Review system

I have noticed that I am giving more and more books three looks, and this troubles me. There is a huge spectrum in my three looks than is apparent in the number alone. It could be just a notch above two, which I consider a bit of an insult and means that I probably will not read more bu that author. But it's not quite a four, which means to me that I will think about the book often after reading it. I really need a scale of one to ten to adequately rate many books.

To help with this, I decided on a picture system. That way, when I finish a book, I can choose the picture to which I most relate as I think of said book.


Here is my picture for one-look books. This is a book that I have either invoked the "100 page rule" on or finished and thought it was just terrible. I think the boy here says it all. He has just taken medicine or perhaps he has been kissed by an overweight and equally overbearing distant relative. Maybe he walks in the house from an afternoon of playing outside to smell the cooking of broccoli (and you know how cooled broccoli stinks - why is that?).  He is my perfect one look face. I will cross this author off my TBR list.

 

My choice for two looks is this sad feline. This is not the look of a terrible book, as seen above, but the look of complete disappointment. I invested the time to read (and finish!) the book and I will never be able to retrieve that lost time. The book was not worth it and I probably will not read more by this author, unless it comes highly recommended.



This is where most books fall for me. I hate to call a three-look book average or mediocre, but the fact of the matter is that it has simply and only met my expectations. It was well-written and I will probably read more by that author. I will not, however, think of the book later, will easily be able to pick up another book, and will not rush out to recommend it to others.



I love this picture! It portrays exactly how I feel about four-look books. This is a book that I really don't want to rush to the end because I want it to last a bit longer. What keeps it from being five looks? Perhaps it is a bit predictable. Perhaps the writing style is somewhat common. Perhaps the reading level is lower than it could have been. Whatever the reason, I will talk this book up and add the author's other words for reading in the near future.  



And this is five looks. Love, consuming, aflame. These are books that I could not put down, will read again, bought after reading, took in my purse so I could share with others, couldn't get out of my mind, read the same author immediately and still think of weeks, months and years later. There aren't many in this category.

 Now, with all of this explained, I scratch my head at times over the scores that I have given books in the past. Perhaps the book really spoke to me at that point in my life and I gave it five looks (Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie comes immediately to mind, which I would never give more than four looks today, and very probably three at the most). However, I am loathe to change a score once I have conferred it because it speaks to my impression at that time.

I am also curious about my own reluctance to bestow five looks. I think a book must be life-changing to achieve that score. The whole thing makes me chuckle and I remind myself that this is just for fun...