The 5 Star Kid...

[VydorScope]

I think this is very apporaite to this thread...




EDIT: source of image: https://xkcd.com/937/

[Frida Fantastic]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

I think this is very apporaite to this thread...

Awesome and appropriate!

In a response to the OP, the way I see it, these websites have a 5 star rating system for a reason, so why not use the full scale rather than using it as a binary Facebook like button? Having an informative and detailed review is more important than the rating system, but still, I'd like that rating to correspond more closely to the professionalism of the book and the reader's enjoyment. Just my POV.

I think have rating systems a lot because I'm a book blogger, and if I have an arbitrary or not helpful system for my readers, then I don't as many readers--simple. I use a five star rating system without half stars (because the review itself will say plenty about why I use that particular star rating):

5 stars
A masterpiece. Truly enjoyable, no or minimal errors (10 or less super minor errors like backward quotation marks), and there is really nothing I'd change about it. The full package and more. It's a book I'd plug at any given opportunity just because I think it's worth sharing.

4 stars
Great to excellent. Enjoyable and highly recommended. May have some errors, but doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the book. I mention any errors in my review if it exceeds 10 minor errors, and I also mention my nitpicks just so the readers have a sense of the scale of professionalism and who is more likely to enjoy it.

3 stars
Okay to good. It's enjoyable and recommended, but I was looking for something a little bit more.

2 stars
I didn't enjoy it and I don't recommended it. But perhaps others would take an interest.

1 stars
No one will enjoy it, it's a waste of time in its current form.

Looking at my Goodreads profile (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4...e-book-blogger), my ratings do seem to follow the bell curve as most books fall into 3s and 4s, and less often 2s and 5s. 15% are 5 stars, 37% are 4 stars, 37% are 3 stars, 11% are 2 stars, 0 are 1 stars. I don't give books 1 star ratings because I sample books before I read them, and being picky at the moment of selection usually helps with finding stuff that's worthwhile for me to read. My toughest problem is with the books that fall between 3 and 4 stars. Other reviewers will stick at "3.5" but to me, that's still 3 stars. Then I decide on how much it engaged me while I was reading it, and to what extent I was looking for something more.

[Giggleton]

I'm not even sure it's worth bothering with star/thumb reviews anymore. There might still be a place for critical reviews of literature but that is neither here nor there.

Most of the time, simply sending the book to someone should suffice in lieu of a review. The act of sending the book implies that you thought the book was good...

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Which is the law that an opinion from one of your friends is worth more than the opinions of millions of strangers. At least for me that's true.

[Frida Fantastic]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

^Which is the law that an opinion from one of your friends is worth more than the opinions of millions of strangers. At least for me that's true.

It's true for everyone, but not everyone's friends are avid readers or open to books from indies :P That's where strangers from the internet come in. If you find a couple whose reviews you find useful and/or generally agree with, then it's like having more friends. Trust takes a while to establish, but when it happens, they stop being strangers to you.

I have a Netvibes page dedicated to SF/F reviewers of both legacy-pub and indie-pub stuff, and they play a huge role in if I would buy highly anticipated releases or check out a new author. I read a lot and I write thorough book reviews weekly... but I can't be everywhere. So the next best thing is to rely on other people to tell you what's happening on the periphery. I get my SF/F book fix from my trusted bloggers and online friends, my RL friends just don't read that much. If I could only rely on my RL friends for book recommendations, I'd only get 10 year old China Mieville books.

[MrsJoseph]

I rarely give 5 stars, I tend to 3 & 4 stars for the most part. For a book to get 5 stars from me means that I feel it was WONDERFUL and it is getting re-read right this minute.

I also review for a small booksite and I have noticed that I grade harder than a lot of people on my site. In fact, because it's a review site and not my personal review site I've given some thought to quitting - I end up with a lot of crappy books to review. I make better choices for myself and I don't think it's quite fair for me to continue to review books I would have never chosen for myself.

[Frida Fantastic]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

I also review for a small booksite and I have noticed that I grade harder than a lot of people on my site. In fact, because it's a review site and not my personal review site I've given some thought to quitting - I end up with a lot of crappy books to review.

Euugh that stinks! What's the system like? I feel like whenever I review a book I didn't like, I could have spent that same time reading and reviewing a book I *did* like, which is why I give everything I'm considering reviewing a healthy sample before I get back to the author. In that case, putting your valuable reading time to stuff you actually enjoy is probably a good idea.

[MrsJoseph]

Originally Posted by Frida Fantastic

Euugh that stinks! What's the system like? I feel like whenever I review a book I didn't like, I could have spent that same time reading and reviewing a book I *did* like, which is why I give everything I'm considering reviewing a healthy sample before I get back to the author. In that case, putting your valuable reading time to stuff you actually enjoy is probably a good idea.

Ahhh, I wish! It's a site set up in a way that I have to pick a book based upon the blurb (and if I'm really, really lucky I also get a short excerpt) alone. The site has a mixture of small press, self-published, and the occasional traditionally known press. I've taken to ignoring the extra small presses as well as the self-published. My luck has just been too bad...

[Frida Fantastic]

Originally Posted by MrsJoseph

Ahhh, I wish! It's a site set up in a way that I have to pick a book based upon the blurb (and if I'm really, really lucky I also get a short excerpt) alone. The site has a mixture of small press, self-published, and the occasional traditionally known press. I've taken to ignoring the extra small presses as well as the self-published. My luck has just been too bad...

That sounds like a nightmare. Unless it's a well known independent press, I treat all small press fiction like self-published fiction: quality really varies. Can't you press them to make a sample available before you commit to reviewing? Descriptions usually don't mean crap, some of the best descriptions have the worst books.

The whole quality-issue-need-to-sample-thing is also the reason why I don't accept ARCs (despite having been offered several), because I want to review the final ebook edition, so I can tell the public that it's good on all areas of story, formatting, etc.