During the pandemic, actress Lili Taylor discovered the joy and wonder of birds. This memoir is a series of essays, each devoted to a species of birds, from chimney swifts to bluebirds, jays to woodcocks. Taylor attends a birding festival, builds a nesting box, volunteers as a counter, and joins the board of the National Audubon Society, and her delight in these avian friends is apparent in her writing.

This is a pretty solid, readable memoir. I thought the essays were well written, and I liked the focus on birding that carried throughout the book. A very unusual celebrity memoir.

This was an enjoyable read. There were a variety of essays, some seeming to be from when the author was newer at birding, and some from when she had more experience. Whether she was attempting to help Bluebirds or Finches, observing thousands of Sandhill Cranes, watching birds migrate over the Empire State Building, or looking for Timberdoodles in Brooklyn, I found each account captivating.

I would recommend this to all birders, and to anyone who likes nature.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Crown Publishing for the early read.

Turning to Birds by Lili Taylor is an authentic and transparent accounting of her introduction to birds and birding. I thoroughly enjoyed her ability to bring the world of birds, birding and birders to her readers. Within these pages, are tons of viable resources and descriptions of coveted birding opportunities to experience. Ms. Taylor is a graceful and relatable writer when she brings us into the lives of cranes, swifts, bluebirds and woodcocks to name a few. If you are interested in taking up birding, have family or friends who bird or are an experienced birder, you will be delighted with this thorough book. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Ms. Taylor for the opportunity to review Turning to Birds.

Oh what a delight this was! It seems like there's been a flood of birding memoirs recently as everyone who took to the hobby during 2020 have penned their experiences (Amy Tan's 2024 release, The Backyard Bird Chronicles comes to mind). This year it's Lili Taylor's Turning to Birds.

I'll admit I didn't expect much going in -- and I have never been more delighted to eat my words. What an absolute JOY this was to read. And Lili is no newbie to the birding community, she's on the board of multiple organizations including the National Audubon Society. Her essays were equal parts charming in their curiosity and fascinating: more than once I paused to go off down my own local rabbit hole to uncover if a specific group had a branch near me (imagine my excitement when I discovered my state's ornithology society's conference is the month of my birthday -- is that a sign or what!)

While there were several essays that stood out in this collection, the one that hit the hardest was Lili's volunteer work on 9/11. The memorial lights throw off birds' internal navigation, resulting in confusion, exhausting, even death. Volunteers work throughout the night tallying birds until they reach a specific threshold when the lights are shut down for a period, allowing the birds to reorient themselves. It was a really beautiful, poignant essay, volunteer work that I had no idea existed, but is so important.

Whether it's read cover-to-cover or one essay at a time, Turning to Birds is absolutely one to pick up.

The essays in the book were very calming a peaceful. I felt as if I was walking along with Lili Taylor, as she is so relatable.
Any nature or bird lover will enjoy this sweet book.
Thank you for the ARC.

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I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was drawn to the book primarily because Lili Taylor was a favorite of mine from the 80s (picturing her singing “Joe lies,” but also having enjoyed some other recent authors’ writing that meditated on nature. I found the first section of the book a bit of a slog and felt it tried a little too hard to find multiple parallels between acting and birding. But once the essays on the birds started, I was really drawn in to Lili’s descriptions of her experiences and found her thoughts surprisingly relatable. I coincidentally started watching The Residence while I was partway through this book and hope that the popularity of that series will bring more readers to this book.

What a lovely book!

Lili Taylor’s Turning to Birds is such a peaceful read. As the reader accompanies Taylor to each location, the scene is perfectly set: you feel as you’re watching the Chimney Swifts yourself. I loved that each chapter highlights a different bird and so much information on each is given seamlessly in the narrative. Also appreciated are the different birding app suggestions. A must read for any enthusiast of our feathered friends. And given the popularity of California’s eagle darlings, Jackie and Shadow, I know there are a great many of us.

Thanks so much to the publisher for the invitation to read and review this book through NetGalley.

This essay is a wonderful way of learning about birds. I am a backyard birder, so had great interest in reading Lili Taylor's essay on birds. Learning so much of what she encountered of birds was so enjoyable for me. She started learning from her backyard and went further with her interest in learning about other species of birds in our country. So much detail in the birds she wrote about, colors, behaviors and much more. And about the people she meets along the way.. This is not just backyard birds, some are birds that are in the cities too.

I had previewed a birder book in the past. Penguin Random House Associates Director in Marketing, researched this and found my interest. She sent me an email inviting me to to enjoy this read. Thank you so much Random House and to Lili Taylor for including me. Please do read this and you will learn so much more of our birds.

Turning to Birds by Lili Taylor was a gorgeous look at Taylor's inner life in relation to her surroundings, experiences, and of course, birds. A gorgeous spring and summer read, Turning to Birds is the kind of book I look for as a teacher to read during the summer- not heavy, light and thoughtful. Will definitely be recommending this one!

I really enjoyed this cute collection of short essays all about birds written by actress Lili Taylor. The stories were not only interesting but they were also educational. My favorite part was how she was able to open up and give an honest, introspective glance into her personal life.

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. The author of this book is also an actress, who needed a break from her craft and incidentally was drawn to birds. Like most of us, she was aware they were there, registered their presence, but never divulged in them. This book is a collection of essays about various birds and where they cropped up in her life at the time, and then observations. Not a fan of essays myself, but definitely a fan of birds (I have had a similar experience of "waking up" and realizing their existence, and wanting to know more about them), I found myself pleasantly enjoying this read. I am glad I was able to do some literary travel and meet some birds I would not normally have access to! As an aside, the personal element of the author's travels and experiences lent a different touch to this collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A love letter to birds and birding. Lili Taylor writes a series of heartwarming essays grouped around different bird species. It was cool to read about her experience traveling to different film sets and being able to birdwatch from different areas. I especially enjoyed the chapter on her volunteer work with the Audubon Center on the night of 9/11, when a lot of birds need help with migration due the beams of light emanating from the memorial. This is a good mix of storytelling and bird facts.

Special thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest, independent review.

short and sweet memoir-in-essays about the power of birds. i love birds too, and the scenes depicted were very well done. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I loved this gem of a book! The essays are inspiring and sweet. New birders and experienced birders will enjoy this varied collection. I’m delighted to have experienced birding through Lili’s eyes! Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

Turning to Birds is a collection of 12 short essays by actor Lily Taylor. While the stories are connected by the subject of birds, they are all also about noticing your surroundings and about the author herself. They are charming and unexpected, well worth a read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I've fully entered my birding era over the past year, and Turning to Birds was the right read for me at the right time.

Her essays are this perfect mix of personal stories and gentle observations, like chasing woodpeckers through oak trees or watching a nest of hatchlings in her backyard. She captures that joy of looking up and being present in a way that made me want to grab my binoculars immediately.

If you’ve ever felt even a little curious about birds—or just need a reminder to slow down and pay attention to the everyday beauty around you—this book’s for you.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Turning to Birds by Lili Taylor is a short and sweet memior. I love seeing hobbies become healing and developing special interests add so much joy to life. I think it's beautiful how she shared how it's shaped her family and how her passion has lead her through life. This is a wonderful account of a woman finding freedom in being more aware.
Making decisions every day to see more than your narrow field of vision and be purposeful about it. If this showed me one thing it's to be encouraged because the birds are always there. Excited to learn more about birds myself honestly because it is such a beautiful piece of life to discover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for providing an eARC of Turning to Birds in exchange for my honest opinions.