alsvidur's 2024 list

Hello!

I'm Emilie, a veterinary nurse in Michigan USA, and a long-time 75er. I live with my husband, Rhodesian ridgeback, cat, and mustang pony. Aside from reading, my free time is spent at the barn.

I'm back again to log - mostly horse books and romance I think. There will be some juvenile fiction, YA, non-fiction, fiction, animal books, and mixed genres in there as well; for the past few months I've been trying to alternate genres between reads. Some years I'm chatty and others the book 'reviews' are just a line or two.

Hi! I hope you love your Rhody. I had one once and hope to have another one day.

Good luck with your 2024 reading!

Welcome back, Emilie!

Happy reading in 2024, Emilie!

Happy New Year, Emilie!

Happy new year, Emilie! I have your thread starred :)

Book #: 1
Title: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: Fiction
Classification: 823 / PR
Pub date: 1813 (2012)
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 4

Elizabeth has some silly sisters and one nice one. Their silly mother is concerned with getting them all married. A gentlemen rents a nearby house and brings his friends, including a Mr Darcy, who seems excessively proud. Elizabeth has had enough of everyone's folly.

Another one read on my phone in bits and pieces during slow moments at work. It's been awhile since my previous read of it; I think I liked it more last time I read it, but P&P is still amusing.

Hello in 2024! :)

I'm glad to see everyone again this year!

Obviously skimming the books below, you can tell I've gotten onto a horse book kick. My new trainer and new riding discipline is bringing back my enthusiasm for riding. Combined with recently going through my bookshelves and sorting books into read vs unread (and there are WAY more unread than I thought!), I'm really motivated to go through my horse books.



Book #: 2
Title: Masters of Equitation on Trot
Author: Martin Diggle
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2001
Acquisition: 14 years ago
Rating: 5

Diggle has done the dirty work and gathered passages and quotations from the really good instructors and authors on a single topic. He manages to be excited about it and it makes the reader excited to dig deeper. His bibliography and mini biographies of quoted masters is not just a who's-who but a great place to start your own research. It is not a book to be read right before bed; you will spend hours on Amazon adding to your wishlists.



Book #: 3
Title: Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement
Author: Susan E Harris
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 2016
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Recommended for novice riders - well-rounded and illustrated, but aside from a nice section on gaited horses, there is nothing revolutionary here.



Book #: 4
Title: The Allen Illustrated Guide to Horse Clothing
Author: Hilary Vernon
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 2001
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 3

Outdated now, but pretty illustrations about different blankets, boots, and fly wear.



Book #: 5
Title: Training Aids: Allen Photographic Guide
Author: Carolyn Henderson
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2008
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 2.5

A tiny book like this could be scary covering aids that can screw up a horse, but thankfully most of the book talks about longeing a horse well and telling the audience not to use aids unless you have someone there to help.



Book #: 6
Title: Communicating with Cues: The Rider's Guide to Training and Problem Solving Part 1
Author: John Lyons
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 1998
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4

Half is reminding the rider to slow down and half is introducing the rider to round-penning. Lyons was one of the first popular natural horsemen. Supposedly he changed his mind about a lot later in life but I'm not sure about what yet.



Book #: 7
Title: Masters of Equitation
Author: W Sidney Felton
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1962
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 5

Felton goes from Xenophon to his 1960s contemporaries, comparing and contrasting masters and following the history of riding. This was another one that left the reader energized and enthusiastic. It was way more readable than you'd think, and I'm really glad that I decided to read this before I read the primary sources. My notes on it are going to take me through my shelves soon.

I find a lot of books advertised by The Equine Antiquarian on facebook that have great summaries. This summary was so good that I grabbed a cheaper reading copy.



Book #: 8
Title: The Art of Riding: Concise Handbook for Beginners and Advanced Horsemen
Author: Lt Col MF McTaggart
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1951
Acquisition: 13 years ago
Rating: 2.5

This is a collection of articles on riding supplemented by a few chapters on horse care. The horse care section was surprisingly (mostly) accurate compared to the outdated riding style described and illustrated. The author tried to bring the forward seat to those staunchly opposed to it so he ends up being not quite in either camp. The author was mentioned in the previous book I read, 'Masters of Equitation', and I found this book just as the Felton found McTaggart's others: at its time a very good piece of work but was quickly outdated. Think of those old paintings of racehorses with jockeys sitting waaaaay back with feet by the horses' shoulders, and that's what's illustrated here.

I love this passage in his conclusion and how well it fits my sad, sad shelves:
'This book, comprehends a wide range within its title, The Art of Riding, and as I bring my last chapter to its conclusion, I realize how difficult is the task I set myself and how superficially I have been able only to touch upon subjects which in themselves are each worthy of a book. But I console myself with the thought that lengthy dissertations, however ably written, are seldom read, and lie as monuments to well-meant but wasted endeavor on the shelves of many an unopened library.'

Slightly belated already but happy new year, Emilie.

Wow - you really ARE on a horse book kick! And, here I am, getting rid of a bunch of them... :)

Love the last quote by McTaggart! I actually have a copy of that as well.

Book #: 9
Title: The Development of Modern Riding AKA The Horseman's Progress
Author: Vladimir Littauer
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1962/1991
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 3

He, more than Felton, brings in the state of the culture and country to the riding updates. It adds more comprehension, but necessity dictates that he skip around a bit in the timeline and locations.

The author notes, while listing a comparison between methods, that he will keep his list short because he wants to avoid being tiresome. I'm very sorry, sir, but most of the book was tiresome. I know he was a luminary who all riders owe much to, but this was at times painful. Breaks were required every other page towards the end. When I was reading the first half for "fun" though instead of deeper study and comprehension, it wasn't so bad. It was only once I picked it up to add to my readings of late that it didn't go so smoothly. This is very unfortunate, because Littauer is acknowledged as one of the masters that writes for the 'average' person instead of other masters. I am obviously not up to 'average'. Hopefully you will be.

>12 DFED:: I am just trying to get some out of the Pit of Despair. If I have the information readily available, I should put a tiny bit of it into my head. Mostly though, it's so when I ask trainers for book recommendations and they all say the same few classical master authors, I can say 'I've already read it' instead of 'I have it'. My fiction books though - those I read with a view of getting rid of them if I'm not likely to reread them. I was able to clear a lot off my shelves last year. If I stick with my horse books (I keep those if they are reference books), I am less likely to clear space this year but still feel good about finally reading. I have too many boxes of books; I want them all to fit on my wallspace. In a perfect world, right?

Some of the books I've added to my wishlist recently are crazy hard to get, with copies reaching hundreds of dollars. My statewide library loan program doesn't have many of them either. Do you have any Philippe Karl or Chuck Grant you are getting rid of?

I'm afraid that I don't have any of those but I'll certainly keep an eye out! I'm actually part of a horse book auction group on Facebook (how I'm going to try to get rid of a few things) - maybe you can check that out too in case someone offers one up?

>15 DFED:: What is the name of the group? Thanks for the idea.



Book #: 10
Title: The Dead List
Author: Jennifer Armentrout
Genre: Thriller
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2017
Acquisition: 1 month ago
Rating: 4

Ella is attacked one night leaving a party. She manages to escape, but someone keeps threatening her - she knows he'll try again. Other people in her small town are going missing and turning up murdered. An old flame, Jensen, starts teaching her some self-defense, but she keeps thinking that there's a pattern and the attacks are connected.

I love Armentrout. There is an important lesson I learned while reading this one though: do NOT start reading a first-person murder mystery in the evening. I ended up staying up til 6 am so I could finish it. Every time I had to go downstairs, I had to turn on all the lights as I went. I was freaked out. Oh, I feel that I should warn people that there are clowns involved in this one.

>16 alsvidur: well, that one’ll need to go on the ol’ TBR!

>17 drneutron:: Haha! The author considerately did put in a warning at the beginning. I am not a 'scared of clowns' person, so I wasn't weirded out by that part.

Book #: 11
Title: Wreck the Halls
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4.5

Melody and Beat are known for being the children of a defunct rock band duo. Melody's mother is a hippie. Melody has drawn backward into herself - staying quiet and out of the spotlight, where the paparazzi treated her terribly during puberty. Beat is running his uptight mother's charitable foundation and being blackmailed by his true father. When he needs more money to pay him off, Beat takes an offer by a TV producer to be live-filmed with Melody to try and reunite their mothers for a Christmas special.

This was a good Tessa Bailey book - a cute rom-com with some spice that didn't veer off into scary territory. The holiday aspect was a bit of a stretch, but that doesn't really matter.



Book #: 12
Title: Wildfire
Author: Hannah Grace
Genre: Romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2017
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Russ and Aurora are college students who have a one-night stand and end up being camp counselors at the same summer camp for kids.

It's not bad, but it's fairly generic: both protagonists have the same 'daddy issues', the guy is on a sports team, there are communication snafus, they can't stay away from each other, etc etc. Other readers seem to like it more than I do, though. This series is so similar in style to Elle Kennedy's college hockey team series that I had them confused for awhile.



Book #: 13
Title: Runaway Pony
Author: Jessie Haas
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2005
Acquisition: 11 years ago
Rating: 4

Radish the pony loves her girl, but when her girl gets too big to ride Radish, Radish is sold to another little girl. Radish loves teaching this little girl, but once again is outgrown. Radish has had enough of this and runs away.

This was an early reader story. The author clearly had ponies or was involved in horses professionally; it was super cute to read about how Radish was very excited to get a new little girl that was too small to enforce the rules each time.



