i take into account the intended audience when rating books.

• 5*STAR an absolute top favorite. definitely own or will one day own. worthy of re-reading. inspirational or thought-provoking, yadaya.
• 4*STAR may also be a favorite, just of a lesser quality. still a great read. tend to also be sequels in a book series that i didn't quite love as much as the original. probably own or want to own.
• 3*STAR decent read. possible that it is part of a series where the original was a favorite. still not a waste of time yet i would not bother with seeking out to buy unless to complete series. doubt i'd re-read. might recommend. rarely though sometimes these may have been over-hyped. simply something in these books lacked to make me deem them of higher assessment.
• 2*STAR disliked mostly. books i find overrated, (kinda) dull, (somewhat) dumb, etc. only some of the material i enjoyed - possibly.
• 1*STAR these are terrible. writing and/or plot was horrible and/or try-hard. i usually had to force myself to finish reading these awful books (if i even made it). basically no redeeming factor.

also, i should note: my taste is (probably) rather strange. there are a few obscure books that i love and then a lot of "popular" series i love. i also decided to add/rate any children's books i recall reading as a kid. i have few categories, though, so if you strictly glance, it may not seem as if i'm that knowledgeable in books; however; i assure you i know some great reads. and i will try reading anything, any genre.