Saturday, November 30, 2013

Discussion: Dude...why do you give out so many 5 star ratings??


I don't know if many people would have noticed, but I give out a LOT of 5 star ratings. I also give out a lot of 4 stars. I know that some people don't "trust" reviewers who give out high ratings, so I thought I'd explain why I give out so many high ratings.

I think the main reason why my ratings are so high is that my rating system seems to be quite different to what other bloggers have. A lot of the blogs I follow seem to "save" their 5 star ratings for absolute favourites- for those books which just blow your mind and leave you with a book hangover for days (...not that I've ever had a book hangover myself, but you get what I mean.) However, my rating system is pretty different. My 5 stars simply means "really liked it." And, you know, obviously a lot of books are going to be able to fit that category. Observe: this is an infographic from Goodreads of the number of 5 star ratings I've given out so far this year compared to other ratings:









Indeed that is a lot of 5 star ratings. More than any other category, actually. This is probably because I mostly only read books that I expect to enjoy. I don't go picking up books that have really low GR ratings or books from series that I haven't enjoyed and such (unless I feel like writing a snarky review haha).

You might have noticed that sometimes, under my star rating in reviews, I write different things depending on the book. There are three special categories for books which exceed the "really liked it" category.

The first is "incredible". This is pretty self explanatory I suppose. These are books that I just think deserve more than just 5 stars. There still might be a few flaws, but on the whole, these books are pretty perfect. I own almost all of the books in this category (or have them on my wishlist). There are currently 190 books on my incredible shelf (out of 1369 books)

Then I have "favourite". This basically just means any book that I love to read over and over again. There are very few books in this category in proportion to how many books I've read. Currently there are 53 books on my favourites shelf.

The last category which is related to the blog name is "panacea candidate". This is a book that we want everyone to read. Please read quote in sidebar. THAT. All of my panacea candidates are in my favourite category, but not all favourites are panacea candidates. Which means that this category is the smallest of them all. You can have a look at all of my PCs up to about June of this year in the Panacea Candidate tab up top. There are currently 25 Panacea Candidates.

So that's it for my rating system. Hopefully it explains why I have so many reviews with 5 star ratings.


What about you? How sparing are you with your 5 star ratings? Do you think my rating system is weird? (If you say no, you're lying. It is weird. Even I admit that haha.)



37 comments:

  1. Haha yes, I'm one of those who "''save" their 5 star ratings for absolute favourites." I give 4 stars (on Goodreads, I no longer do the rating thing on my blog) to books I really enjoyed. "I mostly only read books that I expect to enjoy. " - Me too. I gave out a LOT of 4 stars this year :)
    Oh, I like your special categories . Especially "panacea candidate" :) I don't give them special titles, but I, too, have "favorites" shelves on GR for books I especially <3.

    Aaand, I'm one of those people who doesn't really like to review bad books (I give them a low rating on GR and move on) so my blog is full with positive reviews, thus I definitely do NOT think that reviewers who rate a lot of books 5 stars are less trustworthy :)

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    1. Well as you can see I pretty much only give out 4 and 5 stars haha. I think I'm just not really a picky reader- I like all sorts of genres and writing styles :)

      I dunno, reviewing bad books is kind of fun haha. Bring out the snark! But yeah, I agree, I definitely don't think that either! To be honest, I don't think I even notice when one blogger has a lot of positive reviews because I visit so many blogs I can't actually keep track.

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  2. I love how everyone uses their own systems for rating! It's not that I don't trust someone with only 5-stars, but sometimes it's only natural in my eyes to have books you dislike. You just can't like everything, even when you expect to love a book. I'm someone who saves the 5 stars, but I'm not too picky either. I even have a 5+ for the very special books :)

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    1. Oh, I definitely have books I dislike! Not that many as seen in the GR infographic, but they're definitely there. I think I'm not too picky with books so if a book is even somewhat enjoyable then I'll err on the side of 3 stars (therefore "okay") rather than 2 stars (dislike). 1 stars are pretty much only for DNFs.

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  3. I've always been more "generous" on the stars and every year I have more 5 stars than anything else, but that is because I really look for books I will enjoy. I am the pickiest reader. If I don't think I'll enjoy it or I read a few pages and it doesn't catch my attention, I put the book down. So I think it's a given that I enjoy the majority of books I read. Like you, I also have a favorites list where I list the books that I loved enough to reread.

    P.S. Your reads for this year look fantastic. I wish I could read 300 books :) That's a goal to work towards!