Book #: 14
Title: The Cruel Prince: Folk of the Air #1
Author: Holly Black
Genre: YA fantasy
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2018
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 3

Jude is a human being raised in fairyland with her sisters. Fairies are terrifying, but Jude deals with trying to become more terrifying than the fairies. When her family gets entangled with schemes for the crown, Jude ends up working with her nemesis Prince Cardan.

I don't like Jude. I kind of understand where she's coming from - people deal in different ways - but she's not very sympathetic. Many YA fantasies feature romance, but this one does not. I'm glad, since everyone is pretty terrible.



Book #: 15
Title: The Wicked King: Folk of the Air #2
Author: Holly Black
Genre: YA fantasy
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2019
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Now that Jude is acting Reagant/advisor for the King, she is even more involved in the scheming to keep the crown from all the other players.

I am coming around to Jude a little bit more, but we would still not be BFFs. Romance is starting to enter the scene. Halfway through, the plot changes a bit to allow Jude some self-growth. I'm reading this series because my coworkers are doing a little group read. Too bad I'm stuck now waiting for book #3.



Book #: 16
Title: A Pony for the Winter
Author: Helen Kay
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1962
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 2.5

Deborah wants a pony. Her parents end up getting a free loan for the winter for a pony-ride pony. Deborah learns how to take care of a pony without help from her siblings. Can she give Mollie the pony back in the spring?

The illustrations were lopsided - the humans were done in the cherub-style common in the 1950s, but the horses were borderline grotesque.

Book #: 17
Title: Ride a Wild Dream
Author: Lynn Hall
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1969
Acquisition: over 14 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Jon buys a horse based on its color alone. As any horseman knows, that ALWAYS goes well.... He gets a dog and some hogs and helps on his family farm while earning enough money to get what he really wants - a palomino horse. (It doesn't matter that he's never saddled a horse or if he knows anything about them.) Once he buys one at auction (the red flags keep comin', kids), he now has a quality horse that he has to take care of. He starts turning his back on his dog and family and justifying being runaway with all the time. He even enters his spooky horse into a parade (!) to show the horse that he's the boss (!). Etc etc throughout the book. Thankfully, the red flags are part of the story about how chasing follies at the expense of your loved ones is hurtful not just to them, but to yourself.

Look at that classy cover. Just look at it. Doesn't it bathe you in the 1970s? Lynn Hall always manages to make pony books bleak and sad, but I keep going back due to nostalgia.



Book #: 18
Title: The Ghost Pony
Author: Lynn Hall
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1978
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 4

Sarah and her pony Panda find an old house while exploring a seldom used trail. Panda spooks. Sarah explores the house and finds bones of a pony. She tries to discover the story of that pony and why the bones were there by learning the history of the property from an old groom with dementia.

I liked this as a child. As an adult, I view it a little differently - sad instead of spooky. The Ruth Sanderson illustrations are lovely.



Book #: 19
Title: The Golden Secret: The Linda Craig Adventures #1
Author: Ann Sheldon
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1988
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 3

Linda lives on and loves Rancho del Sol. It's where her family has lived for generations and where she keeps her palomino horse Amber. When a banker wants to take over the ranch, they find that the deed was never properly filed. Linda and her friends have to find it based on clues that Linda finds before they lose the ranch.

Standard series book of the late 1980s: formulaic but not terrible.



Book #: 20
Title: The Great Dane Thor
Author: Walter Farley (of The Black Stallion fame)
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1966
Acquisition: 13 years ago
Rating: 2.5

Lars is afraid of his father's dog. He thinks it's poorly trained and that it will one day kill a horse or even him. Lars spends all his time walking in the woods with wildlife, and he loves white-tailed deer more than anything. After Thor kills a deer one day and Lars almost lets Thor get shot by hunters on purpose, Lars's father insists that Lars and Thor become better acquainted. Lars isn't sure how Thor will act around his beloved deer - or poachers.

The beginning was terrible. So so so bad. The style/editing/etc was fine, but the actual content had me thinking that it wasn't just the usual for the time period, but that Farley had deep-seated ISSUES with women. (I think this could be explored further given how little girls feature in the Black Stallion series and how they're treated when they are.) Thankfully, he leaves gender behind and shows some character growth for poor Lars.



Book #: 21
Title: Pets, Vets, and Marty Howard
Author: Joan Carris
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1984
Acquisition: 11 years ago
Rating: 5

12-year-old Marty wants to be a vet when he grows up and is super excited to be able to work in his local clinic part time after school. Balancing work, school, and friends gets to be difficult. He loves the fun parts of his job (being around animals, assisting with c-sections, helping animals feel better, certain species) but isn't sure the bad parts (the animals being abandoned there all the time, neglected and abused pets, hard work/long hours, certain species) make up for it. How is a 12-year-old supposed to decide what he wants to do as an adult?

If you take away the dated illustrations, you have a fiction book on veterinary medicine suitable for children and adults that is one of the most accurate and well-rounded ones I have *ever* read on the career. The author shadowed in a veterinary clinic for awhile; the details were correct while the big picture was still the focus. She was able to present both sides of the career realistically, while also telling a story about a boy and guiding young readers to ideas about what to look for when choosing a career - without making it preachy or boring - AND while sticking to her Howard family series. Kudos to Carris!



Book #: 22
Title: Chocolate Fever
Author: Robert Kimmel Smith
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1972
Acquisition: over 14 years ago - prior to me joining LT! - which means it has been through multiple moves before being read, only to be discarded....
Rating: 2

Henry ate so much chocolate, day-in, day-out, that he began to have chocolate spots break out all over his body. He did not appreciate being made into a medical marvel and ran away from home.

I remember reading this as a child. I did not get a lot of the nuances, but I don't think I particularly liked it back then or now. Nothing bad, just not for me.



Book #: 23
Title: My Dog the Thief
Author: Barbara Shook Hazen
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1976
Acquisition: 11 years ago
Rating: 1.5

Jack is a struggling traffic reporter who ends up with a stray St Bernard named Barrabas. Hi-jinks ensue because Barrabus is an inveterate thief who makes off with an already stolen diamond necklace.

I thought this was the book that the old Wonderful World of Disney movie was based off, but no - this is a novelization of the movie based upon a different book. It reads just like a comedy movie, so there is little exposition or thought, but scenes flow from one-to-another and the old-fashioned slapstick moments are plenty. Maybe too many to be actually funny in a book.



Book #: 24
Title: Sister of the Bride
Author: Beverly Cleary
Genre: YA
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1963
Acquisition: 12 years ago
Rating: 3.5

16yo Barbara's 18-year-old sister has come home from college engaged to 24-year-old Greg and wants the wedding in 2 months. As expected, her family is not thrilled. Barbara has always done what Rosemary does, so she realizes that means she only has 2 years to get married as well, so she sets off to find herself a boyfriend. Dealing with class differences between families, silly protocols, odd relatives, family drama (the usual wedding stuff) occupies much of Barbara's time.

Cleary writes well, but much of the book could be classified as a historical guide instead. Snagging boys with cookies, saddle shoes and bobby socks, that lime/amber/rust color combination, parents' stories about weddings during the Depression and WWII, girls getting educations, getting actual silver at weddings....



Book #: 25
Title: The Dog Book
Author: Albert Payson Terhune and Diana Thorne
Genre: Juvenile non-fiction
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 1932
Acquisition: 7 years ago
Rating: 2

The best way to describe this would be an earlier dog-version of Marguerite Henry's An Album of Horses (and An Album of Dogs, of course), but not as well done. Each chapter features a different breed of dog with illustrations and anecdotes that are supposed to convey certain features of that breed.

The illustrations are common for that time, I think, but Terhune's text is his standard: anthropomorphic, opinionated, anecdotal, and self-important. He frequently says he would rather shoot a dog than see it be a 'pet' or kept in the city. His anecdotes do not tell how 'smart' the dog must be to understand his meaning of a new word immediately and without training, but show how ill-trained, terrified, and dangerous his dogs must have been. Dogs dying painfully while completing their tasks are celebrated as brave. (To be fair, many horse books of this time period, like those by CW Anderson, do the same, and I give them more leeway due to the times.) This is a good addition to a collector's library or one passionate about the history of certain dog breeds, but I wouldn't recommend it otherwise.

Book #: 26
Title: Simba of the White Mane
Author: Jocelyn Arundel
Genre: Juvenile non-fiction
Classification: 823 / PZ
Pub date: 1958
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 3

Toki, a young boy in Africa, stows away on a safari to essentially make the safari crew hire him and take him with them. He works hard but isn't sure he likes how the foreign hunter feels about hunting. Toki is put on the spot when a special lion is injured and he's the only one who knows where the lion is resting.

The illustrations are by Wesley Dennis and are just as wonderful as the illustrations he does in horse books.



Book #: 27
Title: Nature Nurture and Horses: A Journal of Four Dressage Horses in Training from Birth Through the First Year of Training
Author: Paul Belasik
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2012
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Belasik picks 4 foals from about 20 on his farm to chronicle their early training.

It's interesting that he talks about getting the headset before asking them to push/carry which is the opposite of most. His photos have some *tight* side reins as well. Other than those things that don't jive with his usual preachings, the rest of the book isn't very notable, either good or bad. It was interesting to find out what he does and about his set-up, but there wasn't anything earth-shattering.

So the reason I was reading a bunch of kids' books recently was that I didn't want to confuse my easily forgettable brain while waiting to get the final book in the trilogy. My friend was going to loan me her copy since my library doesn't have it.




Book #: 28
Title: Queen of Nothing: Folk of the Air #3
Author: Holly Black
Genre: YA fantasy
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2020
Acquisition: borrowed
Rating: 3

Jude is now banished from fairyland, but her sister Taryn needs her help, so they figure out a way to sneak Jude in just for a day. Too bad Jude gets swept up in a revolution in the meantime.

