BTT: Decorum
Since I didn’t have an answer for this week’s Booking Through Thursday question –again– but I still wanted to play, I went through the archives there, and found a different question to answer! 
So, this question is from October 2007:
Do you have “issues” with too much profanity or overly explicit (ahem) “romantic” scenes in books? Or do you take them in stride? Have issues like these ever caused you to close a book? Or do you go looking for more exactly like them? (grin)
I definitely have issues with too much of anything in a book. Mind you, I have noticed that my “rules” have definitely relaxed, in the last few years, regarding this stuff, and I’m not sure whether that’s a good thing or not!
Whereas I used to avoid all books with any sort of coarse language in them (especially the dreaded ‘f’ word), now I will read a lot of those books, because I’ve found that there are still many good books out there and I’d be missing out on too much if I didn’t read them. Now, mind you, there are some books that are just too full of it for me to be able to stomach them. Those I’ll still set aside. And, I still will usually set aside books that take God’s name in vain. But, for example, the House of Night series by P.C. & Kristin Cast has a lot of language in it, and I’ve read every book in that series, so far. And, I’m glad I did, too! They’re good books! Of course, it helps that the main character, Zoey, doesn’t usually swear, and makes up cute alternative words, instead. 
I’m still pretty cautious when it comes to books with gratuitous “romantic” scenes. I don’t like the modern-day stuff as it just gets to be too much. But, the Regency romances (set in 1800′s England) are my favorite… I have several favorite authors in that genre, and will read them from time-to-time. I like them, I guess, because it’s more about the flirting, and the actual storyline, then it is about the two main characters jumping into bed with each other. And, the descriptives when they are together aren’t usually as nasty as the modern-day ones can be (yes, I’ve tried books by authors like Sandra Brown, and they can be a little too graphic for my sensibilities). 
When it comes to violence, I will almost always set a book aside if the violence gets to be too over-the-top. I don’t like violence, and that’s why I avoid watching a lot of television. I don’t like horror movies, and I hate anything to do with war. I guess I’m very much a sensitive type, as I just cannot stomach people getting hurt — especially on purpose. 
Too much of anything is definitely annoying. Nice answer.
I’m starting a new meme today called What Were They Thinking? over at The Crowded Leaf.. Stop by if you want to participate!
Agree entirely. Too much bad language violence etc is just an easy option, in literature as in life. Cheap. I have always wondered why warnings ahead of certain TV programs refer to it as ‘strong language’ too. Seems anything but strong – in fact just the reverse.
It is always great to discover great reads regardless of the country or nationality of the author. Here’s my BTT for this week.
Clandestine Sanctuary
I find that I will put a book aside if the story line has something to do with a child, bad thing happening to a child is something I have a hard time with. I read Lovely Bones years ago and I did finish it. As far as language goes, it depends on how bad it really is. Unfortunately we live in a society where bad language is the norm. If the book I am reading is a good one, I will generally overlook the language.
I quit reading one book a few years ago at about page 25 because I’d had it with the profanity. I like my fiction fairly “clean.”
Yea, I agree. I like it clean. Here is mine:
http://bookjunkiemom.blogspot.com/2010/10/booking-through-thursday.html
I love Nora Roberts, but I’ve found myself skipping entirely through the sex scenes. Just zip right past! Sometimes things are way too explicit… I understand the remark about “Lovely Bones.” That was very hard for me to read, especially because I had a 14-year-old at the time. Very hard indeed — but I still loved the book. Made me cry and still would, if I picked it up again.
Plot matters to me, and I’ll put up with a lot of “romance” for a good plot. (Bad language? No. I think that’s lazy.) That’s the case with what I’m reading now, Stronger Than Sin — a paranormal romance that yes, has got some sexy, sexy scenes in it. Plot matters! And so does the action — and this one has action of the page-turning variety, not just between the sheets…