Clean Reads discussion

I agree,

I read The Kite Runner quite a while ago because my friend raved about it. It's a very poignant story, beautiful prose, and I learned so much about the people and struggles of Afghanistan. However, the book is stunningly graphic and violent in parts. I'm still wondering if it was worth the read. Definitely an R rating. I'm more conservative in my reading choices now, and will never read it again.

One of my daughter's classmates (a very gifted sixth grader) just read this book for a free-choice historical-fiction book report. I can't believe a sixth grader could deal with some of the images in this book, wow! I barely could. I don't think I'll ever recommend this book to my kids.

Stacie wrote: "I Am The Messenger By Markus Zusak

I didn't quite finish the first two pages and came across profanity multiple times. I just read a few reviews on the book here on Goodreads and knew I made the ..."

The age of the protaganist, and not the content of the book determines if it is considered YA, so do not depend on that for your guide. It seems to me that this changed in the late70's. It used to be harder to get a book published with kids as the main characters if it had inappropriate content, but many publishers really don't care any more.
BTW, I loved The Book Thiefso I am very sorry to hear that I Am the Messengeris definitely a DNR. (I read the one* reviews for it, and Stacie is not alone in her assessment. Thanks for the warning.)

My daughter had seen the play twice in LA and wanted to read the book SO badly, that I read the book, blacking out sentences, words & paragraphs for her. She read it, loved it, then the dog ate the book, sigh.

The Red Tent was the book most disappointing to put down. It was about Dinah from the Bible which seemed a very interesting topic. But there was just too much graphic sexual encounters for me. Seems almost sacrilegious!

I recently started A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick, but had to put it down. The writing was beautiful and the story interesting, but by the end of the first chapter, it was clear that the main character was looking for a wife because he missed having sex.

Loralee wrote: "I could not finish "The Time Traveler's Wife." The language was strong and the sexual content made me very uncomfortable. "

Thanks for the info! I've found the title of this book interesting and have wanted to read it, but I'm not going to now :-)

Kim wrote: "I had to put down Wicked. It's sad because the musical is so family oriented (so I've heard) but the book is definitely not. "

I've never seen the play, but I have friends who have seen the play and said it was clean (I trust their judgement). I have the soundtrack and it's fine. I started the book in didn't get very far into it. I was just uncomfortable reading it. I don't totally remember what was in it that made me set it down early on, but I do remember that it made me blush and I wouldn't want any of my friends at church knowing I had read it had I finished it.

I put down Shade by Jeri Smith, I read reviews it was a good book, it had an interesting storyline, but even the first few chapters I wanted to put it down- but thought I would give it a chance, it just kept getting worse. I skipped to the end where the 2nd book to the series was given a sneak peek, read just a tiny bit, and oh my was I horrified so I decided to finally put it down and get rid of it for good. I usually pass on my books, even to thrift stores but I wouldn't even think of that for this one.


I am not a prude either but this one was too much, the swearing alone was bad, the drug use and then the explicit stuff started flying, nope, not for me.

I started reading Shogun by James Clavell but couldn't get past the first couple of chapters because of descriptions of torture and explicit sex. Another book was Flyboys by James Bradley. Several people recommended it because I like World War II books and I had enjoyed Flags of our Fathers. I just thought Flyboys described tortures in more detail than I wanted to know (even for a book about war).

So glad I found this group...good to see I'm not the only one who finds cussing, graphic scenes, etc. offensive.

I just put down Before Women Had Wings after only a couple of pages. Many "GD's." God's last name is not dam*@!!

I, too, but down Tithe by Holly Black. I had so been looking forward to reading it, but the F-words started on the second page and never let up. I just didn't want to deal with it, so after reading three pages, I put it down and took it back to the library.

I also wanted to put down Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, because of both language and really descriptive sexual content. Unfortunately, my 10th grade English teacher had this as our "required" read and I had to suffer through something that made me feel immoral, icky, and downright disgusting with myself because my teacher thought I needed to be "mature" about it.

