OP here. Thanks, everyone! I really like the dog show analogy and it makes me feel better that I can, without guilt, rate Lord of the Rings with the same 5 stars as Magic Bites!

Anonymous wrote:I think of it as a dog show. I'm rating for the "breed standard". So if I read a mystery that is amazing within the mystery genre, it gets 5 stars. If I read a Toni Morrison novel that is not as good as her other novels or other modern classics, it gets 3 or 4 stars, even though it's better than the mystery I referenced above.

My star ratings are really about enjoyment and connection and are emotionally given right after I read a book. I also write a review/reflection of every book I read, and that gets into more details.

I like this!

I also reserve 5 stars for books that I absolutely LOVE -- can't put them down, want to tell my friends about them, have some literary merit. So, a book that's a little lightweight but still really enjoyable will get a 4 from me.

I think of it as a dog show. I'm rating for the "breed standard". So if I read a mystery that is amazing within the mystery genre, it gets 5 stars. If I read a Toni Morrison novel that is not as good as her other novels or other modern classics, it gets 3 or 4 stars, even though it's better than the mystery I referenced above.

My star ratings are really about enjoyment and connection and are emotionally given right after I read a book. I also write a review/reflection of every book I read, and that gets into more details.

If I enjoy the book, I’ll give it a good rating, even if it’s not in the same league as actual an “good” book. People browsing Goodreads or Amazon reviews know what kind of book they’re looking for, and so I like to help them find the quality trash.

If you read cheesy romance novels and you read one and it is the best one you've ever read, then yeah -- give it five stars.

People like me will roll their eyes at it. But who cares, I'm not going to read it anyway.

I'm sure I'm overthinking this but can't seem to let go of it. I read a wide variety of books including books that are are 'low brow' but have a good story that engages me. I recognize the 'worth' of those books (sometimes found on Kindle Unlimited) are no where near the 'worth' of a classic book. Should that make a difference in how I rate the lowly book versus the lofty book? Should my rating of the Ilona Andrews, Jesse Mihalek, Michelle Diener, T.A. White books be lower than the JRR Tolkien, JD Salinger, Toni Morrison books? If I were to give Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring 5 stars, can I give Ilona Andrew's Magic Bites 5 stars. I can't use category to differentiate them. There are low brow and lofty books in every category.

The Fellowship of the Ring is in a completely different category than Kate Daniels books. I am highly engaged with both of them but which I read depends on my mood. KWIM?