Rating books!

How I Rate Books...

This is a very controversial topic throughout the bookish community, as we all rate books differently and have differing reasons why we read. I made a post a while ago about this very topic, however I know that my thoughts and rating system has changed since that went live. Rating books is such a personal thing that can be hard to clearly define how one does it, however I am going to attempt to in this post, there may be a video later on about this very topic that I will link here as well. 

Why I read: 

• I read for fun (This is my number one reason that I read, for the pure joy of story telling!)
• I read to see many worlds that are not possible in reality.
• I read to see the authors way with the English language. 
• I read for myself, I may try books on many peoples recommendation but I choose what I read to suit my enjoyment. 
• Reading to me at least is a very personal event/action. I am odd in that I cannot read with a friend or even my girlfriend present because then I will just talk the time away. So for me reading is finding a secluded place and bringing a blanket and pillow in to curl up with and enjoy the company of my current "friends" (fictional). Knowing that I read purely for enjoyment, you may find it peculiar that I rarely DNF (do not finish) books. I find the act of not completing a book to be wasteful and very rude to the author and their profession, with that being said occasionally it is unavoidable if a book is just an awful slog to read. 

General Rating Thoughts: 

• I ask myself these questions before giving a book any sort of rating: 
• Was the book enjoyable?
• Does the book have a well rounded grasp of the English language?
• Did I connect with the characters? 
• Would I recommend this to a friend? 
• Did I sticky note any passages (this is good if I have)?
• Can I see myself attempting to reread this book in the future? (Though I rarely reread books, I would love to try to reread more in the future)
• I also will do one of two things directly after reading a book, I will either rate on Goodreads and change it later if my opinion changes, or I will sit and mull the entire story over for two days in shock..
• After finishing a novel I will write down some of the pros and cons of the book so I have a general outline to go from for the blog review.

What My Ratings Mean: 

This is subject to change, however this is my current star rating emotions. 

• 1 Star: 
• This book should not be printed or shelved in a bookshop, I would not recommend that anyone picks up this book! It usually will come with many grammatical errors and a very poor understanding of the plot and character growth as literary devices to move the story along. 
• 2 Stars: 
• I would be leary of reading this book, there are some plot issues that will make the story confusing or frusterating. The book will also be lacking that signature character attachment that I look for in novels that I read. This book will have some information dumps and be dense with pacing issues throughout, however it may be worth a read from someone else. 
• 3 Stars: 
• This book is one that I enjoyed, but did not fall in love with any aspect of it. I would recommend that if the plot sounds good on a 3 star book for me that you pick it up, this rating sheerly means something was not right with the book for my tastes. In short this rating screams OKAY to me and nothing more. 
• 4 Stars: 
• This rating means I really enjoyed the book! I would recommend that you pick it up and read it soon! This has all the aspects I look for in a book:
• Character growth
• Enjoyable plot
• Well rounded writing 
• An Atmospheric setting
• This just means that it did not wow me, or have the extra special aspect that makes a 5 star book.
• 5 Stars: 
• This means the book is phenomenal and I would recommend it to everyone! It also must have met all of my previous requirements for a great book listed in 4 Stars. 

Some of you may have noticed that a majority of the books that I read tend to be in the four and five star categories. I know to some people that may throw a red flag saying that I give out too many "easy" five stars, however I want to tell you why I do. I do not tend to pick up books that I know I will have an aversion to so I tend to have a good reading experience with those that I choose to read. I do not want to discredit my ratings for the sheer fact I do not pick up books that I don't think I will enjoy.

Happy Reading!

I would love to know how you all decide the ratings that you give the books you read? 

Until Monday, Happy Reading from me over here at MyBookishEmpire!

Check the YouTube Channel on Sunday for a new video!

June Wrap Up

Review

July TBR