Today I want to give you a behind the scenes look at how I choose the star rating for each of our reviews! The image above is the grading rubric (think college term paper grading) I’ve been using the past few months. It takes into account 5 categories: how do I feel about the book after I finish, how many mistakes (factual, grammatical, etc) did I notice, how enjoyable was the style of the book, how well were the characters developed, and would I recommend this to a friend. Each category is given a different weight in the final overall score:
How do I feel about a book after I finish – 50%
Ok, this category is 100% subjective. It also holds half the weight of the total score because I think you can have a book you absolutely love, that still has mistakes, or the style is not great, or there’s that one character that just really needed some more backstory. I’ve also had some books here that I gave a 1 in this category that received high marks in others. But in the end, it really is about what I feel about the book, which is why it’s valued so high.
How many mistakes did I notice – 10%
Disclaimer: I am not the best proofreader in the world. It’s why I’m glad I have tools like spell check and grammar suggestions! Professional writers have an editor or two that check behind them, and even fact checkers. This section grades that whole team – writer, editor, fact checkers. And if I noticed the error…you deserve to have points taken off. Again, not the best proofreader! A recent example that still haunts me: a writer said the character was in California and went west to get to the ATLANTIC Ocean. That’d be one heck of a drive…
How enjoyable is the style of the book – 15%
A while back, I read a biography of Alexander Hamilton…all 800 pages. It was written like a textbook and was a challenge for me to get through. It got a 1 in this category. You’ll see a 3 in this category says “Hallmark Movie” – while I enjoy Hallmark movies as much as the next woman, I want more character development and substantive storylines in my reading. Most romance novels will get a 3 here.
How well were the characters developed – 15%
Character development is one of those things that’s a fine line – the writer has to get the character they intimately know out of their head and on the page, but you also can’t load down readers with too many details at once. Walking that fine line is the difference between following the story and not understanding why the character decided on a certain action. It can also be the difference between getting bored with the minutia of the backstory and enjoying the details as they unfold!
Would I recommend it to a friend – 10%
This final category is all about the blog for me. Would I put my stamp of approval on the book and ask you to go buy a copy? That Alexander Hamilton biography got a 2 in this category. Some self-development books have recently received a 1 here. If a book received a 5 overall score, it got a 5 here!
The trouble with a rubric like this is that the score is never even, so how do we determine how many stars to give a book? Rounding looked good at first, but I took a page from those college grading rubrics and have a scale that allows for only the best books to get that coveted 5-star rating:
5 Stars – 4.85 or higher
4 Stars – 3.75-4.85
3 Stars – 2.9-3.75
2 Stars – 1.5-2.9
1 Star – under 1.5
Now that I’ve shared a bit about how I determine the star rating I give these books, I hope you have a better idea of what makes a great book in my eyes!
Do you agree or maybe have suggestions? Share them in the comments!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Abigail Adams: A biography, Janet Whitney
- Current audio book: The Butterfly Collector, Tea Cooper
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Triptych, Karen Slaughter
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