Becky’s Favorite Resources: All Readers.com for Frank Sex and Violence Info

With yesterday’s post about the NPR Top 100 Romances I thought today was a good time for me to bring up my favorite site to find  frank discussions about the specific types and level of sex and violence in a book-- All Readers.com.

All Readers is not a pretty site; in fact it is fairly cumbersome and awkward, but it is THE ONLY place where you will find this information-- information readers care deeply about. And, even more importantly, they do not hold anything back..

Let me give you some examples.

All of the All Readers reviews include a analysis chart.  For each example, click and then scroll down to the chart.

Here is your example of sex level comparison of two best selling romance authors from opposite ends of the spectrum:

• It Had to be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips 
• One Night by Debbie Macomber

Here is your example of violence level comparison of two best selling crime authors from opposite ends of the spectrum:

• Kiss the Girls by James Patterson
• Sticks and Scones by Diane Mott Davidson

Compare the difference in their sex and violence levels for yourself. All Readers does a great job of really telling you what to expect. With honest lines like: "generic/vague references to death/punishment” vs "very gorey references to deaths/dead bodies and torture,” [not to mention how frank they get about the sexual references], All Readers leaves nothing to the imagination.

Since we cannot read every book, this is a great way for the librarian to know what the reader can expect. It takes the awkwardness out of the RA conversation. Anytime there is a issue about sex and violence levels in a given title, I simply print the review from this resource and give it to the patron to decide for him or herself. Everyone wins!

That’s why All Readers.com is a Becky Favorite.