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Odd Bird
Simon Selwood is an academic expert on the monogamous sexual behaviour of birds, but hopeless at finding human love. Then he meets Kim, and at last something is more important to him than ornithology.
Kim doesn’t give a hoot about birds. And at first she isn’t very interested in Simon either. Relying on what he has gleaned from observing the opportunistic pied flycatcher and other species, plus the unorthodox advice of old friend Phil, Simon sets out on a mission to discover love for himself.
But will he make the right choice?
Odd Bird takes a light-hearted look at the battle of the sexes, drawing on the surprising parallels between the courtship behaviours of humans and birds.
Kim doesn’t give a hoot about birds. And at first she isn’t very interested in Simon either. Relying on what he has gleaned from observing the opportunistic pied flycatcher and other species, plus the unorthodox advice of old friend Phil, Simon sets out on a mission to discover love for himself.
But will he make the right choice?
Odd Bird takes a light-hearted look at the battle of the sexes, drawing on the surprising parallels between the courtship behaviours of humans and birds.
- GenresRomanceContemporary
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2020
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108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
January 22, 2021
4.5★s
“Even if I do meet a female who elicits a more profound and sustained love response, she might not feel that way about me. After all, they don’t make a sexy behavioural ecologist calendar, do they? Society has decided, for whatever reason, that footballers and firemen are more attractive.”
Odd Bird is the first novel by British author, Lee Farnsworth. Dr Simon Selwood, behavioural ecologist with a special interest in birds at Empirical University in London, is frustrated. He’s thirty-four, and his two-year pair bond with Claire has dissolved. Will he ever achieve a lasting pair-bond?
His best friend, Phil makes suggestions that are either distasteful to Simon, or unsuccessful: online dating or speed dating. Often proffering an unhelpful commentary when meeting new women is Simon’s paracingulate cortex, that region of his brain making flash judgements of beauty, the bit he dubs his PC, and whose remarks frequently don’t conform to the commonly accepted definition of PC.
His Uni colleague Pippa resolves to reignite Simon’s social life, but is less than pleased when he fixates on beautiful PR person, Kim McFale: “She enjoys the power she has over men a little too much, in my opinion… You are a nice guy, Simon – a lovely guy but lovely has never floated Kim’s boat, and it doesn’t bring out the best in her either. She would break your gorgeous heart.” Is Pippa right?
But all Simon sees is: “Her hair was long and lustrous, indicating that not only was she currently in good health, but also that she had been in good health for several years. Her skin was pale and her features small, suggesting that a high concentration of oestrogen and just the tiniest trace of testosterone were circulating in her immaculate bloodstream. Brown irises floated in still seas of unblemished white sclera. Best of all, she was highly symmetrical; I reminded myself that I had always wanted to form a pair-bond with a highly symmetrical female.”
It seems a moot point anyway, as Kim becomes unavailable. Why then, some months after her relationship with Michael has been formalised, is she flirting with Simon? He’s sure this is not something pair-bonded females do, but his three-month trip to Sweden on a long-awaited pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) study precludes further exploration of the situation. And surely he’s out of her league? But Simon isn’t too absorbed in his work and his fellow researchers to respond to text messages…
Initially, the plot seems a little predictable, but soon enough, it takes turns that may surprise. Even if we all know who Simon ought to forge that elusive pair-bond with, the story takes a detour into unexpected territory via radio interviews, a book and reality TV shows all examining infidelity and what bird behaviour might predict for humans.
Farnsworth’s protagonist is quirky but endearing enough that the reader will be cheering him on. Simon’s observation “Genuine interest in my work is about as common as a Siberian rubythroat (Luscinia calliope) and so I checked her expression again, just to be sure” partly illustrates of the following…
A degree of social ineptitude, obliviousness to human behavioural cues and literal interpretations, reveal that Simon is clearly the cousin of Don Tillman (The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion); his ornithological preoccupation marks him as a close relative of Hattie Bloom (The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home, Joanna Nell).
Farnsworth’s support cast also appeals: despite the fact that Phil is quite obnoxious at times, he proves himself a true friend to Simon, while Pippa’s heart is plainly in the right place. There’s plenty of humour in this charming debut novel, although it doesn’t fail to tug at the heartstrings occasionally. A very entertaining read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Duckworth Books – Farrago.
“Even if I do meet a female who elicits a more profound and sustained love response, she might not feel that way about me. After all, they don’t make a sexy behavioural ecologist calendar, do they? Society has decided, for whatever reason, that footballers and firemen are more attractive.”
Odd Bird is the first novel by British author, Lee Farnsworth. Dr Simon Selwood, behavioural ecologist with a special interest in birds at Empirical University in London, is frustrated. He’s thirty-four, and his two-year pair bond with Claire has dissolved. Will he ever achieve a lasting pair-bond?
His best friend, Phil makes suggestions that are either distasteful to Simon, or unsuccessful: online dating or speed dating. Often proffering an unhelpful commentary when meeting new women is Simon’s paracingulate cortex, that region of his brain making flash judgements of beauty, the bit he dubs his PC, and whose remarks frequently don’t conform to the commonly accepted definition of PC.
His Uni colleague Pippa resolves to reignite Simon’s social life, but is less than pleased when he fixates on beautiful PR person, Kim McFale: “She enjoys the power she has over men a little too much, in my opinion… You are a nice guy, Simon – a lovely guy but lovely has never floated Kim’s boat, and it doesn’t bring out the best in her either. She would break your gorgeous heart.” Is Pippa right?
But all Simon sees is: “Her hair was long and lustrous, indicating that not only was she currently in good health, but also that she had been in good health for several years. Her skin was pale and her features small, suggesting that a high concentration of oestrogen and just the tiniest trace of testosterone were circulating in her immaculate bloodstream. Brown irises floated in still seas of unblemished white sclera. Best of all, she was highly symmetrical; I reminded myself that I had always wanted to form a pair-bond with a highly symmetrical female.”
It seems a moot point anyway, as Kim becomes unavailable. Why then, some months after her relationship with Michael has been formalised, is she flirting with Simon? He’s sure this is not something pair-bonded females do, but his three-month trip to Sweden on a long-awaited pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) study precludes further exploration of the situation. And surely he’s out of her league? But Simon isn’t too absorbed in his work and his fellow researchers to respond to text messages…
Initially, the plot seems a little predictable, but soon enough, it takes turns that may surprise. Even if we all know who Simon ought to forge that elusive pair-bond with, the story takes a detour into unexpected territory via radio interviews, a book and reality TV shows all examining infidelity and what bird behaviour might predict for humans.
Farnsworth’s protagonist is quirky but endearing enough that the reader will be cheering him on. Simon’s observation “Genuine interest in my work is about as common as a Siberian rubythroat (Luscinia calliope) and so I checked her expression again, just to be sure” partly illustrates of the following…
A degree of social ineptitude, obliviousness to human behavioural cues and literal interpretations, reveal that Simon is clearly the cousin of Don Tillman (The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion); his ornithological preoccupation marks him as a close relative of Hattie Bloom (The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home, Joanna Nell).
Farnsworth’s support cast also appeals: despite the fact that Phil is quite obnoxious at times, he proves himself a true friend to Simon, while Pippa’s heart is plainly in the right place. There’s plenty of humour in this charming debut novel, although it doesn’t fail to tug at the heartstrings occasionally. A very entertaining read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Duckworth Books – Farrago.
