book I gave 4 stars to but not as much as that 5 star read." Maybe half stars would help - or maybe I'd just end up with more options to agonise over! Apart from agonising because I compare books to each other I also confuse myself if I think about my enjoyment vs how I perceive the quality of the book. Could I/should I give 5 stars for a light fluffy romance even if I really enjoyed it?
As for what I actually did read this week. I finished six book - The Heart's Invisible Furies, The Little White Horse, The Night Olivia Fell,
Rush, Daisy Jones & The Six and Mozart's Starling. I gave 5 stars to The Heart's Invisible Furies and all the rest were 4 stars. Although Daisy Jones would have been 4.5 if I had the option. And then I agonised over whether I should give it 4.5 stars in my review and then round up to 5 stars for the rating. I think I've done that before.
Thanks for picking my question and to everyone who is commenting. All good food for thought as I try and refine my system so I feel happier with it.
Forgot to add that the first time an author actually liked one of my reviews and ratings sort of freaked me out. I hadn't considered the possibility an author would actually read what I said about their book before. I think I was pretty generous for a while after that. It's only happened once and I'm a bit nervous to read anything else by that author now. I worry I'd hate the book, give it a low rating and spoil his day as a result!
Charlotte wrote: "To me, that would be like rating a movie based on the trailer (looking at you, Captain Marvel haters)."Ohman I hate people hating on movies by just the review. I mean, you can be annoyed because it's an adaptation and you feel they're fcuking it up (Artemis Fowl...), but other than that? I wasn't excited about Captain Marvel, but I went to see it anyways, and ended up really liking her. The movie is a bit more difficult to rate for me as I was bored for half of it and enjoyed the other half haha!
Johanna wrote: "Kristina wrote: "Three books done
Becoming for favorite category from 2015 (Memoir). Amazing
Renegades..."Same! It's on Storytel too, so I might just use it as my next listen. I could use some humor!
I'm in my busiest time at work (so much so that I forgot to check in last week), and I have been reading some long/slower-paced books due to the whims of library holds. I finished three books in the last two weeks, which puts me at 11/50 for the PopSugar challenge and 21 books read so far this year.Finished
Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead - If you're interested in political activism and campaigns, this is a good read. I read this for a buddy read and didn't apply it to the challenge.
Milkman - This book is only about 350 pages but reading felt like running a marathon. It is tough going, and I wasn't sure I really liked it in the end. Read for Tournament of Books.
The Overstory - I used this for advanced prompt 46, a book with no chapters/unusual chapter headings. The sections of the book are structured around the different layers of the forest - roots, understory, etc. This book has its flaws but overall I enjoyed it and it made me think and feel a lot about humans' relationship with trees and the natural world.
Currently reading
Unsheltered - I was on a long library wait list for this and didn't plan to count it for any of the challenge prompts. It could work for #6 since it has a flower on the cover. I normally love Barbara Kingsolver but was very much not into this one at first. It's starting to grow on me now so I'm willing to see it through.
Next up: How Long 'til Black Future Month?, Washington Black, and Circe
Question of the Week
I tend to go with my gut reaction just after finishing a book, but sometimes I have second thoughts and go adjust my rating. My tendency is also to be little stingy and save 5 stars for books that aren't just good but stand out to me as exceptional in some way. Most things I read tend to be 3s or 4s. As others have said, a 1 is pretty rare because I know what I like and am unlikely to pick up or finish a book I dislike that much. I do occasionally give 2s.
Carmen wrote: "Milena wrote: "Carmen, I just added like 3 books to my TBR based on your update!."The Binding'd better be one of them haha! I should get paid for all the people I got to add it haha!"
Of course.
Lynn wrote: "Milena wrote: "Happy March! I have no motivation to walk my dog either. I don't mind the cold itself, but I hate the heaviness of all the layers that a 20 minute walk requires.I definitely recommend listening to Becoming. I finished it in like 2 days, and it's 19 hours.
Mod
Been a rough week, and am fighting a HUGE case of the don't-wannas this morning -- the library I work at has initiated some HUGE changes that I don't agree with and make my j..."
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is one that I think I would like. Thanks for your feedback!
Mod
Oooohhhh...I'm anxious to read The Girl in the Tower and then finish the trilogy!
I missed last week due to travel, but I’m back. Unfortunately I have a bad cold, so I don’t have a lot of wherewithal to actually sit up and hold a book. I’ve been using audiobooks and watching YouTube, LOL.El wrote: "DNF'd Where'd You Go, Bernadette"
I’m glad I’m not alone! I wish I had loved it, but it just got on my nerves.
Finished
The Carrow Haunt ~A ghost story~ this was serviceable. It could have had more depth and artistry, but it kept me interested enough to keep going.
Daddy-Long-Legs ~ A book set on college or university campus ~ I really enjoyed this. There is one thing that detracts, but I can cope with it as a product of the time it was written. Judy is so delightful and relatable, even 100+ years later, it’s wonderful! She reminds me of Anne Shirley in many ways.
Started
There Is No Lovely End ~A novel based on a true story ~ I’m really enjoying this. The true story is that of Sarah Winchester, who built the Winchester Mystery House. The story goes that a medium told her she needed to keep building onto the house to appease the ghosts of the people killed by rifles made by her family’s company.
So, this book sets up Sarah from childhood forward, as well as a family line of mediums, a traveling medicine man who works with ghosts, and the various ghosts themselves, who no doubt will all cross paths.
It’s very quirky and sometimes violent and sometimes sad. I feel like it was born to be adapted by the Coen Brothers, or maybe Tarantino? If you read the first three chapters and like it, keep going, otherwise it’s probably not for you! (It’s only $2.99 in the Kindle store, FWIW.)
QOTW
Do I agonize? Not precisely, but I do try to be accurate and give reasons why I gave a rating.
Guidelines:
5 - Amazing book I will probably read multiple times, and will evangelize to friends
4 - Really good, entertaining book I’m glad I read, but not quite a 5
3 - Fine, serviceable read. Entertains or diverts even though it may have flaws or be an immature writer making a good effort
2 - Pretty much didn’t like it, but can recognize some redeeming qualities, or contrariwise, can recognize it’s objectively trash, but enjoyed it anyway (Hi, Flowers in the Attic!)
1 -
I do rate books I don’t finish sometimes, so I can provide information for people who might have the same issues, to help them decide whether to read it.
