The Filipino Group discussion

Mr. Moderators, I don't know if I am in the right folder but feel free to move this to its rightful place if only to put order to our very organized group. :)

Anyway, I finished a book lately and I had a hard time deciding how many stars to give it. For me it was a good book, the prose is not extraordinary but great nonetheless. The "moral" lesson is no doubt agreeable. However, I just could not connect with the story on an emotional level. That's why I couldn't give it a perfect score.

I am just wondering about how you guys rate books. What are your criteria for giving a certain book its star/s? Is it because you like the way the author writes (how he plays with words, etc.)? Is it because you were moved by the plot or the story? Is it because you can identify with the characters? Or maybe you are just a fan of the author?

So there... I hope this could fire up some intense discussion and add more activity to this already very over-active group. Haha.

As for me I prominently rate a work base on its plot. I'm a kind of reader who wants to be intrigued, moved and marveled by an unusual story. I want to be swept away by the author's innovation leaving my cares behind. Especially right now when all of the stories seems to be hackneyed and stale.

I also rate a book based on the author's style; how he deftly delivers the story. For me it's the effectiveness of the prose first before I relate with the characters. It's all in the presentation, man.

I'm not a high brow kind of person, unlike hypocrite others who declare they only read literary fiction. Even if its genre or literary fiction I just don't care, man;as long as your giving me a good story and keeps me turning pages, engrossed by the minute.

I've never encountered this problem before Lynai and I have to see yet for a book to disappoint me. Maybe I thoroughly enjoyed the book or that I highly-regard my sound book choices (And man, ain't that one sound so egotistical! Lolz!! ☺☺☺)

So that's that...
My five pesos worth of opinion.

I rate on how I enjoyed the book. Simple as that.

I love a good story, plus points if it's well written. A good story for me would be something that surprises me, something that sends my imagination into over-drive that I feel like I'm living the story. I don't like dissecting stories, it's usually a visceral thing for me. If I feel like I'm living it (to the point that I can smell things, even), then automatic 5 :)

I rate a book on how it moved me (feelings/emotions) or how it impressed something on me (realization). I also consider originality of plot and the author's style in writing.

1 star - just didn't like it at all
2 stars - wouldn't rec it but I could see that someone else might like it
3 stars - ranges from it was ok to I enjoyed it but it wasn't extraordinary
4 & 5 stars - really liked it and highly rec it
It's very subjective what gets the 5th star. Sometimes its just my mood at the moment.

Parang ngayon ko lang nakita dito si Mayakda?

Pakilala ka naman sa Introduce yourself thread...

Thanks!

Welcome din sa Filipino Groups!

Reading for me is primarily for entertainment, so I rate a book based on how I've enjoyed it or how I've been moved. I have other considerations of course, but being brought into the story is a primary/major point for my rating.

We all may have our own opinion on the whys and wherefores of rating a book, as if we have control over ratings. Actually, however, in rating a book the reader is helpless against two things: a. his/her level of intelligence and emotional make-up; and b. his/her cultural background. These two determine an honest rating the reader gives a book.

Let me illustrate. A war novel may get a 5 star from a guy, but emotionally a girl won't dig violence very much so she'll give it a 1. A devout Muslim would label Henry Miller's Tropic of Capricorn trash, but someone from a more liberal society may rave over it and give it 5 stars. A literary masterpiece may get a 1 star if read by one whose level of intelligence can only afford him to appreciate novels which are really but glorified komiks. After all, one can only enjoy what he understands. Of course, it is also possible to enjoy the fact that you don't understand a book(like when you're confronted with a puzzle you cannot solve), but this requires knowledge/awareness that you do not understand it. So this would still be understanding coming BEFORE enjoyment. This requires the humility also of acknowledging that you do not understand the book because if you'll begin by pretending to understand a book you do not really understand, then condemn it as a bad book, you'll not have the enjoyment one gets from getting stumped by a difficult puzzle, but pure bitterness coming out of your ignorance.

Joselito wrote: "Let me illustrate. A war novel may get a 5 star from a guy, but emotionally a girl won't dig violence very much so she'll give it a 1. "

I love war novels and I usually give them 5 stars. But then again, I'm not an emotional girl. Ehehehe

But I do get what you're saying, sir. That's exactly why I read the reviews rather than just look at the ratings :)

You're not emotional, but you're intelligent. Your intelligence overwhelms your emotions. Brainy and heartless. A perfect girl soldier.

