S. McGee

I'm a dedicated bibliomaniac and professional writer with eclectic literary tastes. My biggest nightmare? Being stuck on an airplane for hours with nothing to read...

I'll rate something 5 stars if it is either a superb example of its genre or is, in my opinion, the kind of book that everyone should read because is just simply excellent.
4 stars? That's a book that is very good, albeit with a few significant flaws or shortcomings. Most "good" books go in with a working assumption that they are worth four stars; some may lose a star or even two; others gain and go up one star by the time I finish. Again, this applies to both good for its genre and good overall.
3 stars: Ho-hum. Either a book didn't live up to what I know the author can do or the promise of the plot. Typically there's some larger flaw -- a hole in the narrative, clumsy writing, poor research, etc. But overall, for people who like the author or are very interested in the topic, this is still worth reading. For those who are just casually interested, 3 stars means move on to something else.
2 stars: Significant flaws in some dimension. Either the writing is horrible or the plot fatally flawed and characters wooden. Unless you feel you must read this for a book group, etc., I'd suggest not bothering (unless you find a library copy.)
1 star -- Don't even bother. Waste of paper, ink and your time.
I'm most likely to review fiction, history, biography, current affairs, business and financial books, as well as some films & music.