One nice idea that I’ll adopt from my softball captain
Broshi is to list the books I read. When I was a consultant, I often read two or three per week. There’s lots of time in hotel rooms. Now, it’s somewhat less. Some days I can get a little done at night. There’s also bathroom reading, too. Though, as you might guess, my light reading is a little less light than others’.
In order to provide a brief summary of my feelings on a book, I’ll provide a rating. Since I’m a numeric person, it will be a number. I thought about something complicated, with decimals and maybe transcendental figures, but decided upon a simple integer scale from zero to five. Because I tend to read books with quality recommendations that I like, the scale needs to be tilted somewhat. Here are the guidelines:
5: Outstanding book. If nonfiction, the book made me learn understand something substantial. If fiction, the book is engrossing enough to bring up in casual conversation. When asked, I would make a general recommendation. There aren’t very many at this level, so I feature these on my bookcases. Sometimes I buy them as gifts.
4: Recommended book. It’s a good well-written story, and if non-fiction, has a worthwhile point. I have no reservations suggesting this to people interested in the genre or subject matter, and in some cases, to people just looking for something to read.
3: Quality book. If non-fiction, there’s still a strong argument, but it might have some flaws, or it might ramble into silly side points, or something like that. If fiction, the book was nice but I wouldn’t read it again. I would recommend this to people interested in the genre or subject, but with some reservations.
2: Average book. A lot of popular books wind up here, with a mix of strong and weak parts. At this level, the book is OK. I’m not embarassed in wasting my time, but I wouldn’t recommend such a text.
1: Substandard book. The flaws in logic, writing, or storyline are enough that I feel I wasted my time. I still keep books at this level, but they tend to hide in the corners and on the back shelves of my bookcases.
0: Abysmal book. Either I couldn’t finish, or I suffered through the end and immediately sent it to the recycle bin. I don’t want to see the cover again. Fortunately, I manage to avoid most of these before I start.