Joselito wrote: "We all may have our own opinion on the whys and wherefores of rating a book, as if we have control over ratings. Actually, however, in rating a book the reader is helpless against two things: a. hi..."

Well said.

Then you are very unique, Bluemoon. To borrow from Peter Esterhazy, you could be "a milestone on the highway of the female sex." Still, you leave us guessing why you hate what many love. For our delectation, kindly explain.

And there goes another similarity with YL and TVS. In TVS, the sisters also did things to gain a semblance of freedom, but as far as I remember none of them went into books like you did. When you put your heart and soul into a book, that is the ultimate escape for nothing could be more important to a man/woman than his/her heart and soul. IMHO, however, that is not an authentic living. Sooner or later you must be able to confront your demons. You cannot be forever running away from them.

Knowing the gory details of history, but having a positive outlook on life, do you think that Anne Frank was able to maintain her opinion (written in her diary while she and her family were in hiding) that despite everything, humans are still basically good? I'm referring to that time when she was in a concentration camp already, dying, after her sister Margot had died, and believing that both her parents had died too in the ongoing Holocaust.

Wow!

This conversation's turning really good...

But I like and appreciate and stand on what Joselito said...

And add to the heap the age factor...

You know what I mean...


But that rumination about good and evil...stunning!

I like both your argument: Bluemoon and Joselito...

I didn't knew rating books could be this philosophical...

Indeed!

I just ask myself series of questions:
Q#1 : Do I hate it? If yes, 1 star
(Examples: The Piano Teacher, Suite Francaise)
Q#2 : Do I like it? If no, 2 stars
(Example: The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho)
Q#3 : Compared to 3-star books I've read, is it better? If no, 3 stars
(Example: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho)
Q#4 : Does it have the X-factor? If no, 4 stars.
(Example: Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho)
If yes, 5 stars.
(Examples: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov or Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck)

We don't rate the books that we read. They make us rate them in accordance with the following criteria:

1 - stupid fellow didn't understand me at all. Chewed more than what he/she can swallow;

2 - pretentious prick said he/she understood me but actually didn't. Takes a revenge and vaguely say I'm "OK";

3 - clueless, he/she could not make up his/her mind whether to like me or hate me;

4 - frustrated that he/she could only get a glimpse of what I am really all about, he/she gives me a 4 to tempt others to read me as well and undergo the same suffering; and
5 - underwent several momentary insanity reading me (because of some "deep" messages he/she imagined I have, but really didn't have) and mistook them as indications of literary greatness (on both his, and my, part).

We, mortals, cannot really judge/rate books. Long after we are gone, these books will still be here. They will outlive us. They are the ones really rating/judging us.

Oo nga naman. Most good books are "deathless". Kaya lang we are doing the rating for fun even if we know that nobody cares how many stars we give. We are supposed to be "friends" here so how you review and rate a book you've read should be something of interest to me.

Joselito wrote: "We don't rate the books that we read. They make us rate them in accordance with the following criteria:

1 - stupid fellow didn't understand me at all. Chewed more than what he/she can swallow;
..."

LOL. Good one, Atty, and quite true. :)

Strange that you should say that. I was just thinking the other day that if some great tragedy comes and wipes out humanity, then our books and stories die with us. In the end, books will continue to outlive us if we outlive them.

Hi I am Sharon in Texas.
I rate a book, and keep reading, depending upon the "take away" that I get from reading -is it giving me something that is pertenant to my growth at the stage of my life?

I rate a book on the emotional and heart tugs it gives me. Also the good moral values it supports.
I rate a book if the plot or content moves along well and the Author seems to write well, and keeps me turnnig the pages.

happpy reading all! Sharon
http://www.kingdom-of-god-in-earth.bl...

Maryse wrote: "Joselito wrote: "We don't rate the books that we read. They make us rate them in accordance with the following criteria:

1 - stupid fellow didn't understand me at all. Chewed more than what he/she..."

That is a gem of a statement, deep as deep can get, something that one mull over forever: "Books will continue to outlive us if we outlive them." This, I think, is on par with what one character said in Peter Esterhazy's Celestial Harmonies: "Man is born ignorant but, if he is wise, he dies a skeptic."