I definitely see an upward curve in my ratings due to embracing my pickiness! This challenge, I’ve read 14 books and my average rating is a 4.2.
Hey people!If you guys are looking after spring, it is over here. After a spell of amazing weather we now have typical March showers ("les giboulées de mars"), with bands of bad weather moving in from the Atlantic every two or three days; temperature still way above average for this time of year.
One book read for the challenge, putting me at 10 on 40:
✅26. A book that's published in 2019: Jean-Claude Grumberg, La plus précieuse des marchandises
To anticipate the QOTW part: this was definitely a five stars. A story of death and survival through the Holocaust, written in the fashion of a fairy tale. A strong, powerful book. It might be controversial in other countries since it takes a pretty grim view of the Polish attitude towards the Holocaust, but that's not the main point I think.
What is his pont then? Basically, that this specific part of history
much further out of the bounds of common sense than any fiction or tale. And that's why it's still so much there with us, even though that's obviously not the only horror story that History's got to offer.
This was one short book; a few of the books that are before me now are way, way more bulky. That might throw my timing a bit!
QOTW: Agonizing is way too strong a word. I do have some teacher's dilemma from times to times (was that an A-- or a B+? Hmmm... let's think this through)... Basically, 5 is for books that I really loved; 4 for book I liked. 3 is ,like, "meh"; 2 and 1 are two shades of "this wasn't good".
I don't have that many of these: of the slightly less than 300 books on my shelves, I have only 3 "one stars", which I take to mean "this shouldn't have been published", and a dozen of "two stars" (meaning, "maybe I shouldn't have bothered".) On the other hand, I have about forty "three stars", about a hundred "four stars" and a bit less than seventy "five stars". Obviously, many books could be moved one star up or down... I'm not going to spend that much time thinking on those stars!
Hello all! It has been a good reading week for me so far (participating in the ATY read-a-thon also helped motivate me) though I've hit a bit of a mid-week slow down. I'm finally getting into my current book though so things are looking up for the rest of the week! I also did some rearranging of my completed books on my challenge lists so I'm counting less books in two challenges since I'm ahead of schedule for the year. I'm now at 19/50 for Popsugar.This week I finished:
To All the Boys I've Loved Before - I liked it, didn't love it, but I thought it was a good light read which I need once in a while between heavier reads. This is being used for my love in the title book.
The Gilded Wolves - This one took me a bit to get into, but in the end I really enjoyed it. I decided to count this as a book that I could see as a movie because I think they could do fun things with the costumes and special effects.
Spelled - I started out really liking this, but in the end wasn't thrilled and I can't entirely say why. The way the speech of of one the characters was written to convey their heavy accent later in the book was a little off putting to me (kept pulling me out of my reading to have to interpret what it really said) and that is probably part of it. It was a quick read though and the fairy tale twists were fun.
Britt-Marie Was Here - I read this one for ATY and picked it up knowing nothing apart from it having an elderly character in it. I really wound up enjoying it.
My Plain Jane - I paid this one with Jane Eyre this year and it did make some fun twists on the classic story line. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first of the Lady Janies books, but definitely will pick up their next.
The Almost Sisters - I won the ebook version from a Goodreads giveaway several weeks back and figured I needed to actually read and rate it. This is another I went into without knowing/remembering anything about the plot and wasn't sure I was going to like. It was very quirky in a sometimes odd, but usually good way and the author did hook me into the story and characters so I wound up being glad I got this one.
Heat Storm - I did this one on audio this week. It was okay, but I've liked others in the series far better.
I'm currently working on Strange the Dreamer which I am enjoying, but it is big and I started it in the middle of a busy work week. I'm also working on Madame Bovary on audio and ebook.
QOTW: I find that my rating system is very mood dependent (especially between 3 and 4 I'd say). Generally I am pretty stingy with my 5s because I feel like they should be books that really stand out to me. 4s I really liked. 3s were good, but nothing special. 2s were ones that I generally finished, but that had serious issues for me in writing, etc. A 1 is a book I probably didn't finish and really and truly disliked.
Deborah wrote: "The Gilded Wolves - This one took me a bit to get into, but in the end I really enjoyed it. I decided to count this as a book that I could see as a movie because I think they could do fun things with the costumes and special effects."That was my exact reasoning!
Lynn wrote: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore is one that I think I would like. Thanks for your feedback! You're welcome!
Hey everyone!Not really loving this chilly weather! I know I don't have it nearly as bad as those of you in the northern part of the states but with an 130 year old house with no insulation and a pretty pathetic heater I am dying for some warmer days!
I didn't finish any books this week but not for the lack of reading. I am about halfway through with Mortal Engines which is entertaining enough and I'll probably finish it off tonight.
I have now slogged halfway through A People's History of the United States and I'm actually liking it but at the same time it's so very depressing. Which is what I expected considering it's a history book that covers the less than proud moments of our history that is typically left out or skimmed over in school books. Only 18 more hours to go. :|
I am totally digging these multi-part QOTW's by the way!
Question of the week:
Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide?
I somewhat agonize over what ratings to give. Generally what happens is I rate the majority of my books immediately with however I feel at the time. If the book is controversial in some way or covers a topic that I think is important I usually let them sit with me a day or so before I rate them. I really wish we had half stars or could rate for both personal rating and a technical rating.
-Do you have any guidelines for how you rate books?
I try to stick with the Goodreads guides for star ratings. I give a moderate amount of 2-3 star ratings and the occasional 4 or 5 star ones. I've only ever give two 1 star reviews (The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and the last Twilight book).
-Are you stingy with your stars? If so, why?
I wouldn't say that I'm stingy but I am inconsistent with my ratings! I will give that first 'gut' rating for how I felt after just finishing it but then I find I'm swayed by other reviews. I'm also swayed by the hype of a book. I've certainly found myself finishing a book that I know a lot of people gave 5 stars and then a week or two (or several months) looking back on it I realize that I really didn't enjoy it as much as I rated it. I think sometimes I rate the book for my enjoyment of reading a book everyone else has read.
-Do you rate books you don’t finish?
No, I typically only rate books if I've finished them. My feeling is, If I haven't finished the book how do I know how I would have enjoyed it if I actually heard the unlistened to part? It also helps that I usually DNF pretty early on, usually by 25%. If I put one down after like 75% or so I would probably give a rating (that hasn't really happened though).
