The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
I am sorry to say that I did not enjoy this book and had to DNF. This is more my fault than the author’s because I have read other books of hers and enjoyed them. This book is well written but it felt so doom filled that I found it too depressing to finish.

A Comfort of Crows is a lovely meditation on the changing of the seasons in nature. It was especially enjoyable because these are things from her backyard, not some exotic location. They encompass things those of us with even a little wilderness around us can witness. It’s a reminder of the small joys that nature gives us almost daily, if we take the time to look.
The book is written as 52 chapters, one for each week of the year. It’s a book that can be savored over time, that can be repeatedly picked up. It’s a gentle reminder to appreciate the beauty around us.
I had to laugh at the “owl pellet” segment. Only a dog lover can appreciate what her find actually was.
There are pictures between each of the chapters. This might be a book better suited to a paper copy or an e-reader that does color, as the pictures are black and white on the kindle. I was able to use the kindle app on my iPad to view the beautiful pictures.
My thanks to Netgalley and Spiegal & Grau for an advance copy of this book.

I love this book. I have already pre-ordered it for me and for a friend. I was moved by Renkl’s sense of joy and heartbreak held at the same time: “The greenness that rises out the ashes.” She knows that the world is burning, that we are responsible. And yet she’s able to stop and take pleasure in all the is still here. The tension between woman and nature is exquisite. Each essay is an examination of life: Renkl’s, the wildlife in her yard, her neighborhood, her state, the world. Her family’s. This is a book that I will read, slowly, each year, I think.

I LOVE Margaret Renkl! This book is beautiful. The artwork is stunning! I am challenged to spend more time looking at the things around me. I realized just how much in nature I have missed.

Loved this book so much that I have pre-ordered a copy from Parnassus Books in Nashville! I can't wait to read it again and see all Margaret's brother's illustrations in full color and texture. If you haven't read it, Margaret's other books, or her weekly NYT columns, I highly recommend them all!

Margaret Renkl's nature writing is absolutely beautiful. I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy to re-read next year, week by week.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

I adored this book. I cannot wait to get my hands on a hard copy to keep next to my bed. This is partly a memoir, part nature diary, part meditation. It is divided by seasons and further divided by weeks in the season. Bite size essays on varying things going on in the authors life, but also in nature during that time of the year. It can be read all the way through or you can skip to the current season and start there if you want to follow the seasons. Easy to dip on and out of and always a delight. An absolute 5 stars.

This one hovered between a 3 and 4 star book for me, and I settled on 4 because of the author, the writing and the fabulous illustrations. When it fell to a 3 in my reading, it was really due to me and my interest level in the topic rather than the book itself. Would recommend to people who like Robin Wall Kimmer.

When’s the last time you stopped & observed nature for a few minutes?

Margaret Renkl’s latest work is a thought-provoking look at all four seasons in her Tennessee backyard. Interspersed with anecdotes, literary quotes, life changes, & visits to various other wooded areas & parks, the book is broken down into a chapter for each week of the year & is delightfully illustrated by the author’s brother. It is both lovely & heartbreaking to follow along with the plants, wildlife, & insects throughout the year.

I loved reading about the great outdoors through the eyes of someone who is so obviously passionate about nature, though it was difficult reading about the climate change worries & disappearing green spaces. I enjoyed how the author endorses using the natural world as a way to balance oneself when the evening news doesn’t have anything good on it. Pick up this book & be amazed at the wonders of the environment around you.

Thank you to NetGalley & Spiegel & Grau for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"We were never cast out of Eden. We merely turned from it and shut our eyes. To return and be welcomed, cleansed and redeemed, we are only obliged to look."

Five-plus stars for Margaret Renkl's beautiful new book 'The Comfort of Crows."

This is a much needed balm for the soul in these troubled times. This peaceful plea reminds us of the healing power of nature and the cycle of life and death. Renkl helps us to learn to see the creatures and plants around us, reminds us that imperfection is better than perfection, and gently urges us not just to see the natural world but to do what we can to protect it.

Times are troubling, but the natural world is a great healer. This book reminded me over and over of one of my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein, 'Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.'

Renkl adds to her words with beautiful art from her brother, Billy.

I will find a special place on my shelves for this book, and know I will reach for it over and over.





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I loved this book. It felt like talking to a valued elder, as a mom in her 30’s, I am in my 2nd third of life, as she calls it. And I feel all kinds of ways about raising my kids during climate chaos.

I see her grief, her sadness, and her hope as she enters the last third of her life. And I feel like it is a glimpse into my future as someone with many of the same opinions and proclivities.

I connected with this piece in a way that felt poignant to me, and if you are someone who loves animals, and has experienced the pain and grief of waiting their habitat whittle away, I highly recommend this book.

I also love her husband, Hayward. I swear, my husband has looked at me as I made food for snails and said “yep” and kept moving. I know hers was for tadpoles, but same premise. Everyone needs a Hayward in their life.

Thank you for this memoir. I read it cover to cover, and I am so glad I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the opportunity to read The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl.

What a truly thoughtful, lovely book. The perfect Christmas gift this year for people I love.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Comfort of Crows by @margaret.renkl is the best book I could have picked up before my backpacking trip starts tomorrow. It’s a salve to the soul, a love letter to nature, and an ode to language.

Margaret takes us through the seasons, week by week, reflecting on the beauty around us and its impact on our lives. The language is poetic and allows you to think deeply about how you choose to live.

I’m so glad this will soon exist for everyone to read! Preorder it now! @marylauraphilpott @parnassusbooks @netgalley

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Margaret Renkl chronicles a year of garden stories from her backyard. Birds, a fox, her family, losses, love, and the joy found in nature are mourned and celebrated.

This thoughtful book sometimes had me looking up from my reading just to take in my surrounding environment, which is an apt memory to resurface while reflecting on The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year. I appreciated the turning of the seasons that guided these introspective short stories/essays from author Margaret Renkl. I also appreciated her use of quotes from mostly female creatives at the beginning of a new "week". Her meditations on both nature and grief helped me to look a little deeper at my own humanity. Thank you to Margaret Renkl for this meditative experience. Thank you as well to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau, from whom I received a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Comfort of Crows has been so comforting. Brilliant writing. This was like a peaceful and calming meditation in and for nature, everything that belongs to mother nature. So well written. Thank you, Margaret Renkl!

This is a very inspiring read. This book is filled with short stories that are heartwarming. They are simple daily observations that shed light on a tender moment. Enjoyed so much I preordered a book to give as a gift for my friend to read. I was given an advanced reader copy of this very well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

A graceful literary devotional, with 52 chapters focusing on plants and creatures in the author's backyard over one year, as well as her personal journey during that time. Includes exquisite artwork by her brother, Billy Renkl. Don't miss!

I enjoyed the reflections on nature and the seasons. I loved the descriptions of things happening on nature and correlating them to daily life. First book by this author and will be looking up others.

A beautiful collection of essays about the wonders of nature and the possibility of one's own backyard.
Written as observations that follow the seasons of the year, almost as if we are reading a diary. It would be interesting to start at the beginning of the year and follow the seasons with the author as they pass in real life.
A book not just about birds, but a book about hope, sometimes heartbreak, and the magic in every day life if one takes the chance to appreciate it.