*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Title: Show Me the Honey: Adventures of an Accidental Apiarist
Author: Dave Doroghy
Publisher: Touchwood Editions
Publication Date:
ISBN: 9781771513227
Synopsis:
When Dave Doroghy’s sisters gives him 15,000 honeybees for Christmas he is thrown head-first into the trials and tribulations of caring for a fascinating, if frustrating, insect. In this humorous, self-depricating guide on what not to do as a fledgling beekeeper, the author recounts his path along a steep learning curve. Whether it’s the impending chaos of transferring tens of thousands of bees from the deck of his floating home to an outyard, the horror of discovering bees on the inside of his beekeeping suit, or just wondering if he will end up wiht even an ounce of honey for all his efforts, Doroghy share the joy, the surprises, and the less-acknowledged financial sting of keeping bees. And while his honey yield has not entirely met his early expectations, in the years since bees arrived in Doroghy’s life, his knowledge of their ways and stories of his own colony have come to fill a book.
Witty, uplifting, honest, and charming, Doroghy’s account of his bee-keeping adventures is quick, engaging, and well-written. His writing is full of humour and is incredibly endearing as this author, who is not afraid to admit his faults or to laugh at his mistakes, recounts his experience entering the world of the apiarist, or beekeeper. Our amusing narrator makes just about every possible mistake that he can along the way. His journey is packed full of more downs than it is ups, thus his charming guide is more of a “do as I say, not as I do” cautionary tale.
The author has much to share, both about houseboat living and bee-keeping. From his colourfully decorated hives to his accounts of frozen pipes and rising tides, Doroghy engages the reader in an intimate look into his life as an accidental apiarist. Every bumbling moment of it (sorry, not sorry ;P). It was never his intention to keep hives, but with so many family members firmly entrenched in this buzz-worthy hobby, it’s no wonder that he took it up as well. His story is full of bee facts, as well as personal anecdotes of some triumphs, but mostly failures. Overall though, it’s a story of his perseverance and dedication to his bees, to overcome the odds and hopefully (one day) product a successful yield of honey.
It’s always wonderful to encounter another great Canadian author. I hope you’ll enjoy this one as much as I did.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 