I'm not sure why everyone on Bookstagram loves this series so much. It's ok, but the relationship between Jude and Cardan is sooo toxic.



Book #: 29
Title: Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect
Author: Bob Rotella
Genre: Non-fiction, psychology
Classification: 796 / GV
Pub date: 1995
Acquisition: 10 days ago
Rating: 3

Rotella is a sports psychologist who focuses on golfers but sees patients in other sports as well. He was a big deal in the 1990s (and maybe still is?) He gives his advice on things golfers can do to improve their game.

This book was recommended by a pro rider on RideIQ. I am not a golfer. At all. The terms and examples used went over my head. The rider who recommended this must also be a golfer. I was still able to take away a couple useful bits though, so it wasn't bad. I think it would have been exponentially more useful had I known the difference between clubs and what bogey/double bogey/birdie/etc meant. It was an easy read.

Book #: 30
Title: Marguerite, Misty and Me: A Horse Lover's Hunt for the Hidden History of Marguerite Henry and her Chincoteague Pony
Author: Susan Friedland
Genre: Biography
Classification: 921 / SF?PZ?
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: 2 weeks ago
Rating: 4

Friedland chronicles her research into Marguerite Henry, the famous children's book author. (She won the Newberry for King of the Wind; her most popular book is Misty of Chincoteague.)

Friedland's style in the meat of the book almost reaches the joy and eagerness that Henry herself uses. Although it's not lacking in details, the focus is as a long love-letter to Henry's books and the feelings she brought out in horse-mad children than a just-the-facts biography.

Book #: 31
Title: The Spotted Sphinx
Author: Joy Adamson
Genre: Non-fiction, wildlife
Classification: 599 / QL
Pub date: 1969
Acquisition: 13 years ago
Rating: 4

Adamson lived in Africa in the 1940s-1970s with her wildlife warden husband. She is most famous for her story Born Free about raising a lion cub named Elsa and released her to the wild. She was the first to be able to successfully rehab a lion. Years later, Adamson ends up with a tame adolescent cheetah and rehabilitates Pippa to the wilds of Kenya.

There are loads of photos. The story was interesting. (BTW, even more interesting is the story of Adamson's life and death. She was married multiple times and lived around the world; she separated from her husband because they wanted to work with different species {lions vs cheetahs}; they were both murdered at different times for the work they were doing for wildlife; etc etc. None of this is covered in The Spotted Sphinx.)

Book #: 32
Title: No Bored Horses: Essential Enrichment for Happy Equines
Author: Amanda Goble
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: 2 days ago
Rating: 4.5

Goble is a zookeeper who specializes in behavior; her hobby is horses. The first half of the book talks about what enrichment is (and is not), how to evaluate it, safety issues, and how to make a targeted enrichment plan and schedule. The latter section has 30 individual enrichment ideas with instructions on how to make them and use them.

I stayed up until the middle of the night reading a *non-fiction* book. This ended up being a very expensive book because the author gave a very short list of enrichment manufacturers - some of which make toys my pony doesn't have and obviously needed ASAP, even if they are only available to purchase from shady European websites. I docked a half star because I needed MORE - more examples, more links, more chapters.



Book #: 33
Title: Rascal
Author: Sterling North
Genre: Non-fiction, wildlife
Classification: 599 / PS
Pub date: 1963
Acquisition: 12 years ago
Rating: 4

Sterling lived in the midwest with his widowed father in the early 1900s. Sterling 'adopted' and raised multiple wild animals, as many boys would if they could, including a young racoon he called Rascal. He details the first year of Rascal's life while telling stories of his boyhood and the wilds of northern Wisconsin.

COVER PENDING

Book #: 34
Title: Misconceptions and Simple Truths in Dressage
Author: HLM van Schaik
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1989
Acquisition: 1 month ago
Rating: 4

A dressage guru has collected articles he wrote on different gaits and issues in dressage. The historical notes comparing ASHA and FEI were interesting. He has some thoughts on what constitutes artistic dressage versus competition dressage. A few chapters were devoted to the history of dressage and how it splintered into the different factions and nationalities. It was a surprisingly quick read for being detailed.

I've been in a terrible funk - both bookish and otherwise. Nothing seems to keep my attention and I have a dozen books picked up and started and thrown down after only a few pages were read. The only thing that I can get through and be interested in is generic juvenile fiction - not even pony books. The plus side is that I can clear off some shelf space and donate a lot after reading.



Book #: 35
Title: Bed-knob and Broomstick
Author: Mary Norton
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 823 / PZ
Pub date: 1971 (1943)
Acquisition: 12 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Two stories collected together: The Magic Bedknob and Bonfires and Broomsticks. A group a children meets a village witch in training. In exchange for their silence on the matter, she gifts them a bedknob that can take them to a different location or different time depending on how they twist it back into the bed. In the first story, the children travel to different locations and have adventures. In the second, they travel back to the middle ages but bring home a stowaway.

This was made into a Disney movie. I can see how it might be hard to get the details right, but it seemed to get the spirit of the matter well.



Book #: 36
Title: Don't You Know There's A War On
Author: Avi
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2002
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 3

Howie is in elementary school during WWII. He and his friend have a crush on their teacher. When their teacher gets fired, they start a spy campaign to find out why and start a protest to save her job.

I love WWII books, and this does a nice job evoking war-time, but I still found it a bit average.



Book #: 37
Title: Bambi: A Life in the Woods
Author: Felix Salten
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1929
Acquisition: 7 years ago
Rating: 4

Bambi is a fawn who grows up to be a stag in the forest.

The book was -get this - better than the movie, haha. I usually hate talking animal books, but this was really nicely done.



Book #: 38
Title: Mary Poppins
Author: PL Travers
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 823 / PZ
Pub date: 1934
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Mary Poppins comes in to be a nanny to the Banks children. She brings magic with her - or does she?

Another one made into a Disney movie. I can tell why the author was upset about the treatment of Mr Banks, a minor character in the book, but otherwise it seems to get the vibe right.



Book #: 39
Title: Dear Mr Henshaw
Author: Beverly Cleary
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1983
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Leigh begins writing to an author but ends up journaling his thoughts about his family, divorce, and school.

This was more dramatic as a child, but still held up nicely.



Book #: 40
Title: The Rescuers
Author: Margery Sharp
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 823 / PZ
Pub date: 1959
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 4

Miss Bianca is a mouse belonging to an ambassador's son. She is going to Norway soon in a diplomatic pouch. The mouse Rescue Aid Society - devoted to helping human prisoners - receives a call of a Norse poet jailed and needing help. Bianca goes to Norway, meets a mouse called Nils, takes Nils back to her home country, then with Bernard - the brave janitor mouse - and Nils, sets off to rescue the prisoner. The mice have to infiltrate the jail, avoid the jailer's cat, and figure out how to get the prisoner out.

Nothing like the movie. Still a bit bleak at times, but a very nice adventure story.



Book #: 41
Title: My Father's Dragon
Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1948
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 2.5

A boy goes to rescue a dragon and has to get by a series of animals detaining him.



Book #: 42
Title: Elmer and the Dragon
Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1950
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 2.5

The Dragon and Elmer go on an adventure.

This series is kind of blah, I'm sad to say. My mother loved it.



Book #: 43
Title: A Dog on Barkham Street
Author: Mary Stolz
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1961
Acquisition: 12 years ago
Rating: 4.5

Edward wants a dog and wants to avoid the neighborhood bully. With his friend Rod, Edward deals with being a boy in the 1960s - growing up, trying to be better about responsibility, etc - until a family member visits and brings a dog with him. This turns Edward's life upside down.

This was all surprisingly well done: the emotions of family turmoil, puberty, dealing with unpleasant people, aching for a pet.



Book #: 44
Title: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Author: Avi
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1992
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 4

Charlotte is 13-year-old in the 1800s. She is to board a ship to take her from school in England to her family in America. The voyage should take only 1-2 months, but the family she was supposed to be traveling with doesn't board the ship. She is the only passenger - the crew is rough but at least the captain seems like a gentleman. She hears of mutiny and fully reports it, but now has to deal with the consequences.

This was a popular book when I was younger. I can see why - even as an adult, it was very enjoyable and immersive.



Book #: 45
Title: Lassie Come Home
Author: Eric Knight
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 823 / PZ
Pub date: 1940
Acquisition: 12 years ago
Rating: 4

Lassie loves her boy. When the boy's family needs money to live, they have to sell Lassie to the local Duke. Lassie doesn't understand and so frequently escapes the Duke to join the boy at school as usual until the Duke moves from England up to the northern tip of Scotland. Lassie still tries to make it to the boy.

This is another well done dog story. I'm sure I would have loved it as a child, but the Yorkshire accent would have been a trip.

I feel you with the book funk! And I LOVED the My Father's Dragon books growing up!

I also loved My Father's Dragon as a kid (I didn't even own my own copy, my friend had it and I would beg my parents to let me go over to her house just so I could read it again) and enjoyably reread it recently, but I can see how it would be kind of blah to read for the first time as an adult.

>29 DFED:: >30 norabelle414:: I can see how they would be fun to read if you read them at the right point in your life and a nice introduction to fantasy adventures as well.

Book #: 46
Title: The Luckiest Girl
Author: Beverly Cleary
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1958
Acquisition: 7 years ago
Rating: 4

Shelley has the opportunity to live a year with her mother's old college roommate in California - a big change for the 16-year-old from Oregon.

