I found this interesting and informative. It made me think about the things happening in my own yard that I miss every day. It inspires me to slow down and look closer and think about providing habitats for native species.

Most of us have become so detached from our natural environment that we have more or less become resigned to that realisation. In the process, we often fail to appreciate the elements of nature that are still available for us to explore in wonder and fascination.

Sometimes, these options are sitting at our very doorstep. Quite literally! And through this book, Hanson considers how we can not just take a closer look and gain a better understanding of how the natural world functions, but also, how dependent humanity is on the gifts of nature - and what part we can each play in conserving the natural resources that surround us.

Informative and fascinating, this book allows us to see the world as a naturalist does, enabling us each to appreciate the value of what we have in the form of local habitat in this marvelous planet that we inhabit. It gets 3.5 stars.

Can’t express how much i loved this!! Made me so incredibly excited as I think about buying a home and exploring the nature in my own backyard. Incredibly engaging and informative, in particular as an audio. I would have thought it easy to get lost in the information while listening, but was spellbound.

3.75

*Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC! All opinions are my own.*

This was a pretty cool short read! Very informative. I loved the narrator and felt like his voice was well-suited for a nonfiction work. In terminology- or information-dense texts, it can be intimidating to read them audibly for me, because I fear I won't hear everything properly, but the narrator was perfectly clear and I never felt confused or misunderstanding.

For what this little book was, it was well-written and seemed wonderfully researched. My one note was that it felt like we were bouncing around biomes far too much. I feel like every time I blinked, we were jumping from flies to birds and back again, where I much would've rather stuck with one sort of critter for a longer chunk of time. I will say, for the sake of full transparency, I also feel like I was expecting a sort of clear call-to-action at some point in the book. That's more of a skill issue on my part, though. I'm not very well-versed in nature or backyard biology and I came looking for something that wasn't being offered.

Overall a nice little intro to backyard biology for those uninitiated like myself.

A very informative book by Thor Hanson taking you through the world of the importance all the things happening in your yard that you don’t take the time to observe. He shares many studies and developments that have come from vegetation occurring around us. Stacey Carolan committed to the narration and keeps you engaged and wondering to topic that usually wouldn’t hold my interest. I did have higher expectations this book following the first chapter when he talks about the positive effects Covid had on nature due to less emissions, etc. I was hopefully for more ideas of what we can do but main one I got was keep a natural area in your yard to help the insects continue to thrive. Definitely a read I wouldn’t normally choose but thanks to Net Galley and Hachette Audio I was able to enjoy this advanced copy of this audiobook.

Who would have known that there are so many things happening in our yard (garden, or any outdoor space)! Thor Hanson, author of The Triumph of Seeds and Buzz, takes us on several tours to explore the nature we usually overlook in our neighborhood.

This audiobook is both interesting and informative, and it inspires me to pay more attention to my surroundings from now on - maybe we all can discover something new one day. I particularly enjoyed how he mentioned various research studies, providing great information about animals and nature. The narrator also did a great job, making this book perfect to listen to while taking a walk in the neighborhood.

My thanks to the publisher, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for early access to the audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the Audio ARC!

This is my first encounter with Thor Hanson's work, and it definitely won't be the last. This book joins a long list of books that were spurred all or in part by the Covid pandemic and its extreme effects on what we call 'normal life'. I love the way the author combined some advanced biological studies and research with everyday ideas and experiments that we can all do in our own backyards. The wealth of information in this book about the beauty of the nature all around us has definitely made me look at my surroundings in a different way. I don't know if I'll be building my own stick house any time soon, but I will definitely be spending more time enjoying and immersing myself in the wealth of life all around me.

Have you ever looked closely at the insects, amphibians, lichen, mushrooms and other forms of life crawling and growing around your home? Thor Hanson has, but he is far from the first to do so. I learned that Charles Darwin, except for his one memorable trip aboard The Beagle, never left his country estate yet continued to contribute his scientific observations and theories for decades. Gregor Mendel famously discovered the laws of inheritance by cross-breeding pea plants in a small garden patch. Hanson tells of backyard naturalists around the globe who have made significant discoveries and aided scientists in understanding the current state of various species. I was aware of the annual bird count in the US, but there are also sunflower bee counts and many other “events” and places to post images.
This is a fascinating and well researched book about nature all around us and especially ways we can participate. I must say Mr Hanson also comes across as the ideal grandfather (Pops in his case), with lots of nature walks, backyard camping, and getting down on all fours to crawl and see things at the eye level of a fox. His sense of humor comes through without trying too hard. The audiobook narrator strikes the right tone as well.
Big Agriculture has ruined a lot of habitat through the practice of monoculture farming. This book points a way for us to help the planet by “wilding” our yards to support more of nature’s diversity. I’m all for it, but with a grain of salt as moles are currently digging tunnels under our lawn and leaving actual molehills everywhere…. Perhaps I need to make the yard more habitable for a fox?
My thanks to the author, publisher, @HachetteAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #ClosetoHome for review purposes. Publication date: 11 March 2025.

a very cosy and homely guide to nature all around us, both informative and intriguing - a great read.