“The Backyard Bird Chronicles” by beloved author Amy Tan is a very special book. Ms. Tan shares with us her journey of learning about and loving the songbirds in her backyard. This is a very open, approachable and immersive book. You will feel as if you are sitting with Ms. Tan on her back porch, gazing at her lovely gardens, and listening to her describe her bird friends.

Ms. Tan begins by relating how she always loved exploring nature as a child. It wasn’t until a few years ago, that she became aware of the birds in her backyard. She started out recognizing three types of songbirds. Now, she can identify 60 birds. But more than mere identification, she has become close friends with her “visitors”.

Her “Chronicles” feature her daily observations of her bird friends. We also get to see her sketches of the birds she gets to know. ( really liked how she immediately bought many sketch pads and drawing tools as her passion took off. I would do the same.)

This is a very engaging book. Probably the best way to enjoy this book is to read it in little bursts. You may also want to use Ms. Tan’s drawings to help you identify birds in your own backyard. And take note- it’s really hard to outsmart the squirrels!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

Amy Tan, best-selling author of The Joy Luck Club, keeps journals of the bustling birds in her backyard, finding solace in her observations and pencil drawings. Here, her joys, reflections, and illustrations on birdlife are collected into one volume. Full of engaging and vibrant birds and their personalities, The Backyard Bird Chronicles will inspire readers to take note of the beauty and nature that surrounds them.

THE GOOD:
Very sweet. Addictive, at first. Amy learned how to draw birds so she could sketch those in her backyard! She got quite good at it, and many of her sketches are included in the book. Her enthusiasm is very contagious. She writes about, and draws, over 60 species that visited her yard.

THE BAD:
The book is a bit long (288 pages) and can get repetitive, as the same birds are discussed multiple times.

CONCLUSION:
A lovely coffee table book, or gift for a bird-living friend - especially those who are fans of Ms. Tan or who are California-based birders, as she is.

I absolutely loved this - it won't be for everyone but I found it quite emotional and personal, and it almost has me wanting to try to draw my feeder birds (which is really something, as even my stick figures are not very good stick figures.) I did actually give my feeders a good clean and put them back out after reading this.

I really enjoy noticing birds are coming and going on my walks. I especially enjoy seeing blue jays and cardinals. I really enjoyed this beautiful book. Amy Tan's writing is lovely and her drawings are impressive. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys nature, birder or not.
Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to enjoy these beautiful illustrations and prose.
This book should be on all coffee tables for those who enjoy outdoor life.

February ended on a high note with The Backyard Bird Chronicles. Back in high school I was a big fan of anime and manga -- my favorite genre was called Slice of Life, pure comfort watches/reads. Normal people going about their everyday lives, no giant robots in sight or epic fight scenes (although Amy does have more than one showdown with squirrels determined to break into her bird feeders). The Backyard Bird Chronicles felt VERY Slice of Life in the best way.

Over several years, novelist Amy Tan kept a diary of her foray into birding. As the weeks turned into months turned into years, she began to recognize individual bird calls and could pick out breeds as they visited her backyard. She experimented with different types of suet and seeds, ultimately discovering her visitors had a rather sophisticated palette that demanded pricey mealworms. Eventually 2020 happened and watching it play out through Amy's entries brought on a mix of emotions. Later, the California wildfires brought new birds seeking refuge to Amy's backyard.

While there were Big World Events happening this was also a really lovely read of a woman's time spent in her backyard. I could feel the awe Amy felt when she managed to get a hummingbird to land in her hand, the surprise when she realized the bird trying to get her attention was in distress -- not in pain -- but because its favorite feeder was empty despite every other feeder in the yard being fully stocked. There were moments of sadness and heartache along with the joy and it all came through with each entry, every beautiful illustration. What a delight this was to read.

I love Amy Tan and will eagerly read anything she writes. I probably should have done a bit more research before diving into this one! Rather than a novel about someone who loves birds (which I am lucky to have an interest in due to my son), this is more of a personal journal of observations and illustrations (quite literally) of the birds that visit the author's backyard. The drawings are very well done, it is a sweet little book, but not what I want from Amy Tan! Sophisticated birders may find this book a little too earnest, avid amateurs will enjoy it and those who happen to also love Amy Tan will find it delightful.

This is a sweet book and would make a wonderful gift. This is definitely one of those books that I would recommend a reader enjoy in its physical form.

Many know Amy Tan because of her novels including the wonderful The Joy Luck Club. Here readers get to spend time with a Tan who wants to feel closer to the natural world. It is an incredible treat!

This title is in the form of a journal. I found it to have many insights and observations. To add to the gorgeousness of this title, the illustrations are by the author herself.

