ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Is a five-star rating a measure of a book, or of how you felt while reading it? This week, Amy asks what we’re really saying when we rate a book, and why a three-star review might be the most interesting one of all.
In the Bookish News: a possible real-life inspiration for Oliver Twist, worrying figures on representation in children’s books, Netflix’s East of Eden sending readers back to Steinbeck, Anne Carson’s Nobel Prize win, the romance event controversy causing a stir on bookish social media, and Sally Rooney’s books being pulled from UK sale.
Then, the Big Opinion: why we need to bring back the three-star review. In What Everyone Is Reading, Amy looks at when BookTok hype turns into homework. On The Shelf, she shares five books she’d genuinely give five stars. And in the Literacy Corner, she asks whether a book can be good if you didn’t enjoy it.
Join the Discord to chat books with other Shelfies, and vote in the Shelf Indulgence Book Awards. Winners will be announced in Episode 10 on 23 November. Want more behind the scenes? Subscribe to The Inner Shelf.
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Discord: https://discord.gg/VEkc4KE9H
Contains strong language.
