Like many since the lockdown, I can proudly call myself "a birder". This Backyard Bird Chronicles was the perfect book to dive into every morning while I enjoyed my coffee. I loved seeing how Amy connected with the birds outside her window and the illustrations were lovely! Highly recomend to any bird lover! Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

You may be like me and have Amy Tan nicely cubbyholed into a novelist that writes from her cultural heritage. I have certainly enjoyed her string of books – The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Joy Luck Club, and The Bonesetter’s Daughter – to name a few. Now she has done something entirely different and worth reading.

In 2016, she became disturbed with the state of the world and turned to nature for relief from the volatility of social media and the news. From September 16, 2017 to December 15, 2022, she kept a what amounts to a bird diary, tracking visitors to her yard. The Backyard Bird Chronicles is her newest and entirely different book that chronicles her experience and knowledge about birds. In addition, she paints beautiful pictures of those birds with witty notes on what they were doing and perhaps what their motivations were.

Her chatty humor shows up in lines like, “I will not go to prison, a place where I would have gotten a lot of writing done.” Any idea that this is a scientific writing disappears with her use of words like “jolly” and “conniving” as descriptions and in her wondering questions. Day to day, she just invites the reader to join her enjoyment of the birds who show up around her.

Readers who are seeking their own escapes from the divisive world in which we live may join Amy Tan as she takes them into the natural world. Accessible knowledge about the birding world that she either knows already or learns about, her sense of humor, and her beautiful paintings will give relief from the world’s noise – and an entirely different picture of Amy Tan herself.

*Extra hint: If you love Amy’s bird paintings, you can follow her on Facebook for more.

I enjoy reading about other people's relationships with birds and bird watching. Learning new facets of their personality and comparing it to my own experiences. Amy Tan always makes me think.

This book was so much fun! Tan puts so much joy into it, and it put a smile on my fave to read it! the book is a collection of journal anecdotes and sketches from Tan as she observes different types of birds over the span of a few years. I really enjoyed the inclusion of her sketches in it.

What a lovely, wonderful book. We all know Amy Tan, writer of one of my favorite books ever, The Joy Luck Club (and so many others). This is a departure from her works of fiction in which she truly chronicles the birds she feeds and sees in her yard with both a narrative and her brilliant illustrations which are breathtaking! As someone with a few bird feeders, this inspired me to look closer - to observe and log. With so much madness and uncertainty in the world, there's such beauty in carefully watching and appreciating nature. It's lovely, like a hug from a friend you haven't seen in a while. I really enjoyed this one. I think you will too. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy.

“The Backyard Bird Chronicles” by beloved author Amy Tan is a very special book. Ms. Tan shares with us her journey of learning about and loving the songbirds in her backyard. This is a very open, approachable and immersive book. You will feel as if you are sitting with Ms. Tan on her back porch, gazing at her lovely gardens, and listening to her describe her bird friends.

Ms. Tan begins by relating how she always loved exploring nature as a child. It wasn’t until a few years ago, that she became aware of the birds in her backyard. She started out recognizing three types of songbirds. Now, she can identify 60 birds. But more than mere identification, she has become close friends with her “visitors”.

Her “Chronicles” feature her daily observations of her bird friends. We also get to see her sketches of the birds she gets to know. ( really liked how she immediately bought many sketch pads and drawing tools as her passion took off. I would do the same.)

This is a very engaging book. Probably the best way to enjoy this book is to read it in little bursts. You may also want to use Ms. Tan’s drawings to help you identify birds in your own backyard. And take note- it’s really hard to outsmart the squirrels!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

Amy Tan, best-selling author of The Joy Luck Club, keeps journals of the bustling birds in her backyard, finding solace in her observations and pencil drawings. Here, her joys, reflections, and illustrations on birdlife are collected into one volume. Full of engaging and vibrant birds and their personalities, The Backyard Bird Chronicles will inspire readers to take note of the beauty and nature that surrounds them.

THE GOOD:
Very sweet. Addictive, at first. Amy learned how to draw birds so she could sketch those in her backyard! She got quite good at it, and many of her sketches are included in the book. Her enthusiasm is very contagious. She writes about, and draws, over 60 species that visited her yard.

THE BAD:
The book is a bit long (288 pages) and can get repetitive, as the same birds are discussed multiple times.

CONCLUSION:
A lovely coffee table book, or gift for a bird-living friend - especially those who are fans of Ms. Tan or who are California-based birders, as she is.

I absolutely loved this - it won't be for everyone but I found it quite emotional and personal, and it almost has me wanting to try to draw my feeder birds (which is really something, as even my stick figures are not very good stick figures.) I did actually give my feeders a good clean and put them back out after reading this.

