Turning to Birds is a perceptive, engaging, and well written collection of essays on presence and finding meaning in nature by Lili Taylor. Released 29th April 2025 by Penguin Random House on their Crown imprint, it's 208 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The 12 essays are ranged roughly thematically on a number of topics across both species (human and avian), behavior, personality, and understanding. The essays are personal and written in everyday, accessible language; like visiting with a particularly perceptive friend who has a lot of good points to make about a wide variety of subjects.

The chapters are enhanced with lovely detailed pen and ink sketches by Anna Koska. They're restful and beautiful.

Four stars. It's a charmingly unexpected book. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, home library, or gifting. Well written.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Lili Taylor’s Turning to Birds is a beautifully written collection of essays. The C-19 lockdowns caused us all to stop in our tracks and it really had a profound impact on Lili. Living in the concrete, fast paced jungle of NYC the lockdown slow down allowed her to take notice of the beauty and natural flow of nature and her surroundings. I found her descriptive and lyrical prose on nature beautiful and devoured this book in little bites like reading poetry.

Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC

3.5 stars. I only know of the author as an actress (I haven't seen her whole filmography yet I knows who she is), but she makes the topic accessible for people who knew all about birds or at a beginner level.

I am not a bird watcher by any stretch -- I count myself lucky to identify owl, delight in the cardinal, veer clear of crows. However, with Lili Taylor's remarkable TURNING TO BIRDS, I am informed and inspired to look differently, within myself in quiet as well as around me in wonder. I absorbed the book in beautiful bursts after whichI felt deeply present and freshly observant of the world around me. A truly different and satisfying read of essays at once filled with humor and intelligence as well as perspectives I deeply enjoyed. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions.

Part poetic stream of conciousness and part information packet about birds, this was a peaceful and beautiful read from my favorite Mystic Pizza actress.

Pure delight!

Are you a birder? You will want to come along with Lili Taylor as she share a collection of short-stories-that-feel-like-a-conversation! And Birder's have the best stories... truly! Lili reminded me that even the ordinary can be extraordinary! She shares her adventures with birding in her backyard and "out on the road" as she works!

I highly recommend!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the digital copy of this book! It was published April 29, 2025.

ow, captivating book! I'm not new to birding but I am far from expert; this book will please anyone from one end of the spectrum to the other! I nodded an affirmation to so many things, I learned so many new things, and I was thoroughly entertained by each and every essay! Lily writes each of her birding essays with the perfect balance of whimsy and information, personal experience and scientific relevance. Beautiful book, beautiful essays, beautiful cover. I thoroughly enjoyed this one 😊

A beauitful collection of stories of how Lili Taylor became a member of the ever-growing group of birders. Taylor weaves her experiences of first beginning her birding adventures with her adventures in acting. It seems she learned a lot about herself and the natural wonders of birds. It is amazing to think that all around us, we can find things in nature that call to our innerselves. Just as Taylor has, we can learn a lot if we slow down and enjoy the little moments in time.

Thank you, Lili Taylor, for sharing your journey. I would love to read more about your experiences.

#NetGalley #TurningToBirds

I'm one of those people who have bird feeders and pollinator gardens. BUT.....everyone who comes to my home, at some point says....let's go watch the birds. They compete with each other to see who has seen the most. Most of my friends and family have received easy to use bird identifying books. Lili Taylor's TURNING TO BIRDS captures perfectly the peace most people feel when they experience the quiet and the beauty of just sitting and watching the birds. Quite a few of my friends and family are going to receive Taylor's book this year. I hope they love it as much as I did.

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley.

I mostly enjoyed these essays about how birding helped the author be more mindful or aware of her surroundings (both physical and human). My favorite may have been the Woodcock story. Or the one where the author notices house finches trying to nest in an unsafe location and creates a more welcoming habitat nearby.

I do feel that this version was not ready to be released, even as an ARC. There were multiple spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors, along with "X" used in places where specific details are obviously meant to be added in later (wattage of lights etc.) The writing was not really the issue, but the lack of editing made me double check to see which publishing house let it into even the limited world of ARC reviewers this way.

A quick and enjoyable spring read. Loved the themes of mindfulness! Not the most impressive prose I’ve ever read but you can tell the author really fucks with birds the long way. She’s not new to this — she’s true to this. Good for her!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

4.5 stars - I am a nature fanatic and a fan of nature writing. In the past year I have read introspective backyard bird-watching accounts by an award-winning author and backyard wildlife essays from a renowned essayist. As a backyard wildlife enthusiast myself, I get it. I get taking the time to observe, reflect on, and enjoy the activities of our avian friends because it allows us not only to understand the natural world, but our place in it as well. The pandemic was an especially conducive time for this, which is why these books are being released now and resonating with more people.

While I thoroughly enjoyed Amy Tan’s Backyard Bird Chronicles, especially the inclusion of her art and journal pages, and while I could relate to Margaret Renkl’s affinity for sharing space and compassion for our animal neighbors and visitors, neither provided as much useful information for fledgling birders and wildlife enthusiasts nor related their birding adventures to time periods and life events so vividly.

I can see actress Lili Taylor on set sitting in a desolate empty lot with a bird house trying to convince finches it’s a good alternative to the actor’s trailer they had originally pinpointed for nesting. I can see her sitting with binoculars in a schoolyard at night waiting for chimney swifts to funnel into their night lodgings. I felt her anger at murderous sparrows and cheered her sprint to the pier at Brooklyn Bridge Park to see a nocturnal woodcock. I made notes on the best binoculars, downloaded new apps, and began to picture adventures to see birds. Birds! I learned millions of birds migrate at night and they are right there over our heads in enormous flocks while we are binging the latest shows on television.

