Clean Reads discussion
Is It Clean?
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Do authors really think that ONLY Christians do not appreciate vulgar language,graphic sex or grisly gore in our reading!
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I agree that more "Clean" books in bookstores would certainly promote reading overall.
Clean books are for everyone, no matter their beliefs. The world would be a better place with more clean books :)
S.A. wrote: "Clean books are for everyone, no matter their beliefs. The world would be a better place with more clean books :)"I so agree! :]
I think it's mostly the publishers that are so blind. I have a number of author friends that comment about the "required" sex scenes in regular fiction.
Agreed that Christians are not the only group who eschew vulgarity. Of course. :D
I think it's pretty absurd of publishers to create a false divide between believers/average public. Why does only someone who has a religious belief get to have conscientious scruples? Quality literature should appeal to many people and transcend differences. It should never descend to the lowest level and then turn up its nose in disdain of those who happen to prefer staying out of the gutter.I also found it very insulting that the "Christian" books, especially about a decade ago, would write drivel, insert a few Scripture references, and then label it Inspirational. I'm glad to see a few authors breaking out of that mould in the last few years (Julie Klassen, etc) and actually creating some quality writing in the Christian field.
Most worrisome, though, is the notion that a clean mind is a sign of prudery, and a wish to read wholesome things old-fashioned. I hate where I see our society headed.
Hannah wrote: "I think it's mostly the publishers that are so blind. I have a number of author friends that comment about the "required" sex scenes in regular fiction."Required-wow that's just disgusting! I would avoid such immoral publishers!
Hannah wrote: "I think it's pretty absurd of publishers to create a false divide between believers/average public. Why does only someone who has a religious belief get to have conscientious scruples? Quality li..."Excellent points,except I have enjoyed quite a bit of excellent 'Inspirational' fiction such as the Love Comes Softly' series from Janette Oke because they are not as Preachy as 'Christian' fiction.
I do not want to have to read books with god as a main character,or the attempt to convert readers, in order to enjoy clean reads, nor ONLY young adult books[though I enjoy many].
C. wrote: "Hannah wrote: "I think it's mostly the publishers that are so blind. I have a number of author friends that comment about the "required" sex scenes in regular fiction."Required-wow that's just d..."
Those are usually the blockbuster publishers that put out most of today's books. The only way to avoid that is to buy only small press books.
Or stick with authors that we know are clean.
of course not! though i do think that its easier to be more conscientious of it if it's coming from a religious place, because it's not standards that you decided but rather an objective viewpoint of what is moral and what is immoral.and the only way people will begin to stop writing such scenes is if people refuse to buy into it. Which isn't going to happen. Much/most media caters to the lowest common denominator. So it's up to us to protect ourselves. Everyone can do what he wants, but that doesn't mean i have to read filth.
and if you don't buy the book, then it's one less book being bought - one more statement of "i refuse to accept this."
Have you read Sarah M Eden's regency romances? I've read several of hers this week and they are all clean. She's a Mormon author but does not include Mormonism in her stories.
Sigh, it is hard to find good literature that is not full of vulgar language, graphic sex or grisly gore. And for me it has nothing to do with religion either. I find the same issues with movies. Our kids are barraged with it too. There really needs to be a genre for this other than YA and Christian (nothing against Christian fiction) just to make it easier to identify.
I can take so much gore, but I was reading a book recently that started out really interesting--then they got on to an autopsy with details that would make a coroner gag. I can't stand to run across stuff like that in the middle of a book. I think it actually puts readers off to be so specific. I'm not really that squeamish and I feel sorry for those with a weaker stomach than mine. As a mystery reader and author I'm interested in why someone was murdered but not what they ate before they died unless it's really important to the plot. I wish they'd leave those kind of details out.
People seem to want the shock factor. Not me though.
Funny, my sister and I were just discussing this last night. She is horrified that I read so much YA. But YA seems to be my best bet for steering clear of sex and foul language. I am a follower of Jesus, but don't typically read Christian fiction due to the poor quality of writing. Not that YA is that much better, but it seems like 1 out of 5 YA books are at least interesting vs 1 out of 20 Christian fiction. By the way, I just happened onto this group, very excited! Hoping my reading prospects will improve.
puppitypup wrote: "Funny, my sister and I were just discussing this last night. She is horrified that I read so much YA. But YA seems to be my best bet for steering clear of sex and foul language. I am a follower ..."You must get really lucky then. Almost every mainstream YA book I pick up I eventually have to mark DNF because of language and/or strong sexual situations. So if you have any clean mainstream YA authors you'd recommend please let me know.
Welcome to the group! I used to refuse to read Christian fiction because of the quality myself...but I've discovered some really fabulous authors this past year. Let me know if you'd like me to recommend a few. :)
Hannah wrote: "Welcome to the group! I used to refuse to read Christian fiction because of the quality myself...but I've discovered some really fabulous authors this past year. Let me know if you'd like me to r..."Hannah, I already read mostly Christian fiction. Just looking for some clean mainstream YA alternatives.
