The grand majority of the books I review are explicitly Christian, as I have found that the probability of a book containing questionable content goes way up, if a book is not Christian. (I have observed this, sadly, even in children’s books.)

Selection Criteria

• As a reader and reviewer, my first objective is purity. Regardless of how well a book is written or how interesting it is, I will not be recommending titles that glorify sexual impurity (i.e., premarital sex, homosexuality) or that feature a lot of graphic romantic content.
• While I’m happy to recommend a light, clean romance, I am especially looking for books that also minister God’s truth! Jesus taught in parables and I learned, from a young age, that one of the key ways He speaks to me is through stories, particularly allegory.

How I Review

For each review I post, I provide a recommendation status.

Oftentimes, the recommendation status includes a “reservation” or “content” note. If a book is recommended with a reservation, it may be because I did not agree with all of the arguments the author made, or because of some slightly questionable content. If I recommend a book with a reservation, I provide context in the Content section, to help readers make an informed decision.

Because Content I Flag (see below) is very specific to me (social justice is very important to me as is purity), most books will probably have some content flagged. Less content/ nature of the content will determine the score I give.

Recommendations

• Highly Recommended (5 stars)
  • Highly Recommended books tend to be lower on objectionable content, or I feel that the content included does not change my recommendation. These books tend to be both well-written and (what I consider to be) wholesome.
• Recommended, Reader Discretion (4 stars)
  • Four star books are most likely higher in flagged content, and/ or I may feel that the books message/ writing do not compensate for the content included.
  • Overall, I am more likely to “ding” a book for questionable content than for quality of writing. However, if a book has a lot of typos, I will not award it five stars.
• Reader Discretion (3 stars)
  • Titles that are marked only as “Reader Discretion” are not books that I would actively recommend. A book may receive this rating due to numerous instances of flagged content, questionable overarching themes or a lack of Christian content (since I look for Christian books, not just clean books).
  • As a note, for books in the 3-4 star range, there is a good chance that I would recommend these books by comparison. That is, I would likely recommend these titles over books that are not Christian, particularly to readers who are not Christian. These are also quite likely books that I did enjoy reading. However, because purity is the main emphasis of my blog, I am really looking for titles that I feel confident recommending to others, bearing in mind that different people have different levels of comfort.
• Not Recommended (1-2 stars)
  • These are books that I quite possibly did not finish, due to unexpected inappropriate content. This may be based on either repetitive content or one specific scene. If I rate a book this low, I cannot recommend it even by comparison.

Content I Flag

As someone who values purity, I occasionally start reading a book, then have to stop because of unexpected content. My goal, in flagging content, is to reduce/eliminate those unsavory surprises. With that said, I do my best to avoid spoilers, whenever possible. I may make a note about an event in the plot, but I won’t flesh it out unnecessarily.

Romantic Content
I consider a book to be “clean” if kissing is minimal/ not described in intense detail. I will flag content that is more intense than light, innocent kissing, although I will also factor in whether a behavior is being praised or critiqued. If a book’s romantic content makes me “feel gross,” I will not be recommending that book.

On a similar note, I will be flagging instances of objectification (male and female) when they stand out to me. The Lord convicted me about objectifying men (which I describe in my blog post “The Value Game”) and I think the objectification of men by women is more likely to slip under the radar..

Racial/ Oppressive Content
I will flag content that perpetuates racial injustice, including content that praises our nation’s oppressive origins (i.e., content that praises colonization and conquest, or that suggests that systemic injustice is a thing of the past.)

Use of the Lord’s name in vain
I will flag this content, even colloquially.

Mature Content
This is a bit subjective, but I may flag content that seems inappropriate / questionable for its intended age group. (This applies to books in the children’s/ middle grade age range, as I probably won’t be finishing books that are not appropriate even for a YA audience.)

LGBTQ+ Content
I plan to flag LGBTQ content, as I do uphold the biblical definition of marriage. As a note, I will not intentionally read books that affirm these lifestyles (i.e., through the inclusion of major characters/ romantic plotlines). If this plays a significant role in the plot, I will not finish. I will note minor references that occur within a plot.

Typos

I’m not reading books as an editor. However, if I notice multiple obvious typos, (and I read the final book, not an ARC), I do feel the need to mention typos, as I do not feel comfortable endorsing a project that feels unfinished.