I really enjoyed looking at this book. The photographs are beautiful and offer a different perspective. There is some text but the photographs are the stars. This would make a wonderful gift. Enjoy

This book about birds is so beautiful and so informative! I highly recommend it even for people who aren't necessarily birdwatchers, if they just like animals or learning about nature.

While the essays in this book are interesting and informative, the real star is the beautiful photography. The close up photos are gorgeous, showing the detail and personality of each bird. A perfect coffee table book to pick up and look through.

#CloseToBirds #NetGalley

I have recently started photographing birds. This lead to me reading a lot about birds. This book stands out among my ornithological reads because not only is the information rich, but the photographs are stunning and very detailed.

There are so may beautiful birds in this book, it is a great inspiration to anyone who wants to incorporate them into their artwork.

What a wonderful book! The photographs of the birds are exquisite. I enjoyed the essays and the sayings in the book. It also told me secrets and facts about birds that I never knew. For example, why do robins sing so early in the morning? I’m not telling! You will find out when you read this delightful book. I don’t think that as a rule we realize how special our birds are in our everyday life. I think you will after reading and looking at this book.

Close to Birds is an interesting survey of some of the more common Eurasian bird species. Originally published in 2017 in Swedish, this English translation was released 22nd Oct 2019 by Roost books, it's 272 pages and available in hardcover format.

This is a beautiful, meticulously researched and written book by naturist Mats Ottosson. The birds which are included in the book are mostly accompanied by an essay including the author's anecdotes or stories or personal encounters. The real stars of the book, however, are the incredibly detailed close-up photos. You can easily see the individual feathers, features of the birds' anatomy, everything. This is a true coffee-table book but additionally it's a beautifully presented and very interesting book.

It was odd to me that the book doesn't include the Linnaean classifications in the essays for each bird. It's not a glaring deficiency by any means, a simple internet search will provide the information. There's also no index or bibliography, although there is a short (one page) citations list for the chapter headings (most are translated from Swedish, with a couple of exceptions).

This would make a superlative gift for the nature enthusiast or bird-watcher. It's an amazing display of the photographer's art. It should probably be noted that the photos are not taken in situ but in a light tent. This makes them all the more stark and almost startling in their detail, but some readers will find the style distracting or unnatural. I found them enchanting and magical.

Four stars.

Close to Birds: An Intimate Look at Our Feathered Friends was written by Mats Ottosson and Asa Ottosson will photographs by Roine Magnusson and the translation to English by Kira Josefsson. It is currently scheduled for release on October 22 2019. The stunning and intimate photographs capture the beauty and detail of each bird's form, as well as their unique character and personality. The accompanying short essays share charming and often-hidden details from birds' lives. Discover why robins sing so early in the morning and learn the science behind the almost magical iridescence of mallard feathers. Close to Birds shares the irresistible joy and marvel of birds.

Close to Birds is an interesting read. I like that I learned about the birds included, not the basics of habitat and diet, but the scientific studies and opinions on the birds with the inclusion of quotes about them. I do need to admit that I have a different opinion from the authors, and that we diverged right away. I find birds fascinating and interesting, but unlike our authors I do not find that all people find them more interesting than other creatures. So, this insistence that birds are so much more interesting than other creatures bothered me from the start. However, the essays were accessible and had some tidbits of information that were interesting. The star of this book is not the text. Rather the stunning photography of birds that captured them clearly, up close, and in living color. The images were very much worth my time and I think animal lovers, and birders in particular, will want to give this a look. Those that are birders and share a deep love of birds will very much enjoy the essays as well.

The photography is gorgeous! Brilliant, full color pictures bring the reader “close to birds” in this informative and artistic work. This is a terrific book for bird enthusiasts as a reference or coffee table read for guests. I have a diverse backyard with many species of birds and while I enjoy watching them eat at my feeders and fly in the skies, this book was great to learn more about the various characteristics of the different species and I am more aware of and paying attend to the subtle nuances of my avian neighbors and visitors. Reading about the different bird songs and wing characteristics was very interesting. I wondered about migratory birds traveling long distances I have always been curious if they stop to rest. These curiosities and many more were answered in this book. In addition to being a beautiful book of photography there is plenty of information throughout.

One recommendation, having reviewed the digital copy, would be to improve the viewing capabilities for photos spanning 2 pages. My 10” iPad still required I flip 2 pages to see the full photo.

