In THE COMFORT OF CROWS, Margaret Renkl highlights the gift of noticing the natural world throughout a year.

I'm in awe of her knowledge of plants and animals and how she makes these observations such a natural extension to her days. The book is structured around the four seasons, one chapter each week, although I happily read several in a setting. One chapter might introduce us to her desk mates, another covers a recitation of animals she has tended over the years, and she is quick to find analogies and metaphors.

Renkl strikes a balance of mourning the changes that are afoot due to climate change and human intervention while also deriving hope and joy in the midst. I also echoed her tension of how she knows she ought not to interfere in the natural world but sometimes being unable to resist the pull. Alongside this all is an acknowledgement of change: in family dynamics, in neighborhoods, throughout the earth. This account time and again helped me to pause and derive new wonder and appreciation for the natural world.

There is also artwork throughout, so while I read a digital copy, the physical book would be a lovely gift to yourself or others to pore over the beautiful collages in vivid color. 

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

Author Margaret Renkle offers comfort in the form of a literary devotional, committing one essay to each of the 52 weeks in a year. Within these essays -- some of which read as prose poetry, some as praise songs, some as hermit crab essays in the form of how-to's, others as personal essays wherein she weaves observations of the natural world around her Tennessee home with reflections upon her life as she grows older and her children have left the nest. All contain her keen attention to nature and life cycles, including her own. My favorite: "Loving the Unloved Animals" pays homage to creatures such as vultures, rat snakes, red bats, and opossums. "Let us rejoice in the pink-nosed, pink-fingered opossum, her silvery pouch full of babies no bigger than a honey bee." Another favorite: "Praise Song for Sleeping Bees." Like a religious devotional, The Comfort of Crows is a reflection meant to focus the reader's heart. In this time of ecological grief, Renkl and her book encourage us to take heart and find joy in the natural world. And she encourages by example: "The very least I owe my wild neighbors is a willingness to witness their struggle, to compensate for their losses in every way I can, and to speak on their behalf about all the ways I can't." 
[Thanks to Spiegel and Grau and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

Renkl manages to reflect deeply on what it means to live a life while trying to maintain a balance both with nature and with ones self. Overall I found it to be a comforting read that somehow managed to make my own relatively small life feel more spacious. Renkl's reverence for the beauty in the world that is all around us, and indeed in what many would consider the mundane is a balm. I found myself looking at the everyday things in my own life with more tenderness than before.
Overall a comforting and insightful read that would make a lovely stocking filler for any reflective nature lovers out there.

While the writing is pretty, the essays aren't particularly engaging. It reads like a journal, which is good if that's what the reader is looking for. Someone who wants to dip in and out of a book would probably enjoy this meandering collection.

Poetic musings on nature. This carefully crafted book takes place over the course of a year, from winter to fall, as the author contemplates the natural world and her place in it. The writing is occasionally melancholy as she considers the changing climate and the destruction of habitats. But it's also so hopeful. Renkl is constantly looking for the the beauty in the world. Spending time in nature is so important, and so fulfilling. I greatly enjoyed the beautifully abstract illustrations of birds and plants that are spread throughout the book. Each chapter is brief, so I think this would be a good one to pick up and read whenever you have a spare minute. In my case, though, I devoured it in one sitting. Definitely worth the read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful, compassionate book. Such a refreshing change. Definitely recommended.

Absolutely loved this book! Reads like poetry. As a (wannabe) nature lover, this made me want to explore the world around me and pay attention the little wonders that flora and fauna have to offer. The illustrations were equally as amazing. Made me wish I had a hard copy of the book to peruse.

This was the perfect book for me right now (and probably at any time, honestly). There is so much awfulness in the world right now that doesn't make any sense to me. and this was such a gentle reminder to just stop and take a moment and rest. I think the way it was framed also really spoke to me as an "outdoorsy" type (and someone originally from the Southeast). It was nice to be reminded that it is okay to literally stop and smell the flowers, watch the birds, and just exist without having to find solutions to the things that hurt us or that we don't understand. Love, love, love. Highly recommend.

The Comfort of the Crows is a beautiful and touching view of our connection with the natural world around us. It reads so eloquently; each chapter describes one week in the life of the author's back yard and natural surroundings and her interaction and observations of it. There is one chapter for each week of the year. It reads as a sort of daily devotion, with so many wonderful and lyrical phrases and points to reflect upon. The author truly did a lot of her own self-reflection to create this masterpiece. It is nostalgic, devotional, informational, and also serves as a call to action. The author shares her experiences with the birds in her yard, the small creatures, the trees, the changing of seasons in the year but also the changing seasons of life. By describing happy memories as a parent with her young kids and neighborhood community around her, to adult children now out of the house, to losing parents and friends, she interweaves and relates these life experiences with the changing of the environment around her and the onward flow of life. I highlighted so many passages in this book, small little memories and emotions that I can very much identify with and also want to hold on to in my own changing of seasons in my life. This book is simply beautiful, I'm so thankful for the opportunity to have read this advance copy e-read. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author!

