I struggle with this a bit. Even if the book is 3.98 stars, i view that as not passing lowest bar. I consider most 4 stars books to not be there time, but rather the number of stars is how i filter out bad books
Also, how do you use your stars? Do you change your rating often?
For me, it generally goes like this:
- 1 Star -Either its so bad that its offense or i dnf it
- 2 Stars - Either bad or mediocre, not really work any time
- 3 Stars - An okay book with a couple of redeeming points
- 4 Stars - A great book with some flaws that bother me
- 5 Stars - An excellent book, i am jumping in my sits.
Pretty much the definition of "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good", and the evils of perfectionism. Star ratings only speak to super general appeal. A higher rating is less risky to be bad... But the time and place to care about that is such a limited context. What I'm in the mood for or looking for in a moment rarely has anything to do with appealing to the masses, and it's often the kinds of writings I look for to expand my sense of experience & knowledge will lack general appeal.