Book Rating Scale

Several years ago I came across this Book Rating Scale on Bookcrossing.com.

I know that I tend to avoid numerical ratings. I don't care for reducing what I think about a book to a number. Books are so much more than a number rating to me. In addition, I find that I can give a book (or a movie) one rating one day, and a slightly different rating on another day. It's so subjective!

Even though I don't always like numerical ratings, I know that I, too, rely on them when I do see books online at various sites.

I am a member of goodreads.com, librarything.com, and bookcrossing.com, all of which ask for numerical ratings of books chronicled on their sites. Goodreads only offers a 5 point scale. Librarything has a 5 point scale, but it offers the ability to give 1/2 points, which is kind of the same thing as a 10 point scale, isn't it? While this isn't an official bookcrossing.com book rating scale, it's what I've used when I think about rating books on their site. I like that it offers a ten point spread as well as how it describes each level of liking. Or not liking.

So here it is...

Book Rating Scale

(This was the preamble text when I found the scale...)
Note: I took this from katintheboots who took this from booklady331, who took it from Weebaby, who took it from Gizmopuddy, who took it from Sugarkane (now florafloraflora) and Scism. Katintheboots altered it slightly as the ratings are also related to the opinion of the piece as a writer and editor.

10: Excellent, at the top of its category. This book has impacted me deeply, challenged me profoundly, or has simply been a pure delight to read.
9: Great book - just a nitpick stands between it and a 10.
8: Good, solid book that I would recommend to others.
7: Good book, but it didn't grab me in a big way.
6: Decent, but not my type of book.
5: There was nothing remarkable about this book.
4: Maybe somebody else would like this. I didn't enjoy this due to the writing style, editing, or lack thereof.
3: Barely worth reading. The line between taking it and leaving it is very thin.
2: Has major problems. I don't recommend it.
1: It's hard to imagine anyone liking this book.

I know that numerical ratings can be helpful, even if they can also be reductive. There are just too many books movies, songs, artists, MEDIA out there to be able to search concisely without them. Who knows, I might even experiment with using numerical ratings here on this blog!

How do you rate books you read?

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