LDS Ladies Book Club discussion

Is there a rating system for books somewhere like how movies are rated G, PG, PG-13, etc. or website that will tell you if a book is clean? I've been getting frustrated thinking a book will be clean (searching free or Prime e-books) since I couldn't find anything in the summary or some reviews that it wasn't and then by the middle or end of it, there's some detailed sex scene ruining it for me.

I always read the 1 star reviews because they tend to tell me if there is sexual content. Unfortunately there isn't a "rating" system yet.

I have found tons of good reviews just by reading what our group members review. I would also suggest asking group members what they've heard about certain books. I also tend to get all my new book ideas of what to read by checking the reading lists of group members. My list of books to read is huge from just these things.

We've talked about adding ratings (G, PG, etc.) to our reviews. Has anybody done it yet?

I've started including reviews on violence and intimacy in my reviews but not always a PG, R etc.

Commonsensemedia.org reviews the popular books with explanations on language, violence, and sexual content. (http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-...) Unfortunately, they only review a handful of books. It would be great to see goodreads add the option for people to rate those areas.

I love it when people include content and then give a detailed description in their review. (For example, content: a few mild swear words.) That's usually what I scroll through and look for, and also what I put in my reviews. I wish it would be the first thing people put on their review though, that way I don't have to scroll through everything they've said, I can see right away if the content would be uncomfortable for me.

Thanks everyone for your tips. I'm sure I need to be more diligent. I remembered one thing I could do when searching on Amazon Prime --- go by the suggestions listed under other clean romances or my favorite LDS Romance. I found a couple more reads that sound great that way and then check the details and reviews on those and almost automatically someone mentions it's a clean read.

Hopefully CommonSenseMedia.org will continue to grow. That's a great link.

I'm not always good at writing a review, but if I do encounter a book that isn't clean - I make a point to mention that in a review.

Oh and I think it would be great to maybe make a list of clean reads in the group along with our own rating and what each rating means. Is there a way to do something like that in our group? That we can then comment with books we've read and a simple rating with it to give others ideas of what to read.

I would also love to be friends with more of you whose lists are full of clean reads for inspiration --- I know some people don't like to be friends with people though if they've never met so I haven' requested anyone yet. =)

That's how I find clean reads. I friend or follow as many people as I can who also enjoy clean reads and hopefully mention in their reviews if there was something "not clean".

Then when I click on the book page, if they've read the book, their review will be there. It's often a huge help. I try to return the favor. Sometimes I miss some things, but I try. I'm always happy to make new friends, too.

I haven't looked, but there might be GoodReads groups for LDS clean reads or something like that. I'd be happy to add some titles to the list.

How about let's start a Clean Reads thread?! Then people can add all kinds of popular books that they deem clean.

That would be great Amber! =)

There is a clean reads group. It's not exclusively LDS, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Anyway, I think it's a great resource, especially if you have a question about a specific book.

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

My clean book search can be a lengthy one but it's worth it. There's very little I hate more than being blindsided by a book I thought was clean and then turns out it's not. Here are my top 4 suggestions:

1. Read books by authors you trust.
2. Read books suggested by people you trust.
3. Read, read, read, read reviews.
4. Follow your gut.

1. I've noticed that my reading has become dependent on this factor more and more. I used to search the world over for books from all kinds of different authors. If it sounded interesting, I'd give it a shot. I've been stabbed in the back way too many times for that. Now, I really only read books from authors I know I can trust.

2. Having a book friend that has your same standards when it comes to books is soooo wonderful. It's like there's always someone out there watching your back. Chit chat about books and find out what they're reading!

3. This is a lengthy process but worth it. Unless I'm purchasing a book from a trusted author I always, always, always read reviews before any purchase is made. Not very many reviewers will comment on the content of a book, but there are reviewers out there that do! Essentially I read, read, read, read reviews and I don't stop until I find someone who can either give me a green or red light. It takes time, but I always appreciate the confidence that comes when I choose to make a purchase or walk away from a book.

4. Am I just crazy or does anyone else occasionally get some sort of vibe or feeling from a book? Maybe it's the Spirit trying to help me out, I don't know! Haha. Occasionally I come across a book and there's just a feeling I get that tells me I shouldn't bother with it. After doing some investigating and reading some reviews I finally realize the feeling was right!

So listen to your gut. If you have an uneasy feeling about a book, then don't bother! If there's one thing I've learned over the past several years it's that there's always a better book out there! So don't feel bad when you choose to overlook a few here and there while you're on your search for the next bestseller.

Anyway, sorry for the novel-length comment. Hope it helps!

I have found that if I can flip through the book, I will do so extensively. Generally that will reveal things I want nothing to do with. How is that for being ungrammatical? If, however, I'm buying books online or adding books to my to-read list, I'll read as many reviewers as I can. In doing so, I develop a feel for the types of things a particular reader likes and whether that is attractive to me. I also pay attention to negative reviews as someone else mentioned. I rarely end up reading a book I cannot recommend following this method.

I just found this awesome website where you can indicate how much sex, violence, etc. you want in a book and it will make recommendations.
http://www.openingthebook.com/whichbook/

Thanks for sharing!

Just an update....I'm not sure where I heard this from, but have been using this for a while now to find clean reads. Have you heard of My Book Cave? You can choose books based on your preferences like All Ages, Mild, Mild+....Adult. https://mybookcave.com/books/