r/books • u/AutoModerator • 22d ago

WeeklyThread Simple Questions: September 22, 2026

Welcome readers,

Have you ever wanted to ask something but you didn't feel like it deserved its own post but it isn't covered by one of our other scheduled posts? Allow us to introduce you to our new Simple Questions thread! Twice a week, every Tuesday and Saturday, a new Simple Questions thread will be posted for you to ask anything you'd like. And please look for other questions in this thread that you could also answer! A reminder that this is not the thread to ask for book recommendations. All book recommendations should be asked in /r/suggestmeabook or our Weekly Recommendation Thread.

Thank you and enjoy!

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u/spinazie25 22d ago

Depends on the person I think, but I thought it was worth it reading Dorian Grey. The plot and the language are not all there is to a book. And I thought I knew the plot - I knew only the bare bones, the summary. And the most interesting part - I didn't know about and it's value is in walking through it, not in knowing the bottom line.

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u/[deleted] 22d ago

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u/YakSlothLemon 22d ago

Get the uncensored version! It was discovered in 2013 and it is so much better than the “traditional” book.

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u/fraochmuir 22d ago

Holy I didn’t know this. I read DG in the ‘80’s so I need to reread it.

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u/YakSlothLemon 21d ago

It’s so different, and the nice thing is that the uncensored version comes with an essay on the censorship and what was changed. Weirdly, part of the censorship was adding material to dilute the punch, the original is 13 chapters and the censored version is 20 – I know, weird, but he was also expanding it to a book at the same time that he was taking out more and more material that shocked people when it first came out.

Anyway, it’s a leaner, meaner read than you remember from the 80s. I also read it back then and I was thrilled with the uncensored version!