Reading Wrap-Up: Other Birds, The Atlas of Us, Finding Flow
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen (Contemporary/Magical Realism)
I’ve read a few Sarah Addison Allen books and always enjoy my experience. She tends to write enjoyable, lighthearted stories with whimsical touches of magic. This was no different.
Set in a cozy apartment complex on an island in North Carolina known for its marshmallow candy, we get to know all of the occupants and their stories—including the tiny turquoise birds and the resident ghosts who haven’t quite moved on.
Addison excels in wounds, backstories, relatability, and connection. She always brings her hurt or misunderstood characters together in such a beautiful way.
The Atlas of Us by Kristin Dwyer (YA Romance)
I had the great pleasure of attending Adrienne Young’s in-person writing retreat a couple of years ago, and one of the leaders happened to be Miss Kristin Dwyer. She was an absolute pleasure—bubbly, generous, fun, optimistic, and a true testament to what can happen if you don’t give up on your dreams.
The Atlas of Us is Dwyer’s second published novel, and I learned at the retreat that it took her twelve (if I’m remembering correctly!) years of chasing her dream to finally publish her first book. Her stories are angsty, romantic, heart-wrenching, and deeply emotional. I love getting lost in them and, equally, I love looking to Dwyer as an example when I need a pick-me-up.
Set primarily over the course of a month a wilderness retreat in California (oh, the mountains!), a group of misunderstood teenagers come together and overcome their personal demons—while also finding love.
Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Nonfiction: Psychology)
In Quiet, one of the things I learned about introverts (which I happen to be) is that they are not motivated by money, accolades, or achievement. They’re just not the things that drive us.
The problem was, I thought they were! For years I have been setting achievement and financial-based goals for myself, not understanding why I always give up on them within days—days! Not understanding that most of the goal-setting guidance you’ll come across are set by achievement-oriented hustlers and extroverts.
Fortunately, I learned what does drive introverts like myself: flow. Aka, doing something for the love of doing it.
(I’ll reiterate that this does NOT mean I don’t have big goals—I do—it just means that the best way I’ve found to make progress toward those goals is by focusing on the journey and the tasks, rather than the end result.)
This resonated deeply. I write because I love it. In fact, every goal that I actually stick to ultimately comes down to the project itself, rather than the potential outcome. I realized that I love rituals and routines, rather than achievements. This has been amazing in terms of leveling up my writing and personal goals.
With all of that said, I already had Finding Flow on my radar, and figured, since flow is what I actually need to aim for, that now was the perfect time to dive in.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite deliver what I was hoping. That’s not to say I didn’t get anything out of it—I enjoyed my time—but in terms of nonfiction, it would probably fall to the lower half of my list. There were some interesting insights and tidbits, but nothing that really stuck in my brain or heart.
(Of course, I’ve read some absolutely outstanding nonfiction in the last year and the competition was hot.)
All in all, I’m still having a great time with my 2024 reading and can’t wait to dive into the next book.