This wasn't as demented/sappy as Cleary's other YA romance that I read this year (Sister of the Bride). Although there is a bit of romance, this is really more about Shelley growing up than anything else, so it was able to be not quite so out-of-date as other older romances. Shelley is alright.



Book #: 47
Title: Moving Day: Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #1
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2008
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 2.5

Allie learns that her family will be moving half hour away to a new school and new house. Even with the bribe of a kitten, she doesn't want this to happen.

That was certainly jarring, going from the gentle romance of the 1950s to modern day young girl slang. It wasn't bad and Cabot can be amusing. I'm not sure if I empathized with Allie like I would Ramona or if I think she was a bit of a brat sometimes.



Book #: 48
Title: A Girl Called Al
Author: Constance Greene
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1977
Acquisition: 11 years ago
Rating: 2.5

Al moves into the unnamed narrator's apartment complex. She is supposed to be seen as special, but I think she's pretty regular. The two girls make friends with the elderly building super.

I read this one as a kid. I think I was put off by one of the characters telling the other that every horse girl is stuck up.



Book #: 49
Title: The Hundred Dresses
Author: Eleanor Estes
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1944
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 3

Wanda is bullied a bit by the kids in her classroom when she says she has 100 dresses hanging in a closet at home. The kids obviously don't believe that poor immigrant Wanda has them, so start to make fun of her. When Wanda moves away, the girls learn that there can be many ways of looking at things.

Good/ok but still not keeping it.



Book #: 50
Title: Philip Hall likes me. I recon maybe.
Author: Bette Greene
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1975
Acquisition: 13 years ago
Rating: 4

Beth could be the best in her class, but she lets Philip win things so he'll like her. When she realizes this, she starts to apply herself a bit harder. She has goals of being a veterinarian; her town tries to help her out. Beth has adventures in town - everything from learning how to protest to rescuing Philip on a mountain to competing in 4H to earning money for college.

I loved this one. Her adventures, her friends, her rivalry with Philip, and her town were involved in the story that flew by.

Book #: 51
Title: Summer of My German Soldier
Author: Bette Greene
Genre: Juvenile fiction/YA
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1973
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 3

Patty is a 12yo Jewish girl in rural Arkansas in the 1940s. A POW camp is set up near her town, and one of the German POWs escapes. She ends up helping him hide from the authorities.

This was a fairly hefty book in terms of themes for little kids. Child abuse, tolerance, racism, war... It pretty much bummed me out and left me with THOUGHTS. Greene does a good job taking you to the rural south, but dang, is there a price to be paid. The cover was very misleading - this is not a romance. While I didn't like the book (not what I was looking for), it doesn't deserve a lesser rating than a 3.



Book #: 52
Title: The Toll Gate
Author: Georgette Heyer
Genre: Historical fiction - mystery/romance
Classification: 823 / PS
Pub date: 1954
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 3

Captain Staple is on his way home from northern England and stops at a toll gate manned by a scared little boy who says his father disappeared. The Captain decides to find out why but stays because he falls for the pretty neighbor of the tollgate who needs his help with her family.

I was a bit lost with all the low slang, but Heyer writes good stories.



Book #: 53
Title: Mitch and Amy
Author: Beverly Cleary
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1967
Acquisition: 9 years ago
Rating: 2

Mitch and Amy are twins. They argue with each other but stand up to bullies for each other as well.

Not my favorite Cleary. I think it has a slightly lower reading level than the Ramona books, but I might be way off base.

Book #: 54
Title: The Quiet Gentleman
Author: Georgette Heyer
Genre: Historical fiction - mystery/romance
Classification: 823 / PR
Pub date: 1951
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 3

Gervase returns from war to reclaim his title and lands, only to find his half-brother and step-mother aren't too keen on the idea of giving up their home. The brothers vie for the hand of the same woman. 'Accidents' keep befalling Gervase - who is trying to kill him?

not bad but not terribly exciting. The ending got spoiled for me though.



Book #: 55
Title: Otis Spofford
Author: Beverly Cleary
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1953
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Otis is a regular boy - teasing a girl, avoiding a bully, sneaking food to the classroom mouse experiment, playing a bull in his school play, and just looking to cause excitement wherever he goes.

Better than Mitch and Amy



Book #: 56
Title: Stone Fox
Author: John Reynolds Gardiner
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 1980
Acquisition: unknown, found it unlogged
Rating: 2

Willy and his grandfather live together in the west. Willy's grandfather mentally clocks out when he realizes that creditors are on him since he has never paid taxes, leaving Willy to try to raise the money to save the farm. Willy decides to enter the local dog sled race - with his one farm dog - competing with pros with huge teams. Yeah, it goes as well as you'd think.

The writing and illustrations are a bit too simple. Spoiler: This is one where the dog dies at the end. I was not prepared for the suddenness of the death. No wonder some people hate books like this.

Book #: 57
Title: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Author: Judy Blume
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 1970
Acquisition: 11 years ago
Rating: 4

Margaret battles puberty, choosing a religion, friends, and family relationships during a move from NYC to New Jersey.

I think the recent movie did a great job with the material; it was very similar.

>34 alsvidur: Is that the wrong author for Stone Fox or is that a nom de plume?

>34 alsvidur:: LOL, thanks for catching that! I copy and paste my little report format each time and it looks like I didn't change that one before hitting post. Georgette Heyer, hehe...

Book #: 58
Title: A Civil Contract
Author: Georgette Heyer
Genre: Fiction / historical romance
Classification: 823 / PR
Pub date: 1961
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Adam comes back from the Napoleonic wars to find that his title and estate are deep in debt. The only solution to keep his home and family is to marry an heiress for her money. Jenny's father is super rich and he wants her to have a title, so he bargains with Adam for the marriage. Jenny is pretty plain and quiet compared to Julia - who Adam happens to be in love with.

This is one of Heyer's heftier and more serious novels that I've come across. I'm not sure if I like it a lot or not at all.

Book #: 59
Title: Exploring Dressage Technique: Journeys Into the Art of Classical Riding
Author: Paul Belasik
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1994
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

This is not as philosophical as Belasik's other works on dressage. He writes about common techniques, classical techniques, and general training.



Book #: 60
Title: Not Like the Movies
Author: Kerry Winfrey
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2020
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Chloe is juggling school, a job, and managing the care of her elderly father. Nick is managing the cafe where Chloe works. They are both dealing with the fallout from a Big Deal movie romcom coming out soon - which happens to be written by Chloe's best friend - and happens to be based off of them.

Cute. Will read more by the author.



Book #: 61
Title: The Long Game
Author: Elena Armas
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 823 / PR
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Adalyn has devoted her life to her father's pro soccer team the Miami Flames. When she attacks the mascot one day and the video goes viral, her father banishes her to the boonies to run a little league soccer team. The team already has a coach though, a former pro player in hiding.

Also cute but couldn't really get into the characters.

Book #: 62
Title: To Woo and To Wed
Author: Martha Waters
Genre: Romance, historical
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Sophie once had been in love with the Duke of Weston, but that ended when she began married to another. Several years later, she's a widow and needs to be engaged again so that her little sister will feel OK with getting married herself. Sophie doesn't really want to get married; she convinces West to pretend to be her fiance.

This wasn't terrible, but a lot of the characters and beats seem to be made for readers of the books pervious in the series. (I did not know it was the last book in the series until I started reading.) Events were mentioned that I had no idea about. It seemed like it was tying everything up in a bow, but I had no idea what was being tied up.

Book #: 63
Title: Canadian Boyfriend
Author: Jenny Holiday
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4.5

Aurora made up an imaginary boyfriend as a teenager - based on a customer at her coffee hut job - to avoid awkward social situations at her school since she was so busy with ballet. As an adult, she meets a great guy but is horrified to learn that he is who she used as a type of journal as a kid. Mike is recovering from his wife's death a year ago and learning that the emotional labor of raising a kid is no joke.

Aside from always calling the character by his full name "Mike Martin" (which was super weird), this was one of my favorites from Holiday. The characters were well-rounded and had growth, the story was humorous but serious at the same time, and the relationship between Aurora and Mike was believable.



Book #: 64
Title: At First Spite
Author: Olivia Dade
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4.5

Athena gets dumped by her fiancé a month before the wedding. She's broke from buying him his neighbor's house (he wanted to knock down a wall). She had quit her job since she was planning on moving to where he lived - a few states over in a town named Harlot Bay. She doesn't have many options left besides move into the house she bought; she'll just have to deal with being neighbors with her ex- and his brother, who happened to be the one to convince her fiancé to leave her.

This was also my favorite from the author. There's some hilarious bits about monster romance, some serious bits about dealing with depression and guilt, and a lovely background town and characters.

Book #: 65
Title: To Save a Mate
Author: Krystal Shannon
Genre: Romance, paranormal
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2014
Acquisition: 8 years ago
Rating: 1.5

OK, so the whole Sadie Brazen thing from "At First Spite" made me super interested in finding humorous romances, so I dug up this old one from when I bought anything that was 99 cents on my nook. It unfortunately did not live up to the hype.

This is more of a novella at only 100 pages. Within 1 day, the main character's parents die, she finds her boyfriend cheating on her with her roommate, and she gets hit by a car and 'dies'. She gets saved by being found by a werewolf that has always had a crush on her; he binds their life forces together. The plot and characters had promise, but it was just too short and undetailed. This could have been spun into a much longer story. At least I went into it looking for the humor and not taking it seriously.



Book #: 66
Title: The Summer Girl
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Cassie just wants a summer fling on her college break. When she bumps into her new neighbor Tate, she thinks he'd be perfect, but Tate doesn't want a fling with a girl who could get attached.

