The most beautiful book! So comforting how Renkl takes the reader through the seasons of nature and shares insights from a deeply thinking naturalist..

Thanks, NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau, for the digital review copy.

I started to read this as an e-book. I realized two things: (1) I needed a paper copy to immerse myself in the devotional-type layout and the spectacular illustrations, and (2) I needed to send a copy to my bestie’s parents. Luckily, while in Nashville, I found signed (!!) copies at @thebookshopnashville.

This book! It’s exquisite. Perfectly sized essays work through each week of the year accompanied by jaw-dropping illustrations and the occasional “praise song.” You will want to devour the whole thing in one sitting, then race back to the beginning to read one chapter per week, following Renkl in her naturalist explorations and musings.

“Driving due south in the spring is like speeding up time.”

“We are gentle with toads. They are as soft as a great-grandmother you can hold in your hand.”

“It is not a fox. It is a blur of falling leaves, red and gold. A phantom rush of wildness. A mirage of a miracle, pungent and swift.”

This little book was so thoroughly lovely; in a lot of ways, it reminded me of Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" (although the latter was even better), and was just a really lovely little read. Margaret Renkl's love for the natural world and her little corner of it shines through, and the illustrations by her brother make it a feast for the eyes and the artistic spirit even as the words conjure their own bit of magic. This would make a great addition to the collection of any reader who loves to spend time in the outdoors; it may also be a wonderful way to encourage a reluctant reader who has a naturalist's soul to sit down and page through.

This book is absolutely and utterly beautiful. The essays are like poetry, it is a balm for the soul. I cannot praise it enough.

The Comfort of Crows is a beautifully written book by Margaret Renkl. The book is a series of essays that span a year and are Renkl's musings and observations of the natural world around her. Renkl's prose is beautiful, and I really appreciate her observations. The book serves as a reminder to us to slow down and observe all of the glories of nature that are all around us, even in our own backyards.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

4.5 stars

A lovely companion took keep with you throughout the year. Renkyl's prose is lyrical without becoming saccharine or pretentious. The readings are short, little devotions for keeping present throughout the rest of your day. As you read the book do not be surprised if you find yourself noticing more of the world around you and appreciating the small bits of nature you witness.
Additionally, the art alone is worth getting the book. The pieces are mixed media collages that also demand you linger on the page, taking them in. If they were available as prints I would buy them for my home.

Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegal & Grau for an ARC copy. All opinions are my own.

The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl is a lovely book about the seasons and nature. There are 52 chapters that follow the plants and animals throughout the year. It is a lovely reminder to stop and notice the beauty around you all throughout the year. "What if resting, all by itself, is the real act of holiness? What if honoring the gift of our only life in this gorgeous world means taking time every week to slow down? To sleep? To breathe? The natural world has never needed us more than it needs us now, but we can't be of much use to it if we remain in a perpetual state of exhaustion and despair." Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read The Comfort of Crows, written by Margaret Renkle.
This book tells a year-long story of the happenings in the author's yard, and I loved listening to it. The Comfort of Crows is a love story to nature. It shares what one can notice when slowing down, watching, listening. The evolution of seasons, the bugs, the birds, the light.
I've grown a greater appreciation for nature writing, and would group this with the poetry of Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and the insight of Katherine May.

Thank you to Net Galley and Spiegel & Grau for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. These lovely essays contemplate the natural world, family and culture. Most are observations of the every day mundane outside her windows translated into the beautiful way she sees the world. She has an appreciation of the circle of life and witnesses it as she cares for all creatures, prey and predator. She has inspired me to have a pollinator garden instead of focusing on a fruit and vegetable garden. I love the way she observes the stillness in nature and so beautiful puts in down on paper. She also relates her observations of birds to her own family, and her own empty nest - the loss when the baby birds when they disappear from the nest as they're supposed to. Also, she tries to bring awareness for how were damaging the natural world such as when we spray pesticides in our yards, kill predators and pests. How can we live alongside all the many creatures that make up nature? She is one of my favorite writers of this genre. I highly recommend this!

