Rating System

The rating system is the simple, five-star rating system used by GoodReads.  These ratings are a holistic view of the work, representing the overall book, taking its story, characters, pacing, and writing into consideration.

5 stars: An excellent book; I'd actively seek out other books in this series or by this author and easily put them in my favorite category. I'd highly recommend getting the reviewed book, purchasing other books in the series, and seeking out the author's whole catalog.

4 stars: A good book; I wouldn't mind continuing to read books in the series or by this author. Books in this category may have a few faults, but their positive qualities far outweigh any issues I encountered. I'd recommend getting these books, especially if they are discounted or on sale. 

3 stars: An average book that isn't particularly outstanding in any way but isn't bad. I wouldn't recommend these books unless you've run out of higher-rated books, but they could be worth giving them a try if they are on sale. 3-star books may also be ones that I didn't enjoy, but they were outside the genres I usually like, so I don't think it's fair to rate them any lower (unless they were obviously awful books).

2 stars: A bad book; Usually a book with some pretty serious flaws and not one I'd recommend to anyone. It may be because of bad writing, improbable plots, awful dialog, unlikable characters, or a combination of the above. 2-star books are usually books I had to force myself to finish. I'd say to avoid these, but you might try them if they are free and you've run out of anything else to read.

1 star: An awful book; These are books that should never have been published, and I regret ever trying to read it. 1-star ratings are only given for the worse books, and I hope the rating can protect other readers from being subjected to the same horror I experienced.

Note: Generally, if I don't finish a book, I will not rate or review it. There are plenty of books that are not particularly bad but don't hold my attention or are not in genres I like to read, and I put them aside. Sometimes I return to them; others are still sitting and waiting. All reviews are subjective, but in these cases, I do not think it is fair to post a review unless I've finished the book. However, there are exceptions; if a book is so bad that I have to skim or skip through it, I may still give it a 1- or 2- star review (mostly to warn others to stay away from it).