My Rating Scale

At first, I wasn’t sure what rating system to use. I was leaning towards a five-star system, but then I started thinking, “How will everyone know what I mean with my ratings if it’s just stars?” You know me, I have to complicate some of the simplest things just to make sure I’m not misunderstood! :-p Anyways, after complicating things, I simplified them again and have settled on the following system:

5.0 – must read – I loved this book and list it among my favorites.
4.5 – must read – I look forward to rereading this book!
4.0 – highly recommended – I really enjoyed this book.
3.5 – recommended – I enjoyed this book.
3.0 – recommended – I liked this book in spite of a few issues.
2.5 – up to you – I’ve averaged out to neutral on this book; there were things I liked and things I didn’t like.
2.0 – up to you – I did not like this book, but there were a few redeeming qualities.
1.5 – not recommended – This book was a large waste of time with very few if any good qualities.
1.0 – not recommended – I had to force myself to finish this book.
0.5 – do not read – After finishing this book, I was tempted to destroy it.
0.0 – do not read – This rating is reserved for the books that I couldn’t bring myself to finish.

While rating the book, I will take into account the following areas:

• literary merit
• plot
• characters
• personal enjoyment

The above listed areas won’t get a specific rating, but there will be sections in the reviews where I will specifically address them.

Quick Note: I’ve gone through so many book blogs’ rating systems that I’m not sure what I’ve borrowed or adapted from who. Thank you, though, to the bloggers who unwittingly contributed to my rating system. I really appreciate it! :-)