Member Reviews

An interesting guide to beekeeping. The material is simple and informative, a nice guide for budding apiarist.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

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A cute little book with simple beekeeping information. Not a great amount of details but something to get you started. Might make a good gift.

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Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

There are some beautiful illustrations in here to accompany all of the information. I learned a lot about bee keeping and would love the opportunity for some hands on experience.

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This is a well-written, informative pocket guide on honey bees and how you can begin your journey of beekeeping. I loved the layout and color/theme, but wish it had some actual photos. The illustrations are cute, but I think some images would have been a nice touch.

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A nice little guide about bees and beekeeping, although I do not keep bees I liked reading more about these fascinating creatures and the hives they manage. It is not overwhelming of a book and just enough. I also LOVE that cover! Reminded me of one of the old Victorian-era nature books,

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As a budding apiarist without any bees, I found this book to be a worthwhile addition to my knowledge collection. I have yet to begin my bee keeping life, but that doesn't mean I can't prepare by hoarding copious amounts of knowledge! This book is a good one for beginners, like myself.

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This book was super cool!!! I got an ARC on Netgalley, before the actual date of publication. I am interested in bees, as I took a class partially about honey in college! I have been wearing a bee ring for the past few years, to remind me of that experience and my connection to bees! I've always been interested in learning more, and I'm so glad I found this book here on Netgalley, because I wouldn't have known about it otherwise! Silva gives great descriptions of roles that all bees have within the hive! He also details types of hives that are available for purchase, as well as hives that you can make yourself! I think it's so fascinating to read about how the beginning of the connection between flowers and bees came to be!

On top of that, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful! I sat staring at them for several seconds at a time before turning the page. The illustrations go along with the following section, so it gives you a sneak-peak on what you're about to learn about once you turn the page! Also a super easy read! I read this in just a few hours, and I learned so much information!! I hope to one day involve myself more with nature's wonderful art of bees, when the time is right for me!

Overall, highly recommend for anyone who is interested in learning a bit about bees, and I think this would make such a cute present! Sweet, simple little book!

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Pocket Nature: Beekeeping is an accessible and attractive pocket guide to bees and beekeeping by Ariel Silva. Due out 26th March 2024 from Chronicle Books, it's 128 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a layman accessible and appealing book. It has a very retro vibe, with simple monochrome line drawn interior art (not as detailed as the cover art, which is gorgeous). It's a bit scattered and the information is not very rigidly organized. The author covers general (*very* general) info on bees, pollination, getting started with beekeeping (parts of a hive), honey, and some of the appeal of the craft. There are several activity prompts scattered throughout which will help readers get outdoors, observe, and *learn* about the more philosophical aspects of beekeeping and appreciation for our vital pollinators.

Three and a half stars. It's *not*, strictly speaking, a primer for actually getting started beekeeping (although it does give some tips); it's mostly a general short guide to getting out in nature and finding help to get started and some of the author's own background journey. There are also companion volumes in the series with the same format and graphic vibes on foraging, learning to identify wildflowers, and more.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.
If you enjoy nature and flowers you will enjoy this book. This book will help any beginner beekeeper who is looking to pursue the hobby to become a novice beekeeper in no time. This is the ultimate book you need if you want to pursue beekeeping and it will tell you all you need to know to be successful.


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Received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review through Netgallery.

Written very well. I appreciate anything that is simple but informative. I learned so much about honeybees and beekeeping. I will say, I’m not an expert in either so I have no knowledge to compare it to. But she does use her own expertise and published scientific works to back up her words. Even the facts backed up by scientific articles did not bog down the work. Every section or piece was easily understood without dumbing the information down too much. For giving the information promised, I think this book did the job. There are also illustrations which some are informative and some are cute. I loved both styles. I found they were placed very well in the book, to both break up chapters or sections and to give the reader a little visual aid. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to go into beekeeping, enjoys insects, or wants a light read to keep their mind engaged.

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The overall tone of this book is very soothing and meditative.

It’s not an exhaustive amount of information but it’s very good information. I think it’s great for someone who is is interested in keeping bees or just curious about them. Even as someone with a lot of prior bee/beekeeping knowledge there was a fact or two that I didn’t know. It was a fun read for me!

I actually might have to buy a few copies to give to friends who are interested in beekeeping and maybe some neighbors too.

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