I think I first heard about Margaret Renkl from Ann Patchett, on her Parnassus bookstore instagram "Laydown Diaries". So, when I saw that there was a new book out by her, I requested it from NetGalley. I should preface this by saying that I know as little about birds, probably, as there is to know. I'm not proud of this. To be fair, we did once have a bird feeder outside our kitchen window. We purchased a bird book, but seldom identified anything more unusual than a goldfinch (NJ state bird, and nice Donna Tartt reference).

I'm saying that because it would be impossible to predict how completely I fell in love with this book. Renkl, thankfully, lives far away in Nashville, so she cannot drop by to reprimand us for our occasional use of chemicals on our very green patch of lawn. Or excoriate my husband for his unwavering love for his leaf blower. Aside from these transgressions—and my shame for potentially incurring Renkl's wrath—I loved her fierce defense of her wild, though carefully plotted surroundings. As soon as I finished the book, I ran out to buy a copy for someone I know who will appreciate it even more.

This book is so much more than it seems. It is a memoir, a manifesto, and a call to action, told in a lyrical, and, at times breathtaking voice that demands we look at the world beyond us, and do something, no matter how small, to make it better.

THE COMFORT OF CROWS by Margaret Renkl chronicles "A Backyard Year" and contains 52 essays centered on plants and animals. Ann Patchett says it is about "the abundance of wonder in our own backyard." I particularly liked the story Renkl told of trying to trap an unwell fox – she writes so vividly; it was easy to imagine being the person checking the cage and worrying about survival. In addition to the quality writing (Renkl is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times), there are fifty-two original color artworks by the author's brother, Billy Renkl. Those are truly beautiful, as is the colorful cover. Recommended as a non-fiction selection by LibraryReads in October 2023, this is a book worth experiencing. Family Action Network sponsored a session with Renkl about THE COMFORT OF CROWS two weeks ago. Here is a link to the video of that discussion between Margaret Renkl and nationally bestselling author Mary Laura Philpott:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fob9PUT-NMA
More info:
https://www.familyactionnetwork.net/events/the-comfort-of-crows-a-backyard-year/

Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the eGalley to review!

I was not even a quarter of the way through this book before it became my #1 favorite nonfiction title of the year. My heart genuinely soared reading each entry and a few times I even teared up with the love and inspiration that filled me due to the poetic way Renkl relays all these thoughts and observances. There are even "praise songs" intermittently throughout, odes to the very creatures being observed. Collage art is also included. This is no doubt a true and passionate, deeply human love letter to not just nature but to our own miraculous, lucky existence within that nature. How fortunate are we that we are a part of it and look at all the ways we can learn from our nonhuman neighbors!

Renkl states once that the world is burning and there is no time to put the water buckets down, but for just one hour to do so, listen, and do as the birds do--birds who have no faith in the future but build the future nonetheless. What a beautiful declaration to incite hope within us. I think that perfectly sums up the purpose of compiling these observations for the public. In a time where we are rapidly losing the beautiful diversity of our natural world, it is a rallying call to appreciate that which we still have.

I did have a minor issue with the mention of various pesticides and herbicides supposedly causing autism, as if it's a disease (as it's paired with asthma, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and several cancers in this writing). Plus, correlation does not equal causation, after all, and there is still no definitive proof of these poisons "causing" autism. Other than that, I didn't notice anything else that disappointed me.

This is certainly a title I will have in my personal collection and one that I will be sharing with others.

Beautiful. Quiet. Wise. Comforting. Enlightening. I loved this book. I wish I would have read it more slowly because I miss it. Buying for everyone I know. Thanks to the publisher for sending it to me. What a gift.

“The world will always be beautiful to those who look for beauty.”

I loved Renkl’s essay collection Late Migrations and was looking forward to her latest, The Comfort of Crows. It did not disappoint. Told in 52 chapters, it follows her thoughts and observations, as she studies the birds and the plant life in her backyard. Her first bird of that year was a crow. She writes beautifully and touches on many things like climate change and habitat loss. You will not have to be a birder to enjoy this lovely book.

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.