As you hopefully know, we’ve recently launched a 5 Star Reads category and page.
I was recently thinking about some of the books that I put on the list and why I designated them as my best of the best.
What makes a 5 Star Read for me?
- It holds my attention. Whether or not I’m able to sit and read it straight through, a 5 Star Read is a book that I am always wanting to carve out time to read.
- It’s memorable. While I’m reading it, I’m thinking about it, and the plot or characters or information stays with me long after I’ve read it.
- It causes a response. I might laugh, or cry, or fear, or think. But it generally evokes something.
- I can’t stop talking about it. This is perhaps the crucial difference of a 4-star or even a 4 1/2-star book. I not only enjoyed it, but I want everyone else I know to enjoy it as well.
So now I have two questions for you. Please take a moment and answer either or both in the comment field.
- What qualities in a book cause it to rise to the top of the heap for you, giving it the highest designation in your mind?
- What is a book that you’ve read fairly recently to which you would give this 5-Star rating?
Managing editor Jennifer Donovan is getting pickier and pickier about her novels. 3-star just doesn’t cut it anymore. She also blogs at Snapshot.
For me, a 5 Star Book is one that I don’t want to set down after the final page. The story lingers in my mind for days after, and I hesitate before starting another book because I want to hang on to the characters a little while longer. 5 Star Books are truly special.
In nonfiction, a 5 Star Book is one that I find to be extremely applicable and helpful, or one that causes me to alter my life in some way. And, in children’s books, it is one that is not only enjoyable, but one that I believe has staying power in the sea of children’s lit.
For me a 5 star book is one that:
1) pulls me in within a few pages, if not a few lines
2) makes me want to read the book cover to cover without stopping
3) the story leaves a lasting impression on me, even after i have finished reading and moved onto another book
My most recent 5 star rated book(s) would probably be:
Maus I & II by Art Spegialman, and The Alienist by Caleb Carr
I would say a 5-star book is one that I want to immediately read over again…not that I usually ever get to do that. It has characters that I care about and can somehow relate to or a theme that makes me think.
Five-star books are really rare for me. Of what I’ve read recently, I’d say the Narnia books and The Great Gatsby are 5 star.
Oh, you’ve all hit my answers as well!! Definitely for a novel, a 5SR is one whose characters live afterward in my head, who I’ll think about long after the book has completed. For me, they continue to live lives in my imagination. When it comes to nonfiction, I agree wholeheartedly with Lauren– when it’s applicable to my life experiences and really makes me think, it can earn that accolade.
I think all of your answers plus those in the comments are mine as well. In addition, though a “fluff book” hits the spot sometimes, a truly 5-star book for me delves deeper — it may or may not be a Christian book, it may not have a blatant “message,” but there is something that speaks to me, resonates with me, gives me food for thought.
All of the above — plus, I try to take into account how well the author achieves what he/she sets out to do. Most of the time, I would say that there has to be some likeable characters; however, with what I consider literary fiction, I don’t hold by that standard. I think of literary fiction as a higher form of art and I don’t think “likeableness” has anything to do with art. So, I recently gave RAVENS 5 stars and yet I can say that I didn’t “like” the characters or the story that was told, but I loved the book. Does that make sense? Maybe I need to do a post about this!
I agree with Jen…plus I would add one more…I enjoy the book even more if I can personally relate to one or more of the characters.
I have quite a few recently read books that I would rate as 5-Star reads:
1) ALL 3 books in Julie Lessman’s Daughters of Boston series: A Passion Most Pure, A Passion Redeemed, and A Passion Denied
2) No Place for a Lady – Maggie Brendan
3) Stand in Groom – Kaye Dacus
4) Never the Bride – Cheryl McKay & Rene Gutteridge
Hmm….
#1 – Strong emotions are put into play.
#2 – I want to reread it / NEED to reread it to glean additional information from it.
I like books that give me new things to explore and discover with each reading!
My 5-star reads have two qualities:
1. I find them immensely difficult to put down; and
2. They evoke a strong emotion nearly all the way through the story. Be it laughter, fear, sadness, or curiosity, they evoke a response throughout.
My most recent five-star reads have been the first two books in the YA SciFi “Gone” series by Michael Grant–this series hit a lot of emotions throughout (fear, sadness, anger). Right now I’m reading The Sign for Drowning by Rachel Stolzman and I’m almost certain this one is going to earn five stars!