Alyssa Faith wrote: "Hannah wrote: "Welcome to the group! I used to refuse to read Christian fiction because of the quality myself...but I've discovered some really fabulous authors this past year. Let me know if you..."Yes...your bookshelf looks pleasantly similar to mine! I was intending to reply to puppitypup. :)
Alyssa,Timebound by Rissa Walker is pretty clean (and fun too). It does have a few mild swear words (no F bombs or anything like that.) A sexual reference or two (if I remember correctly) but for a mainstream novel it was refreshingly clean. Its novella sequel not quite as much.
Hannah wrote: "Welcome to the group! I used to refuse to read Christian fiction because of the quality myself...but I've discovered some really fabulous authors this past year. Let me know if you'd like me to r..."Please list some of your top authors? I have found quality of writing disappointing in some inspirational fiction yet they are rated highly so it is really hard to choose based on ratings. I would appreciate any direction I can get.
I would love to have recommendations on good quality Christian fiction!
My Favourite Christian Fiction Authors: Krista McGee, Karen Witemeyer, Katherine Reay, Melissa Tagg, Shannon Dittemore, Jenny B. Jones, Jennifer Erin Valent, Karen Young, Francine Rivers, Jaye L. Knight, Julie Klassen, Jody Hedlund, Melanie Dickerson, Jessica Keller, Mary Connealy, Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Heather Day Gilbert, Amber Stokes, Sarah E. Ladd. I hope those of you looking for quality Christian Fiction find what your looking for. :)
What are your favorite genres, Hannah? MomToKippy wrote: "Hannah wrote: "Welcome to the group! I used to refuse to read Christian fiction because of the quality myself...but I've discovered some really fabulous authors this past year. Let me know if you..."
My favorite is historical fiction especially if it takes me away to some far off place and time with lots of atmosphere but I prefer it to be on the cleanish side most of the time. I am especially looking for HF that does not take place in England -regency era! How much of that can one read?
C.J. wrote: "What are your favorite genres, Hannah? MomToKippy wrote: "Hannah wrote: "Welcome to the group! I used to refuse to read Christian fiction because of the quality myself...but I've discovered some..."
Anything historical, mostly. If I read nonfiction it's history or biography. I've only recently gotten interested in anything Regency, partly because of Julie Klassen's excellent writing, and I read a lot of 1900s era fiction. I love mystery and adventure and like getting a good Christian message, but as long as the message doesn't run counter to my beliefs (I.e., espousing Communism/socialism, dirty language, sex scenes, witchcraft, or lurid soap-opera-ish plots), I'll enjoy it, as long as it's well written and doesn't have a tragic ending!
Try Charles Martin. He writes like a gentleman. And Christa Parrish is another one to try. Her books are thoughtful.
Jan Watson writes some nice historical novels. My favorite author is Sibella Giorello, who writes the Raleigh Harmon mystery series. Clean with some spiritual themes but not preachy at all. Very compelling character-driven suspense.
Thanks Jared! So this is for books you have downloaded and works while you are reading them? And what OS are you using it on?
Fantastic! So you can only purchase books through the app? Sorry I am not an e-reader user yet. Oh - I see the link you posted - I will go take a look.
C. wrote: "I wish more authors would wake up to the fact that many non-Christian people also are offended by these elements in books,but we also do not appreciate the bombardment of religious proselytizing/go..."You have stated this very well and I agree. I asked a question about a book that had vulgarity and I had to stop reading and a goodreads patron called me a moron!
Dona wrote: "C. wrote: "I wish more authors would wake up to the fact that many non-Christian people also are offended by these elements in books,but we also do not appreciate the bombardment of religious prose..."Wow, Dona, I've seen that in posts as well. Nothing like showing one's ignorance like calling someone a moron because they enjoy authors that have an actual grasp of the English language.
Don't forget that you can check the group bookshelf for ideas. And if you know of books you can add, then do. :) It's always handy to have them in one easy-to-find place.
Thank you - I did not even know there was a bookshelf. ... I added some books. It is unfortunate that this bookshelf does not cross reference with Listopia! I have previously searched "clean reads" on listopia and was a little disappointed with the lists, however this group bookshelf contains over 800 books.
I use the bookshelf every time I check a books content. It is my first stop.... Only bad thing is that I can't access it from the app it would be nice to check books when I am at the library
MomToKippy wrote: "Thank you - I did not even know there was a bookshelf. ... I added some books. It is unfortunate that this bookshelf does not cross reference with Listopia! I have previously searched "clean rea..."Totally agree about the cross referencing with Listopia idea! :]
Hey friends, I created a list yesterday for "clean romantic adventure" on listopia that has already grown from my 11 to over 100!! It does not have to be pristine, but on the clean side with plenty of adventure and some romance. Please add/vote if you like or call anything out if needed. Thanks!!https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
PS- I can not find any means to search the "bookshelf" here for a particular book. )-:
That would be a useful function, MomToKippy. Perhaps you could suggest it in the Goodreads Feedback group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Inspirational is not as bad for that,but just wish there was a content rating system for all books,and that more non-Christian authors would consider the readers who would love to be able to find more suitable books,and find them more easily.