All I am saying ... is give threes a chance

This is a little ditty about the Goodreads star rating system sung to the tune of Give Peace a Chance. Sing along with me now.

Jana and I have discussed the Goodreads rating system a few times on The Armchair Librarians podcast, Kristen did a post on how she rates books on goodreads, and I may have mentioned here or there that I dislike star rating systems but haven't really talked about how I rate books using a star system.

The simple answer is it varies.

The complicated answer is it varies.

It depends on my state of mind when I close that book for the last time. Anyone who is an avid reader knows a book that is like a punch to the gut in a good way might not pack the same punch if it's re-read again 10 years down the line. You're a different person then. You interact with that same book differently. So much of what we like or dislike about novels is ourselves reflected back at us.

It also depends on the day. In times of contentment, I will typically love a book that makes me yearn for something. If I was giving it a star rating, I'd close that book and give it a four or five. In times of discontent, a part of me will probably hate that same book because I have enough of that going on in reality, but I recognize that it's well done and might give it a three star rating.

I would venture to guess that I rate most books a three on goodreads. It never occurred to me until I was talking to a friend at work that three was a meh rating to most people. She told me she'd not even consider adding a book to her to read list that carried a less than an average four star rating. That blew me away. I was like but you're missing a lot of solid three reads! The three star rating is my workhorse. It didn't blow me away but I still enjoyed the read.

I read whatever I want to read, regardless of what others thought of it. It's always nice to hear people liked it, but even if people didn't, I still might. And if I start it and it sucks, I can just stop. 

At the end of the day, I think you should give a book a chance because you like the title, cover, or description; because a friend liked it; because a friend didn't like it; because you've never heard of it or because it's everywhere; because you want to see if the average five star rating is right or because you want to see if the average two star rating is right; or just because anything about it is whispering read me to you. Know that there are many people out there like me who give arbitrary ratings. Know that everyone could hate a book and you can love it or vice versa and that it's fine. Chart your own reading path!

And give threes a chance.

Show Us Your Books - What I Read in July

As a booknerd, today is my favorite blogging day of the month. It's the Show Us Your Books linkup with me and Jana of Jana Says! Please visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me, as well as a few other blogs who've linked up below so you can get your money's worth and get some book talk going.

But aside from being book talk day, it's my stepmom's birthday. Happy birthday Carol! I'm very lucky to have you in my life and I hope you have a great birthday month.

I liked how I set it up last month with Engrossing Reads / Passed the Time Just Fine / Hard No so I'm going to go with that.

Engrossing Reads

Tiny Little Thing by Beatriz Williams - My authoress queen of the summer strikes again, in a good way. I loved this read.

Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde - I loved everything about this story. The characters, the setting, the dog. All of it.

Passed the Time Just Fine

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen - This is my second foray into Dessen and I liked it just fine. It was a little too teen angsty for me in some areas, but I really liked the character and I liked the big issue which must not be named because we've all found ourselves in a situation before where we've had to stop and say how did I get here? I appreciate that Dessen doesn't go for the easy happy ever after too.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee - I rated this book two stars on Goodreads for this reason: I still have doubts about the circumstances in which it was published, and it reads like what it is - a first draft of a novel that was turned into another novel that is more familiar. I am annoyed with people whining about this book, flaming Lee like she killed their father because of some character failings on the part of Atticus Finch, a much beloved literary character. You guys - she created the characters and can do what she wants with them. And this is actually the first incarnation of Atticus Finch, not the sequel to the Mockingbird Atticus we've put up on a very high pedestal in the literary character world. All that quibbling aside, I think Watchman has some real insight into the racism that hides in the hearts of people in America, and if you can get over the tumbling dialogue, sloppy writing, threads of story that go nowhere, and your notions of what the book should or shouldn't be based on your relationship with TKAM, there is some value in reading this book.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd - Read after Watchman and its commentary on racism and slavery, this book broke my heart in a million pieces. The things done to slaves...I can't even wrap my head around it. Kidd weaves a nice tale, like she always does, falling a little flat in depth of characters. There was so much more to these people, right under the surface. I could feel it but didn't see it in the pages.

American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett - Well. This 662-page behemoth is one of the weirdest books I've ever read. It was totally not my type of read - some science, some paranormal shit, some space shit, some horror - yet I stuck with it and even stayed up past midnight to finish it. Would I recommend it? It takes balls to recommend a 662 page book you thought was okay to someone. So sure, I recommend it, at your own risk and if you have the time or inclination.