Bit later than I'd like with my check in today/night, but I was out at a launch event for a project I've been working on all year so couldn't sneak any GR time. The launch was really successful and I am proud of the product...but my overwhelming feeling is just relief that the damn thing is complete. Never want a project like that again!!I've slowed my reading right down this week, and it's been good for me. I did finish one book though, bringing me to 12/55 (8/45, 4/10).
I read The Book of Speculation for prompt #27 extinct or imaginary creature. This was an promising story about the history of a family tainted by tragedy from their travelling carnival past. Simon, living alone in his family's dilapidated clifftop home as it crumbles into the sea, is sent a mysterious book linked to his mother - the circus mermaid who drowned herself. He has to unravel the dark family secret in time to protect his sister from a similar fate. There was a lot to like in this story - I can't resist the lure of an old-time travelling circus, and am always fascinated by things like tarot cards. I thought it was well paced, though at points it did seem a bit slow. Although not a difficult mystery to unravel I did enjoy seeing it played out. I wasn't crazy about the characters though, something stopped me feeling very much for them. For having such interesting backgrounds and lives, they seemed a bit flat. I think that stopped the story having as much impact for me as it could have. Still, it was a decent read and good for those of us who like our fantasy a bit more real.
QOTW - Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide?
I wouldn't say I agonise, but there are times where I swither between stars (we need halves). My star ratings aren't based on anything hard and fast, but on a gut feeling. A book may be technically/artistically a masterpiece, but if I didn't feel it then it wont get a high rating from me. I have had times where I think I'm maybe being more harsh or more generous, and I don't doubt that books I rated one way 5 years ago may get a different amount of stars from me now. My star ratings are a snapshot of the moment in which I read the book. Maybe going on emotion isn't the most objective way to rate a book, but it's the only way I know how to do it. Maybe that's why I don't hold a lot of stock in ratings if the blurb of a book sounds good, because people rate and are touched by books in different ways.
Oh, and I don't rate books I don't finish...because I hardly ever DNF!
Sheri wrote: "Bel Canto - This is for my book club meeting next week, I'm not sure if it'll count for any challenges yet. Just started it, don't have any opinion yet. "Bel Canto works for #38 A novel based on a true story. That is what I'm hoping to use it for (if I manage to get a hold of a copy).
Greetings from freezing NYC! I'm making terrific progress on my reading, not so great progress on taxes or anything else!PS - 23/52
ATY - 27/52
I can't believe how quickly I'm reading for these challenges! It's mostly been books I didn't particularly select to read for a challenge prompt, but was reading for other reasons and it fit a prompt. However, I now need to read a bit more targeted for prompts, and I'll start working through the books I picked to fit specific prompts. I also feel I have plenty of time to indulge in a few doorstoppers without worrying about finishing challenges.
Finished:
The Corinthian - this was hilarious! A true madcap adventurous romantic romp set in the Regency era where it looks like the guy is saving the girl but in truth the girl is saving the guy, and he knows it. It was the perfect bit of fluff I needed right now. I used this to fill the classic romance (it's Georgette Heyer after all!) prompt from the 2015 PS challenge which I'm looking to finish this year (I only discovered PS in 2016, and over the last couple of years have been slotting books that don't fit current challenge into it where I can. I only have 7 left to fill).
Night Train to Lisbon by Emily Grayson - PS 2nd book with same title - last week I reported on the Pascal Mercier with the same title. ATY book stumbled upon (while looking up link for the Mercier on GR). Enjoyable but flawed. It's 1936 and a sheltered young American woman meets a young British man on the night train to Lisbon. They continue to see each other in Lisbon, fall in love, have an affair, and then just before the girl's stay ends, her uncle informs her that the young man is a spy for Germany and thus a traitor. Most of the book is about her and her finding her independence from the sheltered life and expectations back in America but there is also this espionage story/mystery that is solved in a rush in the last 3rd of the book. Then there is a whole different plot twist served up in the last chapter that was not even hinted at before, followed by an epilogue telling us how everyone ended up during the rest of their lives. There was no need for the last minute plot twist or the epilogue. But it was still a very enjoyable even likable read. I gave it 3 stars but that was rounded up from 2.5 stars.
There There - PS prompt multiple viewpoints, ATY prompt - indigenous. Ugh, this was a hot mess and a huge fail IMHO! I gave it 2 stars, rounded down from 2.5 stars. I know a lot here have loved it, which is fine, I don't get it, but hey that's what makes it all so interesting. I thought the book confusing on many levels and actually failed to deliver on providing me with how urban Native Americans are uniquely different from any other urban ethnic group. I did think a lot of the writing was beautiful and I would love to see this author evolve.
Currently reading:
The Travelling Cat Chronicles - so far this is absolutely delightful - not sure of prompt for PS yet, but is fitting the ATY prompt for 2nd book on a similar theme (cats).
Twelve Drummers Drumming - first of a series using the 12 Days of Christmas song as title inspirations. might swap this for the book I read set in a vicarage as this is not a Christmas season book but a book where the sleuth is Vicar Tom Christmas. It's actually set in May.
If Beale Street Could Talk - this was for Black History Month - and I'm still only a third through. Liked it a lot but had to read several library books that were due this week.
To Keep the Sun Alive - a debut
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk - in a single day
QOTW:
I read out of passion, for pleasure, for relaxation, but also for intellectual stimulation and challenge apart from my profession. That affects the way I approach reading and ultimately how I rate them.
My average is between 3 and 4 stars somewhere. That doesn't really surprise me because the majority of the books I'm reading are ones I already own and have owned for years (so therefore more likely to be 4 or 5 star reads) or are 'next by' authors I already like a lot.
I don't have a fixed set of guidelines for issuing stars, just some general ones. I tend to give 5 stars if I really loved it, will recommend it, would even read it again, didn't want it to end, can't wait for what else the author produces, loved the writing, and don't have any great flaws. 4 stars go to really enjoyable good books with maybe a flaw or two -- i.e. plotting is a little rough (usually first novels) but writing is lovely and I was sucked into the story. Or there is just something that makes it less than 5 stars.