"Eleven Minutes" by Paolo Coelho. I actually bought this on a recommendation and didn't bother to read the synopsis on the back. I was on my way back home and started flipping through it and was stunned by the amount of explicit sex scenes in it... then I read the synopsis and the book turned out to be about a prostitute. I returned to the bookshop right away and asked to exchange it, and thankfully they allowed me to do that.

"This Charming Man" by Marian Keyes. I was at the airport and wanted to pick up something to read on the trip. I admit the sparkly cover really grabbed my attention... that and I was in a hurry. It was filled with all kinds of sexual activities - roleplay, crossdressing, rape... it was nasty and filled to the brink with them. It was so bad I had to throw it in the trash; the first book I ever threw. ='[

Laurie wrote: "Really? I don't think I could handle that either...Okay, now that book is coming off my to-read list."

I was about 1/2 way through when I put it down and I felt in hindsight that I waited too long. I hear it's a great book, but...

I was told Liar's Poker was a must read financial book from Michael Lewis (same author as the Blind Side). I had to put it down for what I consider gratuitous vulgarity. I was enjoy the book, but only made it a few chapters in.

The Blind Side did have a few Fbombs if I recall but I managed to finish that book. It wasn't nearly as vulgar as Liar's Poker.

I read half of Playing with Fire by Theo Fleury before I put it down. Almost every page had one or more swear words on it. Waaay too much for me. I also put down Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard because I came across a scene where there was teen sexual activity.

The Constant Princess

The constant princess was a major disappointment because I was hoping beyond that this book would make me really like Katherina of Aagorn. It didn't. What turned me off was her wedding night and the stupid thing I knew it was coming somehow. Then Henry comes in and everything else as historians say is history.


The Lovely Bones

I was really hoping that this book would be an instant success and earn five stars from me but no. It was a sorta major disappointment but after hearing her rape scene in detail, her father's affairs, a girl that was her friend and yet wasn't who drew drawings of nude people and liked it and the way of losing her virginity through her supposed friend I was feed up with the author.

The "Long Journey Home" by the author of "Marley and Me". It's filled with the f word. Ugh. I loved Marley and thought this book would be good. Not so.

Another article that shows the sad, dark state of young adult fiction. Pay particular attention to what the writer says about J.K. Rowling and also "Hunger Games".

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/opi...

Shawn wrote: "Another article that shows the sad, dark state of young adult fiction. Pay particular attention to what the writer says about J.K. Rowling and also "Hunger Games".

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/1..."

Interesting article. Thanks for posting.

You're welcome, Diane.

I just stopped reading the book club book in the B&N nook group on good reads. This month was robopocalypse by Daniel H Wilson and I was excited to try something more grown up than the typical YA books I normally read but in the third chapter they started slinging the F bomb all over the place. I can handle pg and even some PG-13 rated stuff but this turned R in just a matter of lines. It was sad.

Just quit another book (that I won't be trying to finish later) - Cutting for Stone. It's beautifully written and feels like there's a beautiful story underneath. There were two short sexual situations that I easily skipped over. But a new section of the book started with a toddler boy's fascination with the breast of woman caring for him & his brother. The woman would take her breast out of her clothes to let him play with it. Ummm......I'm done. Oh well.

I decided to pick up Pride and Prejudice instead. I'm seriously tired of having to skip over stuff.

I just joined and in skimming this one thread I learned a lot. I will read thru it more slowly but WOW you guys are a wealth of information.

I stopped reading IT by Stephen KIng and was so upset by the first chapter. The book was bad, I was unfamiliar with who King was and it was my oldest son whp tried to trick me into reading it,

I also stopped Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris after my daughter tricked me,

The Cat who KIlled Lillian Jackson Braun was filled with refrences to masturbation I found offensive.

What I read years ago I would not read now. I was less picky as a young adult but now as a grandma to 5 kids my filters have kicked in and I am sure there are offensive books on my shelf.

And Oh Dear I should have joined this group BEFORE i put Wicked on HUbby's and my nook colors!

