But still. If you were to ask me, off the top of my head, to name some of the best books I've read this year, I KNOW I would mention Strange the Dreamer. Yet I rated other books higher. That means that either:
- Time has dulled my memory of the slight quibbles I had with the book, but I rated it fairly at that point when it was all fresh in my mind
OR
- Despite whatever minor faults I found, the book was powerful enough that the good has outweighed the bad in my mind, so I should admit my mistake and rate it a 5.
On to my list of books that almost got 5 stars from me originally, and that probably would get five stars if I rated them based on my memory of them.
4.5 star reads of 2017 that have really stuck with me and probably just deserve all 5 stars:
Nonfiction
Every Falling Star: The True Story of how I Survived and Escaped North Korea
Bubonic Panic: When Plague Invaded America
My Life in Dog Years
Speculative Fiction
One Dark Throne
Not a Drop to Drink
Strange the Dreamer
Historical Fiction (also, is 9/11 historical? Yikes, I'm old.)
Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story
Burn Baby, Burn
The War that Saved My Life
Contemporary
All American Boys
I Hunt Killers
This is about 5% of what I read this past year, if my math is correct (and that's a pretty big if). So I don't feel too bad about promoting those few books to my elite status.
Coming soon: various categories of five star books, and the handful of books that made me shout, "ALL the stars!"
Bubonic Panic: When Plague Invaded America
My Life in Dog Years
Speculative Fiction
One Dark Throne
Not a Drop to Drink
Strange the Dreamer
Historical Fiction (also, is 9/11 historical? Yikes, I'm old.)
Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story
Burn Baby, Burn
The War that Saved My Life
Contemporary
All American Boys
I Hunt Killers
This is about 5% of what I read this past year, if my math is correct (and that's a pretty big if). So I don't feel too bad about promoting those few books to my elite status.
Coming soon: various categories of five star books, and the handful of books that made me shout, "ALL the stars!"
I’ve been thinking about this too. There are some 4-star books that had a bigger impact on me than my 5-star books. When I pick my favorites of the year, I’ll probably have to do an honorable mentions category.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
There have been a few times, where I was tempted to up a rating as I was responding to comments on a review. The more I talked about the book, the more I realized, as you said, it made a bigger impression on me than I originally believed it did.
ReplyDeleteI find that my overall impressions of books change over time and I agree that sometimes those books you thought were your favorites don't stick out as much as books that got higher ratings. Initial impressions and lasting impressions can be different!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
UGH I find that this happens to me a LOT. I will rate a book 5 stars and then a year later think WHY!? Or, like you, want to add a book to my yearly favorites only to realize I rated it lower than I thought. This is why ratings are tricky! Interestingly, I felt the exact same about Not a Drop to Drink AND Strange the Dreamer, so that's funny!
ReplyDelete