The Literary Bratty Pack

Ihave friends who read, and because we are friends, we have mostly the sametaste and read mostly the same things. The opinions we have about what weread are not always similar – though, honestly, most of the time they are – and when weget together to discuss books we often sound like – for lack of a better word –brats. 

WE KNOW WHAT IS BEST, WHAT WORKED & WHAT DIDN’T WORK; WHEN A BOOKWAS EDITED HORRIBLY; WHEN A BOOK WAS PACED POORLY; WHAT MAKES CHARACTER'S INTERESTING; WHEN FAN-FICTION AS REAL FICTION IS APPROPRIATE AND WHEN IT ISN’T; HOW MUCH KISSING IS TOO MUCH KISSING; WHEN CHARACTERS ARE BELIEVABLE AND WHEN THEY'RE NOT; WHY THATIS THE BOOK WE WILL ALL BE QUOTING FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS AND THAT BOOK ISN’T –type of brats. 

But that’s the beauty of having these people around, the freedomto talk about literature without offending anyone – knowing you can be asbratty as you want to about a book without pissing anyone off. 

Try doing thaton the internet. 

I. Dare. You. 

And books, good or bad, beg to be talked about.So, do you have a free-space in life where you can express your true thoughtsabout what you’ve read? What/where/who? 

If you don’t have one, might I suggestyou get one ASAP. They’re probably people already in your life you just haven’tdiscovered yet. During this search you may discover people whosefeelings you will hurt. People who will glare at you across the campfiresaying, “Those of us who aren’t writer’s like it,” (and saying “writer”in the same tone as Clive Owen, when he  said “You Writer!” to Jude Law in the movie Closer—don't clink the link if you aren't in the mood to be cursed out), and you will try to defend yourself by saying, “no one reads it for the writing, they read it for the man,”but the insult will have already taken root, and nothing you say aboutbooks will ever matter to them again. 

Or sometimes you’ll come to reject amember when they say, “The third book was the worst,” causing you to smilepolitely on the outside, but on the inside you’re thinking, If you didn’tunderstand the brilliance of the third book and the reason the author changedthe tone, we really have nothing left to say to each other. 

Butthis is all part of the elimination process in finding the Bratty Pack, and ithas to be done. Because freedom of speech is a total lie in the book world, unless everyone yourspeaking to is on the same level of brattiness, and can agree about mostthings.