Good thing my nook has a DELETE fearure but gee I was looking forward to Wicked's point of view....

grandma dee

I started to read The Lions of Lucerne on my Kobo. The F word almost right away. I deleted it and the rest of his books I had.

I started to read Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, a YA. The F word, the Sh word, and sexual scenes seem to be abundant. I couldn't finish it I was so disgusted and dissapointed. I can't believe an author who is writing for teens, would want to encourage this type of behavior. Definitely do NOT read this book, save yourself from the scarring.

Elle wrote: "I started to read Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, a YA. The F word, the Sh word, and sexual scenes seem to be abundant. I couldn't finish it I was so disgusted and dissapointed. I can't believe an ..."

Thanks for the info Elle, that's one I keep hearing about, and wondering if it's clean.

I put down "When She Woke"by Hillary Jordan. This was dissapointing because the premise of the book is interesting. But, there were strange viewpoints on God I don't agree with, a lesbian sex scene and a few swear words. why do authors have to add this stuff to books? It would have been a good read without all that trash.

I don't know If it's here already but Water for Elephants was. Just. GROSS. Waaaaaaay too many intimate scenes. I wished I had never started the book. I would never be allowed to read it, just gross. It was like looking in on something that you weren't supposed to see, something that was private.

I had to put down American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. I love his writing style to death, but a lot of his earlier writing in particular (including the Sandman series) includes highly explicit sex scenes, violence, and macabre images. After the second detailed sex scene in AG, I couldn't stand it anymore.

(If anyone's looking for cleaner books by Gaiman, any of his youth books like Coraline are creepy but wonderful, and the Mirrormask movie he helped with is a clean flight of fancy. Of his adult books, Anansi Boys had some light swearing and one or two mild lewd moments (that I remember), and Neverwhere had PG-13 swearing and violence.)

Contrary wrote: "In YA Fiction, I put down Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle after a being told it had some 'issues' (I had already encountered some racy bits and an 'almost' sex scene). I was sorely disappointed in..."

I think I know what you are referring to by "issues", but I personally very much enjoyed that book and read it three or four times. (Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favorite authors). It is a loose exploration of the story of Noah and not a strictly faithful retelling, but then it doesn't pretend to be—it has nephilim, unicorns and teens from the future, and is not meant to be taken either as canonical or as religiously offensive.
As for raciness, there are references that I remember, but her writing is never explicit, vulgar, gratuitous or encouraging of immorality. Thinking about it now, I can see how it might bother some people, but I was very surprised to see it show up here and I would say don't necessarily write it off.

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnely. I have not read this whole series (this is the 3rd book). I am guessing the other books have similar content. I tried to push through and got through 100 pages and finally put it down. This one had too much sex for me, especially premarital sex.

I saw someone on this site said that The Sunday Philosophy Club By Alexander McCall Smith was good but a little bit boring. I didn't think it was boring and was enjoying it very much, until I came across the b-word and I was very upset. I also took Out Love Story by Erich Segal from the library, but it's filled with swear words in it. This stinks.

Oh no, Water For Elephants?! That's the book we have for my school's book club next month! I'm president, so I have to read it. :/

Thalia wrote: "Oh no, Water For Elephants?! That's the book we have for my school's book club next month! I'm president, so I have to read it. :/"

Yeah, there's a chapter kind of early in the book that involves a woman who "performs" for men in her b-day suit. You know it's coming up when he's at the men's only part of the carnival. Also, there are a couple of sex scenes later on.

8[

That makes me very, very sad. ;-;

Here are some disturbing books.

1. I couldn't get past the first few chapters of Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty.

2. I received the second book of Tamora Pierce"s Protector of the Small quartet for Christmas and I was thrilled because I had been looking for a book that combined magic, fighting, and a strong female protagonist. I mentioned the author to my grandma and received several more of her books for my birthday. I was horribly disappointed. Usually the first books of the quartets are good (aside from a few lewd comments, which I tried not to notice because I liked the books and I try to finish the books I pick up) but then the girl grows up and does some weird stuff. Don't read her Beka Cooper series. The first 2 books of her Protector of the Small quartet are clean. The first 3 books of her Immortals quartet are clean. Trickster's Choice is clean. Her Circle of Magic quartet is clean. ( There are some unclean comments in these books as I mentioned before)

So sorry I read Angela's Ashes. I kept thinking the masturbation was over but basically the entire last half of the book is filled with it.

