Clean Reads discussion
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Introducing Goodreads "Cleanreads Rating"
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message 51:
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Kira
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Jul 29, 2019 07:28AM
I support this! A content rating system like suggested above would be helpful! I just abandoned a book because of sex and language in the first couple of chapters.
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CLEAN READSI have broached the subject of a rating system on books to our library, book groups, book sellers, and have even penned letters to publishers and local legislators. Perhaps everyone reading this thread should do the same?
Like you, I WOULD APPLAUD LOOKING AT THE BACK COVER OF A BOOK AND FIND A RATING SYSTEM NEAR THE BAR CODE SO I KNOW WHAT I'M PAYING FOR.
Personally, I feel many of today’s authors are using profanity as a cop-out, which is insulating to many readers. A true Wordsmith is versed in vocabulary and finds other means to relate a story to its reader.
Compass Book Ratings is one source to review a standardized rating system to evaluate reading options. [Compass] offers three colors; red, yellow, and green; and three sets of ratings for: PROFANITY/LANGUAGE; VIOLENCE/GORE; and SEX/NUDITY.
It's a nice entity except the color rating works on a numbered system 1-10, which identifies the book with [how much] of each rating can be found in the book, and to what excess. I would prefer a book rating be simplified by merely identifying if any of the above ratings are written in the book, period.
Movie Ratings are more ‘age related.’ PG 13 simply means children over 13 can handle some cuss words. ‘X’ rated requires an adult age 18 and over, typically means sex and nudity. I’m an adult and not interested in any age restriction, I’d like to see the entire slate wiped clean and call it what it is.
How wonderful the day will be when readers are offered CLEAN READS easily identifiable by simple letter ratings as listed above.
More Than a Review is a book review system that has content ratings for Sex, Violence, Profanity and Drug/Alcohol use. I would love for you to share some of your reviews on it. It is a crowd sourcing effort since there are so many books to filter through. https://www.morethanareview.com/
Donna Feyen
I absolutely agree. Why not offer this service! I love your suggestion and second it wholeheartedly.
Japan rates their books. I am behind it 100%. I think we've all been burned, even when we are being careful about picking books. This will be great for YA books also. They can be as bad or worse than some of the adult novels.
Rating system for books is long overdue.Will this simple task take an act of congress?
I love this idea. Has there been any progress made on it?
Andrea wrote: "I love this idea. Has there been any progress made on it?"I would also like to see the answer to this question!:D
Yes! I just joined this group, and prior to this, I've tried asking people based on this system how they'd rate a book I'm interested in reading. It's hard to elicit a response, so this would be a great addition to the site.
I would love that. I have gotten into so many books that seemed to be PG and ended up R or worse. I would never have started the book had I known.
Since we don't have a rating system, could you give me insight to The Girl with the Silver Star and the orphan Keeper?
Orphan Keeper by Cameron Wright is an excellent clean read.
Looking at how others have shelved a book can be helpful. Books that are 2 or more years old have been shelved hundreds of times and some of those shelves have very telling descriptions.
Example: Here is how The Girl with the Silver Starhas been shelved so far:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
I see one person has shelved it as a "clean romance". On the other hand it has been shelved as "holocaust" which I cannot read, just too upsetting for me.
This is a great idea! I would love to see a rating system.
Did Goodreads ever consider the rating guide?
Christen wrote: "Did Goodreads ever consider the rating guide?"No. Now that Goodreads is owned by Amazon it never will. It's up to us!
Excellent idea....books do need a rating, I agree.
Maybe we should just offer up a Bookcave rating or our own as first words in GR and set a trend.
I would love this! So many writers overuse the f word. Yes it’s out there in society but we can get the gist of emotions without it. Also sex scenes that show up seemingly out of nowhere and do nothing to improve the story or even make sense in the story. Totally gratuitous, like someone wrote it in hoping to sell more books. I have returned so many books to the library unread, or audio books only partly listened to because of this kind of thing. I’d love to know before ever checking them out.
Carol, you just took the words out of my mouth. Your description of the overuse of the f word and sexual references being totally unnecessary is on point. Reading a perfectly nice Christmas book last evening by an author that I was sure would not have any sexual references, but BOOM out of the blue sky was an anatomical comment that was outrageously gratuitous and left me blushing in my own chair with no one around and my tea cooling on the table. Too bad I will never read this author again and I was nearly to the end of the story. Thank you and other Goodreads folks for forming means for some of our readership to avoid unpleasantness in seemingly innocent books.
Shannon wrote: "Maybe we should just offer up a Bookcave rating or our own as first words in GR and set a trend."I agree!
I feel the same way. My first indie published novel is a new adult clean novel without any f words or intimate scenes. The feedback I have received is that it is too wholesome and unrealistic not to have more physical contact between the characters. I really wish we had a platform for non-faith books that don't cause any blushing when reading the story.
Love2Read - Absolutely agree!Will book ratings require an act of congress?
I've started checking out Kindle reads from my library to scan before I purchase them.
Merely type in words one might be uncomfortable with the Kindle search function, and it will list how many times the word is mentioned in the book and where these words appear throughout the story. Win, win option for deciding whether or not to proceed investing time and money reading the book.
Yes, there are those of us who stand in applause for gifted wordsmith's using an expansive vocabulary without insulting the reader with profanity or sex.
Thank you Marilyn for that tip. I am going to try that.
Marilyn wrote: "Love2Read - Absolutely agree!Will book ratings require an act of congress?
I've started checking out Kindle reads from my library to scan before I purchase them.
Merely type in words one might be ..."
Marilyn, I am going to try that too. Thank you for the tip!
Good morning! Does anyone know of clean adventure authors? I feel I have read just about every cozy mystery book available. Now I am looking for adventure novels or clean espionage books similar to the Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman. Help?
Thank you for this great idea, Marilyn!
Please please please can someone make this a thing? I'd give a kidney for a proper system to identify books!
Interesting discussion. Sure would be nice to have a good rating system and have the rating already printed on the book to help book buyers be happier with their book purchases !
