I’ll admit, I give away 5 star ratings pretty freely. I mean, when I look back at the books I’ve read this year so far, 7 of the 35 snagged 5-star praise from me. And why shouldn’t they? If they hit the mark of all the things that make me think a book is a fantastic way to spend time, they deserve every one of those sparkling stars. I don’t have a ratio or a quota to worry about. Maybe if I’m giving more 5 star ratings, it means I’m reading better books. <gasp>
So what makes a 5 star book for me?
There are so many factors: a unique story, characters written in a way that they’re real (also known as impossible to not get emotionally attached to), a detailed rich environment where I can picture the well-loved coffee cup, or the gray of Churchill’s London, or the jungle in the Asian Pacific who’s fighting back against the invasion. Writing so thoughtful I have to open the dictionary. A surprising story arc. A book I don’t hesitate to recommend to fellow readers and non-readers alike.
But as I’ve been putting together a Top 5 list for this website, I’ve been pondering about what makes the difference between a 5 Star rating and a Top 5 read. This question is a lot harder to define.
To me, a Top 5 read (this can be a stand-alone book or an entire series) has all the qualities of a 5-star book with the added factor that it changes me in some fundamental way for the long term. It alters the way you think, your perspective of the world, even your perspective of yourself.
When I look at my Top 5, which truthfully takes a lot to break into, there are books I read every 5 years, books that reminded me of the magic of literature, books that I waited in line for, books that made me skip sleep and cheer out loud, or even shed tears and want to be my best. Stories you could give to someone and say “If you want to understand me, just read this.” They’re books that if you re-read, you find something new about the story or yourself, almost as if the words evolve as you have.
This year for Mother’s Day, my daughter drew a picture for school of Mom’s favorite thing to do – it was me, curled up in bed, reading. And she’s right – reading is my comfort, my way to escape, my way to learn, my way to connect with things I know and things I don’t.
The best part – you never know, when you open to page one, if this book is going to be the newest addition to the list, either 5 Star or Top 5. Here’s to the next chapter.
