A great book is something that really fills my tank when I need a break from the mundane or stresses of life. Instead of the typical star rating system, I thought it would be more fitting to base my ratings on how much of my tank was filled by a particular book. Below you will find how the rating system works as indicated by the fuel gauge.
PORT A POTTY IN THE BADLANDS:
On a recent vacation to the Badlands of South Dakota, I found the urgent need to stop at a campground port-a-potty. Once inside, I noticed that someone had left a novel sitting on the toilet paper holder. Um….YUCK! The image has stuck with me and as a result is now a part of this blog. A book with this rating has an excessive use of profanity that goes beyond establishing the integrity of a particular character, epitomizes violence against women or children, or overindulges in scenes that are sexual in nature. This type of book deserves to be left in a port-a-potty, unfinished.
RUNNING ON FUMES:
This type of book is poorly written, has a weak plot at best, and the characters are not likable or believeable. This book makes you wonder if the publishing editor and author are related to each other in some way and that is how this book managed to slip through the cracks and into your hands. It is likely that if a person finishes this type of book it is because they have an aversion to leaving things unfinished. In my opinion this is the type of book that barely makes it to the finish line.
NOTHIN’ BETTER TO DO:
This type of book is one that you start with high hopes, only to find that it is utterly predictable, bordering on boring, or just leaves you with the blahs. It might be well-written in the grammatical sense, but you really just leave it lying around for those times when you need something to fill your time while you are waiting for whatever and you are too lazy to get out of the recliner to grab a better book off the shelf. These types of books are also great for those nights when you can’t sleep but don’t want to read something too engaging.
HANGIN WITH A GOOD FRIEND:
There is nothing better than making time to grab a coffee with a good friend you haven’t seen in a while and catch up on the meanderings of life. That is what this type of book is like. It is well written, has a solid plot, strong characters and after you have spent time with it you feel uplifted, inspired or intrigued. It may have some predictability to it, but you don’t mind because overall the story had your full attention and made you feel like it was time well spent. And just like a good friend, if the author happens to write a sequel you are totally willing to schedule another coffee date in the future.
CAN’T PUT IT DOWN:
Better have some strong coffee waiting for you in the morning because you are gonna be a zombie after staying up all night to read this page-turner. This type of book has the best sort of twist…the one you can’t predict. When the book is finished, you wish it had never ended. Time is lost when immersed in this book and you are sore because you haven’t moved off the couch in HOURS!