    -Mari

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    1. Yeah I'm definitely on the generous side as well. I'm the opposite though- not really a picky reader at all haha. So I just enjoy most of the books I read :P

      Why thank you! My reading goal is 400, and I'm almost there :D

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  4. Wow that is a LOT of 5-star reviews! I'm definitely one of those people who "saves" the 5 stars for extra special books, but I try not to be too picky about it. And, like you, I do sort of think about it in categories (although for me it's only in my mind), with some 5-star books being in their own "elite" class or something haha.

    Also...how do you get that infographic on Goodreads? That's so cool!

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    1. haha yeah I used to have the "elite class" only in my mind as well, but then I realised I may as well make a GR shelf for it. Easier to keep track!

      Go to your profile and click "stats". It's under the shelf list just next to "cloud" :)

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  5. I definitely save my 5 star reviews. I treat my review system like a bell curve. Most reviews are 3s, I have a few 2s and 4s, and very few 1s and 5s.

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    1. Yeah, I can definitely see why some people might save their 5 stars :)
      Mine is clearly not a bell curve haha. But if you put the special categories in as well, I guess it would be much more of a bell curve...

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  6. I'm with you! I wouldn't say I hand out my 5 star reviews like they are nothing but I don't really understand the point of saving them for only perfect books. My 5 star reviews just mean that I am going to definitely be reading this book again because I loved it. When I really, really love a book I will attach a rating like "all the stars" or something. Plus, like you, I'm usually only reading books I think I will like. I hardly ever start a book knowing that I won't be able to stand it.

    I guess in my opinion I like to use all ends of the rating scale.

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    1. My "definitely rereading the book again" are the "incredible" ones :) 5 stars is just "really liked it" so pretty much every book I read fits that category haha.

      I try to use all ends as well, but the "saving" of ratings does take place for 1 star books. They're only for DNFs :)

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  7. I'm pretty much just like you! I give out tonnes of 5 STARS too. Like you said, I usually don't pick up a book unless I know I'd probably like it. Normally, if I can't find anything I don't like in the book, I give it a 5. If there's something a bit off, I give it a 4 and so on. Instead of savouring my 5 STARS, I have a favourites shelf too, haha. :3 The Panancea Candidate thing is definitely an awesome idea!

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    1. Yeah exactly! Not much point in picking up a book that looks terrible, or has a 2 star average rating on Goodreads. Favourites shelf! *High fives* Love it :D

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    1. btw to random people reading this the above person is my brother. My silly brother.

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  9. I never for once questioned you about your 5 star ratings because I have the same system of book selection when I just started blogging. I am so picky about the books that I am going to read to the point that I wouldn't buy any book written by an author that I have not heard of. Or I wouldn't pick up one if it does not make it to the top 10 bestseller's list. But after months of blogging, I changed my system and dove into the unknown.

    I am still picky though but I am more open to pick up books even if they do not make it to the top 10 or if the author is a new one. But sometimes, the Fates can really be cruel. Even if I picked up a book because I thought that I would like it, the contrary would still happen after reading a book.

    And I just realized that I am very greedy about my 5 stars because I am more of a calculator person. Even if I really enjoyed the book to hell, I wouldn't hesitate in taking out stars if I find a glaring flaw that couldn't be saved by the other awesomeness of the book.

    Anyway, don't be worried about the people questioning your rating system, Nara. It's your opinion.

    Great discussion post!

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    1. I actually do the same thing that you used to do- I usually don't buy a book if it's an author that I've never heard of. Most of the time I'll borrow from the library- my local libraries are thankfully usually pretty well stocked.

      It definitely sucks when you buy a book that you don't like. I even feel weird putting it on my bookshelf because it looks like an impostor among the other awesome books haha.

      That's a good policy to take. My blog, my rating system, my opinion? lol

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  10. I also give out a lot of high rating reviews :) 4 and 5 stars are my most common. I try not to read books I hate, y'know? lol there's a couple I've had for review where I've gone 'uh oh, this is crap but I have to keep reading...*internally weeps*' but if I wasn't obligated to review, I'd just put it down and not finish (I tend to not rate DNF books...unless they're so horrifically awful I can't help myself - this has happened once so far!)

    I think I might start a favourite section at some point, because there's some books/series that I think everyone needs to read, but not all my 5 star books make me want to push them on to others (I do realise that makes me sound like a...junkie book dealer :P )

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    1. YOU UNDERSTAND ME! *high fives*
      Oh god, it's the worst when you get a book for review and then you hate it. Sometimes if I've just hated it that much I'll tell the author/publisher that I don't want to review it haha. I actually rate DNF books 1 star, because if they were so horrifically bad that I can't finish them, they clearly deserve 1 star. That's just me though :)

      LOL I definitely do that too. Every time I find out that someone likes reading I'm like READ TFIOS!!! And I always push books onto my brother to read haha.

