Am I just growing as a reader? Or have I suddenly becoming a harsher critic for another reason? Has my rating scale changed?
I think the answer to that last question is yes. I used to give out four stars to any book that I enjoyed but didn't wow me. Now, I give out three stars for that. A four star book for me is now a book that I have not only enjoyed, but stood out from the crowd in certain ways. Maybe the book is more diverse, or it exceeded my expectations by having less YA cliches. A five star book? Well, that's practically impossible now. Not only do I have to thoroughly enjoy myself, I expect some character development and a plot that I have practically no flaws with. 
You can see the way I've become harsher in my rating on my goodreads page. Last year, I had 25 books that made in on my 2015 favorites shelf. I have a mere two books on my 2016 favorites shelf right now. Maybe I just haven't been picking up the right books, but I don't think that is it. Looking book at some of my 'favorites' last year, I've seen books that I don't remember that well and didn't leave a lasting impact on me. If the book didn't do that for me, then I don't think it should be under 'favorite' shelf. 
Looking at my stats this year, I have rated half of the books I've read (18/36, for all you math people) three stars or less. Only 42/123 books I read last year have a rating of three stars or less. That is 34 percent of my reading, or around 1 out of every 3 books. Now, one out of every two books I read will get a rating of three stars or less. 
But I am NOT having a bad reading year. I've enjoyed both of my latest reads, even though they each only received 3 stars. Just because something got three stars doesn't make it bad, it just means the book was good, not great. So I am going to go with this: I am growing as a reader, and with that I am not only becoming a harsher critic, but my rating scale is going to change along with me. Just because I gave something four stars a year ago doesn't necessarily mean that I would give it the same rating now. I am happy with what I am reading, even if it doesn't necessarily look that way with statistics.
What about you guys? Has your rating system ever changed?
Thanks guys for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!
Happy Reading!
Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!
Very interesting post - to a degree I'd say I'm becoming more picky in mine as well. I guess I'm more willing to give a more critical view now.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I've definitely noticed that the more I read, the more I become more critical.
DeleteI think all of our rating scales change over time, but they probably never really stop changing, you know? And I know that once I started actually reviewing books, I started to get a lot more critical and started noticing all the flaws and things that I didn't before. But I've always been extremely picky with my five stars, and I don't see that changing.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I try not to fret too much about my ratings because it's the reviews themselves that really count. Everyone rates things differently, and it's all so subjective. So as long as you're happy, which you said you are, well, that's what matters!
Hey Kristen! I've noticed the same thing as well. I used to give out five stars pretty often, but now they are few and far between.
DeleteThanks for the advice. I've decided to not stress about it. Who says my rating station might be completely different a year from now?
Thanks!
I've noticed my rating style has changed too! I don't really know what to make of it. But I think it's a sure sign that we're growing as readers, developing our own standards, and being able to better single out the good books from the great :)
ReplyDeleteGreat point of view Erika! I definitely think that my changing in reading tastes and rating system go hand in hand. If I'm becoming a more critical reader, I'm going to become a more critical reviewer as well! Thanks for stopping by. :)
DeleteI also noticed this with me. My average rating is only 3.33, which make me seems like I don't enjoy most of the books I read. But I did! I just don't think those book deserves more than 3 stars (or even 4 sometimes). I think our reading taste have evolved because we have read so many books over the past couple of years, it's hard to find a book that's original or worth that 5 stars rating from us :D I think we just get pickier with what we're reading.
ReplyDeleteTasya // The Literary Huntress
Really good point! I completely agree with you. Books that might have stood out a couple years ago are just normal reads to me now! I think I've honed in on what I like this past year that I've become more picky giving five starts to. Thanks for stopping by Tasya! :D
DeleteThis post was so interesting! I definitely agree that I have become a more critical reader through my time blogging and bookstagramming! I also think part of that comes from after reading more books, you expect more from the books you are reading now (if that makes sense), like after reading so much YA or of one genre you begin picking out the flaws more often, or at least I do.
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion! :)
I think it comes with more experience in the book community. And that definitely makes sense. I've been doing the same thing. :)
DeleteThank you so much!