Friday, December 12, 2014

Discussion Question: What Makes a 5 Star Read?

I give a decent amount of 4 star ratings to books.  If I really like a book (and I may even say I loved it), I'll give it 4 stars.  I try to reserve 5 stars to books that I really really love.  But what makes me really really love a book?  What makes you?  For me, I think what pushes a book over to a 5 star book is an emotional connection to the characters.  Obviously the plot has to be interesting (unputdownable), if it's a dystopian/fantasy, it has to have solid world-building, and the writing has to be decent (nothing horrible that I notice).  And for it to even get 4 stars, I have to love and connect with the characters to a certain extent.  I mean, if I don't care what happens to the characters AT ALL, it won't even get 4 stars. But for me to rate it 5 stars, I REALLY care about the characters.  If they're in peril, it makes me tense when I'm reading about it.  I think about the characters when I'm not reading the book.  I think about the characters when I'm finished reading the book.  I ship the main characters so hard.  I count down the days until the next book comes out (if it's a series).  I want to reread the book. 

What about you?  What makes you rate a book 5 stars instead of 4?


Posted by:  Pam 

8 comments:

  1. Of course, I have to bond with the characters, really be able to picture the "created" world, etc. Agreed that this is often characterized as thinking about the story/character when I am not reading it. My other "requirement" is that, for me, I would consider it a "classic". Not only would I read it again, but I would recommend it to many, many others from different backgrounds. There are many books that I love but would not recommend. The need to recommend is the key to the 5 star rating for me

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  2. In the past, I kind of felt like I gave books five stars even when they were not quite five-star standard. But, I think that's because I never sat down and reall thought about what a five-star rating really meant. Now, I rarely give books five stars. I probably give most books three stars-- a plain ol' good book. I might even give plenty of books 4 stars-- a great book, with a healthy balance of world building and character development, and if it's part of a series, I might even continue reading. But a five-star book...those are the books that go above and beyond. They are the books that I will carry around with me for a lifetime. The books I will re-read forever and ever.

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  3. Giving a book a 5 star rating is more a feeling then exact sience, although most 5 star books score good on all points I find important like story, characters and world building. But often it's also a bit more, the urge to keep reading and thinking about the book when I am not reading.

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  4. This is a tough question and I'm not sure I am really all that consistent. But I typically give 5 stars to books that packed a lot of emotion for me, and usually more than one emotion. And yes, caring about the characters is part of it, otherwise I probably wouldn't be moved to great lengths. I've tried to cut down the number of 5 stars I give so that those book truly stand out but I don't know how well I am doing hah.

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  5. I feel the same way. I give a lot of 4 stars, or maybe I'll rate it 5 stars on GR but it's actually only a 4.5. For me, it has to have amazing writing that really captures my attention, an undeniable romance that I ship like no other, and it has to linger. My last full 5 star read was I'll Meet You There, which I think I read months ago.

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  6. A five star read for me is a book that a. Even with it's flaws, it's still the greatest thing I've ever read or b. I can overlook it's flaws. I know, those both sound very similar and I'm not sure of the difference myself, but there is one, i'm sure. :)

    I generally have to be very connected or emotionally invested in the characters and the plot. The characters have to be people I'll think about long after the book's done with and I'll just wish there was more. I have to feel everything was executed well and generally it's a book that made me think or re-evaluate my own life (oh my gosh).

    A five star book is a book I'll recommend to anyone and anyone, it's also one I'll rave about all the time, online, offline, even weeks after reading it. It's one I can't get out of my head.

    --Amber

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  7. YES to all of this! I give a lot of 4 stars but not as many 5. And emotional connection to the story is key. I need to be inside the journey. For me, it's not something I'm sure I can measure, though. Great discussion!

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  8. I think 5 stars are the ones that I adored so much that I can't see any problems with them. They're usually the reads that made me feel something substantial. Like a book that moved me so much that it made me cry. It needs to be a book where I actually connect to the characters and care what happens to them. But it's hard for me to really explain what makes a five star read.

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