★: did not finish the book due to its lame-ness. It got printed, but that's all I can say for it. Usually there's some fundamental perspective barrier between the author and myself that prevents me from connecting to what's going on in the story. (examples: When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa; Eat, Pray, Love--the movie is better)
I wanted to include this though so I could have a way of reporting on books I thought were inappropriate, like Water for Elephants...not a good use of anyone's time. It's basically a pornographic novel under a circus tent.
Now I realize that I can still rate those types of books as one-star and make better use of the entire star-rating system as a whole. Here is how Goodreads does it:
★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆: Did not like it
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆: It was okay
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆: Liked it
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆: Really liked it
★ ★ ★ ★ ★: It was amazing
I'll be using these guidelines more strictly in the future. As I rate books in this fashion I'll give examples of which books fit each section.