Margaret Renkl's THE COMFORT OF CROWS is a poetic, thought-provoking meditation on the world around us through the year of observations in her own surroundings. I felt like I was with her, delighting in the change of seasons, the particular sights and scents that strike her, how she wove what she saw into a larger perspective on life, living, and being present to your own experience. This book felt like poetry, like a wonderful escape into quiet and calm, slowing my monkey mind to see what I see and enjoy the world we share. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Reading books by nature writers is always such a refreshing palate cleanser from the fast pace of current events and social media. I thoroughly enjoyed Renkl’s collection of observations and reflections on the wildlife on her residential plot of land. Some of my favorite takeaways: the value of an untidy garden, the antidepressant properties of freshly turned soil, and the tragedy of life imperiled by green lawns for fashion’s sake. As Renkl notes, we can’t single-handedly change America or solve climate change, but we can plant a garden. Renkl has been the custodian of her yard for decades, where she has provided a habitat for wildlife, raised her kids, and loved her spouse. The wisdom she’s gained in the process is brimming with meaning and value. Thank you to NetGalley and the the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the experience of reading Margaret Renkl's "The Comfort of Crows." The book is a collection of short essays structured around the passing of a year. It carries with it the feeling of a journey through nature and time with frequent stops as suddenly you come upon a deep insight lying there in the path, or an idea you want to mull over, consider again and again, before moving on.

The essays are structured like a devotional, stepping through the year and pausing in each one to observe closely, be surprised, delight in something, or feel a grief. Throughout, Renkl challenges herself to do better as a steward of the natural world in her backyard, and invites you in to share those experiences of tending to some creature, or failing to save it, or feeling amazed as life's complexity reveals itself. The world, and its mysteries and joy and grief, all in a back yard, or right out the window, or in a trip to another well-loved house.

This is a book that invites re-reading, in whole or in snippets. The language is precise and rich, and the observations are sharp. The vision, even in these small places, is wide.

Thanks to #netgalley and #Spiegel&Grau for the ARC.

Nature lover and self-proclaimed backyard enthusiast Margaret Renkl has joined with her brother Billy to create a series of essays and illustrations taking a reader through a year of birds, animals, plants, and insects in her backyard. With 52 essays, readers will travel through the seasons week by week as the buds arrive on the trees, the birds visit the feeders, or the day it is time to rake the fallen leaves.

Renkl’s backyard in Tennessee may be different from mine, but I still found comfort in the joy of my first robin sighting in late winter as she talked about robins working the ground for worms. Even though our temperatures may not completely match up, our seasons do and I found comfort in her musings on life in her backyard.

Renkl also mentions another season in her essays, the season of empty nesting. I have entered this new season of life as well and I found her words about the quiet house and “nesting in reverse”, giving away and cleaning out rooms and closets of grown children, to be a reminder to find the peace and joy of living in this new season.

I imagine Renkl’s backyard to be full of blooms in the summer and birds visiting her feeders year-round. Maybe a deer walking by or a squirrel burying an acorn for winter but always some sort of activity. Her detailed descriptions offer an image to appear in my mind and the illustrations by her brother at the end of every essay offer a beautiful wrapup to the week.

I related to Renkl’s statement, “So much of what I do in the yard is only ever an exercise in hope“. In the fall I plant a bulb with the hope it will push up and bloom in the spring. This summer, I hung out a new hummingbird feeder in the hopes of attracting them. They didn’t stop by this year, but there is hope again for next year.

For nature lovers, those entering a new season of life, or those who enjoy the beauty of their surroundings, I highly recommend this quiet book of weekly reflections. Who doesn’t have a few minutes each week to pause and reflect on the beauty of a sunset or the joy of a bird catching a worm? Renkel shares how they passed on their regular dishes to their sons and now eat on their wedding dishes for the first time as empty nesters in their quiet house. What kind of simple beauty can be added to your day?