Turning to Bird: The Power and Beauty of Noticing was a beautiful and unapologetic glimpse into the life of a birder, that will surely draw many new birders into the past time armed with the lessons gleaned from Taylor’s experiences.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the e-ARC of this book through NetGalley, which I received for my honest review. This book will be available to the public on April 29, 2025.

#TurningtoBirds #NetGalley #lilitaylor #books #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookstagram #nerdventureswithbooks

🐦 For my friends who love birds, and books about birds, as much as I do.

TURNING TO BIRDS by Lili Taylor (narrated by the author)

🎧 Thanks, #NetGalley and @crownpublishing, for the digital review copy. Thanks, @PRHAudio, for the #gifted audiobook. #PRHAudioPartner #sponsored (Available 29 Apr 25) 4 hours, 17 minutes

I adored this peaceful and joyful collection of essays about birds, birding, and the joy nature can bring, even amid city chaos. Of course, I’m predisposed to loving anything bird-related (and have even attended a migratory bird festival). Still, even if you’re only slightly interested, you’d enjoy this approachable and relatable collection. And it might open your eyes and ears to the beauty that surrounds you every day.

A quick but captivating collection of essays by actress Lili Taylor. With philosophy quotes and tidbits of knowledge, it makes for an enlightening and intriguing read.

Lili Taylor shares her essays about her hobby of birding and does it very well. I selected this because I am a birder. I loved her experiences and it made me want to be right along with her when she sees all of these birds.

If you aren’t a birder, this book could turn you into one after you read it. Look up. Listen.

Actress Lili Taylor turns her view away from Hollywood and toward a hobby seemingly as conventional as you can get: birding. While I am a nature enthusiast and am interested in the birds around me, I hadn't fancied myself a birder -- but Taylor made that world seem more interesting and attainable, so much so that I've been inspired to learn more. While Taylor does tend to name-drop apps in a somewhat stilting way, the passion with which she writes about identifying a proper bird feeder while on set makes up for it. This book would be an excellent companion read to Amy Tan's Backyard Bird Chronicles.

Turning to Birds, The Power and Beauty of Noticing, is a great example of a bird lover who loves to tell stories about their experiences watching, following, and studying birds. Lily Taylor has immense experience serving as an advocate for birds and genuinely loves birds. She tells of her introduction to becoming a birder, picking up her first set of bins, and meeting birds up close. While her stories offer a casual, informal, down-to-earth vibe, she also offers hard scientific data with expert knowledge. Her associations during her recount give some insight into the personalities of birders. Their lives are uniquely set around the migration of birds, as well as a concerted effort to protect and defend bird rights. She uses great examples of her favorite birds. And she often refers to the people who support her cause.

I respect her appreciation for birds and I admire her representation for the protection of birds.

Thank you to Net Galley and Crown Publishing for this Advanced Reader's Copy.

Taylor has written a collection of essays designed to educate the non-birder, enthrall the seasoned birder, and welcome those in between. With wit, wisdom, and reflection, she lays out her personal journey in embracing nature and, specifically, the world of avian delights, many of which occur on film and TV locations. She is unashamed of her shortcomings and so revels in seeking and gaining knowledge. She is an activist and an explorer while maintaining a sense of awe a birder of any stripe should never lose. The book is a delight to read and should be on any nature lover's shelf.

This is an excellent look into the world of birding.

Lili Taylor deeply recounts her key birding moments in wonderous detail. She writes of her early birding experiences that any birder, novice to expert, can certainly relate to.
Lili takes us along with her on bird adventures from cities to wilderness, from New York parks to Nebraska. As someone that's not traveled to see specific birds yet, this was very educational and I'm looking forward to seeing Sand Hill Crane migrations in person.

Lily does a wonderful job of shining the light on areas of our regular daily lives that affect birds that we would never have thought of. From the 9/11 memorial to something as simple as a birdhouse, the author makes us look at ourselves while looking out for the birds. Some stories will break your heart while others will let your heart soar.

In the beginning, I do feel as if the stories get a little off the mark but eventually do come back to the birds and Lili's experiences. In the end, I was tearing up knowing I was saying goodbye to this heartfelt book. Godspeed.

Thank you Penguin Random House for the ARC. I will always share my honest opinion.

I want to firstly thank the publisher and NetGalley for a digital review copy/ARC of this title!

As a lover of birds, I was delighted when Lili Taylor's “Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing” was recommended to me on NetGalley. Part memoir, part love letter to birds, this book contains several moving essays detailing Taylor's experiences with birds and birders alike. I found Taylor's parallels between acting and birding very interesting, as well as found the ways in which she connects with birds and nature absolutely refreshing. I also noted down several locations she mentioned in the book that I'd like to visit myself (as well as learned about a birding festival - who knew!).

From experiencing the majesty of thousands of Sandhill Cranes, the exaltation (and oddness) of the American Woodcock, and the beauty of Cedar Waxwings (just to name a few birds featured in the essays), this book is a short and accessible read for anyone who loves birds or who generally enjoys immersing themselves in nature. If you enjoy this book, I would also highly recommend “The Backyard Bird Chronicles” by Amy Tan!

3.5/5 stars