Most of my reads are 3 stars -- a few flaws but over all a great book, enjoyed reading it, delivered on its promise. I give 2 stars to books I really don't like very much, have a lot of flaws that cause it to fail to deliver on its promise, but have one redeeming quality - - this week There There is a perfect example of a 2 star for me.
I rarely give out 1 stars and that's like when I don't tip someone! It has to be so bad or so flawed, that I actively hate the book, or am outraged by it and cannot justify it even if there is something good about it (writing, concept). Wolf Hall was a 1 star for me.
I do not rate DNF books. But I also don't have many of those, and even those I have shelved as DNF, most will ultimately be read in their entirety, just not at the moment for one reason or another. I tend to finish the books I pick up - in part because most of them are in some way a known quantity for me (genre, author, part of a series, I already own it so it has seduced me already). The books I read don't need to grab me in the first 20 pages or 3 chapters or whatever, nor do I have to like any of the characters - I know sometimes it takes a while to develop story to a point that you hook the reader, or that the plot of the book requires unpleasant characters (Gone Girl comes to mind here), or whatever. I also don't jump on the latest book bandwagon just because everyone is reading something. I rarely pick up a book in a genre I truly dislike - i.e. horror, self-help.
I'm also a very eclectic reader, but mostly a fiction reader, and I like to mix things up. I was in a terrible rut for a long time, reading only cozy mysteries, historical romance, and contemporary woman-centric fiction. I ignored (did not read) all the wonderful books I was buying that intrigued or seduced me; just let them pile up. Then a friend found Pop Sugar and in 2016 persuaded me to try it. I vowed to use books I owned as much as possible and suddenly, reading was exciting, I was reading all sorts of books! I was out of the rut!
I still read cozy mysteries and such (note the first finish I listed) but now they are balanced by so much else.
Serendipity wrote: "Forgot to add that the first time an author actually liked one of my reviews and ratings sort of freaked me out. I hadn't considered the possibility an author would actually read what I said about ..."Just once, I had an author like my review of his book, and it made my day. I'm glad he liked me liking his book.
The one time I had an author like my review, it was quite a negative review. #awkward 😂
11/50 + I've Got My Eyes on You not yet placedFINISHED
- The Giver by Lois Lowry (ebook, library) | 35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter
I'm not sure how I feel about the end of the book, but luckily Lois Lowry wrote more books for this series after a couple of years. can't wait to read the next book soon hopefully :)
- Allegiant by Veronica Roth (audiobook, library) | 9. A book you meant to read in 2018
for this one, even after finishing, I still couldn't figure out how I felt about it. it was more than okay, but it felt different... maybe it was because I listened to the audiobook instead of reading the ebook like I did with #1 and #2 of the series. and it's been years since I read the first 2 books, I wasn't even sure what had happened in Insurgent. I'm so glad and proud of myself though for finally finishing the series, yay!
IN PROGRESS
- I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (ebook, library)
- The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (ebook)
PLANNED
- The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
QOTW
it's really hard to explain how I rate books... I generelly go by the goodreads rating system, but I wish that there were 0.5 steps. most of my rates are 3-4 stars. I don't give 5 stars a lot, those are reserved for books which really really stand out to me <3
and I don't usually dnf books, but I don't think I would rate them?
Hi everyone! I feel bad that it's so cold where all you live, but that must make for some good reading weather?? It's just been rainy over here, but staying in the 50-60F range. This week I read:The Secret Life of Bees: a book with over a million ratings on Goodreads. Meh.
Truthwitch: a book with multiple POVs. This was fine. I enjoyed having to figure out much of the worldbuilding from context clues (I hate fantasy worldbuilding being actually explained) but there was really too much action and chasing and fighting for me here. And oh god, the editing. Where was it? NO ONE COPYEDITED THIS and I am upset. Nothing ruins my immersion in a book like seeing "illicit" in place of "elicit". Most books I read from about 2016 onward are absolutely riddled with errors and I desperately want to know what happened in major houses' editorial departments.
How to Date Men When You Hate Men: a book published in 2019. This wound up in my challenge by complete accident. I happened to glance at the pub date halfway through, and sure enough, came out in January! The author is very funny but she doesn't seem to know anything more about dating men under the patriarchy than I do, so idk if I learned anything.
Also read this week, but didn't fit into the challenge:
Every Heart a Doorway
Currently reading:
A Treasury of Victorian Murder Compendium: Including: Jack the Ripper, The Beast of Chicago, Fatal Bullet
Anna Karenina (audio)
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
QOTW: I definitely agonize over ratings! And I rate most every book I read. This includes a few DNFs, if I make it past the 50% mark AND the DNF reason is that the writing is just bad, but if I get 50 pages in and decide it just isn't for me it goes on the DNF shelf but doesn't get a rating. I mostly agonize over whether to give books 3 stars or 4.
5 stars: I'd die for this book and will push it on everyone I know until the end of time.
4 stars: Really liked it! A thoroughly enjoyable experience.
3 stars: One of two moods: liked it, but it had problems, or didn't super like it but it was really well-written.
2 stars: Was bored.
1 star: Was bored AND angry. Who published this, and also why?
I haven't given any books 1 star in 2019 yet, which bodes well!
I finished two books this week, which is unusual for me. The first, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and the second, Where'd You Go, Bernadette both take place in Seattle. I spent a few years in that area and it was nice to actually know where the authors were talking about. I enjoyed both books.Not sure what I want to read next.
As far as ratings go,
5 stars are rare. It would have to be something I loved and would read again.
4 stars, I really liked it
3 stars, it was ok
2 stars, didn't care for it, wouldn't recommend
I don't think I've ever rated anything 1 star. If it's that bad, I won't finish it.
Slow reading week for me. Only one book. The Man In The High Castle by Philip K Dick. For the pop sugar challenge I used the prompt a book told from multiple character POVs. I used it for the BR read harder prompt an alternative history novel. I don’t have a rating system. I document in my reading log love it(rarely use] liked it or didn’t like it. I should probably work on this.
