You’ve just finished reading a novel and you loved it. Marvelous doesn’t begin to express how good this story is. So, if you were going to recommend it to a friend, what would you say? How would you rate it? Would you give it five stars? Or five roses?
I rate the stories I read a little differently. There are no teacups (with five being the best). There are sighs. If a story has made me sigh while reading, it’s worth its weight in gold. There are no pairs of lips….there are chuckles. A book that makes me laugh out loud is definitely worth my time (and yours). There are no lightening bolts, but there are tears.
A book that makes me cry is a book I’ll read over and over again. Cathy Cash Spellman’s Paint the Wind comes to mind. I’ve read this novel probably ten times (or more…I’ve lost count) and yet, I still cry in the same place EVERY time….even though I know the scene is coming up, even though I’ve cried over it before. Heck, I’ll head for the box of tissues long before I hit that chapter because I know I’ll end up in tears anyway and I might as well have that tissue handy. Believe it or not, this is a GOOD thing…but I digress so let me finish my rating system.
For the occasional spooky thriller, there are shivers and lastly, there are gasps. Yes. I wrote gasps….because there are stories out there that have made me suck in my breath and whisper “Oh my!” while my heart pounded in my chest. Sometimes I’ll be laughing at the same time. Or crying.
So, how do you rate the stories you read? Roses? Daisies? Or do you just hand the book to a friend and say, “You gotta read this!”
As always, happy reading!
Marie
Good question, Marie. When I try to think of what I say to fellow readers, I came up with "Not worth it" for those I don't recommend and "This was great" for those I really want everyone to read.
ReplyDeleteThe books in between suffer the most because they may be "readable," but I seem to not talk about them a lot.
The hard part, if you can imagine there being one, when I read an "unforgettable" is that I have a difficult time choosing the next book-how can it match up to the former one?? Well, I eventually grab something and move on. And hope for another unforgettable, of course! Grab the tissues and hold back the laugh, right?!