The Backyard Bird ChroniclesThe Backyard Bird Chronicles
What it's about
During some of the hardest years of her life, the novelist Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, turned to watching the birds in her backyard in California. Over six years she kept a nature journal, recording the birds' behavior, their quarrels and courtships, and drawing them, and found in them comfort and wonder.
Why it's worth reading
It hit #1 on the New York Times list. It's a gentle, funny, beautifully illustrated book about paying attention.
You'll love it if you liked
H Is for Hawk
Raising Hare: A Memoir
An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around UsGood to know
It's a journal, best read a little at a time. The drawings are a big part of it.
By the numbers
- Readers38 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller54 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #96 of the 119 science and ideas books we rank
- #310 of the 481 new books we rank
- #1798 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Amy Tan
The Kitchen God's Wife
The Joy Luck Club
The Hundred Secret SensesIf you like this, read next
Project Hail Mary
The Anxious Generation
The Tainted Cup
Atmosphere
Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World
Everything Is TuberculosisExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Backyard Bird Chronicles worth reading?
Yes. It hit #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #1,798 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Backyard Bird Chronicles about?
During some of the hardest years of her life, the novelist Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, turned to watching the birds in her backyard in California. Over six years she kept a nature journal, recording the birds' behavior, their quarrels and courtships, and drawing them, and found in them comfort and wonder.
How long does it take to read The Backyard Bird Chronicles?
About 9 hours (373 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Backyard Bird Chronicles?
If you liked it, try H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton or An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong.