BookLust: Fightin' Words

Fightingwords_3 Some of you who know me probably know that I'm a sucker for small quirky gift books, especially if they cover the subjects of writing, reading, or something book-related. So it's no surprise is it, that I would snatch up a copy of the insightful, witty and sometimes downright nasty Fighting Words: Writers Lambast Other Writers – from Aristotle to Anne Rice. James Charlton is the editor of this marvelous little collection, and the clever illustrations are by the artist Tullio Pericoli.

So why would I enjoy this book? Because it's writers saying nasty things about other writers, silly! Not only do you experience the joy of reading a good insult, you get the added delight of a good insult that is very well written. Hell, I will honestly admit that when I read about the lives of writers, I don't just want to learn about how they develop their craft – I wanna know all about the delicious nasty petty little details of their lives. I want to know if they kicked their dog, drank themselves into next week and beat their children mercilessly. I probably won't like their writing any less if I find out they're a drunken, selfish bastard (read this blog post for more on that interesting subject), as long as they write well. So yes, I certainly enjoy a bit of petty writer name-calling. Don't you?

All this rambling on my part is my way of saying a new category has been created, called Fightin' Words. May the nastiness begin!

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