September 24, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley and Farrago for providing an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
*1.5 rounding off to 2 stars
I struggled to complete this book. It's a romance story told by the perspective of Simon, who studies the mating behavior of birds. He tries to draw parallels between that and human relations and while this was intriguing at first, I felt there was just too much information about birds dumped in this book and because of the textbook feel of writing of this book, I couldn't develop enough interest to fly through this book *pun not intended 😅*
Simon is in search of a girl to develop "pair-bond" with and in his course, his eyes fall on Kim and it is love at first site for him. From there, various complications arise and the reader is left yearning for some romance time between Simon and Kim. Enters, Charlotta, a colleague of Simon and things get all-the-more complicated. Certain instances in the book definitely made me smile and I admired Simon's passion for his field of study. He gave me a lot of Sheldon vibes from The Big Bang Theory.
Despite all this though, I felt the book could have used some editing so that the reader does not feel like information is being dumped on them. I feel, all that info took away the limelight from the actual romance and in the end the story kind of, took a backseat.
*1.5 rounding off to 2 stars
I struggled to complete this book. It's a romance story told by the perspective of Simon, who studies the mating behavior of birds. He tries to draw parallels between that and human relations and while this was intriguing at first, I felt there was just too much information about birds dumped in this book and because of the textbook feel of writing of this book, I couldn't develop enough interest to fly through this book *pun not intended 😅*
Simon is in search of a girl to develop "pair-bond" with and in his course, his eyes fall on Kim and it is love at first site for him. From there, various complications arise and the reader is left yearning for some romance time between Simon and Kim. Enters, Charlotta, a colleague of Simon and things get all-the-more complicated. Certain instances in the book definitely made me smile and I admired Simon's passion for his field of study. He gave me a lot of Sheldon vibes from The Big Bang Theory.
Despite all this though, I felt the book could have used some editing so that the reader does not feel like information is being dumped on them. I feel, all that info took away the limelight from the actual romance and in the end the story kind of, took a backseat.
October 5, 2020
Avian behaviour ecologist Dr Simon Selwood, studies the mating behaviour of birds, particularly the courting habits of the pied flycatcher. Sound uninteresting? Far from it! Simon is an academic expert on birds (not a birdwatcher though!!) but his efforts at finding human love is somewhat hopeless. Sadly lacking in emotional intelligence, when he meets attractive and confident Kim, he realises there’s something that could be more important than ornithology and sets out on a mission to discover love.
“Odd Bird” written by Lee Farnsworth is an uplifting take on a male-led rom-com of which they are few and far between from a man’s narrative.
Highlighting the interesting light hearted parallels between the mating and courtship of birds and humans, I found the suggestion that we might be more similar to birds than realised, very absorbing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of information laid out in easy to understand language and together with the dry humour of eccentric Simon, it was all very easy to read. There’s an assessment part of the brain that recognises judgements of beauty and is named by cognitive neuroscientists as the PC part of the brain. So throughout Simon’s narrative, the PC part of his brain speaks to him and it is this voice that gives a fun addition to the dialogue, whenever Simon meets a woman. His long suffering best friend Phil, is also a bit of an odd ball but deep down a very good friend and his attitudes and mannerisms made me giggle on more than one occasion.
Every page of Simon’s quirky narrative made me smile and the story throughout kept me entertained and interested. This may not be a book for everyone but if you’re after a fun, lighthearted read about finding love, the battle of the sexes and also have at least a passing interest in birds, this is a truly unique story and I’m very happy to have read it!
4 stars
“Odd Bird” written by Lee Farnsworth is an uplifting take on a male-led rom-com of which they are few and far between from a man’s narrative.
Highlighting the interesting light hearted parallels between the mating and courtship of birds and humans, I found the suggestion that we might be more similar to birds than realised, very absorbing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of information laid out in easy to understand language and together with the dry humour of eccentric Simon, it was all very easy to read. There’s an assessment part of the brain that recognises judgements of beauty and is named by cognitive neuroscientists as the PC part of the brain. So throughout Simon’s narrative, the PC part of his brain speaks to him and it is this voice that gives a fun addition to the dialogue, whenever Simon meets a woman. His long suffering best friend Phil, is also a bit of an odd ball but deep down a very good friend and his attitudes and mannerisms made me giggle on more than one occasion.
Every page of Simon’s quirky narrative made me smile and the story throughout kept me entertained and interested. This may not be a book for everyone but if you’re after a fun, lighthearted read about finding love, the battle of the sexes and also have at least a passing interest in birds, this is a truly unique story and I’m very happy to have read it!
4 stars
August 12, 2020
I thought Odd Bird was OK but nothing more. It is narrated by Simon (“Bird”) who is an expert on the mating behaviour of birds. However, his knowledge of human mating behaviour is catastrophically hopeless, and this is a pretty standard RomCom in which the hapless Simon is guided and helped in his quest for a mate by his slightly louche, devious friend Phil.
It’s decently written and Simon’s voice is quite amusing for a while as he talks about humans and their love lives as if they were the subject of his academic study. Men and women are invariably “males” and “females”, for example, a relationship is a “pair-bond” etc. and he analyses his own and others’ behaviour as if it were the subject of one of his bird studies. Simon is besotted with one woman, completely unable to understand that another is very keen on him or the behaviour of her jealous suitor...you get the picture. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it does pall after a while; there were quite strong echoes of The Rosie Project (which I loved) but for me Odd Bird just didn’t have enough freshness or real humour to carry a whole book.
This might make a reasonable beach read, but I can only give it a qualified recommendation.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
It’s decently written and Simon’s voice is quite amusing for a while as he talks about humans and their love lives as if they were the subject of his academic study. Men and women are invariably “males” and “females”, for example, a relationship is a “pair-bond” etc. and he analyses his own and others’ behaviour as if it were the subject of one of his bird studies. Simon is besotted with one woman, completely unable to understand that another is very keen on him or the behaviour of her jealous suitor...you get the picture. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it does pall after a while; there were quite strong echoes of The Rosie Project (which I loved) but for me Odd Bird just didn’t have enough freshness or real humour to carry a whole book.
This might make a reasonable beach read, but I can only give it a qualified recommendation.
(My thanks to Farrago for an ARC via NetGalley.)
July 25, 2020
Odd Bird by Lee Farnsworth is a romance novel based on the main protagonist Simon Selwood and Kim. Simon is an ornithology, who studies the mating behaviors of birds. Kim doesn't have any knowledge or interests in birds.
At first, Kim doesn't really fall for Simon. So he sets on a mission to find love and complete his work in another state for weeks. There he meets Charlotta. Eventually, the closeness between Kim and Simon increases. Just as they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder.
So the book is of 65 chapters, though the chapters are short, but was 65 chapters necessary? No. The actual love story between the two starts when you are half way through the book. The first was really not necessary according to me.
The informative parts about the narration on zoology part was really making this book more boring. Was there humor? No. The writing style is overly descriptive. I could not see character development, as and along the story progresses.
At first, Kim doesn't really fall for Simon. So he sets on a mission to find love and complete his work in another state for weeks. There he meets Charlotta. Eventually, the closeness between Kim and Simon increases. Just as they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder.