I'm trying to be more open and free-wheeling so I read the third book in the series before the 1st or 2nd. It was rough for the first few pages, but it didn't matter in the end. The beach town in perfect. The romance and character development were average for Kennedy.

Book #: 67
Title: Good Girl Complex
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Mac is vacationing in Avalon Bay. Not only are her parents wealthy, she designed a tech site that made her a millionaire at 20 years old. Her boyfriend is a jerk; they break up. She meets Cooper, a resident townie bad boy and starts a relationship. Cooper is hiding the fact that he knows her boyfriend though.

Not as great as The Summer Girl. The town isn't such a feature. While the characters support each other, there was a lot of 'new relationship insta-trust' that didn't feel earned aside from them getting into a bunch of arguments. I'm going to continue with the series in hopes that the beachy town vibe continues.

Book #: 68
Title: Bad Girl Reputation
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Gen and Evan have an on-again/off-again relationship. Gen moves away to grow up and get out of the reputation she built herself in her hometown. When she moves back to Avalon Bay for her mother's funeral, Evan pulls her back in to their relationship.

Not terrible, not great. I had a better feel for the main characters than book #1 where they seemed a little generic, and I didn't feel as skeezy reading about such young adults in book #3. The town is still one of the best characters.

Book #: 69
Title: All the Feels
Author: Olivia Dade
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2021
Acquisition: library
Rating: 2

As a sequel to Spoiler Alert, All the Feels features a group of actors in a hit TV show finding love. This one focuses on Alex WHO HAS ADHD and Lauren WHO HAS A WEIRD BODY SHAPE. Why are these in caps? Because so much of the book is devoted to these issues it seems like it's shouting about them. You can't go more than a couple pages without these things being mentioned - maybe not even a whole page, actually. Compared to Dade's other works, this is my least favorite.

Book #: 70
Title: Just Another Love Song
Author: Kerri Winfrey
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Sandy and Hank were sweethearts in high school in their small town. At graduation, Hank moved away to become a musician but Sandy was stuck in town doing something other than her dream - art. When Hank moves back to town 15 years later with a son, he decides that he still likes Sandy. Sandy needs to deal with feeling 'stuck' before she can entertain romance.

I LOVED the side character Honey - the portrayal of a veterinarian was much more accurate than in most rom-coms. Thank you to the author for highlighting NOMV in the credits.



Book #: 70
Title: Eventer's Dream
Author: Caroline Akrill
Genre: Fiction, pony book
Classification: 823 / PR
Pub date: 1981
Acquisition: 1 month ago
Rating: 4

Elaine is out of her training program at school, has her certifications, and is looking for a job at an event yard that would help support her dreams of being an eventer. She finds a rundown place with some eccentric owners (aren't they all, though?) and starts trying to whip the stable into shape.

This was really well done. I'm not sure if any non-horse people would understand half of it, but I sure enjoyed it and ordered the next in the series.

Book #: 71
Title: The Christmas Pony
Author: Sylvia Green
Genre: Fiction, pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2002
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 2.5

Laura, her brother Ben, and their two friends try to earn enough money to buy their neighbor's elderly pony Mr Crumbs.

The early-chapter-book story focused on earning the money, not so much the horses. It wasn't bad, but nothing too astonishing.

Book #: 72
Title: A Hoof in the Door (Eventers #2)
Author: Caroline Akrill
Genre: Fiction, pony book
Classification: 823 / PR
Pub date: 1982
Acquisition: 2 days ago
Rating: 4

Elaine finally has a good event horse, but now she has to get the riding grant to be able to finance her training. When Legend becomes unavailable, how will she find a new event horse in time?

I really thought that The Comet would be her long-term event horse. We'll have to see how book #3 works out!

Book #: 73
Title: Horsepower
Author: Patsey Gray
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 1966
Acquisition: 11 years ago
Rating: 3

Honey is out of school and needs to decide if she wants to continue working in the show horse world as a groom and rider or if she wants to be part of the 1% and a future homemaker.

An interesting view of the times (1960s) in the show world



Book #: 74
Title: The Wild One
Author: Eve Bunting
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 1974
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 2.5

A Cherokee boy who had a white father is ostracized by the other tribal boys and is about to be sent away when he ends up saving the tribe from another warring nation.

Although there was a horse that played an essential part in the story, I would not call this a pony book.



Book #: 75
Title: El Blanco: the Legend of the White Stallion
Author: Rutherford Geroge Montgomery
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 1961
Acquisition: 12 years ago
Rating: 4

There is a legend that a white horse will stop the draught. When a white foal is born, the old man rejoices - but he has to keep the foal from a cowboy who wants to sell the wild horses. The foal escapes and grows old in the plains and the jungle of Mexico. When the now stallion returns to the valley, the cowboy comes again. How will the old man save the valley?

I am confused by the subtitle: did Walt Disney make this into one of their wildlife films in the 1960s? I haven't heard of it (but I also haven't even googled it yet).

Book #: 76
Title: Divas Til Death
Author: Mary Curran
Genre: Mystery
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: 1 year ago
Rating: 3.5

Wealthy socialites start dropping dead around the stables where reporter Callie boards her horse.

My local tack store carried a book! Just a few copies on the counter that once, but still! So I obviously bought one. They were written by a local author - and the setting of the books is local as well. It was interesting trying to figure out which barns/bars/towns she alluded to with similar but made-up names. While I figured out WHO did it early in the story, I didn't know WHY until the end. The horse stuff was surprisingly minor to the story. I'd read more by the author if I came across another.

>49 alsvidur: Congratulations on reaching 75, Emilie!

Congrats!

Book #: 77
Title: Casting Demons Into Swine
Author: RJ Erskine
Genre: Fiction, suspense
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2017
Acquisition: 3 days ago
Rating: 4.5

The author is in the same professional circles as I am, and after bumping to him a few times over the years, I decided to try his book - you know, not expecting a lot but supporting local. I was totally taken aback by how good the book was.

Malcolm is a large animal vet practicing in rural Pennsylvania. Many of his clients are Amish and others are hillbillies deep in the middle of family feuds going back hundreds of years. Patients start dying in an epidemic that also affects humans. He tries to stop the outbreak but is met with resistance to vaccinations from the Amish and his outsider ways from the others. How is the disease spreading? Which humans are affected? Who is murdering local pets? Who is shooting out Malcolm's windows?

What's super crazy is that the author was telling me that all his books are based in real things that happened to him while practicing out there in the 1980s. The details were correct so nothing professional detracted from the story. The suspense and mystery were engrossing without being too scary to sleep (although I did stay up late reading). I usually hate suspense, but this was so good that I may break my book buying ban to get the rest of the series.

Congratulations on reaching 75 books! I enjoy reading your reviews.

Book #: 78
Title: The Scary Gray Shark
Author: Brian Tucker
Genre: Picture book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2020
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 2

Early Reviewers book that was a pdf that I never opened, logged, or read until I was going through the ER page. Oops.

The illustrations are ok, but the story is lacking. It ended abruptly with no real beginning, middle, and end. A shark is lonely because everyone is scared of her until a dolphin decides to leave her pod and hang out with the shark all summer. Why instill fear in children about sharks? Other species are "safe" but the shark isn't? Is the moral of the story that you should play with scary people? That family will abandon you if you disagree? This has potential but is a bit of a miss as is.

Book #: 79
Title: Girl Abroad
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre: Fiction, contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4.5

Abbey earned a year scholarship abroad in London. She's excited to get out of the shadow of her rock-star father, meets her roommates, and do some historical research. When she arrives, her roommates Jackie, Jamie, and Lee are actually guys, not girls. She decides to stick it out.

I think this is my favorite Kennedy book so far! The focus was on character development, her passion for history, and finding yourself with a side bar of some romance. I really liked all the characters, and there was no cringing at the usual 'just talk to each other, you idiots!' parts - because those parts weren't there. Even though it involved a bit of a mystery involving nobility, I felt that Girl Abroad was very realistic - more-so than the usual contemporary romances.

Book #: 80
Title: Faking Christmas
Author: Kerry Winfrey
Genre: Fiction, contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Laurel's boss thinks she runs the goat farm that Laurel's sister actually runs. When Laurel's boss invites himself to the farm for Christmas, Laurel keeps up the ruse by pretending her nieces are her kids, her friend's friend is her husband, etc. Over the course of the weekend, she and the friend's friend *fall in love*. Yes, friends, it only takes a few days.

This was a short visit to the farm. It wasn't terrible, but the big draw for this would be the Christmas timing.



Book #: 81
Title: Boy Meets Girl
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: Fiction, contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2004
Acquisition: 11 years ago
Rating: 3

Kate works in HR and her boss tells her to fire a cafeteria worker who slighted Kate's boss's boyfriend. The worker sues the company for wrongful termination. The lawyer defending the company happens to be someone Kate is attracted to.

This whole thing is told via IM, email, notes, and letters. It was a really cool concept when I first read it when it came out 20 years ago but was a bit difficult to follow in the beginning. The limitation of this type of epistolary format in the modern age is that the romance didn't read as big as most stories and some of the 'notes' are a bit of a stretch - who writes journal entries on menus while out eating? Who falls in love after only a few days? (Oh yeah, the couple in the book above, that's who.)



Book #: 82
Title: A Skunk in the House
Author: Constance Taber Colby
Genre: Non-fiction
Classification: 599 / QL
Pub date: 1973
Acquisition: 13 years ago
Rating: 2

A family buys a skunk as a pet in the 1960s - because why not keep a skunk in New York City when you know nothing about them?

