"Birds Art Life" is the type of book that asks to be read slowly, with contemplation. I found that my enjoyment of the book increased as I set it aside for several days after reading, and then went back to review my notes before writing this review.

When Kyo Maclear's father faces a grave and terminal illness, she looks for a way to manage her own grief an anxiety about her father's health. On the recommendation of and with the help of a friend, she takes up bird watching deciding to enjoy small spots of nature every day rather than epic versions of wilderness and escape.

Maclear beautifully reflects on the way that her new pastime changes her ability to view the world: "If you hope to see something, especially the notably elusive, you will learn to wait, like a devotee or a sanguine lover. You will choose your sitting spot and then you will just sit there. You will sit there, in the wind or drippy cold, waiting for the possibility of something beautiful to appear.

You will discover that the magic of a sitting spot is that it teaches you to go nowhere. If you are lucky, it will bring birds closer, or you closer to noticing them."

Maclear isn't just talking about birds here -- it's a way of life. Biriding is her new meditation. Her new way to make sense of the world. The new prescription for the anxieties of life.

Some may liken this book to [b:H is for Hawk|18803640|H is for Hawk|Helen Macdonald|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1442151714s/18803640.jpg|26732095]. I actually found Maclear's work to be more approachable, relatable, and frankly more moving.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
( )

Book Review
Book Title: Birds Art Life: A Year of Observation
Book Author: Kyo Maclear

Introduction: I was craving some inspirational nonfiction, so I decided to pick this book up. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads for an honest review.

Review:

"Every love story is a potential grief story" - Kyo Maclear reference - Julian Barnes's Levels of Life.

This book is an inspirational gem that truly surprised me. I never expected a book about watching birds to be one of my favourite reads of the year. There are numerous quotes that are truly amazing from this novel, and now I want to pick up many more Kyo Maclear novels.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs a pick me up. Difficult topics are discussed within this novel, but it gives you a very different view on life. It's not just a book about birds - it's a book about humans too. While there are facts within this book about birds, it's not just an encyclopedia. Kyo Maclear explains movements throughout life and how changes can be dealt with through analogies, metaphors and similes. Overall, it's a truly impressive book.

The more I read this book, the more I appreciated it. While I might not have been able to relate to every topic discussed in it, I truly felt lifted after reading it. With so many inspirational quotes, it was hard to not put a sticky note on almost every page where I found words that just fit with me.

"Die knowing something. Die knowing your knowing will be incomplete." - Kyo Maclear.

The final two pages of this book gave a list of many, wonderful lessons. Lessons regarding living in general, taking chances, surprises, opening up, relaxation, people, and having a guru in general. Out of this entire book, I felt that these two pages summed the book up better than the synopsis. If you're not going to read the entire book, just reading those two specific pages makes the entire novel worth it.

Final Thoughts: I was truly impressed by this book. I was not expecting to get so attached and feel so desperate to continue reading it. Who knew birds could be so interesting?

Five out of five stars. ( )

Book Review
Book Title: Birds Art Life: A Year of Observation
Book Author: Kyo Maclear

Introduction: I was craving some inspirational nonfiction, so I decided to pick this book up. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads for an honest review.

Review:

"Every love story is a potential grief story" - Kyo Maclear reference - Julian Barnes's Levels of Life.

This book is an inspirational gem that truly surprised me. I never expected a book about watching birds to be one of my favourite reads of the year. There are numerous quotes that are truly amazing from this novel, and now I want to pick up many more Kyo Maclear novels.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs a pick me up. Difficult topics are discussed within this novel, but it gives you a very different view on life. It's not just a book about birds - it's a book about humans too. While there are facts within this book about birds, it's not just an encyclopedia. Kyo Maclear explains movements throughout life and how changes can be dealt with through analogies, metaphors and similes. Overall, it's a truly impressive book.

The more I read this book, the more I appreciated it. While I might not have been able to relate to every topic discussed in it, I truly felt lifted after reading it. With so many inspirational quotes, it was hard to not put a sticky note on almost every page where I found words that just fit with me.

"Die knowing something. Die knowing your knowing will be incomplete." - Kyo Maclear.

The final two pages of this book gave a list of many, wonderful lessons. Lessons regarding living in general, taking chances, surprises, opening up, relaxation, people, and having a guru in general. Out of this entire book, I felt that these two pages summed the book up better than the synopsis. If you're not going to read the entire book, just reading those two specific pages makes the entire novel worth it.

Final Thoughts: I was truly impressed by this book. I was not expecting to get so attached and feel so desperate to continue reading it. Who knew birds could be so interesting?

Five out of five stars. ( )

I love most birding memoirs, but there is a subset that I cannot stand: the I've-discovered-birds-in-middle-age-and-need-to-tell-everyone-about-it memoir. They all take the same form: life has thrown them a curveball, they stumble on to birding, and birding teaches them lessons about life. They discover what every birder already knows (nature is miraculous), and try to convince the reader of this by using flowery prose in an attempt to convey this mundane profundity.

Birds Art Life falls into this subset of birding memoirs. I found myself annoyed or arguing with something on every page. From her being able to distinguish among the 3 swans usually found in North America on one of her first birding trips (not exceptionally difficult, but highly unlikely for a beginner), to the tired cliche of looking at caged birds and musing on the cages we put ourselves in ("The cage of habit. The cage of ego. The cage of ambition. The cage of materialism.")

Throw in the obligatory climate change warnings, mix in anecdotes from life that remind her of the birds she's seen, then add a dash of the oft-told story of the extinction of the passenger pigeon, and you've got the typical How I Discovered Birding in Middle Age memoir.

For a better birding memoir, I recommend Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman, and for a better year-in-the-life of nature type book, I highly recommend A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. ( )

3.5 stars
Maybe reading it at another time will make me like it more. ( )