Odd Birds

I have never watched Pretty Little Liars, and my twenty-something daughter has assured me that I will not like it, but I did find a book by one of the stars, Ian Harding, absolutely delightful.

Odd Birds by Ian Harding is a memoir of a birder.  He's young, a mere thirty years old, which I think lends to the overall charm of the book.  I love it when people own up to their nerdy passions and reach out to share their experiences with others.  Harding was a birder from a young age, and then fell out of practice when he hit puberty. It was only after college, after moving to LA to pursue an acting career, that a chance spotting of a hooded merganser reignited the latent birder in him.

I enjoyed reading about his trips around southern California looking for birds and he found a few of my personal favorites--the yellow-billed magpie (which we both spotted near Pinnacles National Park while looking for condors), kestrels, American dippers, and acorn woodpeckers.

I also enjoyed reading about his acting life.  Every so often it's a real treat to get a behind-the-scenes look at all that goes into producing a TV series--from auditions, to make up, to wardrobe, read-throughs, sets, and co-stars.  I love learning about how an industry functions.

Harding is self-effacing, modest, grateful, and enthusiastic about life, friends, family, and nature. Odd Birds is a thoroughly enjoyable book, and Harding seems like a likable person with a bright future.