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REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“A beautiful love letter to nature and the world around us.” — Reese Witherspoon (Selected as Reese’s Book Club September 2024 Pick)

The Perfect Gift for Those Who Love Gardens, Birds, and the Natural World, Featuring Original Full-Color Art Throughout.

USA TODAY Bestseller, National Bestseller, Indie Next Pick

In her uplifting new book, “The Comfort of Crows,” beloved New York Times opinion writer Margaret Renkl offers readers a literary meditation spanning the seasons of the natural year—and her own life. Structured into fifty-two thoughtful chapters, one for each week of a single year, Renkl closely observes the plants and wildlife in her backyard, cataloguing the subtle joys and sorrows revealed by the rhythms of nature.

Through the pages, readers trace the calendar year beginning with a resourceful crow spotted on New Year’s Day, its communal spirit shaping the themes of the months ahead. By year’s end, Renkl concludes with the watchful December bluebirds revisiting a nest box that sheltered their young earlier in the spring. Through this vivid portrait emerges a bittersweet reflection on happiness and loss—joy in witnessing everyday beauty, coupled with grief for dwindling bird populations and seasons interrupted by a changing climate.

As nature progresses through cycles of renewal and change, Renkl’s personal life mirrors these rhythms. Adult children, home again unexpectedly due to the pandemic, prepare to set out once more. Birdsong and fragrant night blooms evoke memories of earlier generations. The city and countryside Renkl knows and loves subtly change day by day, highlighting the impermanence of life and landscape. Indeed, the transformations occurring now clearly point to the need for awareness, hope, and concerted effort. As Renkl herself gracefully notes: “radiant things are bursting forth in the darkest places, in the smallest nooks and deepest cracks of the hidden world.”

Accompanied by fifty-two original full-color illustrations created by the author’s brother, artist Billy Renkl, “The Comfort of Crows” is a moving and gorgeously presented book from a celebrated observer whose wisdom underscores our enduring connection to nature and each other.