Reading Notes: Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott

Read: December 2025

My Short Summary

A funny, quirky book that’s part memoir, part “how-to” guide for fiction writers.

My Short Take

Funny and well-written, but I wasn’t expecting this to be so focused on novel writing, and I don’t know if I’d have picked it up if the word novel or fiction had been mentioned anywhere in the book’s description. I felt a bit tricked.

I think maybe I just picked up this book at the wrong time. As a published novelist myself who’s trying to spread my wings beyond fiction, I wasn’t I wasn’t particularly needing or wanting so much specific advice as: “plot grows out of character,” or “dialog that is written in dialect is very tiring to read.”

That said, I do understand why it’s so cherished. I loved the introduction, and liked the rest. I don’t know that it’ll ever be a favorite, but I can see myself picking it up in the future to read a few passages that stood out.

Recommended For

Beginning writers who want to write a novel, or for people who just enjoy reading unique, well-developed voices.