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fallenoffacliff's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.5
A good, reflective, book/project/memoir. The nature of it puts it in contrast, in my mind, to a year of rest and relaxation and reminds me that projects can deeply shape who we are
madetofly's review against another edition
Birds Art Life has probably been the quietest, most contemplative book I've read all year. It has a tone and pace that I don't typically gravitate towards in books, but since this was a Life's Library pick, I was going to give it a shot. Life's Library doesn't usually let me down, and that was true this time too.
This book is a memoir that takes place over a year, with each chapter representing a month. The author befriends a bird watching musician after deciding that she wants to try bird watching herself. What follows is a lot of reflection on birds, art, and the author's life, hence the title.
I wasn't on the edge of my seat while reading Birds Art Life, but reading it was an enjoyable and relaxing experience.
If you want a fast-paced book, this probably won't be the one for you, but if you're looking for something reflective and slow-paced, this is a great choice.
This book is a memoir that takes place over a year, with each chapter representing a month. The author befriends a bird watching musician after deciding that she wants to try bird watching herself. What follows is a lot of reflection on birds, art, and the author's life, hence the title.
I wasn't on the edge of my seat while reading Birds Art Life, but reading it was an enjoyable and relaxing experience.
If you want a fast-paced book, this probably won't be the one for you, but if you're looking for something reflective and slow-paced, this is a great choice.
monse's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
2.5
kat_mayerovitch's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I get what the author was trying to do, with her book of small vignettes. Small, like birds. Small, like art can be. Small, like moments in a life.
But ultimately, it made for a disjointed reading experience. I think I might have loved it as a blog, waiting eagerly each week for the next bit of insight, but as a book reader with a return-to-library deadline looming, it didn't call me to completion.
As far as Birds Art Life goes, I loved the birds parts! Her descriptions of coming to know and love them were wonderful. The art bits were a little confusing and the life never gave me enough information to really care about the people involved.
Not a bad book, but not one that really inspired me either.
But ultimately, it made for a disjointed reading experience. I think I might have loved it as a blog, waiting eagerly each week for the next bit of insight, but as a book reader with a return-to-library deadline looming, it didn't call me to completion.
As far as Birds Art Life goes, I loved the birds parts! Her descriptions of coming to know and love them were wonderful. The art bits were a little confusing and the life never gave me enough information to really care about the people involved.
Not a bad book, but not one that really inspired me either.
patsaintsfan's review against another edition
5.0
Man, this was right up my alley. A book that has One reflect, AND is about birds... In All their Glory. Wonderful read for the right audience and mindset.
a1icia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
stephaniereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
I came to Kyo Maclear's work through her children's books - notably, The Big Bath House, a warm hug of a story about a young girl visiting her Japanese grandmother and how a trip to the bath house eased her into her maternal family after a time apart. Loving that book lead me to looking up her other work and discovering that not only does she write picture books, but also graphic novels and novels for adults and her nonfiction memoir, pictured here. I love to see someone's creativity splashed across so many formats!
Birds Art Life is about a time in Maclear's life when she was a little lost, caught up in mothering young children and caring for her aging father. She hears of a musician who was brought back to his own creativity through urban birding - she reaches out, and she spends a year following him around and learning about birds. She calls this book a "sketchbook" of sorts and I think that's accurate: it's divided up into themes for each month of the year (like smallness, or faltering, or roaming), and within those themes she talks about ecology, stories from her life, observations. It's lovely and insightful throughout, and every so often there are these breathtaking moments.
Recommending this one if you loved Wintering by Katherine May or the work of Mary Oliver. There's that same sense of quieting the self and paying attention to the dance between the outer and inner lives. Especially appealing to me were the chapters on smallness and waiting - this book is a real comfort if you feel a little lost, too. Like Maclear says, no one person is our guide in everything, but we can still let what speaks to us be a light when things seem dim.
Birds Art Life is about a time in Maclear's life when she was a little lost, caught up in mothering young children and caring for her aging father. She hears of a musician who was brought back to his own creativity through urban birding - she reaches out, and she spends a year following him around and learning about birds. She calls this book a "sketchbook" of sorts and I think that's accurate: it's divided up into themes for each month of the year (like smallness, or faltering, or roaming), and within those themes she talks about ecology, stories from her life, observations. It's lovely and insightful throughout, and every so often there are these breathtaking moments.
Recommending this one if you loved Wintering by Katherine May or the work of Mary Oliver. There's that same sense of quieting the self and paying attention to the dance between the outer and inner lives. Especially appealing to me were the chapters on smallness and waiting - this book is a real comfort if you feel a little lost, too. Like Maclear says, no one person is our guide in everything, but we can still let what speaks to us be a light when things seem dim.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Kidnapping
ralovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this reflective book about nature and creativity. I read it at exactly the right time in my life, almost in one sitting because it resonated so strongly. It made me think of birds and books that "spark" me.
"The birders I encountered in books and in the world shared little except this simple secret: if you listen to birds, every day will have a song in it."
"The birders I encountered in books and in the world shared little except this simple secret: if you listen to birds, every day will have a song in it."