Do you know of any shmutz free secular novels?

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 2:29 am

Many many books by Mauve Binchey. She has a great way of writing and the books have no love scenes at all (there may be one or two books where you almost have a love scene but almost all of the books are clean)
I have to check her books for actual recommendations.

Ruchel

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 5:14 am

Actually not all rabbanim say violence is ok to read or watch either!

But violence isn't going to cause ZL (if it does, the guy is in bigger trouble than "just" ZL!), and violence isn't meant to be part of your every day life and kadosh. So yes, unless you want to nix almost all books/movies, often you just nix the shmutzy ones. For bigger kids and certainly teens I don't mind some violence, but shmutz will still be off limit in this house. It's certainly not ideal, but it's the compromise that I think works for many families.

Btw there is violence and violence, the way there is untznius and untzius.

Ruchel

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 5:19 am

sequoia wrote:

Okay, that is your view, my view is different. Just because no one has declared violence assur doesn't mean it's a positive thing to be exposed to.

Well, you asked, so I answered why some do like this.

And yes definitely some have declared it assur. I don't have the names in mind though. And no one thinks it is positive or ideal to be exposed to it, but many things in life are a compromise.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 5:20 am

sequoia wrote:

Okay, that is your view, my view is different. Just because no one has declared violence assur doesn't mean it's a positive thing to be exposed to.

I totally agree with you sequoia. The author that I mentioned has no s ex, drugs or violence in her books.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 5:21 am

Ruchel wrote:

Ruchel, who said that the OP was asking for her husband? It seemed that she was asking for herself.
Also, about people reading about violence, men or women, it stays in you if you read foul things, about s ex or violence. I dont read books with violence for that reason. It lasts much longer in my mind than a book with a s ex scene.

Ruchel

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 5:25 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Ruchel wrote:

I also avoid scenes that are so violent they will stay on my mind. There are some movies and books I regret because they were too disturbing, as well as some that are pemanently banned (for me too lol) in this house.

In other threads I have read of women also avoiding s-x scenes for themselves, not only for a single child or a husband, though from what I read here and on FB women are much less careful (and there is basis in halacha for that). But I remember a poster asking why (for herself) why Ushpizin was PG and if the pregnancy storyline wasn't a bit "risky".

PinkFridge

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 8:27 am

sequoia wrote:

I keep asking this question over and over and over and over: why is violence okay???

Because we're Republicans.
Now back on topic.
I don't know of too many. There's always something. Probably the cleanest stuff I've read has been the Mossy Creek series. I'll try to think of more.
I don't know how old your daughter is. You may want to check out the secular booklist on chinuch.org.

the world's best mom

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 9:26 am

Agatha Christie books tend to be pretty clean, though there may be some slight romance. Gordan Korman books are great and funny and mostly clean, though they are young adult books. And Frnaces Hodgson Burnett's books are amazing. (So I don't read the most mature books all the time, but they are really clean and wonderful.)

PinkFridge

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 9:31 am

the world's best mom wrote:

Re Gordon Korman: not the new YA stuff like Son of the Mob. Some of his earlier stuff, like A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Can, might be in YA and are fine.

the world's best mom

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 9:40 am

PinkFridge wrote:

the world's best mom wrote:

Re Gordon Korman: not the new YA stuff like Son of the Mob. Some of his earlier stuff, like A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Can, might be in YA and are fine.

Thanks for clarifying. I didn't know he had newer books out. But No Coins Please, Losing Joe's Place, Son of Interflux, Don't Care High, and I Want To Go Home are hilarious and clean.

PinkFridge

Sun, Oct 23 2011, 11:06 am

the world's best mom wrote:

PinkFridge wrote:

the world's best mom wrote:

Re Gordon Korman: not the new YA stuff like Son of the Mob. Some of his earlier stuff, like A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Can, might be in YA and are fine.

Thanks for clarifying. I didn't know he had newer books out. But No Coins Please, Losing Joe's Place, Son of Interflux, Don't Care High, and I Want To Go Home are hilarious and clean.

Oh, lots of new stuff. Have you read No More Dead Dogs? Lots of stuff since then, mostly Scholastic series, like Dive, Everest (my favorite), can't remember the other, On the Run and its spinoff, some 39 Clues books, and a new series on the Titanic. Those are basically fine.