The short answer to the latter question is NO.
My reading experience is actually a big factor to my level of enjoyment of a novel. If I am busy and it takes me weeks to read one book, it will not get as high of a rating if I read it in one day. I wouldn't be as connected to the characters, and I might even forget parts of the plot.
Take one of my most recent reads, Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton, for example. My schedule has been pretty hectic, and reading has taken a back burner. I read the book in three sittings, but they were spread out among 18 days. When I finally sat down and finished the book, I didn't care for the characters as much. Finishing the book suddenly became more important than me completely understanding the book. I didn't get some references from earlier in the book, and I sadly didn't care enough to go back and refresh my memory.
Some of my mediocre reading experience can be attributed to my actions. However, it still spoke to me that after a week of not reading a book, I completely forgot some of what had happened in the first third of the novel. Rebel of the Sands didn't capture my intrigue enough for me to keep thinking and wanting to read it. Should that affect my rating?
To be honest, I think yes. If a book doesn't fully grab me that I'm not stop thinking about it, that means that there is something lacking in the story for me. I've had many experiences lately where I look back at my reading experiences and notice that my rating is very much correlated to it.
A couple month ago, I railed on both The Fill in Boyfriend and Biggest Flirts. Looking back, I wasn't in the right mood for contemporary and yet forced myself to read the two. I was too critical and cynical while reading the books because I wanted to be reading something else the whole entire time. But should I go back and change my rating? Well, that is for a whole entire other discussion post.
Thanks guys for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!
Happy Reading!
Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!