For the Love of Books discussion

So, we all do it on here — give books a rating out of 5 — but what’s your system for how you decide that rating?

Is it based on a feeling? Do you have a method or scale you follow? And do you rate the book right after finishing it, or wait a day to let it all sink in before making your decision?

Personally, I usually go with how I feel immediately after finishing the book. Then I use the CAWPILE method (Character, Atmosphere, Writing, Plot, Pacing, World Building, and Enjoyment), scoring each category out of 10 and dividing the total by 7. Most of the time, that score ends up being close to what I felt emotionally. Sometimes, though, my gut feeling is higher than the calculated score — but I think that just shows how much vibes can influence a reading experience too!

Would love to hear how you rate your reads :)

I usually wait a bit, think things over. You put way more thought into it than I do, lol. If I like it, I like it and why. If I don't, then also why.
I do have a few pet peeves, details matter!! In all aspects of the story. Ex. I read a book, it could have been a solid 4.5 stars. I rated it 2. Changing eye color, they were in a truck, then it was a car, no it's a truck, etc.
I've also started doing some buddy reads in another group I'm in. Some of the books are not really my thing, I wouldn't read them on my own. So I feel I need to take that into consideration when rating. So I might rate them a little differently.
Basically, that's about it

I usually know in the last 3rd of the book how I'm going to rate it. Unless it's a book like Blood Meridian which took me a week to process after reading. That was an intense read! I usually go with my gut feeling immediately after finishing. I tend to overanalyze a lot, so I try to keep it simple. It just comes down to how much did I enjoy what I just read. Was it a page turner? did I find it drag at times? Was I invested in the characters and their development? That's about it really! Or when it comes to new science or spirituality books, I go with how much it resonated with me.

For me it's..

~My Book Rating System is as follows:

~Occasionally, I will only leave just a star rating for a book, but this is not often.

DNF (Did Not Finish)- Won't rate the book- but will leave a brief review on why I could not finish the story.

1 Star- Could barely finish it. Totally hated it. Would not recommend.

2 Stars-Was able to finish-This is the only positive thing I could say about the book. Recommendation is not likely.

3-3.5 Stars- Worth the read. I liked some things in it, but many things still could have been better. Would possibly recommend.

4-4.5 Stars- REALLY was IN-LIKE with the story. Would likely read again. Would recommend.

5+ Stars-Totally IN LOVE with the book, the characters, and did not want it to end. Would definitely read again and most definitely pimp out to people I know.

I have to say my ratings are very close to Nya's on this. BUT, if a story is a 1 or 2 star rating for me while I'm reading it, I'm probably going to DNF it-I just don't have the time or patience to keep reading it. Life's too short, and there's just too many good/great books out there waiting to be read.

My rating system is based on 2 things.
1) How much I enjoyed a book
OR
2) How good the author discussed a certain topic even though I don't agree or like it.