Reviewers normally use a standard rating scale that ranges from 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Now, in a sane world, that sounds about right. But I ain’t living in one of those. I live in a chaotic and insane world. So, my ratings have to be insane as well. Don’t you agree?

Best book ever! 

There are some books that’ll blow your mind away. The themes, characters, plot, and many elements of the book will leave you awed for many lifetimes to come. If I were to be reborn (which I highly doubt), these are the books whose delights I would want to savour again and again besides relishing in their deliciousness this lifetime.

Case in point: The entire Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling and 1984 by George Orwell

Amazing. 

Notice there’s no exclamation after the word. These are books that I really loved and which made an impact on me. But they did not go as far as blowing my mind away. They were so good that I would keep them on my shelf and read them again.

Case in point: The Shiva Trilogy by Amish

That was good. 

I’m treading on neutral territory here. The books in this category are good. They have memorable characters, beautiful plots, and everything you would want in a book. These books are your rainy day reads and the companions of your hot beverage. They are the ones that don’t require your undivided attention but are worth the time you spend on them.

Case in point: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

A one time read. 

There are books you pick up out of impulse or receive as gifts. Now, not every impulse buy or gift is bad, but most of the time, it is. These books are worth a single read because nothing stays with you after you’ve read the last page. There’s nothing to make it a memorable read. You go on about your life without ever having fallen in love with it.

Case in point: Looking for Alaska by John Green

I’m never ever reading again. 

I was either forced to read these books or was unusually sick the day(s) I read them. These books made their way into my life by hook or by crook. These are books that will give you unrealistic dreams of becoming an author when what you should actually be writing is a Rohit Shetty/Adam Sandler movie script.

Case in point: Any book by Chetan Bhagat or Durjoy Dutta or Nikita Singh or Ravinder Singh and…you get the gist.