Explanation of the Rating System

This is a rough guide to how I go about my reviews, or there is a method to my madness.

Overview
This section provides an overview of the type of book under review, its basic premise and a very brief idea of some of the events of the book (I hate it when a review gives away any of the important plot elements).

Points of Interest
This section is where I point out any particularly interesting bits of the book that I felt were worth discussing. Here I will dig into the meat of the book and will often point out similarities I see between this and other works as well as any interesting themes I spotted. This section will often contain spoilers, so read it at your own risk!

Overall Impression
This is my overall impression of a book, expressed in a four tiered system. These tiers are as follows, and always remember, these are my opinions which anyone is free to agree or disagree with:

• 0 -Stinker. It was boring or painful to read, poorly written or simply did not grab me. For whatever reason, I just did not enjoy reading this at all, and quite possibly did not even finish reading it. I would only bring this book up to a friend to tell them how fantastically bad I found it.

• 1 -Amazingly mediocre. I found it to be readable, perhaps with interesting bits, but nothing to write home to mom about. It was competently written, but perhaps lacked any engaging ideas, characters, story lines, etc. Worth finishing, not worth recommending.

• 2 -Good Read. A book the compels you to finish it; very engaging, with great ideas, believable characters or a brilliant plot. This is a book I would highly recommend to a friend and would possibly read again myself.

• 3 -Wordgasm! This is that rare book that just sings. It is beautifully written, contains life changing ideas, presents characters that feel more real than your coworkers (and are certainly more interesting) or has a story that is utterly compelling. This represents the pinnacle of the craft in the book's genre/medium as I judge it. This book comes with my highest possible recommendation.

Provoc-O-Meter
This is a system to measure how provocative a book is in my opinion, it is independent of the above rating system which focuses on quality and presentation. Now lets be clear on the definition of provocative first. Provocative does not necessarily mean to elicit negative feelings, just strong feelings. In order to give some kind of basis for understanding this system, as everyone's idea of what is or is not provocative varies, I base it off of my own point of view.

• 0 -Meh. This book does not provoke strong emotions in me in even the slightest way. I would think that most people out there would feel the same way and if it did offend anyone out there, I would think that person was pretty weird. Think, the Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal, or Clifford the Big Red Dog, by Norman Birdwell.
  

• 1 -Has some juicy bits! This book contains some ideas, scenes or characters that I found somewhat provocative, but in its entirety did not evoke an extreme emotional reaction. I would think that the majority of the people in the world would have some reaction to this book, but would not run out and demand that it be burned or declare that it is divine truth. Think, The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding or Horror novels by Stephen King (No, he does not only write Horror).

• 2 -Has a lot of Woah! moments. This book definitely evoked a strong emotional reaction in me, and I feel that it would do so in most people who were to read it, either positive or negative. Think, What Uncle Sam Really Wants, by Noam Chomsky, or The End of Faith, by Sam Harris.

• 3 -Burn it or Canonize it! This books is designed to evoke an extreme emotional reaction in its reader and certainly did so with me. I would think that anyone that were to read it would have a similar reaction and if they did not, then they must be comatose. Think, Mein Kampf by Aldolf Hitler or The 120 Days of Sodom, by Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis De Sade.

Tylenol Rating
This is a rating of how challenging a book was for me to read, or how many Tylenol I felt like taking after I finished reading it. Bear in mind that this rating is independent of those above. Just because a book was not challenging, or was very challenging to read does not mean it was not enjoyable to read.

• 0 -No Tylenol Needed. This book was not challenging at all. There were no ideas that I found particularly difficult to understand. The setting was familiar to me, the characters behaved in predictable patterns. The plot progressed linearly. I did not feel like I learned anything I did not already know from reading this book. Examples: The Note Book, by Nicholas Sparks or Basic Concepts in Mathematics, by Elias Zakon.

• 1 Slight Tingling. There were a few ideas presented here that I did not absorb immediately. The setting may be something I am unfamiliar with or the characters may behave in ways I found to be different from my real world experiences. The plot may contain non-linear elements such as flash backs, etc. I felt that I learned something new reading this book. Examples: The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, or The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
  

• 2 Minor Headache. There are a number of ideas that were difficult to grasp, may have required rereading, or outside research. The setting was foreign to me or the characters behaved in ways that I found strange. The plot may be very fractured, starting at the end and progressing towards the begging, etc. I felt that I learned a great deal reading this book. Examples: A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking, or To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf.
  

• 3 My brain is going to burst! This book presents ideas that went straight over my head. They were either so far beyond my capability to grasp or so specialized I simply did not understand them. The setting could be totally alien, or the characters could behave erratically. The plot could be completely non-linear, stream of consciousness, diary of an insane person, etc. This book could teach me a lot if I put a great deal of effort into it. Examples: Any Quantum Mechanics textbook, or Ulysses, by James Joyce.
  

Recommended Titles
In this final section, I will provide some links to other titles that I feel touch on similar themes or run in a similar vein to the book under review.