Hard No

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll - Everything this book was hyped to be, it was not. Luckily, I don't really buy into hype of any type so I am not disappointed when things aren't as good as they're reported to be. However, this book was just not good period, hype or not. Knoll glosses over some really serious shit and produces the hugest asshole of a narrator that is so fucked up and unreliable that you can't feel bad for her no matter what has happened to her. But I don't need to like characters to like a book as long as the plot and writing are good. No and no on those counts also. Better luck with the movie you're making this into, Reese Witherspoon.

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. The next one is Tuesday, September 8. 

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Non-bloggers, what have you read recently? Let me know what you recommend and what to stay away from. Bloggers, link up your posts below.

An InLinkz Link-up

In with the new

I'm not a resolution maker, because I forget about them by February at the latest. Seasonal goals suit me best, and if you missed it, here's what I'm working on this winter.

That's not to say I don't like to start new things and challenges, because I do. Not just in January, but whenever the mood hits me. This month, here's what I'm working on:

1. Project 52 - I'm no good at photo-a-day challenges even though I take a foolish amount of photos all the damn time. So there's no way in hell I'd succeed at a 365 photo-a-day challenge. Sometimes I think prompts paralyze me and I focus on the prompt so much that I stage it instead of coming across it, which doesn't really suit me. This year, I'm doing a Project 52, which I'll share twice - once at mid year and once at year end. I'll choose a photo from every Thursday to share. Some will be mundane things like dinner or something I've come across that day, and some will naturally be vacation photos and other things that are a little more exciting.

2. Juicing - I've long crapped on juices and smoothies as things I don't like. I'm going to branch out and try to juice some healthy shit in our new Ninja. If it's good, I'll share the recipes. If it's bad I'll tell you to stay away from them.

3. Pantry clean out - I'm full to the gills in the pantry and freezer. Time to use what I have instead of buying more to make recipes that catch my fancy.

4. Activity - I let lazy win in November and December. I was escalating instead of doing the stairs, parking as close as possible, short cutting through the city on errands. I need to increase my activity.

5. Reading - Last year I read 64 books. My 2015 Goodreads Challenge is 60 books. I'll be sharing my most recent reads this Tuesday, January 13, for the next Show Us Your Books link up. I hope you will too.

Things I'm not doing: running anywhere, ever, or giving up coffee.

Last night when it was a windchill of 8 outside, our heater went on the fritz. Good timing, no? No. We have a home warranty and I called at 10 last night and got on the please help me list. Sleeping was quite comfortable, but the main floor is not...it was a balmy 46 degrees this morning. Regardless, it could be worse. We could have no shelter AND no heat. Still hoping for a quick fix but happy to have warm blankets and layers at our disposal.

What's new in your world this month?

Linking up with Amanda for Friday Favorites.

Show Us Your Books! What I Read in November

Link up your posts about the book(s) you've read recently with Jana of Jana Says and me!

Also, every time I type that title I almost type boobs instead of books. 

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The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee by Marja Mills - I only read nonfiction if the subject is intensely interesting to me. Harper Lee, novelist of one of the most important books in American literature? Sign me up. I was delighted for about half the book, then that wore off as the book appeared to become more about the author and her life versus Harper Lee and hers. Mills said 40983498 times that Lee agreed to the book, and now I know why - Lee issued a statement when the book came out saying she didn't voluntarily participate in it. Still, I could've rolled with that if it was more about the life and hometown of Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird and less about Mills.

Everything I never Told You by Celeste Ng - I wanted to send everyone in this family a letter containing one word - COMMUNICATE. I struggled through this book not because the writing was poor but because I felt profoundly sad or disappointed for every character in this book. 

