I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I loved this book about the bird chronicles in Amy Tan's backyard during COVID-19. The illustrations were fun, too, though I listened to the book and followed along.

3.5. I love Amy Tan. Her writing is just beautiful. Her book was beautifully written along with her exquisite artwork. Her observations of her backyard birds was amazing. However, I’m really not a birder so this didn’t rate on tge level for me as her other novels. But if a birder, I’m sure this woukd be a winner.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf for the digital arc.
Amy Tan shares her passion for bird watching via the bird sanctuary she creates by renovating her home and yard. She is diligent in researching the preferred foods and plants, nesting and mating habits, and behaviors an interactions of any bird who alights in the backyard. Beautiful sketches of the the birds who visited. You can take away many ideas for this book, but for me it was the calmness brought on by watching nature traverse the seasons. Perfect book to still the mind.
#TheBackyardBirdChronicles #NetGalley.

Amy Tan has written numerous novels (none that I've read) but this one is nonfiction. Backyard Bird Chronicles is reminiscent of Also Leopold's A Sand County Almanac.

Orthinology was not a course I got to take in college and for the last few years, I have been attempting to get better at identifying birds. Since I read A Sand County Almanac, I've wanted to be a naturalist. One of the things a naturalist does is journal their observations. I have great intentions of starting a journal and when I started this book I thought maybe I should just start today (instead of waiting until the first of the month or the first of the year).

But then I saw a copy of her journal page with great sketches. My drawing skills are nil. I struggle with stick figures, there is no way I'm drawing realistic-looking anything. So I was a little discouraged.

The book is laid out by journal entry so we get a progression of observations. She has some of the same birds as I do but as she is on the west coast and I'm on the east coast she also had birds that I don't get, such as the scrub jay. She is also a lot more attentive to attracting birds to her backyard than I am.

If you are trying to get more birds to come to your house, she does provide tips that should help. I paid close attention to the sections talking about rats. I had to move my feeders off the porch and further into the yard because they were attracting rats. Unfortunately, Tan didn't find any better solutions than I did. Like Tan, I refuse to poison and think glue traps are inhumane. I tried the live traps - one got its tail cut off my the trap door and that was too disturbing for me (the rat lived for a like a year maybe longer. She couldn't eat from the feeders anymore since she didn't have a tail to hang from). Also with rats you have to release them very far from your home otherwise they just come back (I took one to a wooded area in my neighborhood about 4 houses down and it was back at my house before me).

I have other experiences similar to Tan's such a bird with an injured leg. So if you are an avid bird watcher you too will likely have shared experiences to relate to.

It was an interesting book and I recommend it to anyone who watches birds. If you are interested in the journal pages and bird drawings that are included then I recommend getting a print version or using a color tablet. I opened it on my Chromebook tablet using the Kindle app and the pages are really nice.

This book has been nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award if you want to vote for it.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday, Nov. 21 -https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/11/3-nonfiction-books-for-science.html

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishing company for this Digital Advanced Readers Copy! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This is a six-year passion project. The author has a splendid way of making birdwatching an interesting topic for readers who are not birdwatchers. 🙋 I love how watching the birds has parallels to being more aware in general of the beauty around us. The illustrations by the author are lovely.

This is as stunning inside and out as you would expect it to be coming from Amy Tan. It would make a fabulous gift and truly is a treasure full of illustrations and anecdotes.

I received a gifted copy.

This book was not what I was expecting it to be. I thought it was going to be a memoir, but it was more like journal of daily observations of birds. I liked the discussion and information about nature journaling. Tan also had interesting questions and observations about the birds and their behaviors. The book has regular text with inserted images of pages from Tan's actual journal. Tan's artwork is stunning! I'm sure that my experience was impacted by the fact that I read this on my kindle paperwhite. The flow between the journal and images seems to be better when read in print. Unfortunately, I skimmed the last 30 percent because I had lost interest.

Rating 3 stars

When I see a bird that has died, I don’t accept the sanguine saying, “It’s the circle of life.” It is good to mourn and wish it weren’t so.

