My Rating System

Out of five stars:

1. (Poor) - I am too good at judging a book to read something this bad. I hope.

2. (Good Effort but...) - A waste of time when there are so many books better than this. Borrow it from the library before you think about buying it.

3. (Fair to Middling) - Someone or something influenced me to read it and I have done my duty. I have enjoyed parts of it, I may even recommend it, but I won't read it again. A good enough story but not an especially memorable or exceptionally well-written one.

4. (Very Good) - Now we're cooking with gas. I was rewarded by reading it. This book makes it into my lit blog, my recommended list and my library. There's no good reason that every book shouldn't meet this standard.

5. (One of a kind) - This book is now a personal friend. I have to own a copy, whatever the cost. I will tell everyone about it, read it again, fondle it from time to time, and look upon it with good memories for the rest of my life.

Opinions on rating systems are welcomed. Which do you prefer? What do you use? Do you prefer reviews without any starred or numbered rating? Would you rather see some animal or object used instead of stars; fish, chickens, kittens etc. as some use or do they detract from the seriousness of a review in your opinion?

If you are an author or a publicist, what do you like to see in a review in the way of a rating?