So the book is of 65 chapters, though the chapters are short, but was 65 chapters necessary? No. The actual love story between the two starts when you are half way through the book. The first was really not necessary according to me.
The informative parts about the narration on zoology part was really making this book more boring. Was there humor? No. The writing style is overly descriptive. I could not see character development, as and along the story progresses.
November 2, 2020
Got this book as an ARC from Netgalley
This book missed the mark for me, i did not like the characters or the story, i was just overall really really bored.
This book missed the mark for me, i did not like the characters or the story, i was just overall really really bored.
October 1, 2020
Thank you to Fanny Lewis and Farrago Books for sending me an ‘early bird’ advanced review copy of 𝘖𝘋𝘋 𝘉𝘐𝘙𝘋 by Lee Farnsworth, due out Oct 15th.
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I very much enjoyed this book. I don't read too many romances, or romantic comedies, but I was interested to read Farnsworth's book because it is rare for this genre to have a male protagonist, and I think that made the book quite unique.
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I felt a little unsure about the book to begin with, because Simon is such an eccentric character, and there was a fair amount of science speak! However, after a few chapters I really warmed to Simon as the protagonist, and I felt he was a really loveable character.
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I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but I really felt for Simon throughout the book. At times I was elated for him, I felt heartbroken for him, and I even wanted to grab hold of him and shake him!
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‘𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳.’ ...
‘𝘐'𝘮 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳.’
‘𝘚𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥-𝘷𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘶𝘳?’
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Farnsworth covered some themes really well throughout the book, particularly friendship and relationships. Although Simon's friend Phil is a bit rough around the edges, he is an excellent friend to Simon, despite their differences, and he really comes through for Simon in many ways.
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‘𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥.’
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I thought the parallels worked well throughout the book, both in relation to how the depiction of the pied flycatcher behaviours aligned to that of human behaviour, but also in relation to the opposites in the different characters.
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𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳? ... 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵... 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰.
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There was genuine humour throughout the book, and while I was surprised by it, I loved Phil's character! Although he initially seems like a bit of a jack the lad and rough around the edges, he is genuinely really funny, and he is a great friend to Simon. I laughed out loud in parts of the book.
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‘𝘐'𝘮 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴?’ 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.
‘𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 ‘𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭,’ 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭, 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘥. ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯' 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 ‘𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯' 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 “𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢".’
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Overall I would recommend this book. I would encourage people to really let themselves get into the book properly so can really understand Simon's character, and I think if people do that they will find him charming and loveable, just as I did.
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I very much enjoyed this book. I don't read too many romances, or romantic comedies, but I was interested to read Farnsworth's book because it is rare for this genre to have a male protagonist, and I think that made the book quite unique.
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I felt a little unsure about the book to begin with, because Simon is such an eccentric character, and there was a fair amount of science speak! However, after a few chapters I really warmed to Simon as the protagonist, and I felt he was a really loveable character.
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I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but I really felt for Simon throughout the book. At times I was elated for him, I felt heartbroken for him, and I even wanted to grab hold of him and shake him!
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‘𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳.’ ...
‘𝘐'𝘮 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳.’
‘𝘚𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥-𝘷𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘶𝘳?’
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Farnsworth covered some themes really well throughout the book, particularly friendship and relationships. Although Simon's friend Phil is a bit rough around the edges, he is an excellent friend to Simon, despite their differences, and he really comes through for Simon in many ways.
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‘𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥.’
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I thought the parallels worked well throughout the book, both in relation to how the depiction of the pied flycatcher behaviours aligned to that of human behaviour, but also in relation to the opposites in the different characters.
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𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳? ... 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵... 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰.
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There was genuine humour throughout the book, and while I was surprised by it, I loved Phil's character! Although he initially seems like a bit of a jack the lad and rough around the edges, he is genuinely really funny, and he is a great friend to Simon. I laughed out loud in parts of the book.
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‘𝘐'𝘮 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴?’ 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥.
‘𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 ‘𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭,’ 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭, 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘦𝘥. ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯' 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 ‘𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯' 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 “𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢".’
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Overall I would recommend this book. I would encourage people to really let themselves get into the book properly so can really understand Simon's character, and I think if people do that they will find him charming and loveable, just as I did.
October 12, 2020
3.5 Stars. Odd Bird is a quirky rom-com about Simon, an ornithologist who is struggling to find love. Not super savvy with women but wanting to make a connection, Simon relies on the advice of his best friend Phil, as well as his own knowledge of the mating habits of birds, to navigate the confounding world of dating.
Simon is an interesting character, and I enjoyed watching him grow and learn about love and relationships. I don’t often read rom-coms that focus on the man’s perspective, and I found it refreshing. Simon is an ornithologist with a vast amount of knowledge about the mating habits of birds, which he compares to the mating habits of humans. His deep respect for, knowledge of, and fascination with birds, and the continued bird comparisons throughout the book, were great. If only Simon was as knowledgeable about women as he was about birds!
Simon doesn’t always read people well and fails to see their true motivations. This makes it easy for him to be taken advantage of, which one of the women he dates does. Kim makes Simon feel things that he hasn’t felt before, and he’s convinced that she is the key to his happy ending. Though his friend Phil tries to warn him, Simon becomes so besotted with Kim that he fails to see the signs that are right in front of him. I rooted for Simon’s happy ending and hoped that he would find someone (not Kim!) who would appreciate his intellect and dry sense of humor.
A unique contemporary romance from the male point of view, Odd Bird is a unique read with well-developed characters, witty and dry banter, great messages, and a lot of fascinating information about birds. Thanks so much to the author and Fanny at Farrago Books for a copy of Odd Bird in exchange for my honest review.
Simon is an interesting character, and I enjoyed watching him grow and learn about love and relationships. I don’t often read rom-coms that focus on the man’s perspective, and I found it refreshing. Simon is an ornithologist with a vast amount of knowledge about the mating habits of birds, which he compares to the mating habits of humans. His deep respect for, knowledge of, and fascination with birds, and the continued bird comparisons throughout the book, were great. If only Simon was as knowledgeable about women as he was about birds!
Simon doesn’t always read people well and fails to see their true motivations. This makes it easy for him to be taken advantage of, which one of the women he dates does. Kim makes Simon feel things that he hasn’t felt before, and he’s convinced that she is the key to his happy ending. Though his friend Phil tries to warn him, Simon becomes so besotted with Kim that he fails to see the signs that are right in front of him. I rooted for Simon’s happy ending and hoped that he would find someone (not Kim!) who would appreciate his intellect and dry sense of humor.
A unique contemporary romance from the male point of view, Odd Bird is a unique read with well-developed characters, witty and dry banter, great messages, and a lot of fascinating information about birds. Thanks so much to the author and Fanny at Farrago Books for a copy of Odd Bird in exchange for my honest review.
October 28, 2020
DNF at 45%
I tried to read this book twice but between the dry writing style and the blatant misogyny I had to DNF it. I'm tired of people writing women as objects just nope.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I tried to read this book twice but between the dry writing style and the blatant misogyny I had to DNF it. I'm tired of people writing women as objects just nope.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 23, 2020
Odd Bird is a male-led romantic comedy that draws parallels in courtship between humans and birds.
