Rating books I read

I read. A lot. In fact, I am usually reading three or four books at a time. I have a system for rating the books I read. I primarily read non-fiction in the Christian genre.

The lowest rated category of books are ones I came across I thought I would enjoy or from which I could gain (or I would not have bought them). As I began to read the book I discovered it was not going to live up to expectations. They usually wind up in a stack in the storage room at my house or somehow get lost all together. At this point I would add something a seminary professor once told me that has stuck. If a book delivers even a single idea which you have never thought of before, it was worth the price you paid, no matter what you paid. I believe he was right.

The second level would be books I read that seem to hold my attention enough that I finish them, but I know I will likely never pick them up again. I also know I will never recommend them to anyone else. These usually go on my bookshelves some place to be filed away and soon forgotten.

The third level of book would be ones I underline in and think I might reference again some time later. I make sure they are filed on the shelves in a place I can easily find them if needed. This is the category into which most books I read fall.

The fourth level would be books I underline, write notes in the margin, and reread all or parts of. There are few. Two I would mention are: Crazy Love by Francis Chan and The Heart of an Executive by Richard D. Phillips.

There are a couple of categories that do not fall into any of the above categories. First are reference books. These are actually the ones I keep closest to me in my study. These rotate in and out depending on the study I am teaching at any given time. Then of course is the Bible. I keep a copy by my bed, another copy in my car, multiple copies (translations) in my study, one in my backpack, and multiple translations in my computer.