I am late to the party, having joined this reading challenge in March but found there were some books I read in January/February that fit some of the prompts (Lucky Me)! So this is my first weekly check-in :)FINISHED
The Huntress, read for the "book that was published in 2019" prompt...this was a page turner for me and I couldn't put it down! I highly recommend reading it :)
Dr. Strange Beard which was a "book told from multiple pov's"...I have had this one on my TBR list for a very long time and am very glad that I finally read it! I have read all the other Winston Brothers books by Penny Reid and look forward to the 6th and final book, Beard Necessities, that is coming out later this year :)
IN PROGRESS
Consumed for the "book you meant to read in 2018" prompt
The Witch Elm for the "book with a plant on the title or cover" prompt
Crazy Rich Asians for the "book that includes a wedding" prompt
PLANNED
Kings of the Wyld for the "book you think should be turned into a movie" prompt
Daisy Jones & The Six for the "book recommended by a celebrity you admire" prompt
As for the rating system, I think the rating system is subjective since everyone has different tastes when it comes to reading books!
I am generous with my stars (I usually rate 4 stars) but as far as ratings go,
5 stars indicate a book that was a page turner, one I couldn't put down and one that I could easily reread
4 stars indicate a very good book, one that I didn't have a lot of issues with, one that the characters were well thought out and I connected easily with, the plot was very enjoyable and I would recommend to my friends
3 stars...there were some issues with the book, perhaps I didn't like the characters so much, the plot may have been a little unbelievable or slow, but I still made it through the book
2 stars...I wouldn't recommend the book
1 star...I haven't ever used one star to rate a book
First week of MarchMarch started with a batty book, Silverwing
It was OK
Zauberlinda the Wise Witch
Interesting. I didn't know OZ was a "fan fiction" stuff already 100 years ago.
Basil of Baker Street
I managed to find this one, so I read it. It was... not what I expected.
Akata Warrior
Not as good as the first book, but still wonderful
Pride
So disappointed! I had high expectations, people were praising it right and left and saying things about it. I think the only promise it kept was that it was a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice with black cast. It wasn't witty, it wasn't funny, it wasn't delicious.
Time Cat
Slightly disappointed with this as well, but it was OK.
Recipes for Love and Murder
This one wasn't a disappointment. :-) The only problem with this book is that I get hungry! :-D
To my surprise it seems I didn't read anything half a week here... 8-[
I am currently reading
Michelle Obama's [book:Becoming|38746485] (Or Becoming Michelle Obama :-))
Atlas Shrugged (quite a leap, huh? :-D)
The Great Hunt
and
Children of Blood and Bone
Michelle is delightful, charming, lovely, Ayn is partially inspiring and partially whiny, Robert reliable and Tomi is not Nora :-D
Question of the week:
Question from Serendipity - Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide?
Yes. I never know how to rate books.
Basically, my guideline is "Do I hate it? 1 star. Do I love it? 5 stars. It's OK something between, depending on whether I care to read the rest of a series, or buy the book, or read anything written by the author again. The more interested I am, the more stars the book gets.
I am a bit stingy with stars, because of what GoodReads say the stars mean :-D I mean "I really liked it 4 stars" and "it was amazing! 5 stars" - what's really the difference? So - I try not to give 5 stars if it wasn't amazing and life changing and I LOVED it, though ti depends totally on the day I rate the book. I noticed I had given Little Women 3 stars, and I was horrified, because I really like it, and it should have gotten at least 4 if not 5, because I reread it all the time.... and so on. You know. So I change the ratings all the time.
"Do you rate books you don’t finish?"
Yes, I'm sorry to say... because it's kind of unfair to judge a book one hasn't finished, but if I can't finish it, I probably hate it, and it would get 1 star even if I had finished it. I mean, if I went to a restaurant, I wouldn't have any scruples giving bad review to a dish I hate, even if I didn't finish it. Why would I need to suffer a book I hate to the end, just because it's not PC to review a DNF?
@Dani I plan on reading Fingersmith this year. Do you recommend reading The Woman in White first?
Hi everyone. Just got back from a little theatre visit as a belated birthday present from my brother, so even though I'm shattered, I'm too wired to sleep.This week I finished Les Miserables (yay!). It's probably the longest book I've ever read and I enjoyed the vast majority of it. My edition didn't have a huge glossary so a lot of the references to different famous French people went over my head a bit.
Currently reading The Name of the Wind. I am almost finished with this and really loving it so far. I'm going to have to find a spot for the sequel in my reading challenge plan
QOTW: In a word, no. I don't agonise over ratings. I give it a score which reflects how I feel at the time
This week I finished:To All the Boys I've Loved Before a little bit late for the February read. It was alright, I found it a pretty easy read
The Haven I enjoyed this. I put it down for a book published in 2019, but I might change it to a retelling of a classic. Apparently it is a retelling of Oliver Twist, the main character is even called Ollie.
Currently reading:
Becoming
The Martian
The Scarlet Letter (hopefully it gets better after the intro)
QOTW
I used to agonise over star ratings, now I just use the simple goodreads method: loved it, really liked it, liked it, it was ok, hated it.
I don't give star ratings to books I didn't finish, I don't think that's fair as there have been some books I really did not enjoy at the start and then ended up loving from about halfway through.
This week, I read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (sweet in title). This was fun. I’ve heard this recommended as a good book for Slytherins because of Flavia’s character. I think I agree, but I’m a Ravenclaw and I enjoyed it too. 3 stars.I also read Step Aside, Pops (pop in title). Some of the strips were cute, but I didn’t quite gel with the humor. Thank goodness I finally found a book to fill this category though. 2 stars
DNF- Collected Ghost Stories (ghost story).This started off well. It has more of a quiet creeping eeriness, rather than whatever the book equivalent of a jump scare is (looking at you Bird Box). Unfortunately the stories started to seem too similar to one another, and I got bored.
QOTW-
I don’t really agonize that much over star ratings. I’m not a professional critic nor am I evaluating a particular book’s importance to the literary canon or anything like that. I’m just categorizing my personal experience. I tend to basically follow the simple star descriptions from Goodreads as a guide to how I will rate.
5 Stars- It was amazing (the best friends of books- the ones you read and reread many times)
4 stars- I really liked it (not quite best friend material but will probably purchase my own copy for my strictly curated bookshelves)
3 stars- I liked it (I enjoyed it. Probably won’t read again, but was worth an initial go round)
2 stars- It was okay (some things were enjoyable but didn’t really like as a whole)
1 star- I didn’t like it (broad category for things I just didn’t like- overall themes I find offensive or strongly disagree with, tedious slogs, and/or poor writing/characters/plot what have you)
I am stingy with my stars. I’m not easy to impress.
I do not rate books that I don’t finish.
