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This really hit home for me. I could totally relate to the author's situation/feelings re: the mother retiring to bed & just not bothering to parent. And the grandmother was an absolute horror as well! Generational trauma at its "finest"!!! But I loved all the bee stuff - interesting in itself but also a lovely metaphor for the author's growth & resilience, the order & cooperation juxtaposing nicely with the dysfunction of her human family.

Starting this one today. Like this cover.

This book is a little about bees and a lot about the author's childhood with her beekeeping grandfather. The first half is written from the perspective of the author at age 4-6, but injected with adult interpretations of things, which I dislike. She could have handled this more adeptly. I did enjoy reading about her grandpa, who seems to be a real gem.
#lmpbc @Roary47 @Bookwormjillk @rjsthumbelina

I really enjoyed this book for several reasons. You do not get to pick your family. Sometimes you get lucky and you will work together like the bees do in their hive. Other times you have to navigate your way through life avoiding each other to keep the peace. This was beautifully written to show the magic of bees, the shakiness of life, and the love of family who wants to teach you the biggest lessons. #LMPBC #GroupV and #bookspin for May.

I love our 6 legged friends so I‘m really excited to be reading this one. Already on chapter 6. 🤩 #LMPBC #GroupV

I have mixed feelings about this one. The writing was beautiful, and the parts about bees were fascinating. However the parts about her childhood were frustrating and hard to read. Also I felt like she totally absolved her father. It was the times I guess. #LMPBC

First book finished for #AwesomeApril! And I FINALLY finished my pick for #LMPBC, super late 😖 I will be UPS-ing both my books for this round tomorrow, so they should arrive at their destinations probably Wednesday. And I will start the next ones now so they are ready so send off before the end of the month!
This book was an interesting mix of memoir and nonfiction. Tw: child abuse
Not a new favorite, but one I'll remember and think of fondly

#AwesomeApril readathon time! My only goal is to catch up on some reading I've been neglecting, especially #LMPBC! Also need to catch up on the #BNYAbookclub picks, and would like to make progress in some others I've forgotten about! (Mansfield Park, Anne series, and Black Future Month) @Andrew65

My favorite way to spend days off: the baby playing in his playpen, some kind of classical or jazz music on spotify on the tv, seated on the couch next to a dog, under a blanket, with a book and a cup of coffee, with the blinds and screen door open ❤️ #20in4 #LMPBC #memoirs #groupv

I wanted to love this memoir but it was a so-so for me. Which makes me feel like an asshole. A memoir by a woman who grew up with a dysfunctional & abusive mother post-divorce and found solace, love & guidance with her beekeeping grandfather & the bees. I think the bee parts would be more interesting for someone who didn‘t grow up with a bunch of hives as I did. I sped thru those parts. Loved the first & last chapters.

January was the worst trading month I‘ve had in years. Back in the swing again, but iwill have a lot less reading time this year. So mellow goals: finish tagged and Inland by Tea Obreht for book club reads and make a dent in Demons by Dostoevsky. That‘s for organizing @Andrew65 #FabulousFebruary

Starting this today for a book club I‘m in. I grew up with honeybee hives so I think this will be right up my alley. The opening scene is gathering a swarm, which I have fond memories of as a kid. Filled me with awe of the natural world.

Good.

A part of my reading wheelhouse that I‘ve only discovered recently is the nature writing/memoir combo. The author describes going to live with her grandparents after her parents‘ divorce. The relationship she develops with her grandfather and his bees. She shares what he taught her about life in general and the importance of bees to the health of the world. Now I want a beehive.