This was a few stories about the family adjusting to life with an animal that they had no idea about its natural habits and needs. It was a short book because the skunk escaped when it was young and was never found. I know it was much more common back then to have that attitude towards animals and wildlife, but it's still jarring. Born Free, this is not. I was hoping for a more polished book or at least some knowledge about skunk care, but this was neither.

Book #: 83
Title: Fangirl Down
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Fiction, contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 5

Sunshine and grump sports romance. Wells is a down on his luck pro golfer and Josephine is his biggest fan (and only one left). She encourages him to keep going and they team up to get him back on track.

I really liked this one. Bailey is hit-or-miss with me (some of her heroes are a bit dark), but this one was great. It's on my to-buy list so I can read it again later.

Book #: 84
Title: Prometheus Scorned
Author: RJ Erskine
Genre: Fiction, suspense
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2020
Acquisition: borrowed
Rating: 3.5

Sequel to Casting Demons Into Swine.

Dr Malcom Cromarty is recovering from the incidents of the previous book in a hot and dry summer. A trailer full of cattle is mysteriously stolen. There are several barn fires in a short amount of time. The police chief thinks it's just the heat, but an insurance claims adjuster thinks it's arson. Who is setting fire to all the cattle barns?

The first half of the book is much slower than I anticipated; the action doesn't pick up until the second half. While I wasn't as excited to read this as the first book, it could just be the subject matter.

Book #: 85
Title: Not the Duke's Darling
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Genre: Romance, historical
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2020
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Freya is a member of a secret society of feminist-types in the 1700s UK. She has one last mission - stop a member of the parliament from introducing a witch hunting bill - before being recalled to retirement. While investigating, she bumps into one of her old childhood friends the duke of Harlowe. There was a terrible falling out between the families with murder, etc, years ago, and Freya really wants revenge on the Duke.

This was so-so but I am really looking forward to the next in the series; I think those characters are more my-cup-of-tea.

Book #: 86
Title: Check & Mate
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance, YA
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: 1 day ago
Rating: 4

Ugh, I broke my book budget to buy this on my nook the night before I had jury duty. I'm so glad I did though; once I started reading this, I was all set for the whole day.

Mallory is done playing chess; she's too busy taking care of her sisters and sick mother. When she enters a chess tournament as a favor to her best friend, she wins it and attracts some attention. She gets offered a well-paying fellowship to study and play chess all day. At competitions, she keeps bumping into the current chess champ Nolan Sawyer.

This was a really fun one.



Book #: 87
Title: Where Dreams Begin
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Genre: Romance, historical
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2000
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 3

Widowed Holly is the perfect lady - and wealthy businessman Bronson wants her. He asks her to teach his family proper manners so the ton will accept their new money more easily. She ends up realizing that she can move on from her grief without dishonoring it, but to get there Bronson has to work at it.

Not the greatest, but not a bad way to spend an afternoon either. The issues Holly works through were significant without bogging the book down and gives it more substance than most historical romances.

Book #: 88
Title: Love, Come to Me
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Genre: Romance, historical
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 1988
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 3

Heath is a former Confederate soldier and is living in MA during the Reconstruction in order to woo Lucy, a girl in love with another man. They end up in a compromising situation and are forced to marry. Heath is ambitious with his newspaper and Lucy takes her time falling in love with him.

Interesting time period for a historical romance. You could tell that it was one of the author's earlier books; it felt a bit rough at times.



Book #: 89
Title: Dressage for the Young Rider
Author: Pegotty Henriques
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1990
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 3

Dressage basics (up through 4th level though). Some points were basic and some were covering intense topics. It was very much written when dressage was something new to everyone in the UK. I think there are better books out there by now, but it wasn't bad at all.



Book #: 90
Title: Solo: the Story of an African Wild Dog
Author: Hugo van Luwick
Genre: Non-fiction, animals
Classification: 599 / QL
Pub date: 1974
Acquisition: 13 years ago
Rating: 3

Jane Goodall's husband studied African wild dogs in the 1960s. One year there were multiple litters within the pack they were following. This details the behavior of the pack during that year.

Book #: 91
Title: Eligible
Author: Curtis Sittenfeld
Genre: Fiction
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2016
Acquisition: 3 months ago
Rating: 3

An updated Pride and Prejudice retelling focusing on WASPy types in Cincinnati. The character names weren't changed, which was very jarring at first, but you forget about it about 1/3 into the book. That's about the point where you start to care about the characters as well - but not enough to really sell this as more than a cute way to spend an evening.



Book #: 92
Title: The Season
Author: Jonah Lisa Dyer
Genre: YA fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2016
Acquisition: 3 months ago
Rating: 3

Yet another P&P retelling - this time focusing on college aged girls going through Texas cotillion. Megan (Elizabeth) is a college soccer player who needs to control her emotions and gain some maturity. There were a bunch of times belief had to be suspended, mostly around the father's cattle ranch (I don't know of a single ag person who would be OK with selling their land for subdivisions). The best bit was the little girls in the deportment class. I think I liked Eligible better, but this wasn't terrible either.

Book #: 93
Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Genre: YA fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2006
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 2.5

Miles goes to boarding school in Alabama and makes friends with a group - one of which is Alaksa a manic-pixie-dream-girl he has a crush on. Midway through the year, something happens, and the group spends the last half of the book trying to solve a mystery of sorts.

I was thinking this was going to be a regular/maybe romcom book. It is not. While it may handle grief in teenagers well (?), it was just not my cup of tea. I'm not sure if it's because I haven't read a John Green book in the last 5-10 years, but he seems a little.... well, like the jokes we make about male authors describing females and their bodies. I'm not sure if this was done because precocious male teenagers do this or it was the author himself, but it was off-putting.

Book #: 94
Title: Dear Readers and Riders: The Beloved Books, Faithful Fans, and Hidden Private Life of Marguerite Henry
Author: Lettie Teague
Genre: Biography
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: 3 days ago
Rating: 5

The best biography of Henry I've read

Not only does it have the basics of her life, but it focuses on how each of her more seminal books came about. I learned that San Domingo was written for a boy whose abusive father got rid of the boy's horse one day while the boy was at school, the original published edition of Justin Morgan Had a Horse was substantially different and shorter (now I have to hunt another one down!), Dennis's artwork has been sold off and scattered, Henry answered every letter she received up until she was in her 90s, there is a King of the Wind movie - available in the UK, and why I disliked Gaudenzia Pride of the Palio so much. There is a lot more too! The only tiny niggle I had was it lacked a complete list of her published titles.

Whole-heartedly recommend to fans of Henry.

Book #: 95
Title: Touch of Darkness
Author: Scarlett St Clair
Genre: Romance/YA
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2019
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Persephone has entered college and a journalism internship like a mortal after years of being homeschooled and kept in relative isolation by her mother Demeter. When Persephone and her friends go out to a club, she bumps into Hades and unwittingly enters a bet with him.

This was eerily similar to Katee Roberts's Olympus series, but I wish I had read this first. This was more of a real story, not PWP like Roberts. That said, this feels like a lot of new adult books. I can't find the right word for the feel, and every word that I come up with seems too harsh for what I'm feeling - anemic, thin, immature, shallow.... There's nothing wrong or bad with this book; I was just looking for a bit more depth. The concept of book #3 in the series intrigues me: allow Hades and Persephone to marry and go to war with Demeter or forbit the marriage and piss off Hades. The summary of book #2 seems so blah that I'm not sure I'll continue the series, but it seems like Hades and Persephone get to trust each other. My coworker recommended the series to me.

Book #: 96
Title: Lessons with Margot: Notes on Dressage
Author: Karen McGoldrick
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2017
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 3

Trainer and judge (and author) McGoldrick writes down some of her hard-earned wisdom in competitive dressage. It was much easier to swallow this info in her fiction books, but my zoing out has little to do with the author and more to do with being overwhelmed with dressage.



Book #: 97
Title: After the Kiss
Author: Suzanne Enoch
Genre: Romance, historical
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2008
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 2

Sullivan is after his mother's paintings and bumps into Isobel one night while he is out stealing the paintings. She recognizes him and blackmails him to train a horse for her (and she is terrified of horses).

She is spoiled and he lacks a lot of redeeming characteristics. (I've known too many horse trainers for this to be an automatic 'good thing' about a person.) I was bored, didn't like the characters, and even hated the cover. I couldn't enjoy the side characters either. I usually like this author, but this one is a pass.



Book #: 98
Title: The Horses who Made Me
Author: Alizee Froment
Genre: Memoir / Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 4.5

Froment has written a beautiful tribute to the horses that have shaped her as a human and equestrian. The photos are gorgeous. There is no 'how to' or even thoughts on 'how to' - that was a misconception I had when I got this one.



Book #: 99
Title: Stretch Exercises for Horses: Build and Preserve Mobility, Strength, and Suppleness
Author: Jean-Michel Boudard
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification:636 / SF
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 3.5

A French physiotherapist details his stretching routine. It's illustrated but it can be tough to show movement in still photos.



Book #: 100
Title: Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio
Author: Marguerite Henry
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1960
Acquisition: 7 years ago
Rating: 3

Farfalla is a delicate horse that Georgio pins his hopes on to win the Palio - a race held in downtown Siena every year where the riders represent neighborhoods and can club each other while riding.

This was Henry's roughest work. The dialogue is written like a deliberately bad direct translation. There are a lot of harsh truths about like in post-WWII Italy that horse-crazy little girls wouldn't like reading about (raising horses for meat, beating horses, etc). The illustrations are flat and the action illustrations are just wrong. (I do enjoy Ward's illustrated humans though.) The focus seems on the boy and Italy, not the horses.



