When her thirty-year marriage broke up, Sue Hubbell found herself alone and broke on a small Ozarks farm. Keeping bees, she found solace in the nat...
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Feb 13, 2009
Eric_W
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Sue Hubbell, author of A Book of Bees And How to Keep Them- a delightful book which has as much to do with naturalism and our place in nature as it does about bees -- lives in the Ozark mountains on some 95-100 acres where she maintains 300 beehives throughout the surrounding hills.
She writes extremely well, and in this book she reflects on nature's intricacies and "queerness" and man's place in the world. She (and the reader) become captivated by such oddities as the chi More...
She writes extremely well, and in this book she reflects on nature's intricacies and "queerness" and man's place in the world. She (and the reader) become captivated by such oddities as the chi More...
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Apr 16, 2008
Guy
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When reading "A Country Year" I was continually reminded of Oscar Wilde's apology for sending a long letter -- he did not have time to write a short one. Sue Hubbell has taken the time to write a short book filled with concise gems, each as long as it should be and no longer, and I am much the richer for having read it.
Other than the transcendent writing, what impressed me most was Sue's eye and mind. She notices things that I would not, and then she reflects upon them and More...
Other than the transcendent writing, what impressed me most was Sue's eye and mind. She notices things that I would not, and then she reflects upon them and More...
Jun 12, 2009
jess
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This is the story of a woman who lives in the Ozarks on a small farm. After a 30 year marriage, her husband leaves and she eeks out a difficult living keeping bees. The rural people of the Ozarks are her friends and occasionally her comrades, but mostly she is alone with her farm. It's almost a lie to say she lives alone. She has the dogs, and her cat (Black Edith. hello, awesome cat name), all of the bees, the coyotes, termites, copperheads, the goldfinches, indigo buntings, humming birds, blue
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Aug 23, 2009
Jenn
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These turn out to be collected pieces from various magazines, which gives a lot of the chapters a certain sameness in terms of length and structure, as well as the feeling that they're not quite as connected, one to the next, as they might be. But it's still a lovely collection of gentle-minded writing about the natural world, bees and beekeeping, and rural life in the Ozarks. I kind of love that, 25 years ago, Hubbell is writing about how free-range chickens taste better than factory-farmed one
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Apr 11, 2009
Jan
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Beautiful introspective writing on what it is to be a woman. In this book, Sue Hubbell, recently divorced, with one grown son living far away, continues to operate the bee farm she and her husband owned together in the Ozark Mountains. She has a wonderful sense of adventure and delight in her life, even in the hard parts, which she faces with curiosity and courage. Her observations about the world around her, and within her, read like a novel even though they are seasonal essays. I couldn't put
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Feb 09, 2009
Amy
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I still have "Winter" to read yet, but I read the rest in less than two days. For the same reasons I like Chapter "November" in Sand County Almanac (Aldo Leopold), which I think are philosophical ones, I love the thoughts in this book. It's the thoughts that have captivated me, and I've been so absorbed in them that I haven't noticed if the writing is good or not (I'm assuming it is, because I haven't noticed it, like good movie music).
If I can find other books More...
If I can find other books More...
Jan 22, 2012
Catherine
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Scenes from the first year following the end of the author’s 30-year marriage. Not your typical mid-life divorce story, Sue Hubbell supports herself as a beekeeper while living in a small house on a 90-acre property in the Ozarks. The style of writing is one of my favorites: deceptively spare on the surface, yet richly layered with insightful observations of the small and large events she recounts. Each chapter is an essay that can stand on its own. The tone of the book is serene even though the
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May 26, 2011
Skostal
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I picked up A Country Year to reread as a balm after finishing Sophie's Choice. Hubbell's calm, quiet, wise book outlines one of her first years alone on her Ozark farm after her marriage has disintegrated. She is a beekeeper, and writes lovingly of bees, insects, dogs, bats, birds, even chiggers. Like many mid-life crisis writers, she attempts to reconnect with the earth to find her own place in it, and does so quite successfully, both as a writer and a person. "Sometimes I wonder where we
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Jan 24, 2008
Lindsay
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When I ran into my 8th grade biology teacher about a month and a half ago (my favorite science teacher of all time, hands down), we naturally had a discussion combining the subjects that we teach: science and literature. Once we professed our mutual love for Barbara Kingsolver, she recommended Sue Hubbell to me.
