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ngiff3's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
coldinaugust's review
2.0
A decent book of little essays. Got to "steep" a little in birding culture. Nothing thrilling, but learned a little.
summermsmith's review
5.0
I have become an excited birder these last few months. This book is the perfect introduction to the hobby. It is very tongue-in-cheek, at the same time very informative and fun. 50 different essays about every aspect of serious birding from the experts, with several reminders to just have fun!
I received this as a Mother’s Day gift, it was a perfect gift.
I received this as a Mother’s Day gift, it was a perfect gift.
kellyd's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Read this for one of the characters I'm writing. Fun illustrations and micro-essays that are accessible and interesting to non-birders like me. Also, there's nothing quite like having an author describe an iPod as if it was an alien device (the book was first published in 2007).
tashillia's review
funny
3.0
I expected this essay collection to be more universally applicable that it turned out to be. But here is the warning: if you don't drive, own a backyard, are not from North America, and do not subscribe to the idea of being "good" at a hobby, you may find some of the essays not quite relatable.
Most essays are accompanied by nice and funny illustrations which I liked. Some chapters did accomplish what I expected from the book: the comfort of "discussing" my hobby with like-minded authors. Unfortunately, birding does not equal birdwatching by some definitions and is soooo exhausting to read about if you are not a lister and are in general non-competitive. So, some sport-memoiry parts did distract me from tips and fun moments to some extent. The fact that the last section is all about becoming a "good" birder did not help (final pages often make a book, for me at least)- really, if someone is on track to become the next David Sibley, don't they already have an action plan?
One huge positive thing I want to point out is that this collection did not have any of the self-deprecation that is often present in hobby writing - probably due to the fact that for many of the authors birding is also life's work.
Tl;dr: fun, but mostly not for me. I did learn a little about serious birding, though, and got some ideas I might want to try out. I also see how it must be fun for its actual target audience.
Most essays are accompanied by nice and funny illustrations which I liked. Some chapters did accomplish what I expected from the book: the comfort of "discussing" my hobby with like-minded authors. Unfortunately, birding does not equal birdwatching by some definitions and is soooo exhausting to read about if you are not a lister and are in general non-competitive. So, some sport-memoiry parts did distract me from tips and fun moments to some extent. The fact that the last section is all about becoming a "good" birder did not help (final pages often make a book, for me at least)- really, if someone is on track to become the next David Sibley, don't they already have an action plan?
One huge positive thing I want to point out is that this collection did not have any of the self-deprecation that is often present in hobby writing - probably due to the fact that for many of the authors birding is also life's work.
Tl;dr: fun, but mostly not for me. I did learn a little about serious birding, though, and got some ideas I might want to try out. I also see how it must be fun for its actual target audience.
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