Now, I do not know which one to put in my profile as my favorite quote, Maryse's or Peter's.

Sharon wrote: "Hi I am Sharon in Texas.
I rate a book, and keep reading, depending upon the "take away" that I get from reading -is it giving me something that is pertenant to my growth at the stage of my lif..."

Maybe you can give us examples of the books you've read, Sharon, and their corresponding ratings so we can have a clearer idea of how you rate a book?

Welcome to the Filipinos Group Sharon and Emir!!

Bluemoon, its just okay if they introduced themselves in this thread... but if they're up to it again, it wouldn't hurt if they formally introduce themselves at the introductions thread. That way they can get as much Filipino love as much as they want...

My warm regards and happy reading to two of our new members... ^_^

Hi all!
I try to be as simple as possible when I rate books:

1- waste of time
3- read if you have leisure time (recommended)
5- don't miss out on this

Enjoy & God bless us all! Mabuhay tayong lahat!

1 - I want my few days/several hours back.
2 - Okay, but I won't recommend reading it to others.
3 - Good enough to elicit a positive emotional response from me, but I've read better.
4 - Great! Could be mentally stimulating/emotionally engrossing/imaginative, etc. I'd recommend others to read it.
5 - OH MY GOD I CAN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD. /obsessed

Hey tanong ko lang bakit me mga deleted member? Ano ibig sabihin nun? Nagbabasa kasi ko tapos me nakita akong ganun sa thread.

1- Pangit, wag mo bibilhin/babasahin

2- Okay lang kaso mas nangingibabaw yung pangit ke sa maganda o kaya minsan natakot lang ako magbigay ng 1 star

3- maganda pero ayos lang, kahit wag mo na basahin (so-so)

4-maganda basahin mo, siguro me unting flaws lang pero maganda pa rin promise

5-naku sobrang ganda, yung tipong Best book ever and this change my life

1 - boring. nakakatamad basahin at walang katuturan.
2 - ayos lang pero may kulang. walang thrill
3 - pwede nang irecommend sa iba.
4 - may excitement pero kulang pa rin at hindi ako satisfied.
5 - super ganda na halos hindi ko na maibaba yung book. :))

I rate books on the following criteria:

---- how much emotion it invokes/evokes from me (i.e. ..do i cry buckets of tears when a protagonist dies? do i get angry on his/her behalf?)

---- a book is good when I talk aloud when reading it (i.e. crazy discussion w/the self)

---- when i can remember the characters, the lines and the whole plot even if I read it ten million years ago

---- when it makes me love the villain

---- when i want to live in the world that the author created

---- when I can't put it down or when I do put it down, after a few agonizing minutes I pick it up. (i.e. I even bring it with me to the bathroom for some one on one time on the thinking chair LOL)

---- when i don't want the series or story to end

---- depends on how much nonsense the book contain (think: Glitter+Vampire=too much c.r.a.p)

---- the book's versatility (can it be read by everybody?will it be appreciated by different age groups?)

---- call me crazy but I also consider the book cover.


((i could go on but yeah..so there..LOL)

Jillian Joy wrote: "As an adolescent I rate a book by its moral values and by how much it influence me. :)"


HI JILLIAN I AGREE ON YOUR RATING ! THAT'S RIGHT ALSO FOR ME!

1 - Pwede mong pamigay pero walang kukuha - doorstopper na lang.
2 - Nabasa ko yon, ano nga ba yun kwento nun?
3 - Liked it but I wouldn't read it again.
4 - Loved this book, gushed about it, until the next great book comes along...
5 - This is a keeper. Over my dead body do I give this away or even sell it. ;-)

Mk ba't kinikilo mo ang books mo?

binibenta niya ata.

sa junk shop? Ang kinikilo ko lang e yung mga old newspapers namin

di naman siguro literal. baka ibinibenta niya sa ibang tao. :)

aaaaaah okay, minsan kasi literal ako mag-interpret e *kidding*

I believe there's no such thing as a bad book. I mean, all books are products of someone's creative mind and hard work, it's just so happen that it didn't suit your personal taste/preference. Books are form of art therefore, possess unique beauty. I guess rating system for books would be helpful for people who have same interest/genre/topic.

naku sayang naman ang libro kung sa junk shop, ibenta mo na lang sa recto

Cristina wrote: "I believe there's no such thing as a bad book. I mean, all books are products of someone's creative mind and hard work, it's just so happen that it didn't suit your personal taste/preference. Books..."