What an awesome book. Maybe I appreciate it more because she reflects on life in the Ozarks and observes the flora and fauna I'm familiar with, but her calm and intriguing style i More...
What an awesome book. Maybe I appreciate it more because she reflects on life in the Ozarks and observes the flora and fauna I'm familiar with, but her calm and intriguing style i More...
Jul 13, 2010
Elena
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I would never have chosen this book to read, but it was for a book club, so I dutifully read it. I actually liked it quite a bit. It was in the non-fic section at the library, which made me cautious. But it was like reading someone's blog entries. I found it very insightful and though-provoking. Nothing to capture your imagination or keep you in suspense, but just a nice, feel-good book that helped me think about the beauties around us and appreciate nature. Give it a try!!!
Mar 01, 2009
Lori
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A woman, alone in the Ozarks, a beekeeper, details a year in her life. There are beautiful detailed descriptions of various wildlife and nature. This is an honest look at the hard life that many in the city (like me) dream of as a refuge from their frantic lives. This life is very different from what most imagined, but with her honest appraisal of her situation, we learn that it is no less demanding than most.
May 10, 2010
Stephanie
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My friend April loaned me this book.
It's like a breath of fresh air!
It's the memories of a 50-something divorcee who lives out in a cabin in the Ozark Mountains. She tells the stories in seasons starting with Spring. I love her descriptions of the wildlife and plants. She's a beekeeper and her stories about the bees and their culture are fascinating. She has a great up front writing style, very easy to read. I really enjoyed this book and will check out others by this author!
It's like a breath of fresh air!
It's the memories of a 50-something divorcee who lives out in a cabin in the Ozark Mountains. She tells the stories in seasons starting with Spring. I love her descriptions of the wildlife and plants. She's a beekeeper and her stories about the bees and their culture are fascinating. She has a great up front writing style, very easy to read. I really enjoyed this book and will check out others by this author!
Dec 02, 2008
Edith
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Really liked this book by a woman divorced in her 50's, (I think) and how she keeps going and pulls herself together and works her bee farm in the Ozarks. A former librarian, she is contemplative and intelligent as she creates a new life for herself in mid-age. She lives in the country and takes her lessons and sustenance from nature's environment. I marveled at her gutsiness. Really liked this book.
Jun 13, 2010
Phair
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Not the best natural history/memoir I've read but pleasant enough. A bunch of magazine articles grouped together by the seasons. I thought she showed a good eye for and appreciation of nature from tiniest bug to bobcats & deer but she remains realistic about life in the mountains. Learned quite a bit about bees. Also excellent comments on life after 50 for women.
Jan 08, 2010
Ellen
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My favorite bee keeper and nature writer is Sue Hubbell, who writes about her life on a small farm in the Ozarks in A Country Year. Hubbell is fascinated by bees: their physiology, their habits, and their future. She also gives us a taste of what it's like for a Michigan transplant (and wasn't she a librarian?) to be a bee keeper in the Arkansas hills.
Jul 29, 2010
Telyn
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Sue Hubble's reflections on life as a beekeeper in the Ozarks is quiet, introspective and tinged with an edge of melancholy. This book is not quite in the league with Edwin Way Teale's "A Walk Through the Year," or Henry Beston's "The Outermost House," but it is a well-written and interesting look at natural history—and human nature.
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May 12, 2010
Challis
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I loved this slow paced, peaceful book. Part of it I'm sure is because that is what I'm planning on doing in the next year or two (homesteading in the Ozarks) but I really loved her attention to the details about all the life going on around her. She is truly blessed. Great descriptions and insightful stories with ozark humor. loved it!