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  11. Oh my gosh. I so feel the same way! I was actually thinking about this a few days ago. I give so many high ratings and I'm not sure if people would trust that. But I honestly just love so many books that I tend to give out a lot of 5 stars. I base it more on my overall enjoyment of the book, even if there are some flaws.

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    1. YES EXACTLY! It's definitely more the enjoyment. Although I guess with my special categories, I'm a LOT pickier, and even a few small flaws will usually be the difference between 5 stars and 5 stars + incredible :)

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  12. I really wish I could say the same thing (that I also give out a lot of 5 stars), but I'm super picky when it comes to giving out ratings. I think I give out a lot of 4 and 3.5 stars. I think it all just depends on our rating system and of how 'strict' we are when it comes to giving out stars. I guess I'm a tough rater? Lol.

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    1. Nah, that's fair enough. Different ratings systems :)
      If I didn't have my special categories, I actually would probably be a lot more picky with my 5 stars too. But because I have that extra barrier of "incredible" which is basically "6 stars", I feel like I can give out my 5 stars pretty freely.

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  13. I'm not picky when it comes to 5 stars. I don't think your system is bad at all. I don't look at a book's rating when I choose it though, simply because I've been fooled by those ratings before. Or I've found that I really loved a book, when apparently no one else did (that's okay, I'm unique. Not sure if that's a good thing though :P ) It's really easy to get a 4 stars from me. And like you said, the books I really, really loved (and these are usually the ones that I'll end up rereading later on) always get 5 stars from me.

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    1. I still go by book ratings if they're really low. I mean, I don't want to read a book with a GR rating of 1 or something (although it also depends on how many ratings there are). I've definitely been fooled by them too though, but mostly with high ratings on books that I hate (I find this happens a lot with NA books)

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  14. When I started blogging, I gave out a lot of 2 and 3 star reviews, because I was reading anything and everything because I was so lost in the sea of books. Now I've made some friends who recommend books to me, and I've narrowed my focus of what I like. So I'm very much like you in that I don't read a book unless I know I'm going to like it, or expect to like it! I guess I'm just a lot pickier now, but I give out a lot of 4 and 5 star ratings for whatever books I do end up reading.

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    1. Yeah I find that's a better way of going about things. I mean, kind of screening your books means that you're going to enjoy more of them! Not enough time to waste some of it on reading crappy books :)

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  15. I don't reserve 5-stars for "best book evers", but I reserve it for books I REALLY liked. I give out more 4-stars then 5. Buuut, just because I give a book 3-stars (to me) doesn't mean it's not a good book! My rating system is a bit weird too, I guess. It's only 2 and below that I kind of hated.

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    1. Yeah my 3 stars doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad book either. Just means it's okay. Not bad, but not good :)
      2 is dislike and 1 is hate (basically all of these are DNFs)

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  16. I give 5 stars ratings to books that "blow my mind" but quite a few books that are 4 stars I still really enjoyed. I actually do give a lot of low ratings too for books I couldn't stand, good to provide views across the board that way.

    Jeann @ Happy Indulgence

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    1. I definitely give low ratings for books I can't stand, but I think I'm just really not a picky reader because I haven't really encountered THAT many books that I've hated. I guess the screening with the GR rating also comes into that.

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  17. For me, it's the 4-star rating which means "really liked it," and 5-stars... well, a book doesn't have to be incredible to get 5 stars, but it just has to have a little something special. I have to connect to it in some way that sets it apart from 4-star books. I think the difference between a 4- and 5-star book for me is more an emotional thing than the difference between any other division.

    I do have a lot of books with lower stars. I don't purposely rate on a curve, like Pamela D above, but my ratings do end up in a sort of bell curve because I like branching out and taking chances on books that are new to me.

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    1. I totally get the emotional thing! The difference between 4 stars and 5 stars for you sounds quite similar to the difference between 5 stars and 5 stars + incredible for me!

      I actually do branch out and take chances on new books too! I do it quite a bit actually. But it seems that I'm just not a particularly picky reader and enjoy all sorts of genres and writing styles. So that probably explains the lack of low rated books :)

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  18. I have a LOT of 3 and 4 star ratings on my blog. I save the 5 stars for AMAZING books I would force people to read. 2.5 stars is basically for me a book I wouldn't suggest . I think I've written a 1 star review once. I avoid those because I don't have any way of saying that I hate the book and I don't want to relive it

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    1. I actually like bringing out the snark haha. I find it can be pretty fun writing 1 star reviews :P
      But I can see where you're coming from in that you don't want to have to look through the book for quotes and things like that when you write the review :)

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