Ratings Guide

I rated so many books to give people a framework: please cut me some leeway of, say, a grade either way with the ones I haven’t reviewed (I may have read them several years ago). The growing list of reviewed books are graded more stringently. Watch out for the coloured ratings – they highlight particularly good or particularly bad books.

 

You should also remember this is wildly subjective – what else is a personal book log good for? It’s deliberately more a rating of how much I enjoyed a book rather than how good it necessarily is. Sure I’d expect some crossover, but I admit some well written pieces just weren’t really for me. I may be ‘wrong’ about a book, but it’s harder for me to be wrong about whether I liked it or not. 

 

……….

Grade

/5

In brief

Comment

Recommended Action

Y

E

S

 

B-

2.75

OK-ish.

Borderline.

Only if there’s nothing else around.

B

3

OK.

Readable.

If you stumble across it, why not.

B+

3.5

Good.

Solid. Or maybe OK but with some very good bits.

Read it.

A-

3.75

 

I couldn’t make up my mind between A & B+. Better than the other B+s.

 

A

4

Very good.

Consistency, plus some standout features. Causes physical reactions – laughter, flinching, nodding in agreement etc.

Read it soon.

A+

4.5

Excellent.

Utterly satisfying. Completely enjoyable. And/or something leaps right out of the book to slap you in the face/penetrate.

Buy it now.

A++

5 

Superb.

Breathtaking. A masterpiece.

You’ve already got Lord Of The Rings, I imagine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

N

O

C+

2.7

 

Borderline.

Probably still not even if there’s nothing else around.

C

2.5 

Average

Probably largely dross but with some redeeming feature/s.

Or just not that bad, not that good.

Or good with some nasty flaw/s.

Don’t bother.

C-

2.2

Below average

Some tiny redeeming flotsam in a tide of pap.

Really, don’t bother.

D

2 

Bad

Offensive and/or plain old dross, just not that good.

Avoid it.

D-

1.5

Really bad

Content, style, the lot is nasty.

This could hurt you – be alert and alarmed.

F

1

Vile

Appalling dross, offensive, deeply flawed.

“Nuke it from orbit (it’s the only way to be sure).”