Rating Systems

I RATE MY BOOKS USING THE PEACH METHOD ALONG WITH VARIOUS DERIVATIVES
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I rate to the nearest quarter star, then round up to the nearest half star, and the nearest whole star.

I previously rated my books purely on my level of enjoyment. As a result, my ratings were inconsistent at best, since my opinion would differ depending on my mood on any given day. So I enlisted the aid of Professor Google in a quest for a more reliable system. Together, we discovered several methods the bookish community uses to add structure and consistency to their reviews. One of the most popular is CAWPILE.

I did try the CAWPILE method for a short while but found it wasn’t quite right for my needs. Then I stumbled upon a rating system created by Erin Smith over on YouTube. Adorably named after her cats, Erin uses the PEACH system for fiction books, and the MITSU system for non fiction.

Like CAWPILE, the PEACH and MITSU systems work by assigning a rating out of five to each of five categories, adding them together, then dividing the total by five to calculate your star rating. I like PEACH and MITSU better though, because they lend more weight to intangible concepts like enjoyment and heart. In fact, I like them so much, I’ve tweaked them to accommodate the other types of books I like to read.