Star Rating Guide

Books reviewed on this site will be given a Star rating out of 5 Stars.

“There are many books which are read by few that should be read and re-read by many, as well as books bought by many that are hardly worth the ink.” (Click for full quote)

Ron Brackin/Author

5 star

My top pics & personal favorites! These are books that I’ve obsessed over; the must haves for my bookshelf. These books are most likely the ones I keep “stashed in my back pocket” for whenever anyone asks me for a recommendation or they are the first to come to mind because they are my favorites. In terms of plot, characters, structure and overall story elements, there is not much of a difference from books that receive a 4 star rating. Most likely the books contain all the elements that would move them up the rating list but that won’t always be the case – considering personal preference plays a role. More importantly, these are the books that just stuck with me and really resonated with me and made me feel a lot of emotions.

4 star

These are also the books that I would say have great dynamic characters who keep you invested in an equally great plot and they are relatable and likable. The world building is extensive and really makes the book an experience rather than just an activity. I would highly recommend.

3 Star

Easy casual reads that I enjoyed and would definitely recommend to friends who enjoy similar books. The only reason they don’t get a four star rating is because they just didn’t have that “it” factor for me. Also, I feel the need to point out that, although sometimes 3 stars may seem like a bad rating, when I rate something 3 stars, what I typically mean is that, it’s an average read.

2 Star

So-so books. In all likelihood I liked the book enough to finish it, though a great amount of powering through it happened. Although there is nothing technically wrong, I didn’t find anything special about the book that would warrant higher rating, or another read through.

1 Star

Probably would not recommend. Most likely I didn’t like the writing style or the story just didn’t click with me. Considering how difficult it is for me to finish books that don’t hook me in from the beginning – these are books that I probably didn’t finish and if I did, it took me a long time to do so.

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”

Haruki Murakami/Japanese Writer

*Disclaimer

While I will try to keep star ratings consistent with this outline, some books will either unintentionally or intentionally deviate from it. Happy Reading!!!