The Comfort of Crows

Over fifty-two chapters, New York Times opinion writer Margaret Renkl watches the creatures and plants of her backyard through a single year, from a crow seen on New Year's Day to bluebirds that stay into December and return to the nest box they used in spring. The seasons bring her joy in what the natural world offers and grief over winters that finish too early and songbirds whose numbers keep falling. Her family's life runs alongside: grown children home unexpectedly during the pandemic and getting ready to leave again, and birdsong and night-blooming flowers that recall earlier generations. The book includes fifty-two original color artworks by her brother, Billy Renkl.

Reese Witherspoon picked it for Reese's Book Club in September 2024.