My problem with the GR rating system is that you go from “okay” to “hating it”. There is no simply disliking it. And let’s face it, if you see someone giving a book two stars you’re not gonna think they thought it was okay. At least I wouldn’t. This is why we need half stars! Most of my reviews start with “this would be a x,5 but GR doesn’t allow that so I rounded it up/down to x because I (don’t) feel like this deserves to be rounded up”.
Also in other news, I just reposted by one of my favorite authors and am of course completely fine.
Books finished this week-BRIDGE OF SIGHS for an author whose first and last name begin with the same letter. I abandoned EMPIRE FALLS years ago and was close with this one too. MAID for a book with clothing or accessory on the cover. Loved this one. THE SILENT PATIENT for a book published in 2019. Mediocre.QOTW: I don’t really stress about ratings. 5: Fabulous: Memorable writing with characters and a story that touched me. Something lasting that I would read again. One or two books a year. 4: Great: A well written book with strong characters that was engaging and thoroughly enjoyable. If I choose we’ll, my books should fall in here. 3: Just okay. Readable but nothing special. 2: Weak These books are usually annoying in some way-either the less than polished writing, cheesy plot, weak characters, faulty resolutions. Usually a slog to finish. 1: Awful. These are usually something outside my general preferences. May have been gifted or chosen randomly for a reading challenge🥴
I'm not clear if I finished The Marriage of Opposites this week or last week. But, if it was last week, then I finished nothing this week... It's been a rough reading week. I'm so busy at work with tons of pleadings due and a short vacation coming up. Anyway, I've been reading, but not finishing anything.I'm currently reading mostly the same stuff. War and Peace, Middlemarch, The Johnstown Flood, Bringing Down the Colonel: A Sex Scandal of the Gilded Age, and the "Powerless" Woman Who Took on Washington. I'm getting pretty close to the end of three out of the four, so hopefully I will finish at least one or two this coming week. I am also now reading The Forty Rules of Love which I am enjoying.
QOTW: I don't analyze my stars too much. I take the little thing that goodreads says at face value and just pick something. I find that I give most books either 3 or 4 stars. If I finish something, but I don't really like it, I'll usually give it 2. I will stop reading and rate books as 1 star if I hate them and I also put them on my abandoned shelf. I don't want to forget them and try them again later if I already made the attempt and felt strongly that they were bad.
Finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird for a book you see someone reading on TVCurrently reading Love From A to Z for a book with no chapters.
QOTW
Yes, I agonize when I don't like the book but others have rated the book with four or five stars. I don't rate the unfinished books . It goes straight in the DNfed catergory
Dani wrote: "Fingersmith for the popsugar article of clothing on the cover prompt... Between this and The Little Stranger I’m very keen on reading more from Sarah Waters. "Oooh, if you liked those, you would probably also like Affinity. It's my favorite book by her! And it would fulfill the "ghost story" prompt if you're still looking ;) The Paying Guests is also good, but doesn't have a mystery element to it.
I'm at 25/50 for the challenge this week! I only finished one book, but should have three or four done for next week's check-in.
I was really dreading the LitRPG prompt, but luckily I saw the recommendations from the good folks in this group and listened to Warcross. There were some things I didn't love, but I thought the story/writing were more engaging than I expected and the ending was great. 4 stars for a book I didn't want to read!
I'm currently finishing up Never Stop Learning: Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and Thrive, Everyone Knows You Go Home, and listening to Stress Less, Accomplish More: Meditation for Extraordinary Performance. I was listening to Call Me Zebra for ToB but just switched to Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine for a book club, and because that book (on CD) is due tomorrow and I couldn't renew it.
@Sara - yes on the Enneagram stuff! I read the one you mentioned and its follow up, The Path Between Us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships last year. These personality descriptions have been more relevant and helpful than any others for me. I am 100% a 1 and figuring that out has been really useful. Funny enough, my mom, dad, and brother are all 9s. My partner is a 7. Thanks to these books we've all learned a ton about understanding each other and improving our relationships. :)
QOTW:
Yes, I sometimes agonize over ratings, and yes, I also wish there were .5-star options (or the scale was 1-10). At a quick glance, I think I currently give 5 stars to about 20% of the books I read, 4 stars to 40%, 3 stars to 30%, and only about 10% of what I read is given 1 or 2 stars. This has definitely increased over the last couple of years, where I have a good idea of which books are worth reading (being in this group helps - I pull a ton of recs. from your comments!).
5-star reads are the ones that I just loved reading and will think about for a while -OR- a book that was extremely difficult to read, but well-written, researched, about something really important, etc. So I gave 5 stars to White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide even though I was on the verge of throwing up for most of it. And I also gave 5 stars to Speak No Evil because even though it wasn't a perfect book, it moved me so much (I cried for two hours after finishing it around 4am) and I've discussed it with many people.
I give four stars to those books that I was loving or totally my type, but then something irked me and messed it up (but not too badly). Examples include The Great Alone where the story had me totally hooked and I was loving it, but then the (view spoiler) part came into play and I just didn't need that. 4 stars. Same with Next Year in Havana where I was really excited because I'm totally fascinated by Cuba during that time, and thought the novel was a great idea, but then that same (view spoiler) thing came into play. So unrealistic, and a bit lazy (since a lot of stories do this). But I enjoyed the rest, so 4 stars.
I give 1 or 2 stars to books that just didn't connect for some reason. I sometimes feel bad, especially if the author is newer/less well-known. But I still remember thinking Follow Your Conscience: Make a Difference in Your Life & in the Lives of Others was so awful I almost wrote the author to ask for my money back. I'm glad I didn't, but yikes that book was terrible for so many reasons.
There have been a few books that I knew had merit but I just really didn't like them for my own personal hangups (that I didn't want to blame the author for), so I left them unrated, like Call Me By Your Name and Alice & Oliver.
I've only DNF'd a few books over the years - recently it was the audio version of The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. He's yelling and sounds like such a jerk. I tried three times and couldn't make it past a minute of his opinions smashing their way into my poor ears. ;) I don't rate books I don't finish.
Carmen wrote: "My problem with the GR rating system is that you go from “okay” to “hating it”. There is no simply disliking it. And let’s face it, if you see someone giving a book two stars you’re not gonna think..."For me ok means the book was fine but I didn't enjoy it. So for me 2 stars could also be described as 'disliked'. I have only given 1 or 2 stars on a couple of occasions. It is very unusual for me to not enjoy a book, I usually always find something in there to enjoy.