Amy Tan's latest book takes an unusual twist. A non-fiction book about birding, backyard birding at that. As she increasingly becomes fixated and focused on creating the best habitat for her birds, we see her poetic prose come through. We are riveted at which birds like which feeding mechanism. We care deeply about every bird, crestfallen at any injury, which often means certain death—a beginner's guide to bird watching but a master at description. There isn't a feather that falls that escapes her gaze. This was a surprising favorite for me this year.

Favorite Passages:

With both fiction and birds, I think about existence, the span of life, from conception to birth to survival to death to remembrance by others. I reflect on mortality, the strangeness of it, the inevitability. I do that daily, and not with dread, but with awareness that life contains ephemeral moments, which can be saved in words and images, there for pondering, for reviving the bird and my heart. With every novel I finish I think it’s a miracle because three or four predecessors never came to life. With every adult bird I see, I think it’s a miracle it is before me, because 75 percent of young songbirds die before the end of their first year. When I try to find the right image and words that capture an emotion, I must beat down clichés and homilies, which are devoid of fresh thought and honest contemplation. When I see a bird that has died, I don’t accept the sanguine saying, “It’s the circle of life.” It is good to mourn and wish it weren’t so.

I still see in my mind’s eye the goldfinch with its swollen eyes. Did it fly off with the others? Is it sitting alone on the branch? I imagine it making futile forays to this now empty spot it knows by the habit ingrained by a precise number of wingbeats. I see it in my mind sit- ting on a nearby branch, wet, starved, weakening until it falls to the ground, dead. Such heartbreak comes with love and imagination.

Each day I look at the birds and they look at me. Each individual bird is different. Each individual has its personality. What if owners of roaming cats noticed their backyard birds looking at them. What if they saw the same bird looking at them day after day. What would they then feel if they witnessed it suffering as their cat played with it as a live stuffed animal? Maybe the owners would no longer thank their cat for the lovely bouquet of loose feathers. It’s not too late for them to become besotted with birds, to rejoice over their presence and mourn their unnecessary demise.

I understand the antipathy. Invasive birds usurp habitat and resources. But I can’t help but feel discomfort. The rhetoric is often the same as the racist ones I hear about Chinese people.
I am still new to birding, and so every bird is a good bird to see, even the ones I see all the time. I am happy they’ve come, that they’ve chosen my yard to visit for a few minutes or the day or every day for many weeks or months. I especially love the birds that are here every day of the year, like the titmouse and chickadee. I hope I never cease to be amazed.

In January, I will start a new journal. I will include much more of what I see in the trees, as well as on the ground where the sparrows and quail live and nest. I will sit outside on a low chair to watch the action on the ground. I will see where the sparrows and quail live and nest. I will see where the quail hide. That will require I remain frozen still, making no sound or twitch. To remain there motionless for an hour or so means I will also be frozen from cold. One must suffer for beauty, happily, for birds.

Loved this. I’ve really enjoyed everything by this author. She’s an autobuy author for me. I love how every one of her stories is completely different from the others but you can still feel she’s the author. A very strong voice - one I really enjoy.

Amy Tan has once again proven that she is my favorite author. She brings her amazing imagination and skillful writing to this journal turned book.
Amy's musings and observations of her backyard visitors is turned into playful, sometimes heart-warming, stories. This book made me laugh out loud, cry in public and really reconsider how I watch my own backyard birds. It has also made me want to learn how to draw birds as Amy's own illustrations are stunning and sometimes hilarious.
The Backyard Bird Chronicles is a MUST READ for all bird watchers.

I really enjoyed this work of non-fiction by Amy Tan. This book, in journal format, records her observations and experiences with birdlife in her backyard over the course of a few years was very detailed and expressive. She cares deeply about these small and delicate creatures, and took great care in both her written descriptions of her interactions and her thoughtful reflections as a result of these interactions, The illustrations were also very beautiful and carefully sketched. This was a beautiful work of art, unlike anything I've ever read before. I greatly enjoyed her honest oberservations, which encourages the reader to pause and reflect as well. I was sad when I arrived at the book's end! Its nice to know there are other backyard bird observers out there as well.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Beautiful, lyrical and lovely. I read this gem of a book over the course of a few weeks, picking it up now and again almost as a meditation. The drawings and words gave me pause during my busy days. Highly recommend for nature lovers and for those seeking out quiet moments of solace. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

A lovely, artistic and enjoyable book about ordinary backyard birds and the joy of discovery. What’s not to like? Interesting observations and beautiful drawings.

