Why Books Should Have Ratings

 

I was flipping through the Netflix instant movie selection the other day, looking for something interesting to watch. I enjoy a good suspense, action, romance, or comedy as much as the next person. But there is definitely one requirement that is non-negotiable--the movie's rating.

I decided long ago that I would not watch anything rated R. It is a personal choice, mostly religious based. It's a way to keep foul language and questionable sex scenes or blood and guts out of my life. Plus, there are plenty of other great movies out there that are less violent and sexy and foul, so why waste my time watching smut?

 

I work for a publishing company, and one thing we don't tolerate is smut. As we explain to our authors, it doesn't take a lot of imagination to write swear words. And as readers are going along, they tend to focus on the swear words or sex scenes and not the plot or characters. Sort of defeats the purpose, wouldn't you say?

I recently got a Kindle Fire, and while browsing what ebook I could read next, I was overwhelmed with the volume of choices. I finally settled on a book recommended by a friend. Thankfully, it was free of swearing and sex scenes. I could focus on the story itself rather than bring smut into my life.

Now I'm browsing for something else to read. As I swipe down the list of choices, I look at book covers and read summaries. Some "smut" is easy to spot right away, especially if there is a half-naked woman on the cover. Something like that is perhaps something I wouldn't appreciate. Sultry romance novels, no thanks.

Reading the book's summary, sometimes I'll see a swear word or see something about how the main character is a cheater -- again, it is easy to see that this book is something I wouldn't enjoy reading.

But other books are harder to decipher. How do I know just by looking at the cover and the description that it's as clean as I'd like it to be?

That's why I propose books have a rating system. Something like movies would be ideal in my mind. If I knew a book was rated R, I would simply avoid it. There are plenty of other great books out there to read, so I wouldn't waste my time reading smut (well, starting to read it and then putting it down or deleting it) and get to the good stuff.

Show Me Your Book Clutter

This is really embarrassing. I have this problem, and it's called Book Clutter.

I am actually quite malicious with avoiding clutter in my house, and with three little children that is no small accomplishment. But when it comes to books, I tend to let things slide... almost literally. My husband shakes his head at me, and I just say, "What??"

The problem is I have so many books I want to read. Or, that I need to read. The books in this photo are just the books I own that are on that list. It's funny how varied the genres are--from reference to family history to novels to religious to just about everything.

Aside from my cluttered side table, I have digital and paper clutter where I have recorded books I want to read. From my "wants" list on Goodreads.com to titles scribbled on scraps of paper, I am overwhelmed with the amount of books I will get to someday.

Even with feeling almost buried by it all, I have no desire to change. I love books. I want to see books everywhere. My dear mother has stacks and bookcases and piles of books all over her house. I've seen even more than one copy of a book in different rooms! I suppose that is as sign that she should start her own cataloging system. Even then, I would never think that she had a problem. No, Book Clutter is not bad. Book Clutter is awesome.

I admit that I have been cheating a little bit. We have a small house, and only a few bookcases, so I promised my husband that I wouldn't own more books than can fill those bookcases. Those bookcases are full... no room for anything else. But there are technically more books in the house than that (see photo above).  And the pile seems to keep waxing rather than waning. Don't wag your finger at me! I'll give them away when I'm done reading them. Maybe.

Do you have Book Clutter? Take a photo and share it via the comments below. I promise to leave a funny comment.

I Am a Book Snob

I started Twilight and got about 50 pages in... then I stopped.

I read the first of the Harry Potter series, and even read a portion of the second.... then I stopped.

I've tried and tried other books.... some of them have clicked, and others have not. It seems I either really like a book or really hate it. There is no in between.

Am I a book snob?  

YES.

If a book doesn't cater to my needs, I don't have the motivation to finish it. Like it's not good enough for me or something (I know, I know, rude, right?).

What do I need as a reader? I need an awesome main character (someone I can identify with, like a strong female), a suspenseful, engaging, fast-moving plot (I can also do slower ones if the characters are endearing enough), and creative writing.  I need it to be unique. But it also needs to be wholesome, with somewhere around a PG rating. Is that really too much to ask? Probably.

I used to think I just didn't like bestsellers--like I didn't want to follow the crowd. But I liked The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. I also loved Ender's Game and The Hiding Place and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. But I also adore lesser known A Vision of Light and other Judity Merkle Riley books. So I don't know. I guess I am with books as I am with life--demanding.

What do you "need" from a book?