Can't it be that bad books are appreciated by people with bad tastes (which won't make the book good at all)? :-)

That sounds pretty harsh

Joyzi (the unofficial goodreads mascot) wrote: "That sounds pretty harsh"

Point made. There is indeed 'absolute harshness' when it comes to statements as there is 'absolute badness' when it comes to books :-D

I think rating a book really has to do with people's different preferences, sometimes there are hype up books that almost all the people I knew love but when I read it, I really don't like it at all but sometimes there are books which most of the people I knew hate or think it was okay but when I read it I find out that I love the book.

Exactly Joyzi. The fact that we rate books differently shows the different preferences we have. We can't judge what others might think about the book just because it didn't suit our taste. I was strongly convinced by my cousins that I wouldn't have liked the HG series. And because of that, it took me months before I finally tried to read the book.
However, when it comes to the quality. I think we can still judge the book if it's a bad or good because our preference is a reflection of how the book suits our taste.

I don't know I just think that reviews not ratings are much helpful for readers because sometimes for example violence. I love reading about violence and gore so I really adore The Hunger Games but my friend who is also a bookworm wouldn't want to even read the book because she dislike reading about violence and killing, something like that.

Let me illustrate it by the things we eat. Some like vegetables, some like meat, some would like fruits and it's OK because they are all fit for eating. But there are things that are just plain bad for eating e.g. fecal matter, soil, rocks, light bulbs, hair. We have heard of cases where people like eating hair, light bulbs, even fecal matter. That doesn't make these things good for eating. These people are just sick. Yes, we have different tastes (which highly varies) but it is wrong to say that there are no bad books. I'll cite the works of Marquis de Sade (the guy where we got the word sadism). Those are just plain bad. Liking those books don't make them good. It simply means there's something wrong with you.

I agree with Joyzi (kailan ka naging mascot?). I look at ratings and reviews as a means to help me choose the next book I will read. But between the two, I tend to put more weight on reviews than on ratings because they allow you to make a more informed choice. But they have to be good reviews, not just, "Loved it" or "Hated it" type of reviews. Nowadays, you don't need to take a chance on a new author because there will always be some kind of review out there.

Luckily, I've only disagreed with some reviewers on minor points. Can't remember when I last used a book as a doorstop. :-)

Ken wrote: "Cristina wrote: "I believe there's no such thing as a bad book. I mean, all books are products of someone's creative mind and hard work, it's just so happen that it didn't suit your personal taste/..."

Bad taste... Then I guess for those with good taste, they already know where they belong and what books they shouldn't read...;-) This is what I meant of the rating system being very helpful for people with same genre or taste. But I still believe that a bad book for one is not necessarily bad for others...it's just a matter of TASTE... :-)

This might be a bit harsh, pero this is what I've done so far in Goodreads.

1 - There's Twilight in the title.
2 - I was forced to read it til the end and I still didn't enjoy it. This goes to the back of my shelf.
3 - Finished it, liked it, but I wouldn't recommend it to my friends.
4 - Finished it, loved it, but it's something I will forget in the future.
5 - Loved it, and I will never forget a single moment reading it.

Will wrote: "This might be a bit harsh, pero this is what I've done so far in Goodreads.

1 - There's Twilight in the title.
2 - I was forced to read it til the end and I still didn't enjoy it. This goes to the..."

So how do you rate New Moon, Breaking Dawn, and Eclipse? Last time I checked there's no "Twilight" in their titles :p

Ken wrote: "Will wrote: "This might be a bit harsh, pero this is what I've done so far in Goodreads.

1 - There's Twilight in the title.
2 - I was forced to read it til the end and I still didn't enjoy it. ..."

Twilight reeked so much that even without the word on the sequels' title, the gross smell carried over.. LOL

yeniwey, i am starting to rank books with "romeo and juliet; me-and-you-against-the-world-because-we-are-so-lame-ass-and-are-not-permitted-to-be-together syndrome" as one big huge BOO!!!!!

Can't we get two protagonists who can actually be together in the beginning and then end up fighting for something else (like aliens or ninjas or whatevers) instead of them fighting for their chance to make lovey-dovey???

Sorry ranting.