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Summary: An inspiration to live the simple life!
Review: I was visiting my future in-laws 5 years ago and I was feeling nervous and somewhat introspective. My soon to be mother-in-law suggested I read a new book she had received from a friend. A Country Year, by Sue Hubbell, was just the thing I needed. I was immediately at peace with myself and the world. I have since read all Sue Hubbell's books and can't wait for the next one to come out. I have even taken a beekeeping class! Her books help me appreciate the natural world around me. She also inspires me to slow down in this fast-paced world we live in. The simple things in life are forgotten quite a bit these days and Sue Hubbell takes the time to remind us of what we're missing out on.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly understated, funny, and thoughtful
Review: In a crowded field of nature writers, Hubbell ranks with Dillard as the most gifted and insightful. Hubbell writes with a careful, understated grace; her voice is patient, reflective, and (ultimately) trustworthy. This is my field (American Women Nature Writers), and A Country Year vies with Pilgrim at Tinker Creek as the best of the best. A can't miss joy for those at all interested in nature writing, and even for those who aren't.
Rating: 
Summary: Is This Outdated Nature Writing Really Honest?
Review: Is it realistic to expect that a frightened wild bird would find the touch of a human hand soothing? Isn't it now common knowledge that orioles take large amounts of fruit and nectar in their diets? Don't most naturalists know that fawns have no scent? Why would a Black Walnut Tree need help keeping other trees from growing up around it, when its leaves and nutshells left on the ground inhibit competition naturally? If you honk your horn at a Bobcat caught in the headlights, might that not help condition the animal to fear and flee from such a deadly situation? If you keep your pets indoors or on a leash, mightn't they be unable to attack and interbreed with local wildlife? Isn't it unrealistic to expect a rabbit laden with bacteria from cat bites and scratches to survive very long? Why would anyone who admits they don't like to cook and seldom do, think the rest of the world is interested in any of their recipes? If this book is so "honest", why is the author silent on the subject of her own sexuality after her divorce? Don't the facts sound a little sanitized when, "During our life together [Paul] assembled a large collection of tools, and when he left, he passed them on to me"? For someone who makes such a big deal about cutting firewood, don't you just have to wonder what modern facilities she has for laundry, bath and hot water? Mightn't it be a bit misleading to call your home a "cabin" with all the primitiveness that word implies, when you have electricity, a telephone, a refrigerator, and probably also a police-scanner and a computer with internet access? Are we supposed to believe this woman is really living on the edge of poverty when, although the income from the honey business is meager, she probably has a tidy nest egg after a thirty-year marriage to a tenured college professor? Are we expected to believe that a woman who doesn't know how to use a ratchet-wrench makes her own bee keeping equipment including a power uncapper, honey extractor, and gas-powered beeblower?
Believe it or not, I'm a woman, and I liked this book. I'm just not ready to rave and gush about how fantastic it is. Since we don't have enough good, modern nature writing, go ahead and read this, but realistically evaluate the training and background of the author and consider when the book was written before you take every word as gospel.
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book.
Review: It is a very enjoyable tour of a small town/country life. Ms. Hubbell can really write. It is a nice piece of naturalist writing. I can't wait to read the rest of her work.
Rating: 
Summary: A thought-provoking look at a woman's maturing view of life.
Review: Ms. Hubbell's descriptions of her daily activities give the reader an insight into the realities of the 'simple' country life. I gained an appreciation for the calming and satisfying effect of good, honest, productive labor in the constant need to provide for oneself. Even though I have not lived so far removed from neighbors, it provided me an opportunity to remember the challenges of fending for myself and discovering the solutions to problems that affected my financial survival. I also recall the satisfaction of participating in a common effort with neighbors and the bonds that result in a small town. I regard her wide-ranging interests with amazement and thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Hubbell's delightful descriptions of even the most minute creatures. I am grateful that I had the pleasure of savoring this book at this time of my life.
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Summary: Living a real life.
Review: So much of the world we have "created" seems artificial and far removed from the very planet we live on. This book inspires confidence in our ability to still live a "hands on" life in touch with our surroundings. Hubbell joins my "inspiration bookshelf" along with Dillard's TINKER CREEK and Hasselstrom's LAND CIRCLE.
Rating:
Summary: Living a real life.
Review: So much of the world we have "created" seems artificial and far removed from the very planet we live on. This book inspires confidence in our ability to still live a "hands on" life in touch with our surroundings. Hubbell joins my "inspiration bookshelf" along with Dillard's TINKER CREEK and Hasselstrom's LAND CIRCLE.
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Summary: Pleasant book, but is that enough?
Review: Sue Hubbell takes us on a yearlong tour of her Missouri Ozarks farm. Why did I buy this book? I live on 3 acres of land in rural northern California, and like Ms H. I have an interest in the many, diverse creatures that walk, crawl, and fly around my property. I hoped to dig into a book stuffed with anecdotes, facts, and trivia about the wonders of nature. While the reader is provided with some interesting information about the world around us, much of the book is just a reflection of life on a small bee farm. Pleasant musings, perhaps, but not enough for me. This modest volume neither suffices as informative natural history or spiritual odyssey.
Rating:
Summary: A lyrically written memoir about country life and its charms
Review: Sue Hubble is an excellent writer; you can feel the hot Ozark sun and hear the hypnotic murmur of her bees, the bright slash of a bunting's song and share her wonder at the joys and challenges in country life. If you aspire to memoir writing, this is a fine example of the craft. If you want walk in someone else's footsteps for a few hundred pages, learn how they live and how they think and feel about everyday things and about nature, this is for you. I love this book.
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Summary: Bee Keeping is Much More Than I Thought
Review: This book is one of the few I have a great appreciation for. Sue Hubbell has great patience in the process of making honey and watching the world around her. Her style seems easy going but really you learn she is always on the move.
Hubbell's story is a very easy, simple read but it is a very enjoyable experience. I now have taken an interest in bee keeping. Although I might never pick up the career, her story has me thinking about things that never crossed my mind before, even though I've been exposed to it. Her description makes anything transform to something beautiful.
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