The most recommended beekeeping books

Hubbell has done a great job of capturing what it’s like to be a beekeeper. The book is organized around a calendar that serves as a year in the life of a beekeeper, highlighting what beekeepers do at different times of the year. The book is as much about Hubbell’s life, dealing with loneliness, and how her bees bring her strength through her solitude. She writes beautifully about being out in nature, amongst the sights and sounds of Southwest Missouri’s Ozark Mountains. There are many details about honeybees along with descriptions of the various chores and responsibilities that a beekeeper has to do.  

This quirky little title captures a wealth of information about the deep relationship between people and bees. Ransome delves into mythology and folklore from around the world and across a huge span of history. Every page seems to offer some new and unexpected connection or story, from ancient Egyptians ferrying their honeybee hives up and down the River Nile to the Mayans cultivating a rainforest species with the agreeable trait of lacking a sting. No other book gives the reader such an exhaustive and entertaining exploration of how bees, more so than any other insect, have been part of human cultures since the dawn of civilization.

Death by a HoneyBee is humorous and suspenseful, and I love the heroine.

Josiah Reynolds is a snarky, fifty-year-old beekeeper in the southern town of Lexington, Kentucky. The story is intriguing and the quirky characters fascinating. The author inserts interesting details of beekeeping without interrupting the story. I later learned that the author is a beekeeper and hence was able to provide authentic details.

When Josiah finds her rival beekeeper dead with his head in one of her bee hives, she is thrown into a world of suspense and mystery…and humor! Josiah is a strong southern woman who greets problems with southern wit and wisdom! 

I loved this book because it is about 3 strong women who overcome their fears and pain to make beautiful lives for themselves.

I have also done this. I left an abusive, life-sucking marriage after 20 years, became a domestic violence advocate, wrote books about emotional abuse to help others, then decided to become a counselor – which necessitated getting a master’s degree. Now I counsel other DV survivors and watching them make beauty from ashes in their lives is the most thrilling adventure I can imagine.

In this book, one woman leaves a life-sucking marriage, another heals from the premature death of her husband, and a third finds family where she had none. What a great story of redemption. 

As a sociologist, I've always been captivated by stories that challenge societal norms and offer fresh perspectives on life.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is one such book that has left a lasting impression on me. What sets it apart is its inclusive portrayal of LGBT characters, navigating their lives and dilemmas with sensitivity and authenticity.

As an educator, I was particularly moved by the ethical dilemmas presented in the storyline. They reminded me of many classroom discussions with my students, exploring complex social issues and seeking ways to navigate them ethically. The storytelling prowess and the nuanced social commentary made Mad Honey a standout read for me last year.

Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates a thought-provoking, inclusive narrative.

This sounds like a specialist book, and in many ways it is. But if you have any interest in the keeping of bees you will learn much from it.

It is packed with information and illustrations, a teaching tool for anyone starting out as a beekeeper, wherever in the world they are, but with fascinating material about the specifics of keeping feisty African bees in a sub-tropical climate.

This is a delightfully wacky book with endearing characters. Zinnia is having a bad hair day, literally. A hive of bees takes up residence in the wild and curly mane of her hair to add to her troubles—a missing brother and a mother who doesn’t seem to care. I fell in love with this book on the first page when I learned that Zinnia was about to yarn bomb a statue of her school mascot. (I’m a knitter and have fancied taking up yarn bombing myself.) Quickly-paced chapters alternate between Zinnia as narrator and the bees discussing their own perilous situation. Told with both humor and empathy, this is a book where you can’t turn the pages fast enough in order to find out how things resolve.

I’ve always been fascinated by beekeeping and this lovely novel was a treasure trove of information and folklore about bees. I appreciated the way the author skillfully weaved the information into the story.

What made the story even more compelling is that the bees themselves became central characters. The novel chronicles elderly beekeeper Albert’s life and his lifelong friendship with his neighbor and fellow beekeeper, Claire, and the rift that tore their friendship apart. This is a beautifully written story and one that I will not soon forget.

If you want to keep bees and only plan on buying one “how-to” beekeeping book, then The Beekeeper’s Handbook is for you. Filled with lots of basic information to get you started, this how-to book goes further and also provides in-depth/technical information that you’ll need after you have been keeping bees for a few years and have a strong foundation of beekeeping knowledge, but are still looking for more.  This easy-to-follow handbook has plenty of step-by-step information that will come in handy for beekeepers of all experience levels. If you’re serious about bee-ing a beekeeper, this book is a must-have!   

The really unusual setting for this book is a Ukrainian village that has been decimated by war and is inhabited by only two people.

It illustrates the absurdity of war, and it made me think hard about how I would survive in similar circumstances—living without heat or electricity or contact with the outside world. It gave me a window into the terrifying circumstances under which many people are living today.

I found it impossible not to care about the main character, a simple man who wants to do nothing more than raise his bees in peace, but is surrounded by conflict and unimaginable loss.