I can feel book mode coming back around. Woohoo! I just wish I could find a more convenient coffee shop/place to read in between work and home. *sigh* 12/50
Finished:
Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster - I enjoyed this but I wish the author wouldn't have continually guessed how Eunice felt. If you don't know, just leave it out. Otherwise very interesting, and frustrating.
Pippi Longstocking - Set in Scandinavia and nostalgia
Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit - Novel based on a true story. The fourth Kopp sisters book, and not my favorite in the series. It's an election year and a lot of mud is being flung, with men saying crappy things about Miss Kopp. UGH. Stupid patriarchy.
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax - I am loving Mrs. Pollifax. It's like if Miss Marple joined the CIA. She is not just sitting politely sipping tea, she is playing the sweet old tourist while planing prison breaks behind the Iron Curtain. This one was published in 1971. I can't wait to see how the books from the 90's are different.
I finished Mrs. Pollifax at work this morning, and if I wanted to start a new book in my short window of possible listening time, I had to do it FAST. I have no memory of putting it in my Audible wish list, but today I saw, women, space... Yes that one will work get it now! That's literally all I knew about it.
Currently Reading:
The Calculating Stars - Read by the author, who is luckily a pretty good narrator. I'm only on chapter 3 but I got sucked in immediately.
Do you ever do that thing where two books you read close together accidentally have a link? Eunice Hunton Carter, the lawyer from Invisible, worked and campaigned for Thomas E. Dewey, of "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" infamy. The very first line of The Calculating Stars:
"President Dewey Congratulates NACA On Satellite Launch"
My poor little brain bounced all over the place! "What?! I just read about Dewey! Alternate history! Dewey really did defeat Truman hahaha! OMG THEY MENTIONED NACA!!" (Seriously, nobody ever mentions NACA.) It seems I've accidentally started an alternate history apocalyptic (at least catastrophic) hard sci-fi book about a former WASP pilot and mathematician with her rocket scientist husband. HECK YEAH!
Question of the week:
I rarely agonize over my rating. I don't think I'm stingy with my stars, but I have seen other people whose ratings I think are bonkers. (Here is a list of ten things I hated about this book! 4 stars!) Um, no. Those people might think I'm stingy.
I guess you start with a three. On a 5 star scale, three is average. A three is a perfectly acceptable read. I'd recommend a three if I thought it was what you were looking for. A satisfying read. I really enjoyed a four, in a better than average way, or I thought it really had something meaningful to say. I'm happy I read it. If I LOVED that book, or had a great time reading it, it's a five. To get a two I had to actively dislike it. I have only given one star to six books. I wonder how any of them were even published.
Hi everyone! Its been a much better week for me! And tonight I got my hair done, which felt like such a treat!It was a good reading week! Finished 4 books, all 4 stars!
Finished Reading
Peter and the Shadow Thieves -- #15 Retelling of a classic
I really enjoyed this second book of this series. Its a retelling of Peter Pan.
Stay Sweet--really cute and would be a good summer read
Dreamology another cute one, although not very believable. But I enjoyed it anyways!
Air Awakens Finally starting this series! I love this world so far!
Currently Reading
Where'd You Go, Bernadette I'm enjoying this so far!
QOTW
Question from Serendipity - Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide?
I (Sara) will add in some additional parts to this question:
-Do you have any guidelines for how you rate books?
-Are you stingy with your stars? If so, why?
-Do you rate books you don’t finish?
There are times where I do agonize. Usually I go off of how the book made me feel and how much I enjoyed it. But there are times where I realize the work is very flawed, and somehow I've enjoyed it anyways. Or the opposite happens--I recognize that its a good piece of work and is technically good, but I didn't enjoy it for whatever reason. Generally I go with how much I enjoyed it, because reading is something I do for fun. I will write all this in my review, though.
Most of the time, I can tell when I close the book what rating it will be. But there are times I have to think about it awhile!
Carmen wrote: "Milena wrote: "Carmen, I just added like 3 books to my TBR based on your update!."The Binding'd better be one of them haha! I should get paid for all the people I got to add it haha!"
The Binding makes me angry. I was waiting for that book to drop since June, because I saw video of the proof and it was GORGEOUS! I wanted that book So. Freaking. Much. Then it came out and it is not gorgeous! WTF?! I have searched for the special extra spendy fancy edition, because I figured maybe they would have a normal hardcover at a normal price and also some of the gorgeous ones, but NO. Now I can't read it because whenever I see it, all I feel is disappointment. Bitter, bitter disappointment.
See the pretty proof here
Did a lot of reading this week for ATY's Read-a-thon. Mostly graphic novels and elementary grade books. Finished
Currently Reading
Sarah wrote: "@Dani I plan on reading Fingersmith this year. Do you recommend reading The Woman in White first?"Either or, really. They’re different enough that I don’t think it’d matter but I generally always read the original before diving into retellings or reimaginings.
Johanna wrote: "Kristina wrote: "Three books done Becoming for favorite category from 2015 (Memoir). Amazing Renegades..."Ditto on Zeus.....I need some funny in my life!
Hello everybody. Looks like winter is ending over here in Vegas and it's warming up. I am getting a little tired with all the stuff I'm doing AND reading so I didn't get a whole lot done this week
13/40 Regular
2/10 Advanced
Finished
6. Book with a plant on the cover
Loved this book!
For AtY challenge
8. Book about a hobby
I don't view it as a hobby but it definitely is one and am really trying to fit as many books as possible into the challenge. Very informative and I love Jenna Fischer
Currently Reading
Nada
QotW:
Question from Serendipity - Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide?
I (Sara) will add in some additional parts to this question:
-Do you have any guidelines for how you rate books?
-Are you stingy with your stars? If so, why?
-Do you rate books you don’t finish?
I do a little bit. Mainly because I am not a super discerning reader and I sometimes read other peoples reviews and that shadows my decisions. I'm not saying I have terrible taste or anything but I don't always delve as deep into a story as some and I think I enjoy some things a little more. Other things I hate and the whole world adores. I don't know. I do not usually rate things I haven't read. I think only once for Stardust whoch I found absolutely terrible and disappointing, especially because the movie is one of my all time favorites.