**I appreciated the opportunity to read and review the electronic ARC. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher.

Thoughtful and meditative, in the vein of Braiding Sweetgrass, this book would be a stunning gift for any bird lover in your life.

This is an interesting non fiction book. I always like what Amy Tan has to say. I love the drawings and found them charming. A change from my usual historical novels

In “The Backyard Bird Chronicles,” Amy Tan invites readers into the oasis of her California home—a verdant haven teeming with life. Through daily journal entries and exquisite color sketches, Tan chronicles her fascination with over 60 bird species that grace her backyard.

Tan’s observations are intimate, whimsical, and infused with wonder. Each entry is a snapshot of her evolving relationship with these feathered neighbors. From the first hummingbird encounter to the last acknowledgment from an eating bird, she weaves a tapestry of avian moments with the same beautiful prose of her fiction novels.

The birds themselves become characters—distinct, quirky, and occasionally aloof. Tan’s sketches breathe life into their plumage, capturing their personalities. Whether it’s the Townsend’s Warbler with its “displeased expression” or the fledglings learning to fly, these avian beings resonate beyond mere ornithology.

The writing maintains a graceful rhythm throughout and Tan’s commitment to journaling becomes infectious; readers find themselves peering through binoculars, sharing her joy and frustration. The battle against squirrels, the war on outdoor cats, and the beetle larvae budget—all contribute to a delightful narrative.

“The Backyard Bird Chronicles” is a love letter to nature, a celebration of curiosity, and a reminder that even in our own backyards, magic awaits.

A must read for all bird lovers! The author's descriptions were entertaining as well as educational. I'll be purchasing this one for my birdwatching friends.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan. This is part memoir, part journal of bird watching. I am an Amy Tan fan, but unfortunately I am just not interested enough in bird watching to finish this book. Possibly I will go back to it at a different time in life with a different perspective.

A longtime fan of Amy Tan's fiction and non-fiction essays, I immediately perked up when I saw that she has just written an account of her life feeding and caring for wild birds in her California home. As a very amateur birder here in the Pacific Northwest, I do find a lot of pleasure in finding the right food that brings birds to my back garden and shopping for unique new bird feeders. And like Tan, I've had a few similar adventures with rodents and birds of prey. Once when my bird feeding got a little out of hand, a situation that Tan captures really well as a common problem birders might face, I drew the attention of a Broad-Winged Hawk to my patio just feet from where I was standing. It was honestly thrilling.

So, in essence, most of Tan's stories and anecdotes resonate with me. She divides her stories and chapters by a wide range of themes one might expect if they wanted insight on life as a backyard birder. There are chapters on food that different species prefer, types of feeders that gave her insight into how different types of birds prefer to eat, and different elements in a yard, such as how to create the perfect bird bath to make a sanctuary for these animals that she loves so much.

There are some funny episodes where she readily admits that her bird feeding has become a "pathology." Her chapter on spending $250 a month for 20,000 live mealworms is what she humorously describes as her "descent into madness," especially when she hears herself having a conversation with her husband in which she explains their need for a second refrigerator. I also didn't realize until reading this book how active an online culture there is for fellow birders. I will admit that I found myself researching potential new feed and feeders after her chapter on corvids and woodpeckers so that I can better try to feed these stars of the bird world. I might try it, but I agree with Tan that it is a hobby that can spiral.

Of particular note from this book are the lovely drawings of different birds that Tan herself drew. She began going to nature drawing classes as a child in summer camps, and has maintained this hobby throughout her life. Her drawings are really wonderful to look at while reading. Also, I would just mention that I found Tan's deeply compassionate musings here so lovely. She is genuinely distressed by the loss of birds who come to her yard injured and deeply grateful for wildlife she feels she can help. Her epilogue made me teary when she thanked a bunch of people for helping her get this book published and ended it by thanking "To all the birds in my backyard. If only you knew what I see in each of you. If only you knew how much I love you."