Simon is an intelligent character, and studies the mating behaviour of birds. However, he lacks emotional intelligence and a basic understanding of human mating behaviour, which leaves him unlucky in love. The career of an ornithologist is fascinating to me, and reading about the protagonist’s genuine love for his work is enjoyable. Despite this, I really struggled to connect with his journey to love.
I like the short chapters but sadly they didn’t really help the pace. I found that Odd Bird dragged in a few places, which meant my interest dropped. Part of the appeal to this book is the idea of it being a romantic comedy, but the romance too late to the story. There were parts that made me smile, especially when it came to Simon’s personality, but Odd Bird as a whole failed to make me laugh out loud.
The author has a descriptive writing style, which is always appealing. It’s the only element that pushed me to continue with the book. He also has a dry sense of humour, which helps with quirky characters like Simon. But the slow storyline meant little development, so a lot of the more imaginative moments felt very standstill.
While I love the idea of a rom-com from a male perspective, Odd Birds wasn’t the love story I was hoping for. Still, I like the author’s wit and you can tell he had fun writing this novel. It’s an easy read with an adorable premise. Regrettably, the romance element lacked charm and the overall narrative fell flat.
For more book reviews and posts, check out my blog or follow along on Instagram 📚✨
Simon is an intelligent character, and studies the mating behaviour of birds. However, he lacks emotional intelligence and a basic understanding of human mating behaviour, which leaves him unlucky in love. The career of an ornithologist is fascinating to me, and reading about the protagonist’s genuine love for his work is enjoyable. Despite this, I really struggled to connect with his journey to love.
I like the short chapters but sadly they didn’t really help the pace. I found that Odd Bird dragged in a few places, which meant my interest dropped. Part of the appeal to this book is the idea of it being a romantic comedy, but the romance too late to the story. There were parts that made me smile, especially when it came to Simon’s personality, but Odd Bird as a whole failed to make me laugh out loud.
The author has a descriptive writing style, which is always appealing. It’s the only element that pushed me to continue with the book. He also has a dry sense of humour, which helps with quirky characters like Simon. But the slow storyline meant little development, so a lot of the more imaginative moments felt very standstill.
While I love the idea of a rom-com from a male perspective, Odd Birds wasn’t the love story I was hoping for. Still, I like the author’s wit and you can tell he had fun writing this novel. It’s an easy read with an adorable premise. Regrettably, the romance element lacked charm and the overall narrative fell flat.
For more book reviews and posts, check out my blog or follow along on Instagram 📚✨
October 19, 2020
It's always fun to have a rom com told from the point of view of the male character, and when they are as quirky as Simon Selwood, then you know you're in for a treat of a read! That's what made this so fun for me!! The way he looked at life, at birds (both of the female and feathered varieties!!) and seeing how he could maybe use his birding knowledge to get the woman of his dreams made for an exciting and refreshing story!
Simon is an expert on the mating habits of birds! But his own love life is a disaster as he finds the female species a little difficult to understand! But he's determined to find love and once he starts to spend time with someone he likes, you'll find yourself willing things to work out for him, despite the warning signs that he often seems to miss!
What is a real strength of this book is his friendship with Phil! He's not the easiest person to like but he's clearly always looking out for his friend and I loved the banter between the pair of them! He doesn't beat about the bush, and the straight talking is sometimes what Simon needs to hear, whether he likes the actual content of the conversation! We all need THAT friend to steer us in the right direction!
As things take off for Simon workwise, he begins to find himself a little more in demand and it's fascinating to see how the attitudes of others change towards him, especially from women. I found myself shouting at Simon at times for missing the obvious!! Blinded by love comes to mind!!
Overall this was a really enjoyable, uplifting and fun read!
December 10, 2020
I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley. Thank you!
Odd Bird by Lee Farnworth is a romance novel. Odd Bird is told from the point of view of David.
Davis is an ornithologist, who studies birds and the mating of birds. He is trying to find the perfect girl. He meets Kim, a woman who attracted him and he wants to be with her. Kim is young and confident.
He wants to be with Kim but things are complicated because she had a boyfriend. But after she broke up with him, she decided to be with David. I liked their relationship and how Kim supported David in his career.
I liked David's passion for birds and how he tried to do parallels between the courtship behaviors of humans and birds. I think was too much information about birds. It was an ok book.
Odd Bird by Lee Farnworth is a romance novel. Odd Bird is told from the point of view of David.
Davis is an ornithologist, who studies birds and the mating of birds. He is trying to find the perfect girl. He meets Kim, a woman who attracted him and he wants to be with her. Kim is young and confident.
He wants to be with Kim but things are complicated because she had a boyfriend. But after she broke up with him, she decided to be with David. I liked their relationship and how Kim supported David in his career.
I liked David's passion for birds and how he tried to do parallels between the courtship behaviors of humans and birds. I think was too much information about birds. It was an ok book.
March 1, 2022
A story that follows the love life of an evolutionary biologist. The science made my heart sing, but definitely won't be everyone's cup of tea...don't expect this to be a scientific paper but it is just lovely to have this scientific field interwoven into a fictional story.
Listened as audiobook
Listened as audiobook
October 2, 2020
Meet Simon Selwood, a Professor of ornithology, in other words he specialises in the mating behaviour of birds. Simon may be an expert when it comes to the courtship of birds but unfortunately not so much when it comes to finding himself a partner. In fact, you could say he's rather hopeless when it comes to finding love. That is until he meets Kim who's confident, beautiful and not in the slightest bit interested in birds, together with the help of his friend/wingman Phil, Simon sets about winning her over. But as always the course of true love never runs smoothly..
The fact that this is a male led romantic comedy, really spiked my interest. It's the first that I have read from a males perspective, making it a little bit different which I loved, it was both quirky and fun.
The book is absolutely full of feathery facts and bird puns, making it really rather funny at times! Simon is such a likeable character, he's sweet, clueless and just a tad geeky and often finds himself in some rather awkward situations that will have you cringing on his behalf! You can't help but warm to him as the story unfolds though.
The plot was unique, what with the author drawing similarities between human and bird behaviours and well thought out, making it an easy and enjoyable read. If you like rom-coms, I'd recommend giving Odd Bird a read, it will have you hooting with laughter and the male-led take was rather refreshing!
Thank you to the publisher who very kindly sent me a gifted copy, I was thrilled to be an early bird reader 🐦
The fact that this is a male led romantic comedy, really spiked my interest. It's the first that I have read from a males perspective, making it a little bit different which I loved, it was both quirky and fun.
The book is absolutely full of feathery facts and bird puns, making it really rather funny at times! Simon is such a likeable character, he's sweet, clueless and just a tad geeky and often finds himself in some rather awkward situations that will have you cringing on his behalf! You can't help but warm to him as the story unfolds though.
The plot was unique, what with the author drawing similarities between human and bird behaviours and well thought out, making it an easy and enjoyable read. If you like rom-coms, I'd recommend giving Odd Bird a read, it will have you hooting with laughter and the male-led take was rather refreshing!
Thank you to the publisher who very kindly sent me a gifted copy, I was thrilled to be an early bird reader 🐦
July 16, 2020
The premise sounded adorable, but after reading the first few pages I quickly grew bored. I ended up skimming through some parts and I struggled to finish reading it. While I understand the way it was written was on purpose, it gave off the vibe of a textbook.
Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2020
I don't need to like the protagonist to enjoy a book, but it was really hard to like Simon.
A man who is so wrapped up in his own work with birds, and bad interpersonal skills I just didn't see him getting into any relationship. He is incredibly rigid and has a lot of rules of who is worth speaking to and in which way. He has a very very low EQ level.
Spoilers!
Simon never talks to Kim about her job or interests, it's no wonder she cheats after cheating on her fiance. His friend Phil really has his back, even if he is a little gruff.
The fact that he only realized Charlotta was attractive while wearing a dress felt like an early '00's trope of movies where the nerd takes of her glasses and turns out to be super hot.
Also him deciding if he is physically attracted to every single woman he meets, feels creepy. When I walk around I notice if someone is attractive, but the emphasis of him doing this continually in this book feels creepy even if he doesn't articulate it.
Charlotta is his best match, as he seems to be only be able to talk about his own work, but I don't think he deserves her.
I plowed through because I found the bits about the birds and their mating habits truly fascinating.
This book could have been a third shorter and still conveyed its message.
Was hoping for more personal growth from him. pity.
This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A man who is so wrapped up in his own work with birds, and bad interpersonal skills I just didn't see him getting into any relationship. He is incredibly rigid and has a lot of rules of who is worth speaking to and in which way. He has a very very low EQ level.
Spoilers!
Simon never talks to Kim about her job or interests, it's no wonder she cheats after cheating on her fiance. His friend Phil really has his back, even if he is a little gruff.
The fact that he only realized Charlotta was attractive while wearing a dress felt like an early '00's trope of movies where the nerd takes of her glasses and turns out to be super hot.
Also him deciding if he is physically attracted to every single woman he meets, feels creepy. When I walk around I notice if someone is attractive, but the emphasis of him doing this continually in this book feels creepy even if he doesn't articulate it.
Charlotta is his best match, as he seems to be only be able to talk about his own work, but I don't think he deserves her.
I plowed through because I found the bits about the birds and their mating habits truly fascinating.
This book could have been a third shorter and still conveyed its message.
Was hoping for more personal growth from him. pity.
This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 20, 2020
Being an expert on the mating behaviour of birds does not mean that human behaviour is any easier to understand; in the case of Dr Simon Selwood it makes it slightly more difficult, especially when assessing potential “pair bonds” with women. An academic who frequently processes information about life in a different way is the subject of a funny novel about the largely hapless Simon who is obsessed with the behaviour of birds, and fortunately is known and respected for it. He is also the despair of his highly amusing and noisily clever friend Phil, who tries to help him with life in general and relationships in particular in inventive and unusual ways. Featuring such set pieces as a dinner party set up to matchmake couples and a blues festival, this very funny book is narrated by Simon as he tries to steer his way between women and a ground breaking study of pied flycatchers, a celebrity book tour and much else. He peppers his story with frequent references to birds’ behaviour and giving the latin name for the bird mentioned. As his bewilderment is explored there are puns on the theme of women’s names, drinking games with Phil and the broken English found on the multinational study in Sweden into the apparently fascinating pied flycatchers. I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this funny contemporary novel which delves into much about an academic with problems.
The book begins with Simon and Phil in the pub, discussing the recent breakdown of Simon’s only serious romantic relationship. “Claire and I dissolved our pair - bond” Simon tells Phil, only to be subjected to the Swan Song, where he has to explain the situation within the length of a music track uninterrupted by questions. Phil indulges in a certain amount of teasing, but undoubtedly believes that he has Simon’s best interests at heart. Pippa is a colleague of Simon’s who he sees as a noisy giggler but also who insists that he comes to a dinner party where he spots the very attractive Kim. He does everything to attract her attention, including a blues festival to which he invites Phil. It seems as if she is not that keen on birds or indeed Simon, and he is left to make up puns around her name such “Kimpatient”, despite his intensive research. Developments occur, and Simon discovers that there is much to be learnt from the behaviour of many species.
This is a very entertaining book which is easy to enjoy. There is much to discover about birds as the narrative proceeds; Simon has much to learn about human behaviour. I liked the characters of Phil and his partner Cammie, as Simon says “Society owes her a great debt”. This is a well written contemporary novel of life, love and birds, full of insights into London life and academic investigation. In some senses this is a light read, but also includes a fascinating story of life for those who see life a little differently. I recommend it as a good read for anyone interested in contemporary relationships.
The book begins with Simon and Phil in the pub, discussing the recent breakdown of Simon’s only serious romantic relationship. “Claire and I dissolved our pair - bond” Simon tells Phil, only to be subjected to the Swan Song, where he has to explain the situation within the length of a music track uninterrupted by questions. Phil indulges in a certain amount of teasing, but undoubtedly believes that he has Simon’s best interests at heart. Pippa is a colleague of Simon’s who he sees as a noisy giggler but also who insists that he comes to a dinner party where he spots the very attractive Kim. He does everything to attract her attention, including a blues festival to which he invites Phil. It seems as if she is not that keen on birds or indeed Simon, and he is left to make up puns around her name such “Kimpatient”, despite his intensive research. Developments occur, and Simon discovers that there is much to be learnt from the behaviour of many species.
This is a very entertaining book which is easy to enjoy. There is much to discover about birds as the narrative proceeds; Simon has much to learn about human behaviour. I liked the characters of Phil and his partner Cammie, as Simon says “Society owes her a great debt”. This is a well written contemporary novel of life, love and birds, full of insights into London life and academic investigation. In some senses this is a light read, but also includes a fascinating story of life for those who see life a little differently. I recommend it as a good read for anyone interested in contemporary relationships.
October 10, 2020
As rom-coms go, this one is about as odd as its protagonist, Simon Bird - and I mean this as a compliment! It's highly unusual to come across a romantic comedy that has a male protagonist, let alone one that is written by a male author, so this makes it an "odd bird" in itself - and it works so well too!
Simon is hopeless at this romance lark (pardon the avian pun!), preferring to immerse himself in his academic life, but there is no denying that he would like to have a pair-bond with a suitable female - if only he could figure out exactly how human courtships are supposed to work. And so, after his only real relationship does the dying swan (further apologies!), he embarks on the pursuit of a new mate, with the help of his not always very helpful "wingman" Phil (not my pun this time, blame Lee Farnsworth for this one!).
What follows is Simon's narration of his hapless romantic adventures, told in the kind of language normally associated with a scientific study into bird behaviour. This does take a bit of getting used to, but after a while you find yourself chuckling away to yourself over Simon's little absurdities, cringing at his faux-pas, cheerleading his efforts, and ultimately wishing him domestic happiness. Yes, I can guarantee you will want to give him a shake at times, but his heart is in the right place and he is a thoroughly "good egg" (final one, I promise!).
This is an unconventional love story, with a real feel of a Richard Curtis movie about it. It's definitely one that you have to persevere with and get into the rhythm of, but it is worth it, and I found it very enjoyable and rather touching - you can also learn a heck of a lot about birds along the way, if you are so inclined. Its refreshing to read a romantic story that will appeal to both male and female readers, as this genre does tend to be the preserve of the female of the species, and I am very interested to see what Lee Farnsworth has up his sleeve for his next book.
