Jessica Russell's Blog - Posts Tagged "like"
Why Do We Do It?
During a completely unrelated episode in my life, where I had to just scratch my head and say to myself "why would somebody DO that?" I also started to think about why readers and writers do some of the crazy things they do.
For example, what on earth would drive someone to throw a full throttle hissy fit because a person didn't like a book that they liked? There are several books out there right now that have dyed in the wool cult followings and Heaven help ANYONE who indicates that they think those books are anything less than five-star.
Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book.
Second Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book that everyone else likes.
Third Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book that got a celebrity endorsement or was the Book-of-the-Month according to a famous person.
Was that kind of silly the way I did that? Well that's exactly the way I scoff at the people I see practically throwing angry fits because a person didn't care for a particular book.
Everyone is different. If you say you don't like a book, you're not a "hater" who has something against the writer. You just didn't like the book!
If you say a book wasn't realistic enough for you, you don't need to be beaten down by a dozen people telling you that a book doesn't HAVE to be realistic to be enjoyable. You weren't contesting that. You were just saying it wasn't realistic enough for YOU. (You're allowed to do that.)
In this world of hatred and anger, sometimes we need to settle down and realize that what were getting mad about really doesn't matter. At the end of the day, what difference does it make to you if you liked a book and so-and-so didn't? These are the little things that make human beings human beings. Were not all the same.
So the next time someone says they didn't like Where the Crawdads Sing or Golden Girl, just remember...you don't have to go into a blind rage over it. Honest. Write on!
For example, what on earth would drive someone to throw a full throttle hissy fit because a person didn't like a book that they liked? There are several books out there right now that have dyed in the wool cult followings and Heaven help ANYONE who indicates that they think those books are anything less than five-star.
Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book.
Second Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book that everyone else likes.
Third Newsflash:
It's okay not to like a book that got a celebrity endorsement or was the Book-of-the-Month according to a famous person.
Was that kind of silly the way I did that? Well that's exactly the way I scoff at the people I see practically throwing angry fits because a person didn't care for a particular book.
Everyone is different. If you say you don't like a book, you're not a "hater" who has something against the writer. You just didn't like the book!
If you say a book wasn't realistic enough for you, you don't need to be beaten down by a dozen people telling you that a book doesn't HAVE to be realistic to be enjoyable. You weren't contesting that. You were just saying it wasn't realistic enough for YOU. (You're allowed to do that.)
In this world of hatred and anger, sometimes we need to settle down and realize that what were getting mad about really doesn't matter. At the end of the day, what difference does it make to you if you liked a book and so-and-so didn't? These are the little things that make human beings human beings. Were not all the same.
So the next time someone says they didn't like Where the Crawdads Sing or Golden Girl, just remember...you don't have to go into a blind rage over it. Honest. Write on!
