I have been wanting to read this for a while, but I’ve never read Annie Dillard and have been intimidated by the reviews that I’ve seen. But this month I decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), so I ordered this as a way to keep motivated.

And I’m so glad I did.

Dillard uses humor so well, I felt like I was in on all of her jokes without even knowing her. This book is written so casually – just in small vignettes that can be read in a couple of minutes – but beautifully illustrates her life as a writer. I was surprised to read that Annie hates being a writer, but she is one of those authors who is a true artist and has no choice but to do this work. She agonizes over writing a single word, which seems exhausting.

This book might be for you if you love hearing a master talk about her work or if you love the romantic ideal of being a writer – but this might just flip the idea of romance on its head!