Shop early for holidays and birthdays as I believe this is a wonderful gift idea. The author’s final paragraph states her hope for those who read her book:

“It is my dearest hope that you will do the same for your own wild neighbors. Rejoice and grieve. Do your best to help. Bear witness when you can’t. Remember the crows, who tell us that we belong to one another, and to them.”

Step outside and stop, ponder, and listen to the sounds and see the beauty of your own backyard, a local park, or a neighbor’s flower garden. If you wait for the perfect day, you might just miss something beautiful.

"Who wouldn't want to start the new year watched over by crows? They're smart and brave and loyal . . . "

It was a cruel, cruel summer nature-wise in my own backyard. It started in early June when I returned one morning from the dog walk, and startled a little sparrow who flew into our sliding glass door. While I was standing on the patio chanting, "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead," a hawk swooped down less than five feet from me, grabbed the maybe-dead, maybe-not-dead Schrödinger's bird, gave me a "It's MINE!" glare, and took off with an easy meal. In July, I found our beloved pond frog literally dissected, and left discarded in the middle of the backyard. And, over the course of three months, a bloodthirsty chipmunk killed seven birds, one right in front of me, leaving their little headless corpses lying right by the feeders.

Fortunately, there were a few lovely moments to be found, as well, such as sitting outdoors, enjoying a book and a glass of iced tea whilst hummingbirds whistled dangerously close to my head in their attempts to lay claim to ALL of the feeders out back. It also helped to read about the cycles of birth, life, and death by nature writers like Margaret Renkl. Here she takes us through the seasons, sharing her observations and thoughts about the wildlife near her suburban home in Tennessee. It's good to be reminded that our control over nature is sometimes limited. Rescue attempts may not always succeed, but wild creatures seem to know what they're doing even without our help.

This is a lovely, and, indeed, comforting book, and one I look forward to reading again.

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year is a poem to nature. Each chapter takes you through one week of each season for a total of 52 chapters to round out a whole year. Go from winter to spring to summer and then fall, learning about the animals and plant life that abound during these times, and how the author cares for nature in her own backyard. Each chapter also has its own beautiful work of art that encompasses what the chapter is about.

This is a book for people who find themselves in the winter of their own lives. This is a book for nature lovers. This is a book about birth and rebirth, cycles, and love.

Read a chapter a week and spread out the book through a whole year. Or devour each chapter, as I did, enjoying the pictures the author paints of the changing seasons.

The Comfort of Crows is published by Spiegel & Grau and will be available to purchase tomorrow (October 24, 2023). I received a free e-ARC.

What a sweet sweet book. I love all the nature insights, thoughts and feelings that the writer has recorded. Would love to have my own hardback copy and see the illustrations which weren't available in the format I received. I will be rereading this book and totally recommend it.
Thank you to net galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

A lyrical appreciation of the natural world by NYTimes columnist Margaret Renkl. She pens a weekly essay through the four seasons with her knowledgeable observations of plant and animal life. The lovely illustrations are by her brother.

She is sometimes appreciative, sometimes astounded, often discouraged by human blundering with chemicals and habitat encroachment, but always astute. A beautiful book and one to be slowly savored. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Margaret Renkl's The Comfort of Crows. I don't often read nonfiction, but I was immediately drawn to the premise of this book. Renkl's writing style is poetic and comforting. It felt like a conversation with a friend. The artwork was equally stunning. You could read this in a few sittings or break it up over the course of weeks or months.

A beautiful book for exactly this time, filled with wonderful illustrations and thoughtful meditations. The epigraphs were well chosen and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Part memoir, part nature book, this collection of 52 essays is what it say it is- an observation of life in a garden through a year (although this does cover certain things over a period of years). There are sharp observations and gentle commentary especially about life during the pandemic. I read this over a period of weeks- one or two essays at a time- which worked beautifully. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Would recommend reading this in hard copy to fully appreciate the photos and to make it easier to dip in and out.