I put down Before I Fall. So dissapointing that an author would ruin such a good idea with sex

Back when I wanted to be cool and read best sellers so I'd have interesting things to talk about (yeah, I was a kid), I read Waiting to Exhale. The only reason I finished it...and it took awhile...is so I could say that I had. It was a completely miserable experience. The thing that stood out most to me was the excessive use of foul language. The rest wasn't good, and should have been X-rated, but I had never read anything with so much cussing in my life.

Fortunately I decided at that point that if being cool meant reading stuff like that, I was fine being not cool. :)

one not to bother with - Love in the time of cholera - icky on various levels , didnt finish it !!!
also the books for Frost - awful language didnt get past page 2

Jenny Pox. Hate it when YA becomes erotica w/ hard drug usage.

Wake by Lisa McMann. Wow. Terrible. I was reading it for a project on lucid dreams, and the author seemed obsessed with swear word and people having dreams about being naked. I'll just have to find a different book on lucid dreaming for my project.

Emma wrote: "Wake by Lisa McMann. Wow. Terrible. I was reading it for a project on lucid dreams, and the author seemed obsessed with swear word and people having dreams about being naked. I'll just have to ..."
I totally agree!!! What a fantastic idea ruined!!!

Boy I thought I was sensitive but not nearly as much as some other people. I don't faint over affairs, which isn't to say that I approve of them. I must say that I do really feel absolutely violated when reading a book and all the sudden there is a rape scene or weird sex stuff like perverts or child molestors. That's why I couldn't finish "The God of Small Things", "The Kite Runner" or"Ahab's Wife". No matter how much I am enjoying a book I can't get past that horrible feeling too-graphic passages give me. Why can't they treat the subject in a more dignified way? Allude to the incident if it's that important to the story. It's sick to spell it out in graphic detail.

Leslie wrote: "Boy I thought I was sensitive but not nearly as much as some other people. I don't faint over affairs, which isn't to say that I approve of them. I must say that I do really feel absolutely viola..."
Agreed!

Leslie wrote: "Boy I thought I was sensitive but not nearly as much as some other people. I don't faint over affairs, which isn't to say that I approve of them. I must say that I do really feel absolutely viola..."

This is why I couldn't give any of the books from The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo a 5 star rating. It was interesting and exciting with good characters but the graphic sex and violence was appalling and I am not usually squeamish.

Kim wrote: "I had to put down Wicked. It's sad because the musical is so family oriented (so I've heard) but the book is definitely not. "

The play isn't as bad as the book, but it still implies the affair that Elfaba's mom has to conceive her. If you want family-oriented on Broadway, stick with the Disney ones.

Grace wrote: "I had a similar experience. I have never seen the play, but had heard about it and was intrigued by the idea of the Wizard of Oz from the wicked witch's point of view. I actually lasted nearly a ..."
I did allow my daughter & son to see the play but my daughter asked me if she could read the book and I told her not until you are older!

I'm reading Mystic and Rider by Sharon Shinn and I was enjoying it very much until one part that made me think about if I should continue on or not. I saw that someone else said she liked Archangel by her, so I decided to give her a try. Everything was going fine until (view spoiler)[ Senneth gets into a fight with a young woman's father and his friends because they detest her because she's a mystic and she engulfs him in flames. I was pretty disturbed by it. I was really upset too because I was very drawn into the book and now I'm not sure if I should continue reading. Has anyone who has read the book tell me if Senneth says she is sorry or if there is any more of that kind of violence going on? (hide spoiler)]

Senneth doesn't (view spoiler)[ engulf him in flames, but she puts him in a cage of fire and he gets singed. It bothers me, I don't know if I'm going to continure. (hide spoiler)]