Book #: 101
Title: Take Care of Dexter
Author: Clyde Robert Bulla
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1973
Acquisition: 11 years ago
Rating: 3

A 'foreign-type' neighbor moves next door to Dave. He wants to be friends with the neighbor boy, but the whole neighborhood is pretty judgmental and bigoted. Eventually they become friends, but when the neighbors need to move out in a hurry, Dave is left caring for the boy's horse Dexter. Dexter became injured in the move and ran away. Dave tries to keep him alive when the men of the town want to shoot the horse for his own good since he's lame and starving in the woods.

While it lacks finesse, the message is memorable (and sad).

Book #: 102
Title: Darkling
Author: KM Peyton
Genre: YA pony book
Classification: 820 / PS
Pub date: 1990
Acquisition: 13 years ago
Rating: 2.5

Teenager Jenny lives with her disabled father, depressed mother, and slightly crazy grandfather in the UK. Life seems pretty miserable. Her grandfather buys her a racehorse colt one day and although she likes horses, she's stuck with this white elephant - as long as she needs to take care of the horse she can't really leave her family. She takes the colt and gets a job with a trainer and works for the horse's training and her board. She falls for the neighbor boy.

Not a pony book for kids - it covers Jenny's first relationships and sexual encounters. Not a happy pony book. Peyton sure likes giving us special endings.



Book #: 103
Title: Devil's Daughter: Ravenels #5/Wallerflowers #7
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Genre: Historical romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2019
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4

Phoebe is a widow emerging back into society. She bumps into her husband's childhood nemesis at a wedding and vows to take him down a peg or two.

This is what I was longing for - something that goes down easy, is fluffy and light without being vapid, and helps you escape a bit.



Book #: 104
Title: Devil in Disguise: Ravenels #5
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Genre: Historical romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2021
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Merritt is happy being slightly unconventional by managing her deceased husband's shipping company and is ready to pass the company over to her brother. One of the shipments goes wrong and the owner of the shipment comes into the office angry and miserable. Good thing Merritt is so good at soothing people and guiding them to the proper attitude. Kier, the owner of the whisky shipment, finds out that his life is at risk - someone is trying to kill him. Kier and Merritt try to figure out who is going after Kier.

Another perfectly pleasant way to spend the evening. Is it ridiculous? Yes. Is it enjoyable? Also yes.

And in a 'big world, small world' moment -

I just got an ER book in the mail. Reading the author bio, I found that it's written by a local equine vet's wife. I knew I liked that last name, lol. The illustrator is another equine vet that used to practice around here. I love local books!

Book #: 105
Title: The Happy Ever After Playlist
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Contemporary romance / chick lit
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2020
Acquisition: 2 years ago
Rating: 4

Sloan is in limbo after her fiancé died in an accident 2 years ago. When a stray dog jumps into her car one day, she starts her life again. A big part of it is the dog's owner - off in another country - who wants his dog back. Sloan needs to work through her grief while Jason works through his rising stardom as a musician.

While not cotton-candy fluffy, the romance and realness (as much as celebrities are real) in Jimenez's work's is lovely. The relationship banter between the heroes is funny, the romance is sweet, and the tribulations they get over aren't little things.

Book #: 106
Title: Part of Your World
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Contemporary romance / chick lit
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: 2 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Alexis is a fancy pants doctor - wealthy, snooty family, very driven - who meets Daniel - a younger inn owner and artist - while driving through his little rural town. She is finally able to enjoy herself, but she has to weight the cost of the rest of her life (which would not accept Daniel) vs love.

As before, the characters feel real and not as cardboard-like as most romcoms, but this one feels a bit more unrealistic than the celebrity one above.

Book #: 107
Title: Trailer Maintenance
Author: John Henderson
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 2000
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 2

Is it because it's for British towing systems or is it because I don't know anything about vehicle care? Either way, it was too over my head. I will not be taking my trailer apart. The photos were clear though.



Book #: 108
Title: Trailering Your Horse
Author: Cherry Hill
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 2000
Acquisition: 9 years ago
Rating: 3.5

There are three parts: how to select an appropriate and safe truck and trailer, how to train to your horse to load, and safety while towing.

While outdated, it's still thorough and lays out the math for you. Better than other trailering guides I've read.



Book #: 109
Title: In the Weeds
Author: BK Borison
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: 6 months ago
Rating: 2

Shy and quiet tree farmer falls for social media darling visiting town.

While I enjoyed the first in the series, I was just looking forward for this to finish. Compared to the Jimenez books, the characters fell a bit flat.

Book #: 110
Title: Bride
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance, paranormal
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4

Misery is used as living collateral to make peace between vampires, werewolves, and humans. She (a vampire) signs up for an arranged marriage with a werewolf leader to investigate the disappearance of her best friend.

Once you get over the ridiculousness of the name Misery, it's a pretty fun book. The characters are much like Hazelwood's contemporary romances with the addition of a different world. I was a bit disappointed that the book seemed to speed up towards the last 1/3 - I could have done with more time in that world - but it was nice to read a one-off fantasy.

Book #: ---- DNF ----
Title: Earls Trip
Author: Jenny Holiday
Genre: Romance, historical
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: ?

Three gentlemen go on a trip to the north of England but end up stuck with two women that one of the men grew up with.

I had to DNF this one. The modern updates to historical fiction weren't flowing well for me. I kept putting off reading - for like a week - because I didn't want to keep reading this one. I can't pinpoint why, so I hesitate to assign a low rating (maybe it picked up in the last 1/3 that I never got to?)



Book #: 111
Title: Shadowland: Mediator #1
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2000
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 3



Book #: 112
Title: Ninth Key: Mediator #2
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2001
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 3



Book #: 113
Title: Reunion: Mediator #3
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2001
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 3



Book #: 114
Title: Darkest Hour: Mediator #4
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2001
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 3

Susannah is a mediator - she can talk to ghosts and help them go to where they're supposed to be. She moves to California, where a handsome ghost is living in the bedroom of her old house, starts a Catholic school where the principal can also talk to ghosts, and goes on adventures as she helps teenaged ghosts.

Book #: 115
Title: Haunted: Mediator #5
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2003
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 3



Book #: 116
Title: Twilight: Mediator #6
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2004
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 3



Book #: 117
Title: Remembrance: Mediator #7
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: Fiction
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2016
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 3

Suze continues to help ghosts, avoid creepy mediator Paul who keeps stalking her, and trying to convince her ghost boyfriend to give up his hang-ups and take their relationship to the next step throughout. The final book was published 10 years after the first 6 in the series and is an adult book, not a YA like the previous ones, but it's Meg Cabot so it's still pretty classy.

Pony Club Cup
Author: Josephine Pullein-Thompson
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 823 / PZ
Pub date: 1983
Acquisition: 3 months ago
Rating: 4

A group of kids get a new DC in their British Pony Club and he whips them into shape in time for a competition.

As a child I would have been over the moon about this book - loads of exposition, details about ponies, kids improving with hard work... As an adult, the exposition is so much that it's distracting: I keep pausing to think about applying it to riding. It's perfect for pony crazy kids.

Book #: 119
Title: Brat: an 80s Story
Author: Andrew McCarthy
Genre: Memoir
Classification: 791 / PN
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: 2 years ago
Rating: 4

McCarthy's memoir about his time as a youth and as an actor finding fame a bit prickly is surprisingly well written and sympathetic (but perhaps not, given that McCarthy turned from acting to being a professional writer....) I was fairly well-versed with the saga of that random group of actors already (known as the Brat Pack), but this was still a good read with extra tidbits - and it was nice to hear it directly from a source instead of other journalists and authors.

Book #: 120
Title: My Own Words
Author: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Genre: Memoir
Classification: 347 / KF
Pub date: 2016
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 3.5

A collection of speeches and briefs written by Ginsburg.

It took me almost 2 weeks to get through it, but I'm glad I did. (It broke my heart a little, but still glad.)

Book #: 121
Title: When a Rogue Meets His Match
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Genre: Historical romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2020
Acquisition: 1 day ago
Rating: 3

Gideon has worked for the slimy Duke of Windermere for years and is almost free of him when the Duke offers the hand of his niece in return for one final dirty job.

I was really excited for these characters but it fell short of expectations. I enjoyed the backstories but the current actions and speech of the characters left a little doubt as to their love (not lust) for each other. I still love reading Hoyt's novels though; the slight difference in time period makes a huge impact for locations and manners and the choosing of characters in all paths of life (not just lords and ladies) is illuminating as well.

Book #: 122
Title: Ghosts of Lost Dreams(#3 in series)
Author: RJ Erskine
Genre: Fiction, mystery
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2020
Acquisition: borrowed
Rating: 4.5

Malcolm is a large animal vet in rural PA. Most of his clients are Amish or hill people, and he loves the rural life. In this episode, there are still family feuds and outdated superstitions, but the big deal is the new interstate being put through their town. Who is going to benefit? Why are Hoestler's cattle doing so poorly after the big fire last year? Who is stalking young Lily? How does Devyn have such a way with animals? Is Chief Logan *really* a spirit?

There are so many threads going, the tapestry woven is beautiful. I really hope the author continues the series. The characters are interesting and compelling. You might have a good idea of the answers to the mysteries, but not quite the exactness.



Book #: 123
Title: Great Horses of the United States Equestrian Team
Author: William Steinkraus
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1977
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 3

Sam Savitt illustrates quick stories about horses on the USET from the 1960s and 70s. Most of the stories are listing of their accomplishments, so it's not exactly thrilling reading. Steinkraus is still a competent writer though, and the illustrations are superb.

