Cove Grading Scale


Tell us how you feel about your reads. Here's a "common ground" scale to let us know how you rate a book...any book! 


11/10 (A+)  PHENOMENAL!!
Knocked my socks off! Pardon me while I gush...I loved, loved, loved everything about this book! I enthusiastically recommend it and count the author among my personal favorites. This is what reading is all about. I'd treasure a re-read of this book one day!

10/10 (A)  EXCELLENT!
Solid A. Did it have to end? This book was perfection for me. Un-put-downable and unforgettable. I highly recommend it and certainly want to read more of the author. Yum!

9/10 (A-)  IMPRESSIVE!
Impressive read! But (for whatever reason) just a tad shy of perfect. Still, I could hardly put this wonderful book down and highly recommend it to others! I will certainly seek out more by this author.

8/10 (B+)  GREAT!
Extremely good read! Had many awesome, memorable moments and really kept my interest throughout! I warmly recommend it and look forward to reading more from the author.

7/10 (B)  ENJOYABLE
A solid B. Very enjoyable read. It was engrossing and held my attention. I would recommend it and I'm absolutely open to more from the author. This was a satisfying story.

6/10 (B-)  GOOD
A good book. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It had some minor flaws, but, overall, it was still good enough to recommend and I'm open to more from the author.

5/10 (C+)  ABOVE AVERAGE
An above average read. This book had its moments (which saved it from a fate worse than C+), but, for me, the overall pulse was mild and I'm not sure how quickly I'd recommend it. However, I don't regret the read and I'm still open to trying something else from the author.

4/10 (C)  AVERAGE
A solid C. Just an average story. This book was merely OK. There was some entertainment value, but it lacked something and certainly didn't keep me up nights. Not saying I wasted my time reading this, but it could've been a lot better. I probably wouldn't recommend it, and if the author was new to me, I wouldn't rush to read more of his/her work.

3/10 (C-)  BELOW AVERAGE
Below average read, but acceptable. Can't say I totally regret reading this book, but its flaws got the best of it. I could've spent this time reading something else. It wasn't the worst, but still an overall yawner. I would not recommend it and I'm now likely to be wary of this author.

2/10 (D)  BAD
Bad read! Very weak and severely flawed narrative. I should've chucked it, but likely stuck it out for a book club discussion! This book took too long to hook me, wasn't at all engaging, and/or bored me to near death. If there were any redeeming aspects to the story, they weren't fleshed out enough for me to enjoy. Getting through was frustrating—I barely made it to the end. Blech. I could never recommend it.

1/10 (F)  AWFUL!
Just awful. I had major problems with this book. If I reached the end—thank God for skimming! In fact, if I hoped it would improve and read beyond the first 50 to 100 pages, that was a big mistake. The story was painfully boring, transparent, ineffectively told, just plain idiotic, or all of the above and then some. Money was wasted producing this book. I'll steer clear of the author from now on.

0/10 (I/DNF)  INCOMPLETE
I did not finish. This book was akin to a sleeping pill—pardon me while I yawn...It never captured my attention and showed no signs of improving. This story didn't pass the 50 (100, etc.) page test for me. I gave it a fair shake, but just wasn't finding the narrative engaging enough to continue—I had to move on. This could be a great read for someone else, but it just wasn't my cup of story.