Jul 01, 2009
Sarah
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This book explores one year of living at Hubbell’s country cabin in the Ozarks. Hubbell pays rapt attention to the flora and fauna of her landscape, and she applies human emotions and actions to the animals to make them more endearing to the reader. Through simple, clear observation and a bit of science, she calls on the reader to pay more attention to his landscape. I wouldn't say the book will necessarily stick with me, but I appreciated Hubbell's observations and enjoyed walking her land with
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Dec 25, 2008
Liz
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This book was delicious. I read it in one evening; I was totally rapt page after page. Hubbell's style is not the type of thing I usually seek out - this book was given to me by a classmate, I don't know if I would have picked it up on my own - butI thank Tim because this book ranks among the best I've ever read.
Nov 19, 2009
Jen
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What an excellent book - so full of natural biology (spiders, snakes, bees). This woman lives alone in the Ozarks running a commercial honey operation - basically by herself. She follows the seasons in her book and what they bring her. It's such a fun read, you almost forget you are learning alot as you go.
Nov 14, 2010
Diane
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An earthy journal of a middle-aged, newly divorced beekeeper in the Ozarks. Her discription of the animials, people and the efforts of her daily life, will toughen up sagging enthusiasm. A good read for those who love the outdoors; not for those who don't like animals and nature at its most basic.
Jan 13, 2012
Kati
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"Since then waves of people who find the cities too complicated have come here, meaning to lead lives of simplicity. What they have not yet discovered is that a life is as simple or as complicated as the person living it..."
A delightful account of five seasons in a cabin in the Ozarks. I loved it.
A delightful account of five seasons in a cabin in the Ozarks. I loved it.
Jan 12, 2012
Elizabeth
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This was a delicious memoir by a 50 something woman who was recently divorced and lives on a farm in Missouri. She makes her living as a beekeeper. Each chapter is about her experiences as a beekeeper and the animals she encounters/lives with on a daily basis. I love anything do to with science/biology/nature, so this really kept me captivated.
Aug 04, 2010
Juliet
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If I had to recommend one book to a friend to take on a trip, to take to a book club, to read when they were happy, or to read when they were sad it would be this book - beautiful, meaningful, and simple - it plumbs the depths of human experience without being overwrought or obvious.
Sep 10, 2009
Morgan
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This book was of a relaxing variety that made me want to grab my dog and go for a walk in the nearby mountains. Her view of nature and its fascinating qualities made her writing seem like deceptively innocent ramblings, when in fact you were learning textbook-quality information about different creatures, their habits, and their habitats. A good read, even though it was an assigned one :)
Sep 25, 2009
Maria
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I love the author's simple way of looking at the complex relationships between animals, humans, insects, spiders, the seasons, etc. Without exclamation points over over-enthusiastic writing, she takes such joy in her observations about the intricacies of life in the country.
Sep 28, 2007
Deb
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l enjoyed the well-done essays. Sue Hubbell's writing is as real as the creatures and plants she loves. I admired Hubbell's love and knowledge of nature. I admired her ability to point out others' lack of appreciation of nature's creatures, without chastising them or speaking ill of them. I admired her independence and the way she spoke of her former husband. There seemed to be some pain still there, but it was not a suffering she dwelled on or even spoke of, beyond comments such as having to le
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Jun 01, 2009
Allison
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Less compelling than A Book of Bees--maybe because the latter told me sweet country-life stories plus taught me how to build bee hives!--but still a good read. Sue Hubbell is inspiring in her self-sufficiency and her seeming fearlessness in the fairly solitary life she lived in the Ozarks. She includes a very interesting recipe for peach and hickory nut pie.
Mar 21, 2009
Cindy
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I truly liked this book. It had a comfortable feel to the prose, and I like books about women, who like who they have become. There is quite a bit of information about raising bees, which I found enjoyable.
Mar 07, 2009
"Once I tried to stop a war, and once I really did help start a labor union at a library where I worked. But, on the whole, the world has cheerfully and astutely resisted my attempts to save it."
