Pre-blogging days, I read books completely differently than I do now. I stuck to one genre and basically just reread the same books over and over again. And I liked the books in that genre because that was what was familiar to me.
But since I started blogging, I've expanded and I have discovered some awesome new authors/books because of it. This makes me happy, ecstatic even. I love that blogging has opened my eyes to tons of new books and I wouldn't trade that for the world. But sometimes when I go on Goodreads and see my ratings for books I read pre-blogging days or right at the start of my blogging days, I wonder if the rating is truly a reflection of my tastes today. And sometimes I'm tempted to change my ratings. I don't because I feel like if I want to change the rating I need to reread the book first. But there are some books that I KNOW I would feel differently about if I had read them later in my blogging career.
So what should I do? I definitely don't think I should change my ratings. I just feel like that would be wrong. I also don't really want to/have time to reread them to see how my opinion would change. So I suppose really the only thing for me to do is nothing. Just sit there, stare at them, and wonder what the rating would be if I read the book today.
Do you ever change your ratings? Or feel tempted to change your rating? Have you ever reread a book and felt differently about it than you did the first time. What do you do in that case?
Hmmmm. Very interesting! I do think some of my ratings would change if I reread them, but I think another thing for me is I was much more lenient on my ratings I feel like. Like... if I loved the book then FIVE stars! Vs now I feel like I give 5 stars for things that I loved but also had an extra something that will make me want to reread or push on all the people. Otherwise I'd give it 4. Just as a product of reading so many more books. I'm not srue what would happen if I reread stuff... I feel like it'd be similar? But I don't have time to change my ratings so I'm just going to leave them. Definitely an interesting thought though!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. I used to give five stars to everything I loved. But now I'm the same as you. I only give it five stars if it like blew me away. I don't have time either, so I will just leave mine alone, but sometimes I look at my five star books and I'm all "is it really five stars?" and it bugs me. Lol.
DeletePersonally I wouldn't change my star rating, mainly because the rating I gave it reflected back onto a certain time of my life. I like looking back sometimes, looking at books I loved during certain periods of my life. I do occasionally add an update in the review though. I won't delete my original review on Goodreads, but just add something at the bottom. I think regardless as I grow in life my tastes will change. So it'd be too difficult to change all the books anyways. Interesting discussion!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's a really good point. That makes me feel so much better actually about some of my old ratings. You're totally right. I was at a different place in my reading life and therefore liked different things.
DeleteI agree with Amy, I think my ratings are based on what I was thinking/feeling at that point in time and if it would be different now, that's fine. So I wouldn't change them and I think other people realize that. I reread a book awhile back for book club and it was a book I absolutely loved a long time ago, and I didn't really like it when I reread it. And I sort of wish I hadn't done that because now I don't think about the book the same way. Great discussion post! ~Pam
ReplyDeleteYeah, I totally agree. That happened to me actually a few months ago where I reread a book that I really liked the first time I read and then after the reread, I was like "what did I like about this?" I guess when you're in a different place in your life you just see things differently.
DeleteIt's hard! The only rating I changed was a book I didn't finish and had given two stars to because I've made a policy for myself that if I didn't finish, I can't rate it. I've been tempted to go back and change some three stars to four because I think I would l like them more now, but that was how I felt back then and I can't change my initial feelings! I COULD re-read but ugh, so much time haha. Unfortunately, I just sit there and stare at them like "What would I feel TODAY". I hear ya, girl!
ReplyDeleteYep, I agree with all of this. Especially the lack of time to reread. Seriously, how can I reread books when I have so many that I have yet to read!!
DeleteEEK! How did I miss this post?!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes change my ratings, but this is only something recent (ish) like one year tops. I find sometimes when I reread that my thoughts change, but I only change them when I reread. That doesn't mean I constantly rethink my current ones though. I am a bit pickier now than I used to be I think so sometimes its for the worse BUT there are books that I actually love more after rereading and change it for the better. I dunno... this is still rare though because I hardly have time to reread haha.
Sometimes I miss being able to reread, but then I look at all the other books on my TBR and I'm like, yeah, but I would miss out on all these. It's so hard! There's so many books! But yeah, I definitely think the only time I might change my rating is on a reread. So I guess mine will not be changing anytime soon. *drowns in stacks of books*
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