Goodness, this has seemed like a really long week somehow. I had to make sure I hadn't missed a check-in thread.Surprisingly eventful week too, now that I think back on it. Went to a book signing, had a bunch of work done on the house because we needed a new boiler, and my dog got attacked. (He is absolutely fine, a friend's new rescue dog bit him on the face but didn't manage to break the skin. It probably just got a mouthful of hair.)
Decent reading week, too, although most of the books were quite short.
How Long 'til Black Future Month? - Great collection of stories. I'll honestly read just about anything N.K. Jemisin writes.
[Prompt #16, a book with a question in the title]
The Blue Salt Road - Beautiful little novella, stunningly illustrated. I really like this myth-retelling series, I hope there are many more to come. In particular I've always been fascinated by the selkie, so very much enjoyed this one.
[Prompt #22, a book with SALTY, SWEET, BITTER, or SPICY in the title] (Close enough.)
Chocolat - ... Yeah, I read two Joanne Harris books in a row. Wasn't entirely intentional, "Salt Road" was to fit into a readathon and then I found out 4th March was the twentieth anniversary of Chocolat's publication and I have kind of a thing about reading books on dates which are significant to them.
Anyway, this was a fairly quiet, slow-paced, almost relaxing read despite dealing with pretty heavy topics such as domestic abuse. And don't get me started on the chocolate itself. There were parades of pralines marching through my daydreams.
I don't think I'll ever watch the film, though, knowing how different it is from the book. Wouldn't be able to accept such drastic changes. And casting Johnny Depp boggles the mind, considering book-Roux. I was picturing more of a David Wenham type.
[Prompt #3, a book written by a musician] (Joanne Harris plays bass, and has a band.)
In the Vanishers’ Palace - I've been looking forward to reading Aliette de Bodard's work for quite a while, especially this book. Unfortunately, both of her books I've tried so far have been... hm. One was a 3-star, and this one I haven't assigned a rating yet, but it's likely going the same way. They're perfectly decent, great concepts, I'd still recommend them, but for me they just haven't had that particular spark that would elevate them to 4 or 5 stars. But I'm pretty sure it is me, not the books.
I really did love the descriptions in this one, particularly of the dragon and her children and the magic they do - healing spells envisioned as luminous words floating under the skin, and shapeshifting between dragon and human but having many fluid states in between, ex. a human with antlers and hands that end in claws.
And I don't normally much care for kissing scenes in books, but there's one in here which was lovely.
Basically, if F/F ROMANCE BETWEEN HUMAN AND DRAGON with Beauty-and-the-Beast vibes is your jam, you should check this out.
Remarkable Creatures - Decent. Didn't particularly impress, but I always like reading more about Mary Anning and early paleontology in general, and I learned a fair bit from this book. Definitely worth whiling away a few hours with.
[Prompt #38, a novel based on a true story]
Am now 20/50 on the Popsugar challenge.
Currently reading The Priory of the Orange Tree. It's a chunker. Keeps cutting off the circulation in my legs because I have to rest it on my lap to read (I am absolutely not joking). Interesting so far, though I'm only 100 pages into its bulk so the plot hasn't really kicked off yet.
---
QOTW:
Do people agonize over what star rating to give a book (or is that just me) and how do you decide?
Yeah, I do. It's haaaard. I very much go on gut feeling - was I left happy and fulfilled, do I wish there was so much more of it so that I could prolong my time in that world? Was it all that I wanted it to be? Or was I a bit let down? Or upset? Or conflicted? A lot of the time it's honestly quite difficult to sort through the emotional jumble and consolidate it into An Opinion, and then boil that Opinion down even further into a star rating.
And as someone else said above (forgive me, I'm too tired to go through all the posts again), sometimes picking a rating is weird because of the nature of the book and the reading experience. Say I read Oliver Twist and rate it 4 stars, then read the latest Lumberjanes volume and rate it 5 stars, it's not because I think Lumberjanes is better than Oliver - there's no point of comparison really and I'd be judging by completely different standards/criteria.
- Do you have any guidelines for how you rate books?
Funnily enough, I only just added my star rating guide to my profile the other day, because it seems to be the thing to do.
(view spoiler)
- Are you stingy with your stars? If so, why?
A bit, yeah. I try not to give a lot of 5-stars because I feel like that, idk, "cheapens" the rating a bit? The 5-star rating is a gold medal - to give it to every book would defeat the purpose.
- Do you rate books you don’t finish?
Nope! Although I don't really DNF. I have a "dnf" shelf, but there's nothing on it. The ones I actually use are "temporary-dnf" and "dnf-try-again-one-day" - and obviously, in both cases, I intend to return to the books, complete them, and form an opinion then.
Sara wrote: "A friend of mine recently made an observation about this that really stuck with me. She said that she had noticed her average rating was climbing. It’s not that she’s frivolously giving out high ratings. She’s cultivating her reading tastes. She is honing her skills at selecting books that she will most likely enjoy. She also is not afraid to abandon a book. As a result, she’s reading more 4 and 5 star books than she used to."
I totally agree with this, too. I have a pretty high average rating (3.87) and it's just because I know what I like.
Admittedly, that can lead to its own problems - getting stuck in a rut reading the same type or genre of book, for example. Did that a lot as a teen - basically never budged out of High Fantasy for years on end.
Mod
The first Connie Brockway romance I read, I absolutely loved it and I posted glowing review ... and she saw it! and liked my review! yes I was stunned, just like you guys.
Another time I read a local author's mystery, and hated it, and she sent me a very funny email asking me politely to please never read any more of her books. (I know the way I'm saying it sounds rude, but she was very nice. I still hated her book though. She showed me it's possible for an author to see a bad review of their book and still be nice about it.) Yeah I felt kind of bad knowing that she'd seen my negative review - it was a good reminder to always be civil on here, because you never know who's reading.
Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (other topics)Avid Reader: A Life (other topics)
Where'd You Go, Bernadette (other topics)
Chocolat (other topics)
The Girl with No Shadow (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (other topics)Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (other topics)
Stephen R. Covey (other topics)
Gabriel García Márquez (other topics)
Stuart Turton (other topics)
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I'm planning to read Wildcard this year as well. I really loved Warcross (unexpectedly) so I'm trying not to get my expectations too high for the sequel :)