I started this forever ago in print and finally got back to it, this time via audio. Books about bees/honey/beekeeping are part of my reading wheelhouse, so I loved that aspect of this memoir, and I was really into her descriptions of the Carmel Valley/Big Sur areas of CA (esp. since I use to live near there). Her narrative about her family struggles didn‘t speak to me quite as much. But her writing was lovely throughout. 🐝🍯💛

I did a little retail therapy. Check them out at www.watermarkbooks.com. They are my favorite Independent book store. I am hoping that one of these books gets me out of my reading slump. I may have a thing for bees. 🐝 🐝 🐝

Next up on my social distance, TBR list😀

I wasn‘t sure what to expect with this book. By the prologue, I didn‘t think I could read this book. I started listening to the audio and was hooked. Meredith‘s mom is awful and I don‘t think she should get a pass for her behavior. Meredith‘s grandpa is awesome and I‘m glad she had someone in her life.

Great pick @BookNAround #NewYearWhoDis - final book of the month for this
#booked2020 #LiveandLearn - Bees
#Nonfiction - Book 1/12

Just finished this audiobook. So many ups and downs - the stories about the bees and her grandfather are fascinating (I appreciate bees even more now) but interspersed with the tragic stories about her mother‘s mental illness. 🐝 🐝 🐝

My first three books of 2020 included this memoir. I read this one for our book club and we had a really great discussion about it. Meredith was so lucky to have her grandfather and the bees in her life as the rest wasn‘t that great. I also finished Wolf Winter - kind of slow but good - and Shadow is the Fox which I enjoyed but probably won‘t read the next in the series.

This was a lovely memoir. The author moves back & forth between describing how difficult it was to live with her depressed & extremely selfish mother and then soothing the reader with rich stories of her step-grandfather‘s love and attention. He was a beekeeper & he taught her (and us) so much about bees. The mix of emotions I felt while reading it surprised me & the author‘s final thoughts about her mother were an important addition to the book.

When her parents divorce, Meredith is transplanted from her Rhode Island home to California. Her mother is deep in the thralls of depression & so her strict granny becomes her care giver. But it‘s her step-grandpa, that truly connects with her. He teaches her how to care for bees and all about his hive colonies. Their relationship is sweet and wonderful. The memoir reminds me of The Glass Castle, but the addition of hive culture adds a new layer.

Hands down, one of the best memoirs I‘ve ever read. The Honey Bus takes place in the 70s in Big Sur, CA and focuses on a young girl‘s turbulent childhood, and how the guidance of her beekeeper grandfather healed her. Reading this, I learned so much about bees but I also found myself completely entranced by Meredith‘s story and her relationship with her grandpa. I laughed, smiled, and cried my way through - it was incredibly touching and beautiful.

100 pages in and I‘m in love with this stunning memoir and it‘s beautiful cover 🥰

On a brief getaway from our California home to another California location, reading about yet another part of California, where we previously lived. Guess I‘m stuck in an endless California loop - could be worse! ☀️ 🐝 💛

The dock is underwater and the rain and wind are unpleasant. Perfect time to stay inside and read.

When Meredith was 5, her parents separated and she moved with her mother and brother to her maternal grandparents' home. Her grandfather the beekeeper introduces her to the world of honeybees. It is a comforting, rural memoir and bees have great metaphor potential that the author utilizes through her Grandpa's voice. Research on bees runs throughout with a somewhat sad epilogue combining her grandfather's aging with the bee crisis.

My March reading stats and my year-to-date stats. A great year in books so far!

I read a LOT of memoir and this is one of the best I‘ve picked up in a long while. Meredith and her brother Matthew are picked up and taken cross country to visit their grandparents. When summer is over and the kids begin school in California, Meredith realizes that they are here to stay. Bolstered and loved by her grandfather who teaches her about beekeeping, gives her love, support and confidence to make her way. #netgalley

1. The Honey Bus: a memoir of loss, courage and a girl saved by bees by Meredith May #memoir #arc #netgalley
2. Maid by Stephanie Land
3. Everything is Illuminated by Foer has been on my #tbr for 10+ years 🤦🏼‍♀️
4. @ambam1987 ... well, it might be a tie! 🤓

#toreadtuesday