Monday, January 12, 2009

How to Rate a Book on a Scale of One to Ten

So, it is January and time for all the obnoxious New Year's Resolutions. (I have a whole blog percolating in my brain on the 10 Things I Hate about Resolution.) Anyways, one I really, really, really, really want to do this year is read more. I know, I read a lot already but I mean to read a book and be able to talk about it and discuss it, you know, like in a book club. Well, I happen to be part of a fabulous book club, the Book Babes. But, to be honest, we spend more time chatting, catching up, laughing, and telling stories. It so so damn fun and I look forward to it each month.

I thought to help us focus so the brief five minutes we spend talking about the book is fruitful, I have a plan. I was going to have a list of 5 questions to ask yourself as you read the book. These are open to suggestion and refining, and yes, I can hear the derision already building up, but here I go:
1. A list of 3 quotes you liked in the book. My 12th grade English teacher had us read Jonathan Livingston Seagull and pick out quotes that really resonated with us, he then went around the room and told us a little bit about ourselves just from the quotes we picked. It is always fascinating to me the different parts of a book people enjoyed and why, so I thought this would be an easy one.

2. Your favorite character. I know, hackneyed and trite, but we read a Christmas book one year by Fannie Flagg and I remember the characters in the book who were not truly the main characters but still were unforgettable. She writes some of the most memorable characters, so it would be fun to see who we would pick.

3. Would you read another book by this author? We read a book by Jodi Picoult that when I finished it (and I did finish it) threw it across the room in absolute howling frustration and just generally being ticked off. I thought killing off one of the main characters in the fashion she did was just too dumb for me to fathom. I was the only one to think that, so, of course, now I will probably have to read it again knowing how it ends and read for HOW she tells the story because for all my being ticked, I did not put the book down and stop reading it. But I think I would have to be hogtied and told to read another book by her.

4. Do you see it as a movie? Or if it is a movie, which did you like more. I loved both the movie and the book "Notebook."

5. Rate the book. So here are my standards for rating a book on a scale of 0 to 10. Just an idea mind you, not set in stone and all that jolly good stuff.
0-1: Filbert the parakeet is currently shredding it in the bottom of his birdcage and crapping all over it.
2-3: It is on the clearance table in the used book store and might be given to charity (which will not seem too charitable).
4-5: Okay, if you were stuck on an airplane on the runway waiting to take off for 5 hours and you had already read all the flight magazines near the barf bag, you would read this book.
6-7: You would recommend this book to a good friend and it sparks all kinds of good discussion.
8-9: Could not put it down and will look into other books by this author. They made you see the world in a different way or just generally changed you in some fashion.
10: Karen is currently reading a book like this, where you cannot put it down at all. You read while walking, it goes with you to the bathroom (you are sitting down you know), it is in the car so you can read it in all the spare moments we have in the car. You stay up until 2 o'clock in the morning reading, and when you finally turn the last page, you cannot wait to read it again or hope beyond hope that there is a sequel to the book. The characters and the world the author creates are so real to you it is like waking up from a dream.

So anyways, that is one of my New Year's Resolutions. Since I have broken every other one I made, I am hoping my Book Babes will help me out with this one.

6 comments:

Karen Carter said...

LOVE LOVE LOVE the ideas. There is not even one that I would change! And I think your other resolution is to blog more! You have friends out here who love to know your life.
Cant wait to implement the new plan. Count me in xoxo Book Babe K

Casey said...

Ditto what Karen said! Great idea!

Happy Hour...Somewhere said...

You are so right, Karen, one of my resolutions was to blog more~! I told Casey I wanted to blog something every day even if it was something dumb but I love reading all the blogs that my friends write and their friend's blogs, etc., so yes I will be trying to do that~!

Unknown said...

Great post Kath, I love your ideas.

Karen Carter said...

Glad you had this on your sample page cause I re read it and still think we need to implement this! Such a good idea...

Happy Hour...Somewhere said...

I am totally with you but we seem to have some resistance~! Sigh.