Those who already know Tan’s novels, as well as those who love birds and/or nature and spending time with a wise woman, need to pick up this title when it is released.

Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor as well as NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Delightful book detailing the birds Amy Tan saw in her backyard. Her annotated sketches accompany
the observations and study of the birds. She discusses feed and water for the birds along with
making homemade bird baths and feeders. Good gift for anyone interested in learning more about birds.
#TheBackyardBirdChronicles #NetGalley

I am not an avid birder, but I do like noticing which birds are coming and going from my yard. I really enjoyed this book because I think it captured the wonder that can be there in your own yard if you care to pay attention. Amy Tan's writing is lovely and her drawings are impressive. I really look forward to recommending this one to people who already bird watch as well as those who don't yet.

Reading The Backyard Bird Chronicles in ebook form does not do this book justice. I would be remiss if I didn’t highly recommend this beauty in physical book form. The illustrations are magical and Amy has such a poignant and poetic writing style. As a birder and bird enthusiast I found this book so enjoyable and beautifully written. Highly recommend!

I love Amy Tan and I love this book. The art is beautiful and so is the writing. Highly recommend to anyone interested in birds and/or Amy Tan fan!

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest. I only requested this book since I have loved Amy Tan's novels before. I had no idea it would be filled with Amy Tan's illustrations and journaling of the birds that crossed her backyard. It literally was a chronicle of backyard birds. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed looking at the illustrations and reading Tan's comments. Amy Tan has a way of drawing the reader in, even when it is something that the reader may have no interest in (such as bird watching).

Amy Tan has always been one of my favorite authors; I'll read anything she publishes. So I was extra excited to see that her latest book was about observing and journaling about the birds in her backyard over a six-year period. Just about a year ago, I planted a bird feeder in front of my office window and have been hooked ever since.
Her sketches are lovely, but her observations and comments are fantastic. Her usual wit and imagination are in full force here. I even learned things, such as the reason I wasn't seeing birds at my bird feeder is because, to them, it's a lake. I didn't know you should only fill it to wading level. I don't know if non-birders would be as interested as I was, but this book is a good bet for all who love animals and nature. I would love to see an additional volume in a few more years!

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing this arc in exchange for honest feedback. The Backyard Bird Chronicles is a collection of musings on nature from amateur birder and talented writer Amy Tan.

The Backyard Bird Chronicles felt like a warm cup of tea on one of those chilly spring mornings. It was so cozy and felt like hanging out with a friend. I loved reading about the birds and their sweet, silly personalities, as well as the lovely illustrations of their antics. I can’t wait to purchase when the book releases and enjoy the illustrations in their full glory.

I also enjoyed the little snippets we got from Tan about her career and other writing. I’ve never read any of her fiction, but if the prose in this book is any indication as to its quality, I look forward to my time with them.

Five stars if you are a birdwatcher and/or nature lover.

I have previously loved Amy Tan’s fiction, and during the pandemic, like many others, I became more interested in birds, so I was delighted to see that she had written a memoir about bird watching.

She was actually over 60 when her bird obsession began and she went all in: participating in nature classes with experts, learning how to sketch and paint birds, and finally, spending a lot of time just observing what was going on in her own backyard.

Her memoir is beautifully illustrated with her own art. If you can paint hummingbirds that seem to glitter in metallic colors then you’ve definitely accomplished something! It is an act of courage to share one’s art as an amateur, and I admire her for doing that.

She goes into great detail about her reflections on the birds who visit her backyard: their habits, lives, her attempts to feed them, and at times take care of them. So if you are not at all interested in birds then this is probably not the book for you. Her writing is excellent and surprisingly funny at times. She has a great sense of playful humor and sometimes adds little comic strips to her drawings.

It is so sad that we in certain societies have lost touch with our avian friends. We used to know their songs, know the time of day and time of year from when they visited us. That knowledge is still there, just outside your window if you take the time to seek it. And Amy Tan has truly done that in this lovely memoir.

What a delightful book about Amy Tan and her relationship with birds. I love that she only just started drawing in her 60s and yet there are some really whimsical drawings, full of humor and life. Reading this book is like happening upon a sketchbook of an old-timey naturalist with a new world slant. I particularly enjoyed the hummingbirds, the horned owl, and the Wilson's Warbler. Tan's writing about birds is imbued with so much passion, it's a thoroughly readable book!

I love birds and would love to have the patience and time to set up bird feeders. I loved Amy Tan’s curiosity and observations of the birds that frequent the feeders that she carefully and thoughtfully put in her yard. I loved the pictures and spent a lot of time just staring at them.

I have long loved Amy Tan, and I was cery excited to hear she’d written a book about one of my favorite things: birds! It was a delight, and the illustrations are beautiful.