Reese Witherspoon Has a Very Special Connection to Her September Book Club Pick

Reese's Book Club hit a major milestone this month—its 100th book. And to celebrate, Witherspoon selected a book that's deeply personal to her: The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year was written by her high school English teacher, Margaret Renkl.

Announcing the pick on Instagram, Witherspoon wrote, "As my high school English teacher (!!), Margaret had a profound impact on my life, making it incredibly special to have her as our 100th author."

The Comfort of Crows is described as "a literary devotional," and is made up of 52 chapters that follow the creatures and plants in Renkl's backyard over the course of a year. From notes on a crow spotted on New Year’s Day to bluebirds revisiting the nest box they used in spring, this 2023 title is about joy and grief, and readers are enamored.

With 4.37 stars based on more than 4,300 ratings on Goodreads, folks are taken by Renkl's gorgeous descriptions of even the most seemingly mundane details of nature. One writes, "When I say this is a beautiful book, I mean it. Renkl crafted a literary devotional in dedication to the smallest features of her backyard. From the smallest earthworms to the great bobcat that walked gracefully through her yard one summer afternoon, this was a breath of fresh air and a love letter to the natural wonders that are simply out our windows."

In a sweet video, Witherspoon gets emotional talking to Renkl about the ways she inspired her love of literature, and describes The Comfort of Crows as a love letter to nature and the world around us. "It's just one of those books that makes you slow down," she raves. "It's really beautiful." I don't know about you, but my weekend plans just got a whole lot lovelier.