Simon is hopeless at this romance lark (pardon the avian pun!), preferring to immerse himself in his academic life, but there is no denying that he would like to have a pair-bond with a suitable female - if only he could figure out exactly how human courtships are supposed to work. And so, after his only real relationship does the dying swan (further apologies!), he embarks on the pursuit of a new mate, with the help of his not always very helpful "wingman" Phil (not my pun this time, blame Lee Farnsworth for this one!).
What follows is Simon's narration of his hapless romantic adventures, told in the kind of language normally associated with a scientific study into bird behaviour. This does take a bit of getting used to, but after a while you find yourself chuckling away to yourself over Simon's little absurdities, cringing at his faux-pas, cheerleading his efforts, and ultimately wishing him domestic happiness. Yes, I can guarantee you will want to give him a shake at times, but his heart is in the right place and he is a thoroughly "good egg" (final one, I promise!).
This is an unconventional love story, with a real feel of a Richard Curtis movie about it. It's definitely one that you have to persevere with and get into the rhythm of, but it is worth it, and I found it very enjoyable and rather touching - you can also learn a heck of a lot about birds along the way, if you are so inclined. Its refreshing to read a romantic story that will appeal to both male and female readers, as this genre does tend to be the preserve of the female of the species, and I am very interested to see what Lee Farnsworth has up his sleeve for his next book.
October 7, 2020
When I first read the synopsis of Odd Bird it appealed to me because it seemed a little bit different. First of all, it's described as a take on the male-led rom-com and I thought the male perspective would make a refreshing change. And then there was the premise, an expert on bird's mating habits using what he knows in his own love life, not always to the greatest effect.
Dr Simon Selwood is no lothario. In fact, for a man in his mid-30s he's remarkably inept at anything pertaining to women. He can barely talk to them, let alone conduct a relationship. As the book begins, his previous 'pair-bond' has come to an end and we follow Simon as he takes a liking to Kim, a woman he meets through his work.
Poor old Simon. He's what you might call a bit of a nerd and his love life goes on plenty of ups and downs throughout the course of this novel. I found it really enjoyable to read about it from his point of view and there's a lot of humour to be found between the pages. I have to say that the style did take a little getting used to as it's quite scientific; there's lots of bird talk, information and observations, but I found I settled into that and I found it all rather interesting actually.
I did enjoy Simon's hapless and naïve journey through relationship problems and his work as a behavioural ecologist (most definitely NOT a birdwatcher!), not to mention his exchanges with his annoying but loyal friend, Phil. Odd Bird combines a light-hearted story with some intriguing bird references and metaphors. I enjoyed it.
Dr Simon Selwood is no lothario. In fact, for a man in his mid-30s he's remarkably inept at anything pertaining to women. He can barely talk to them, let alone conduct a relationship. As the book begins, his previous 'pair-bond' has come to an end and we follow Simon as he takes a liking to Kim, a woman he meets through his work.
Poor old Simon. He's what you might call a bit of a nerd and his love life goes on plenty of ups and downs throughout the course of this novel. I found it really enjoyable to read about it from his point of view and there's a lot of humour to be found between the pages. I have to say that the style did take a little getting used to as it's quite scientific; there's lots of bird talk, information and observations, but I found I settled into that and I found it all rather interesting actually.
I did enjoy Simon's hapless and naïve journey through relationship problems and his work as a behavioural ecologist (most definitely NOT a birdwatcher!), not to mention his exchanges with his annoying but loyal friend, Phil. Odd Bird combines a light-hearted story with some intriguing bird references and metaphors. I enjoyed it.
October 4, 2020
It’s rare to find a book which I think my husband and I would both enjoy, but I think this might just fit the (duck)bill.
This male led rom-com focuses on Simon (or Bird, as he’s known to his friends), an expert in the mating rituals of birds who can’t seem to apply the same knowledge to his own love life. When he meets the beautiful and confident Kim, he thinks he’s finally found the right mate, but is it possible he’s wrong and the one he should really be paired with was right under his beak (sorry) all along? With his overly honest and opinionated best friend, Phil, Simon learns to navigate more than just the coupling of birds.
This is a lovely light-hearted and upbeat romance with an endearing lead character who is one of the most socially awkward men I’ve ever read about - it’s not ever mentioned whether he may be on the spectrum, but the way he takes everything so literally and can never read between the lines made me wonder. It also makes for some great comedic effect and leaves you wanting to shake the man because he’s so oblivious!
Whilst the detailed “bird stuff” (as I shall professionally call it!) wasn’t something I would usually go in for, I found that the dry humour of this book really worked and had me tittering along and nudging my husband to share the laughs. If you’re after something that’s quirky, funny and uplifting and has a good pace, then I’d happily recommend this.
This male led rom-com focuses on Simon (or Bird, as he’s known to his friends), an expert in the mating rituals of birds who can’t seem to apply the same knowledge to his own love life. When he meets the beautiful and confident Kim, he thinks he’s finally found the right mate, but is it possible he’s wrong and the one he should really be paired with was right under his beak (sorry) all along? With his overly honest and opinionated best friend, Phil, Simon learns to navigate more than just the coupling of birds.
This is a lovely light-hearted and upbeat romance with an endearing lead character who is one of the most socially awkward men I’ve ever read about - it’s not ever mentioned whether he may be on the spectrum, but the way he takes everything so literally and can never read between the lines made me wonder. It also makes for some great comedic effect and leaves you wanting to shake the man because he’s so oblivious!
Whilst the detailed “bird stuff” (as I shall professionally call it!) wasn’t something I would usually go in for, I found that the dry humour of this book really worked and had me tittering along and nudging my husband to share the laughs. If you’re after something that’s quirky, funny and uplifting and has a good pace, then I’d happily recommend this.
July 20, 2020
3.5 stars. I thought this one looked super intriguing because of how awkward Simon was. Simon studies bird coupling and he is having some issues with his own, coupling that is. After a recent break up, Simon struggles to find that ZING that makes him want to stay in a relationship. He feels like there needs to be more to it and he wants to feel longing for someone.
At a work colleague's party he meets Kim. Kim is lovely and she makes Simon feel things he longs to feel. After the party, a series of events keep Kim and Simon from meeting again, but he still holds out hope for Kim.
After a while, Kim and Simon do finally find their way to each other, but is it everything that he hope it would be, and more?
This story was a little choppy and I did struggle with the writing. I'm not sure if it was the way it was written or if it was translated or not. The story jumped months at a time and I felt it lost some of the longing Simon might have felt because I didn't feel what he was supposed to be feeling. In the end I really liked this story and the moral that came out of it. I don't want to give too much away, because it is a great twist ending, but I do want to say that I enjoyed the book overall and was glad to see the book end the way it did. Simon was quirky and the book was fun. Thank you to Duckworth Books, Netgalley and the author for an early copy of this book!
At a work colleague's party he meets Kim. Kim is lovely and she makes Simon feel things he longs to feel. After the party, a series of events keep Kim and Simon from meeting again, but he still holds out hope for Kim.
After a while, Kim and Simon do finally find their way to each other, but is it everything that he hope it would be, and more?
This story was a little choppy and I did struggle with the writing. I'm not sure if it was the way it was written or if it was translated or not. The story jumped months at a time and I felt it lost some of the longing Simon might have felt because I didn't feel what he was supposed to be feeling. In the end I really liked this story and the moral that came out of it. I don't want to give too much away, because it is a great twist ending, but I do want to say that I enjoyed the book overall and was glad to see the book end the way it did. Simon was quirky and the book was fun. Thank you to Duckworth Books, Netgalley and the author for an early copy of this book!
September 23, 2020
Romance plus feathers
Simon is an expert in the courtship behaviour of birds, sadly he has no idea about girls and his mate’s help is not always appreciated. Light-hearted humorous romance, with birds flying through.
Simon is looking for a new girlfriend, and for him it is love at first sight when he meets Kim. Unfortunately things are not as straightforward as they appear to be in the lives of birds, and Simon’s ornithological expertise does not help him to spot the all too obvious hints that Kim is throwing him. Simon’s friend Phil shares many a pint with him, trying to help him see what Kim is suggesting. Just as things with Kim seem to be progressing, Simon travels to Sweden to study Pied Flycatcher birds, and things get a little more complicated.
Simon is a great guy and an engaging character. His hopelessness at finding romance makes him very likeable, and there is quite a bit of suspense as the book continues and the reader wonders whether Simon will get his girl, or fly off course.
4*s from me, as I loved the character Simon, and enjoyed the add on of the bird studies to the romance theme. Simon comparing his love life to that of the birds is amusing and poignant, and strikingly similar in places. A lovely, gently humorous book, with plenty of human and bird romance.
Simon is an expert in the courtship behaviour of birds, sadly he has no idea about girls and his mate’s help is not always appreciated. Light-hearted humorous romance, with birds flying through.
Simon is looking for a new girlfriend, and for him it is love at first sight when he meets Kim. Unfortunately things are not as straightforward as they appear to be in the lives of birds, and Simon’s ornithological expertise does not help him to spot the all too obvious hints that Kim is throwing him. Simon’s friend Phil shares many a pint with him, trying to help him see what Kim is suggesting. Just as things with Kim seem to be progressing, Simon travels to Sweden to study Pied Flycatcher birds, and things get a little more complicated.
Simon is a great guy and an engaging character. His hopelessness at finding romance makes him very likeable, and there is quite a bit of suspense as the book continues and the reader wonders whether Simon will get his girl, or fly off course.
4*s from me, as I loved the character Simon, and enjoyed the add on of the bird studies to the romance theme. Simon comparing his love life to that of the birds is amusing and poignant, and strikingly similar in places. A lovely, gently humorous book, with plenty of human and bird romance.
January 12, 2023
Simon is a socially awkward behavioral ecologist who happens to relate better to the birds he studies than to people. He even views the world through an avian lens at times. And yet, understandably, he wants companionship, although he isn't quite sure how to go about finding a suitable companion. He entertainingly, and sometimes painfully, turns to his knowledge of birds to guide his efforts.
Those of us who spend too much time in our heads, who overthink things, who aren't always adept at reading social cues, or who are simply comfortable on our own can understand Simon's frustrations. How does an intelligent yet introverted person navigate social settings and relationships to find a partner? How does anyone establish satisfying, healthy relationships? Do we have more choice than animals, or does it all come down to hormones and instinct? When do we play it safe, and when is it worth the risk to try for something more?
I found the comparison of Simon's dating life to his avian studies a fun both thought-provoking and a unique way to give insight into his character. Simon is awkward, yet likeably quirky for those who are willing to see beyond the surface. I also enjoyed the amount of growth his character experienced, as he came to believe in his own worth and see himself as more than a bird who was subject to the whims of "female choice."
Those of us who spend too much time in our heads, who overthink things, who aren't always adept at reading social cues, or who are simply comfortable on our own can understand Simon's frustrations. How does an intelligent yet introverted person navigate social settings and relationships to find a partner? How does anyone establish satisfying, healthy relationships? Do we have more choice than animals, or does it all come down to hormones and instinct? When do we play it safe, and when is it worth the risk to try for something more?
I found the comparison of Simon's dating life to his avian studies a fun both thought-provoking and a unique way to give insight into his character. Simon is awkward, yet likeably quirky for those who are willing to see beyond the surface. I also enjoyed the amount of growth his character experienced, as he came to believe in his own worth and see himself as more than a bird who was subject to the whims of "female choice."
October 13, 2020
I requested an ARC of this book, and all opinions are my own.
Reading this book put me in the mind of 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion and Eleanor 'Oliphant Is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman. All three center around an atypical protagonist who initially has trouble maintaining relationships - both platonic and romantic. You can't help but feel for them as they suffer heartbreak after heartbreak.
In 'Odd Bird', the protagonist is Simon Selwood - an Avian Behavioral Ecologist who seems more comfortable around birds than other humans. While he is clearly brilliant, its obvious he is lacking in basic socialization skills - to the point where he is all but oblivious when three separate women come on to him.
His relationship with Kim - a woman he meets through a mutual friend - seems initially perfect, but it doesn't take long for red flags to appear, even if Simon completely misses them every time.
I found the writing to be well done, scientific when needed and conversational when not, and I really liked the secondary characters - especially Pippa & Phil.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Reading this book put me in the mind of 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion and Eleanor 'Oliphant Is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman. All three center around an atypical protagonist who initially has trouble maintaining relationships - both platonic and romantic. You can't help but feel for them as they suffer heartbreak after heartbreak.
In 'Odd Bird', the protagonist is Simon Selwood - an Avian Behavioral Ecologist who seems more comfortable around birds than other humans. While he is clearly brilliant, its obvious he is lacking in basic socialization skills - to the point where he is all but oblivious when three separate women come on to him.
His relationship with Kim - a woman he meets through a mutual friend - seems initially perfect, but it doesn't take long for red flags to appear, even if Simon completely misses them every time.
I found the writing to be well done, scientific when needed and conversational when not, and I really liked the secondary characters - especially Pippa & Phil.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
October 8, 2020
I really enjoyed this accomplished debut novel by Lee Farnsworth. It’s a rom com from the male character perspective.
Dr Simon Selwood is a scientist, he studies the behaviour of birds, particularly how they find their mate and how this bond survives through the daily rituals of life. Simon isn’t very good with human ‘birds’ and each week he meets with his best mate, Phil, to discuss Simon’s mating strategy over a pint or two and a carefully chosen soundtrack. Until one day Simon falls head over heels in love with Kim but Kim is not a scientist and she doesn’t really understand Simon’s interests with his birds. Will Simon pluck up the courage to talk to Kim? Is this the start of the perfect human bonding?
Simon is such a quirky character and he talks in scientific lingo, this is an endearing trait to his character which I soon warmed to and found adorable. I didn’t want Simon to change his character, if we were all the same it would be pretty boring conversing with clone individuals. On the other hand his best mate Phil was the total opposite in personality to Simon, he was a cheeky ‘Jack the lad’ character but has a heart of gold. Phil got Simon, he knew just how to analyse him and just how to help him. I loved this pairing of characters, on paper you wouldn’t think they would bond but they blended together perfectly.
Odd Bird is a charming, quirky rom com that will appeal to all. It’s like an academic Men Behaving Badly!