I really enjoy noticing birds are coming and going on my walks. I especially enjoy seeing blue jays and cardinals. I really enjoyed this beautiful book. Amy Tan's writing is lovely and her drawings are impressive. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys nature, birder or not.
Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to enjoy these beautiful illustrations and prose.
This book should be on all coffee tables for those who enjoy outdoor life.

February ended on a high note with The Backyard Bird Chronicles. Back in high school I was a big fan of anime and manga -- my favorite genre was called Slice of Life, pure comfort watches/reads. Normal people going about their everyday lives, no giant robots in sight or epic fight scenes (although Amy does have more than one showdown with squirrels determined to break into her bird feeders). The Backyard Bird Chronicles felt VERY Slice of Life in the best way.

Over several years, novelist Amy Tan kept a diary of her foray into birding. As the weeks turned into months turned into years, she began to recognize individual bird calls and could pick out breeds as they visited her backyard. She experimented with different types of suet and seeds, ultimately discovering her visitors had a rather sophisticated palette that demanded pricey mealworms. Eventually 2020 happened and watching it play out through Amy's entries brought on a mix of emotions. Later, the California wildfires brought new birds seeking refuge to Amy's backyard.

While there were Big World Events happening this was also a really lovely read of a woman's time spent in her backyard. I could feel the awe Amy felt when she managed to get a hummingbird to land in her hand, the surprise when she realized the bird trying to get her attention was in distress -- not in pain -- but because its favorite feeder was empty despite every other feeder in the yard being fully stocked. There were moments of sadness and heartache along with the joy and it all came through with each entry, every beautiful illustration. What a delight this was to read.

I love Amy Tan and will eagerly read anything she writes. I probably should have done a bit more research before diving into this one! Rather than a novel about someone who loves birds (which I am lucky to have an interest in due to my son), this is more of a personal journal of observations and illustrations (quite literally) of the birds that visit the author's backyard. The drawings are very well done, it is a sweet little book, but not what I want from Amy Tan! Sophisticated birders may find this book a little too earnest, avid amateurs will enjoy it and those who happen to also love Amy Tan will find it delightful.

This is a sweet book and would make a wonderful gift. This is definitely one of those books that I would recommend a reader enjoy in its physical form.

Many know Amy Tan because of her novels including the wonderful The Joy Luck Club. Here readers get to spend time with a Tan who wants to feel closer to the natural world. It is an incredible treat!

This title is in the form of a journal. I found it to have many insights and observations. To add to the gorgeousness of this title, the illustrations are by the author herself.

Those who already know Tan’s novels, as well as those who love birds and/or nature and spending time with a wise woman, need to pick up this title when it is released.

Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor as well as NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Delightful book detailing the birds Amy Tan saw in her backyard. Her annotated sketches accompany
the observations and study of the birds. She discusses feed and water for the birds along with
making homemade bird baths and feeders. Good gift for anyone interested in learning more about birds.
#TheBackyardBirdChronicles #NetGalley

I am not an avid birder, but I do like noticing which birds are coming and going from my yard. I really enjoyed this book because I think it captured the wonder that can be there in your own yard if you care to pay attention. Amy Tan's writing is lovely and her drawings are impressive. I really look forward to recommending this one to people who already bird watch as well as those who don't yet.

Reading The Backyard Bird Chronicles in ebook form does not do this book justice. I would be remiss if I didn’t highly recommend this beauty in physical book form. The illustrations are magical and Amy has such a poignant and poetic writing style. As a birder and bird enthusiast I found this book so enjoyable and beautifully written. Highly recommend!

I love Amy Tan and I love this book. The art is beautiful and so is the writing. Highly recommend to anyone interested in birds and/or Amy Tan fan!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest. I only requested this book since I have loved Amy Tan's novels before. I had no idea it would be filled with Amy Tan's illustrations and journaling of the birds that crossed her backyard. It literally was a chronicle of backyard birds. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed looking at the illustrations and reading Tan's comments. Amy Tan has a way of drawing the reader in, even when it is something that the reader may have no interest in (such as bird watching).

Amy Tan has always been one of my favorite authors; I'll read anything she publishes. So I was extra excited to see that her latest book was about observing and journaling about the birds in her backyard over a six-year period. Just about a year ago, I planted a bird feeder in front of my office window and have been hooked ever since.
Her sketches are lovely, but her observations and comments are fantastic. Her usual wit and imagination are in full force here. I even learned things, such as the reason I wasn't seeing birds at my bird feeder is because, to them, it's a lake. I didn't know you should only fill it to wading level. I don't know if non-birders would be as interested as I was, but this book is a good bet for all who love animals and nature. I would love to see an additional volume in a few more years!