The year is just past half over. I’ve read a lot of books this year. A lot. I haven’t been keeping up with my reading journal this year, but I’ve posted over 60 reviews right here of children’s picture books, YA novels, adult fiction and memoirs, and audiobooks across several genres. That’s not all of the books I’ve read, but it’s close.
Within the span of two weeks, I finished a few that I really liked. I thought about that 5-star designation, but could they all be 5-Star Reads? Did I just happen to read a few really great books within the span of a month? It caused me to overthink my choices. After all, they can’t ALL be 5-Star reads, so I decided to look into it.
The first thing I did was look back over our 5 Star Reads page.
As a team, we have put 17 books on the list in 2011. Seven of them are mine (but I think that I’ve also posted the most reviews). Am I an easy read? I don’t think so. I know what I tend to like, and so those are the books I select from the fabulous books that publishers and PR firms offer us. Because of that, most books are what I’d consider 4-Star, highly recommended. Some are 3 or 3.5, which means that I’m not really sorry I read them, but they either have some flaws in plot or writing, or it just wasn’t my thing. But some that are either particularly well-written or speak to me in a big way get marked as best of the best. Seven books out of 60+ that I’ve read this year — that’s just over 10% – pretty reasonable.
I felt justified, but I wrestled some more and decided that Russian Winter was definitely going to be a 5 Star Read. It surprised me. I think that I feel like it’s the sort of book that I should like — a sweeping saga that takes place under a communist regime — but I sometimes get bogged down in stories that I should like. But the truth was that it sucked me right in, and I’ve thought about the characters long since finishing.
But even if a book can’t be the best of the best, a 4-star read is still a book that I find myself recommending over and over, and so even though these 4+ – star books won’t be archived forever on our 5 Star Reads page, I wanted to soothe my tormented soul by giving them a little shout out here. They are each linked to my original review:
- Joy for Beginners – This one and Russian Winter were the books that I finished within a week that initially caused my 5-star evaluation. I remember feeling exactly the same way about Erica Bauermeister’s first novel, School of Essential Ingredients. I decided that they were both 4.5 stars, which is nothing to sneeze at.
- Rob Lowe: Stories I Only Tell My Friends — I’m still wrestling with this one, and it’s another 4.5+. The reason is that beyond taking me back over 25 years of popular culture, I was surprised by the information that was included about the acting craft. Riveting is the word I kept using to describe it. I’m still not sure that this one doesn’t deserve a spot on the list.
- Girl in Translation is a novel that is based on the author’s real life, which makes it read a bit like memoir, about a young girl immigrating from Hong Kong to Brooklyn with her mom, excelling in school while working in a sweatshop. I was fascinated and horrified by Ah-Kim’s life, while also amazed at her courage.
- Nerd Camp is a middle-grade novel that Amanda and I read together, full of humor and heart, which are definitely qualities that push middle grade fiction into that “must read” category for me.
We do think long and hard about the books that we give the 5 Star Reads label, signifying the best of the best. The page is permanently linked on our sidebar, with the most recent recommendations directly linked from the sidebar. They are sorted by category, so we hope that you will use it as a resource when looking for a can’t-miss read for your bookclub or a long trip or the perfect picture book to gift to a favored child.
Jennifer Donovan rarely meets a book she doesn’t like, whether a book is a 3-star “okay” read or a 5-star “memorable” book. When she ends up with one below that, she usually puts it aside in search for more satisfying stories. She blogs at Snapshot in a more “okay” than “memorable” fashion.
Dawn says
What funny timing with this post. Just this morning, JAM and I were updating his shelfari account with the books that he’s read in the last few weeks. He gave three books in a row a five star rating AND the “favorite” check. I didn’t push it with him, but I think he’s like me in that he knows the types of books that he likes, and when he chooses from that category, he’s easy to please. 🙂
I struggle sometimes with keeping my 5 Star Reads label under control on here. But, I think I then tend to be extra critical, so ones that I’ve labeled as 5SR are more like TEN STARS, since I’m making myself be really picky!
Jennifer says
When I looked at statistics, I felt more than justified. I read more than the average person, and 10 – 15% of books seems right. I only accept books that appeal to me, which means that unless I get it wrong, it’s going to start at 3 or 4 star.
It’s easier for me on my amazon reviews, because since they don’t have 1/2 stars if it’s 4.5 +, I go ahead with the 5 star label there, but not here.
I actually just read one from Vine that would have been 3 or 3.5, but then it had a totally unsatisfying ending, so I’d have to say it’s a 2.5. First time I’ve gone that low in a while!
Victoria says
I know exactly what you mean about sometimes feeling too generous when forming your opinions about books. Sometimes it feels much too good to be true when you read three or four amazing books in a row, and wonder “Maybe I’m just in love with reading itself, and not a good judge of what a ‘good book’ is.” Sometimes it makes me nervous when I recommend books to other people as well-“Well, I thought this was good, but I like reading in general better than this person… was it good enough for someone who doesn’t love reading as much…?” and so on.
Jennifer says
You’re right, Victoria. And that is one criteria I think about “Is this a book that anyone (or most people) would love?” But I’ve been burned there, when I recommended a book that really moved me to a friend and she didn’t like it at all — but it still is awesome to me.
Victoria says
Yes, recommending a book is a very personal experience. I actually read a book (unfortunately I can’t remember the title or author) that was about one woman’s goal to read a book a week for a year, and to write about it. There was a section dealing with how personal recommending books is that I thought summed everything up very nicely. Basically it talked about how everyone’s life experiences make them read books differently, so something very meaningful to you might not be meaningful to another.
Jennifer says
I’m reading that book right now, and in fact, I just finished that section!
It’s called Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading
Victoria says
Interestingly, it’s actually not! Haha. Guess it’s not an uncommon theme.
Jennifer says
Wait — she reads a book a DAY in this one, but that’s funny that there’s a similar book AND that she touched on that same topic!