Dr Simon Selwood is a scientist, he studies the behaviour of birds, particularly how they find their mate and how this bond survives through the daily rituals of life. Simon isn’t very good with human ‘birds’ and each week he meets with his best mate, Phil, to discuss Simon’s mating strategy over a pint or two and a carefully chosen soundtrack. Until one day Simon falls head over heels in love with Kim but Kim is not a scientist and she doesn’t really understand Simon’s interests with his birds. Will Simon pluck up the courage to talk to Kim? Is this the start of the perfect human bonding?
Simon is such a quirky character and he talks in scientific lingo, this is an endearing trait to his character which I soon warmed to and found adorable. I didn’t want Simon to change his character, if we were all the same it would be pretty boring conversing with clone individuals. On the other hand his best mate Phil was the total opposite in personality to Simon, he was a cheeky ‘Jack the lad’ character but has a heart of gold. Phil got Simon, he knew just how to analyse him and just how to help him. I loved this pairing of characters, on paper you wouldn’t think they would bond but they blended together perfectly.
Odd Bird is a charming, quirky rom com that will appeal to all. It’s like an academic Men Behaving Badly!
October 16, 2020
I requested an ARC of this book, and all opinions are my own.
Reading this book put me in the mind of 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion and Eleanor 'Oliphant Is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman. All three center around an atypical protagonist who initially has trouble maintaining relationships - both platonic and romantic. You can't help but feel for them as they suffer heartbreak after heartbreak.
In 'Odd Bird', the protagonist is Simon Selwood - an Avian Behavioral Ecologist who seems more comfortable around birds than other humans. While he is clearly brilliant, its obvious he is lacking in basic socialization skills - to the point where he is all but oblivious when three separate women come on to him.
His relationship with Kim - a woman he meets through a mutual friend - seems initially perfect, but it doesn't take long for red flags to appear, even if Simon completely misses them every time.
I found the writing to be well done, scientific when needed and conversational when not, and I really liked the secondary characters - especially Pippa & Phil.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Reading this book put me in the mind of 'The Rosie Project' by Graeme Simsion and Eleanor 'Oliphant Is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman. All three center around an atypical protagonist who initially has trouble maintaining relationships - both platonic and romantic. You can't help but feel for them as they suffer heartbreak after heartbreak.
In 'Odd Bird', the protagonist is Simon Selwood - an Avian Behavioral Ecologist who seems more comfortable around birds than other humans. While he is clearly brilliant, its obvious he is lacking in basic socialization skills - to the point where he is all but oblivious when three separate women come on to him.
His relationship with Kim - a woman he meets through a mutual friend - seems initially perfect, but it doesn't take long for red flags to appear, even if Simon completely misses them every time.
I found the writing to be well done, scientific when needed and conversational when not, and I really liked the secondary characters - especially Pippa & Phil.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
October 12, 2020
Unlike any other rom com I’ve read.
Told from a male perspective of the slightly ‘odd’ Simon Bird, an ornithologist researching the mating habits of birds. Now he might have a thorough understanding of the rituals and calls of the Pied Flycatchers but the same can’t be said when it comes to humans!
When Simon bumps into the rather attractive Kim he finds himself at a bit of a flutter, although it appears that she doesn’t have the same feelings. He then entices his best friend, Phil, to teach him how to woo her but that might not have been his best decision.
We follow Simon as he travels for his research, meeting A LOT of people (and a few attractive females) on his way. Who knew ‘birdwatchers’ could be so wanted! Throughout this I could see the path that I wanted Simon to take but it looked less and less likely as things went on.
He reminded me so much of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory and I think this really helped me warm to him as a character.
Told from a male perspective of the slightly ‘odd’ Simon Bird, an ornithologist researching the mating habits of birds. Now he might have a thorough understanding of the rituals and calls of the Pied Flycatchers but the same can’t be said when it comes to humans!
When Simon bumps into the rather attractive Kim he finds himself at a bit of a flutter, although it appears that she doesn’t have the same feelings. He then entices his best friend, Phil, to teach him how to woo her but that might not have been his best decision.
We follow Simon as he travels for his research, meeting A LOT of people (and a few attractive females) on his way. Who knew ‘birdwatchers’ could be so wanted! Throughout this I could see the path that I wanted Simon to take but it looked less and less likely as things went on.
He reminded me so much of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory and I think this really helped me warm to him as a character.
October 23, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Rating: 1 Star
I did not particularly enjoy this book, or the main character Simon. Odd Bird is a book about an ornithologist named Simon Selwood and his romantic escapades. However, to me the book was more about female characters with no real personality falling all over themselves to cheat on their partner with Simon. Seriously, there is a weird amount of women in committed relationships who try to pursue Simon. This book and the character Simon were also pretty misogynistic, as most if not all of the women characters had no individual personality and just served as plot devices to fuel Simon's story. I would not recommend this book at all, especially to any women who may be interested.
Rating: 1 Star
I did not particularly enjoy this book, or the main character Simon. Odd Bird is a book about an ornithologist named Simon Selwood and his romantic escapades. However, to me the book was more about female characters with no real personality falling all over themselves to cheat on their partner with Simon. Seriously, there is a weird amount of women in committed relationships who try to pursue Simon. This book and the character Simon were also pretty misogynistic, as most if not all of the women characters had no individual personality and just served as plot devices to fuel Simon's story. I would not recommend this book at all, especially to any women who may be interested.
September 10, 2020
At first put off by the quirky character involved, then on realising that it was about an autistic character; everything fell into place. What a brilliant portrait of an autistic expert ornithologist Simon and his relationships in which he is hopless. After breaking up with a relationship he then becomes besotted with an engaged woman. After her engagement breaks up, she seizes upon Simon who adores her, on which she revels. His friend Phil tries to warn Simon off the narcissistic woman whose fiancé had abandoned her due to her infidelities. The story of Simon’s research work and his social relationships with colleagues and friends and how aided and abetted by his friends he is able to finally overcome his innate inhibitions to find true love provides a fascinating insight into the strange distorted world and handicaps of being autistic. A most life affirming and uplifting story.
October 6, 2020
3.5⭐
Thanks Netgalley for the E-ARC!
"Odd Bird" starts off following a man named Simon who is very attuned with his primary study, birds, and finds himself pondering a mating pair for life. This book started very slow at first. I had to skip to 3/4 of the way through to see if it got better. It did. So I went back and read it through.
Simon is purposefully obtuse in his human interactions which has a very endearing quality to him. Very fallible but also loveable. Not your typical leading man and not your typical romance. Kim was a character that didn't really wow me. I wanted more from her. I found myself oddly attached to Simon (what can I say? I have a huge heart for the misfits).
Overall the story was quaint and likeable. Not your typical romcom but I found it had enjoyable moments.
Thanks Netgalley for the E-ARC!
"Odd Bird" starts off following a man named Simon who is very attuned with his primary study, birds, and finds himself pondering a mating pair for life. This book started very slow at first. I had to skip to 3/4 of the way through to see if it got better. It did. So I went back and read it through.
Simon is purposefully obtuse in his human interactions which has a very endearing quality to him. Very fallible but also loveable. Not your typical leading man and not your typical romance. Kim was a character that didn't really wow me. I wanted more from her. I found myself oddly attached to Simon (what can I say? I have a huge heart for the misfits).
Overall the story was quaint and likeable. Not your typical romcom but I found it had enjoyable moments.
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