Sarah posted her grading standards, so what the hell, I figured I’ll post mine.
Some things I want to make clear:
- When I read a romance novel, I’m not looking for absolute realism. If I wanted something realistic, I’ll pick up some non-fiction. What I do look for is a sort of believable internal consistency. In the immortal words of Mark Twain: “(T)he man who talks corrupt English six days in the week must and will talk it on the seventh, and can’t help himself.”
- Sometimes a book can be technically perfect and still leave me cold. There are many authors who don’t hit any false notes but still don’t engage me as a reader. I don’t know why this happens.
- I don’t think it’s possible to have a completely consistent set of objective criteria for what constitutes a “good book,” and that’s not even going into the sticky realm of books I know aren’t particularly good but that I really love anyway. Reviewing, or at least the kind I engage in, is all about subjectivity. But when I don’t like a book because of a personal prejudice—and I’ll admit I have assloads of them—I’ll try to note it as I go along.
- All A books are keepers, but not all my keepers have A grades. Many of my comfort reads are books that are somewhere in the B range. The book as a whole isn’t that great, but there are certain passages that I really enjoy re-reading. Lisa Kleypas is an example of an author whose books I tend to keep unless I rate them C- or below.
So here goes:
A grades: A really, really good book. So good, I can barely bear to put it down to sleep, shower, go to work or feed the cats; everything is done grudgingly and in anticipation of the next moment I can pick up the book to read.
B grades: A decent read. In the B to B+ category, I look forward to picking up the book again, though the sense of urgency isn’t quite as sharp as with the A books. B- books are easily set down, but are generally pleasant to read.
C grades: Watch out, gentle traveler, we’re entering Meh territory. C- books annoy me, but only mildly so.
D grades: You will some serious snarking in all reviews of books graded D and below. These books will generally suffer from moderate internal inconsistencies and feature annoying heroes/heroines, silly plotting and/or bad grammar. D- books are juuuust barely on this side of the Cassie Edwards line.
F grades: Books that cross the Edwards Line. Take everything that annoys me in a D book and amplify it about a hundredfold, and you’ll come close to an F book. Usually the prospect of being able to get all snarly on the book’s ass is the only impetus for me to finish it.
An “A” book, also, is the best feeling ever, isn’t it? I mean, when a book is that good, it’s up there with chocolate and whipped cream and all my favorite things.