I give 5 Stars to Tuesday Thinger!!

My favorite day of the week, the thing that makes Tuesday better than Saturday, the thing you have been waiting all night, sleepless, to read...yes, via Wendi's Book Corner, Tuesday Thinger!!

Today's question: Do you use a rating system on your blog? How do you feel about using the rating system provided on sites like Library Thing and Amazon? When looking up information on a book you are interested in, do you use the ratings provided by these sites (or similar sites) to help you make the decision on purchasing the book?

No, I don't use a rating system on my blog, which you might have noticed if you read my reviews. If you don't, you really should. Read the reviews that is. Because they take a fair amount of time and thought to write. And personally, I think they are pretty good.

I have considered it, a rating system, maybe some cute little lighthouses or something but....well, it is just so definite. See, I am a bit concerned with grade inflation, or in this case review inflation.
To me, the average should be...average. a C, or in the case of stars, 3. So, an A, or 5 stars would be rare, a B or 4 stars not as uncommon, but not common...3, common, and then 2, fairly rare and hopefully 1, more uncommon but not unknown.
If I actually start to put numbers, I am afraid that I will be tempted to up them a grade or a lighthouse, as it may be. If I keep it vaguer, I can be more honest.

But still I reconsider from time to time. To go with the common five levels, they would go sort of like this...

• 5. Wow...so good I am considering calling in sick to work to keep reading it, mad at the checkout guy at the supermarket because he is so slow and keeping me from my book, figuring I can do with an hour's less sleep and read just a few more pages and considering stopping people on the street to tell them about this great book I just read. Very sad it is finished.{{sob, sob}} Checking to see if the author wrote anything else and ordering said book at once.


• 4. Very nice...very nice...all of the above comments but just dialed down to sane levels. Levels not likely to get me fired. Or elicit strange looks from folks.


• 3. Good. Liked it. Will lend it, with a recommendation, to my sister in law and other borrowers of my books but mentioned it is not a 5..or even a four. They may like it, they may not. Good to kill some extra time but not MAKE time for.


• 2. Not too great. Real flaws. Shouted at the author several times while reading. Don't really lend it out because this is just so much time in life and so, so many books. Better books.


• 1. Makes me wish I had a fireplace because then I could throw this book in and the heat it would provide would make cutting down a tree to produce it not totally in vain.

I don't know...it just seems so definite. Shorter, but definite.

That being said, I do use the rating systems on Amazon (don't like it but I use it) and Library Thing (like better). I prefer LT's..as is so often true...because they allow 1/2 stars. After I spend way to much time thinking about how many stars to give, I need those half stars to get it just right.

Of course, I look back on them months later and wonder what I was thinking. LT also allows me to change my rating. Which would earn them another star. If I was giving out stars. Which I am not.
Yet.

Do I use the ratings of others to make a purchase? Yes...within reason. It is another piece of the puzzle...the puzzle of whether I can balance one more book on the TBR pile. {{WATCH OUT KITTY. It's about to fall!!}} But I would give more weight to someones recommendation, read or spoken, than to stars on a page. That said, a really high rating, 4+, especially from a large number of people, will get my attention.
{{Be careful Kitty! We have another book arriving.
Even imaginary kitties have to be careful}}

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