Reunion by Hannah Pittard - I think Pittard could've gotten more depth out of the relationships she began to flesh out in this book, but they were superficially satisfactory. In the beginning I felt like I should've known some of the back story, like this was the second book in a series or something. But overall it was enjoyable and I breezed through this book so it was worth the read in 24 hours.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - The premise of this book is really interesting. It reads like childhood fiction at times, but that's because it sort of is. There's something in it for adults too though. It was a nice imaginative romp. I'll probably go on to read other books in the series. If it had ended here with no books to follow, I would've been really freaking annoyed by the ending.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler - I'd love to have Amy Poehler as a friend. Her generosity of spirit and love for the people in her life is evident in her gracious storytelling. If you're looking for an in depth life study, a play by play of her climb to the top, or a tell all, this is not that book. She skims her life, and it's an enjoyable ride. Still doesn't top my BFF Tina Fey's Bossypants  though.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta - This is a young adult novel, and it comes with all the urgency young adult books centered on females do. But there are legitimately serious issues in here too. But for me neither of those things was what made me love this book hard - it was the writing, particularly the dialogue. The scenes on the bus took me back to my teens. I loved the cast of characters surrounding Francesca. A really quick read that pulled on my memories and made me happy that she found good friends.

The Blessings by Elise Juska - I love reading books that are set in my town, it adds a familiarity that is hard to resist. Told from many different POVs in a sprawling family and spawning many years, it's successful without being disjointed. There are a million little strings that tie us to our families. Juska works them like a Chinese jump rope. And the few pages describing the ride to OCNJ and how things were different at the shore are fabulous.  

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Haikuesday

Cozumel beach day.

Book is libro in Spanish.

Lesson concluded.

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Link up your posts about the book(s) you've read recently with  Jana of Jana Says and me!

This link up will happen the second Tuesday of every month. 

The next one is Tuesday, January 13.
Since I'm on vacation this week, expect to see me comment on the post you link up here when I return!

An InLinkz Link-up

Show Us Your Books! - What I read in September

My friend Jana at Jana Says and I are both big readers. So the second Tuesday of each month we're blogging about the books we read the previous month. We thought we'd do this together, and if any of you readers out there would like to join us, that would be grand. Give a shout in the comments if you'd like it to be a link up.

Like my initial book post about what I read this summer, I will never be summarizing books because others do it better. If you want the book summary, click on the title and it'll take you there in a jif. The purpose of this post is to let you know what I thought of it.

As always, big shout out to the Philadelphia Free Library system for supplying me with all of these books. Much obliged.

My September Reads
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton - I really enjoyed The Secret Keeper when I read it last year. This book gets three stars out of five. I just didn't really click with it.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling - This was an enjoyable read and cemented the fact that I'd like to be friends with Mindy Kaling. Did I like it as much as Bossy Pants by my best friend Tina Fey? No, I did not. But I did like it.

We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas - This book was in all the magazines as the book to read. To be honest, for a while, I was like what the hell is so great about this book? It felt like it would never end - it was 648 freaking pages. I'm glad I stuck with it, but an editor whacking off at least 200 pages would've been a good thing. However it's the author's debut novel so I'm sure he fought for his blood, sweat, and tears to be contained. As far as characters go, Eileen was perpetually disgruntled even when things went her way, so by the time they were really not going her way, I had little sympathy left. The son was an epic turd and the father...What it ends up being about was interesting enough for me to keep reading, but if you don't have the time or the patience, skip it.

Overseas by Beatriz Williams - I have sung the praises of A Hundred Summers and The Secret Life of Violet Grant, both by Williams, on this blog before. This one, not so much. It was like a cross between a soft core Fifty Shades of Grey and a less well written version of The Time Traveler's Wife. The dialogue made me die inside a little - Williams way overdid the cheeky English words. Not my cup of tea, but if it's yours, check it out.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins - It's about, you know, crank...which the main character refers to as the Monster. Written as you see below, it was easy to devour. I can't imagine going down that hole, but I'm sure a lot of people couldn't before they started using. It was hard, subject matter-wise - why the hell would someone do this? What kind of life is this? But those are the same things that made it page turning.

Inside the pages of Crank

Never Fade (The Darkest Minds #2) by Alexandra Bracken - YA dystopian lore, the second in a series (my take on the first can be found here). I enjoyed the second more than the first and will continue with the series. This shit is sort of crazy, but isn't all dystopian lore?

The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad #5) by Tana French - I devoured the first four books of this series that's not a series like you think of a series as being in 2012. The latest one was released in January 2014, and I finally got around to it. It did not disappoint. I had to stay up until past 1 a.m. one night to finish it. I truly enjoyed all of these books and this one was no exception.

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Haikuesday

Slide into a book...

Is reading all day a job?

If not, can it be?

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What was your favorite recent read? Are we friends on goodreads?