From iphelia.com’s Editor’s Bookshelf review: This book’s a whopper with striking full-color images that do indeed bring the reader closer to birds. I love that it opens with an e e cumming’s poem then goes on to introduce, in very plain language, a host of awe-inspiring bird facts and research. I could hardly believe my eyes as I read about birds that fly nonstop for months or more—resting half their brains at a time—from distant point As to point Bs. I appreciated the writers’ discussion of why when we dream of flying we dream ourselves birdlike (something I’ve seldom experienced but know is a common motif among dreamers) and their observations on how birds prove our connectedness across borders, oceans, hemispheres, and seasons.

While this book is a far cry from Animal Speak, it will interest anyone who’s felt close to birds, from birdwatchers and biologists to those who study the archetypes in their waking lives and dreams. The images alone are stirring; the text, something to learn from—maybe not in one fell swoop, but bit by bit, whenever one wants to inch a little closer to an understanding of the avian world.

A gorgeous coffee-table type book, for any bird lover, this has the most splendid photographs of birds, many in flight, and to accompany each one there is a brief description, along with interesting tales and anecdotes.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy.

I enjoyed the history, bios, and personal stories about human connections to our winged friends. The book provides wonderful insight into many species of birds, their habits, their songs, and their unique behaviors that have endeared them to countless bird enthusiasts.

I wish I could say the same for the images. Birds on completely white backgrounds look unnatural. Like they’re in an exhibit or stuffed into a light box for photographing. It was very, very off-putting. I don’t understand why they were displayed in such a manner. They would have been beautiful images with some hint of their natural habitat. Looking at the stark white background, all I could think about was one of those horrible displays where they pin dead butterflies to a matte and frame them.

It's a shame that the protected PDF would not allow a 2-page layout while reading because the images were often divided in half and appeared on two separate pages. It just wasn’t a pleasant way to look at bird pictures.

Thank you Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

What a wonderful book - so glad I asked for this review copy.

I'm not usually a 'bird' person but the front cover was so stunning that I had to take a look. I expected just the up close pictures of the birds but got so much more. The descriptions alongside some of the photos included facts about the birds' habits, myths and poetry that surround the birds and personalised stories about people interacting with the birds - all-in-all a really lovely book to read and look at.

Stunning photography accompanied by lyrical meditations on each species. The photographers have gotten up close and personal with a variety of types of birds, many of whom are staring into the camera with unsettling intensity, framed by austere black or white backgrounds. It's hard to look away!

“Birds touch us.” With this simple understatement, Mats & Asa Ottoson begin their compelling presentation of bird photos, detailed descriptions, entertaining stories, and brief interviews with bird enthusiasts. A reader who has chosen this title probably understands that phrase already, but even the initially skeptical will be happily converted, touched by birds, after reading this glorious volume.
One encounters here descriptions of flight abilities that astonish, feeding habits and strategies of startling ingenuity, and natural adaptations of color and shade that boggle the mind. Fascinating migratory patterns are explained, and helpful information for finding and observing particular species are shared.
The authors avoid the off-putting dryness that occasionally accompanies the written communication of natural science, opting instead for a style that is surprisingly enjoyable, frequently witty, and always fascinating. Kira Josefsson deserves a tremendous amount of credit for an English translation that is flawless. In addition, it must be noted here that Roine Magnusson's photos are breathtaking, and contribute no small amount of wonder to an already enjoyable text.
Upon completing this book, I am inspired to immediately head outdoors to revel in my enhanced knowledge of birds and renewed interest in their unique role in our world and my life.
"Birds touch us."
Amen.

Thanks to Netgalley, I have received an ARC-digital copy of this incredible book and had the pleasure of spending my Sunday morning reading and seeing STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHS of BIRDS and Birds of prey (there are Owls in the book!!). I have been studying birds since 2014 and never had I seen such a book. The book brings CLOSE (VERY CLOSE) photos of birds, so that the reader can see their colours, details, feathers, beaks, everything!! I am in love with this book and will buy a hardcover copy to add to my massive collection of Bird books!! If you are looking for the beautiful things in life and on Earth, well, start here!!

I cannot review this book because it won't load to my kindle. I will recommend to purchase it if I can see it after it is published.

I was unable to review since the pdf was corrupted and I could not open it on my Dell computer
I am issuing a three start review since the cover image looked interesting,

A must buy for bird lovers and anyone who loves beautiful pictures. A great book that I will buy when it comes out.

A beautiful book for bird lovers. Even for beginners there is a lot to learn and love from this book. I'll definitely be recommending it.