Book #: 124
Title: Flirty Little Secret
Author: Jessica Lepe
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 2.5

Similar to Shop Around the Corner. Lucy is a mess in real life, but has a polished personality for her instagram, where she is known nationwide to teachers as MissGuidedCounselor. When one of her penpals realizes that he's her coworker and he likes her more in person than online, they try to work things out through her mental disorders.



Book #: 125
Title: Two Wrongs Make a Right
Author: Chloe Liese
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: library
Rating: 2.5

A few beats are stolen from Shakespeare/As You Like It. Jamie and Bea have a meet-disaster, but manage to decide that they really like each other when they start fake dating to get their friends off their backs.



Book #: 126
Title: One Last Word
Author: Suzanne Park
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Based off To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Sara is working hard on an app that sends last messages to loved ones when you pass. When some of her notes accidentally get sent (to parents, old bosses, old friends, old crushes, etc), she has to scramble to recover. When the old crush that got her note ends up being her mentor in a venture capital firm, she tries even harder to keep work and private life separate - no matter how much she likes him.

There is a LOT of millennial/gen-Z therapy speak in these 3 books. While I generally support such things, after a while I got a bit crotchety: "saying your truth" doesn't mean you get to be just as spiteful and terrible as the people who originally hurt you. Can I please read about people who try to overcome instead of wallow? I really do support wallowing, but reading about it book after book after book gets a bit repetitive.

Book #: 127
Title: All's Fair in Love and War
Author: Virginia Heath
Genre: Romance, historical
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Georgie is a governess in training when she is sent on her first job - working for a navy guy on whose sister dumped three kids.

It took a while to get through, but it wasn't bad. The ship building stuff was interesting. It was a good rom-com.



Book #: 128
Title: Working Equitation Manual
Author: Ali Kermeen
Genre: Non-fiction horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: 2 months ago
Rating: 4

Kermeen breaks down the ease of handling portion of working equitation into around 100 little exercises. Each exercise has variations if you need to work more on it or have a different approach - this part was amazing. It's not limited to USWE rules so there is a wide variety of dimensions open for objects in the construction chapter; more photos of different forms and varieties of the objects would be helpful for those of us building things.

I am new to WE myself, but my trainer (a WE judge) has said that things I saw in the book and mentioned are good ideas. Recommended for those interested in trying the new sport.

So every book lately has been blah - and I know they are actually good books, I'm just not feeling it lately. I haven't read anything for a week and have been trying other things, even *gasp* cleaning. It's not bad and I have loads of time to do things that I've been putting off. The only downside is that LT is yelling at me about reviewing some ER books, so I might have to do that soon. I don't know what I was thinking requesting an AUDIO book; I really wanted to read the book but there is no way I can sit through one.

Book #: 129
Title: Big Guy: A School Horse Story
Author: Celia Ryker
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: 1 month ago
Rating: 3.5

Early Reviewers

Big Guy is a h/j show horse that got arthritis so bad that he was sold as a school horse - at 8 years old. Ouch. He adjusts to being a school horse by socializing with the other school horses, taking the herd on adventures, and dealing with departures of his friends.

The stories were cute. The illustrations were nicely done. It did feel a times more like a memoir of horses the author knew than focusing on the actual plot, but it flowed better in the last half of the book.

I did wonder what barn this as based on - the author grew up around here and her husband recently retired from being one of the main equine vets in the area. (I didn't realize this until I got the book and read the 'about the author' section, even though the name was familiar.)

Book #: 130
Title: Riding Freedom
Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1999
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 4

Orphan Charlotte disguises herself as a boy to escape an orphanage and finds that life as a male has its perks in the 1800s West. She continues working as a stagecoach driver, buys property, and is the first woman to vote. Based on a true story.

Less about horses than about feminism, but still a great story.



Book #: 131
Title: Thoroughbreds
Author: CW Anderson
Genre: Pony book /non-fiction horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 1942
Acquisition: 2 years ago
Rating: 4.5

As Anderson called it 'The ABCs of thoroughbreds' and horse racing, suitable for a younger audience but great for an older one too, illustrated with sketches from Anderson. Anderson was VERY into thoroughbreds and his time period was full of some good ones.



Book #: 132
Title: Debbie McDonald Riding Through:an Olympic Medalist's Lessons on Life and Dressage
Author: Debbie McDonald
Genre: Non-fiction horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2006
Acquisition: 2 weeks ago
Rating: 3

USDF's new book club pick.

Chapters alternate between tips on dressage and McDonald's memoir. The memoir part was more interesting - the dressage chapters were a bit dry and I thought lacked detail. Her story would probably not be published as it was back in the early 2000s - McDonald ended up marrying her much older childhood riding coach when she was just out of high school. I enjoyed the chronicle of her change of sports from jumping to dressage the most.

Book #: 133
Title: Taking Up the Reins: A Year in Germany with a Dressage Master
Author: Priscilla Endicott
Genre: Non-fiction horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1999
Acquisition: 2 months ago
Rating: 4

In the late 1970s, the author moves to Germany for a year to study dressage under Walter Christensen. There is a big culture gap and development of the sport gap. While I may personally prefer a different style of dressage than Christensen taught, this is still a lovely book. It's easy to read but still packs a lot in. I've been reading small bits over the past 2 months while in down time at work; while it worked well to do this with, I think it would also work well to fly through in a day or two.

Edit: I just read her the author's obituary. I'm not sure if I missed it being mentioned in the book, but she made that trip and left her family and farm at the age of FIFTY! That makes the whole book a lot more amazing, I think. The author also founded the New England Dressage Association, one of the oldest and more active dressage clubs in the US.

Book #: 134
Title: Lessons in Chemistry
Author: Bonnie Garmus
Genre: Fiction
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4.5

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in the 1960s. Sexism relegates her to make choices to the detriment to her career. She falls in love, has a child, gets on a cooking show, and participates in a cultural revaluation.

OK, so I am one of those people the cover won over. I usually go for fluff but am open to fiction if it's not bleak or entirely depressing. This was neither but was determined and forthright.

Book #: 135
Title: The Raven Prince
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Genre: Romance, historical
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2006
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 3

Anna Wren is a widow forced to find a position to support herself and her elderly mother-in-law. She finds one as a secretary for a grumpy earl, spending her days copying his manuscripts on farming. She falls for him but knows that they have social constraints prohibiting their union, so she disguises herself as a prostitute at his preferred establishment so she can sow her own oats.

There were some unusual actions here so that was a nice change of pace, and even though it was a bit weird (and just SLIGHTLY unlikely, haha), it was still a nice Hoyt book.



Book #: 136
Title: Body Check
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2009
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Hayden is the daughter of a pro hockey team's owner. Her dad is caught up in a divorce and is accused of bribing players to throw games, cheating on his wife, and being an alcoholic. Hayden moves back to Chicago from her job as an art teacher on the west coast to help him out. She has a random hook up with a guy in the bar, but bumps into the guy the next day - he's one of the players on the team. Oops.

While this could have been more polished, this was one of Elle Kennedy's first books, and in that regard, it's phenomenal. It's much like her other contemporary sports romances, but sadly a bit shorter. The suspense of did-he or didn't-he was a nice change - you didn't know how it actually happened until close to the end.

Book #: 137
Title: The Art of Riding: Classical Dressage to High School: Odin at Saumur
Author: Philippe Karl
Genre: Horses, non-fiction
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2009
Acquisition: library
Rating: 5

Like my own trainer, Karl is a proponent of French dressage - not the competitive German-based dressage that is so popular today, but a method that I think will gain popularity in the near future: something based more on classical principles of training and lightness instead of the squished, leg-and-hand-together power.

This has lengthy chapters on the nitty-gritty interspersed with short chapters detailing the more advanced training of one of his high school horses he rode in presentations at the Cadre Noir. The technical chapters were fantastic! Well-illustrated, very clear, yet still detailed. There are plenty of references to other authors and trainers to explore some of the concepts further. There was a special focus on getting your horse ambidextrous and out of the natural bend; this part has been enormously helpful to my riding in the past few weeks.

You can find used copies for $500-1500 online; while I will be looking for a more reasonably priced copy, I feel that $500 is not unreasonable considering the price of clinics now and how valuable the advice in this is.



Book #: 138
Title: One Night of Trouble
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2015
Acquisition: accidental re-read
Rating: 3

I thought this was going to be a 9-year-long off the TBR shelves read, but apparently, I read it when I got it - I just remembered NOTHING about it.

AJ is getting tired of being Mr Perfect and Brett is looking to clean up her reputation so she can manage her family's tattoo parlor. They decide to fake date to put up a squeaky clean image, but be 'real' with each other.

Kennedy has gotten better with time - the earlier reads were a bit lacking, or maybe just not rom-com enough for what I'm looking for.

Book #: 139
Title: Unfixable
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2014
Acquisition: 8 years ago
Rating: 4.5

Willa is on a trip to London. The innkeeper is a gruff dude who falls for her. The description on the book makes it seem like the plot point is him deciding to stay with her or chose his career, but it wasn't. I can't quite remember what it was, but as the kids say "the vibes were good". This was one that involved younger adults but I didn't want to punch them. The setting of Ireland was a nice change. The hero was gruff, but in a grumpy guy way, not in a big red flag way.



Book #: 140
Title: The Original Book of Horse Treats
Author: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1994
Acquisition: 1 day ago
Rating: 3

Recipes before the internet. Many are so basic that it's simply 'quarter an apple. drizzle corn syrup over it. all done.' Half the book is 'salads' and bran mash recipes. There aren't any photos of the finished products, so it can be tough to figure out how they will look when done - are they crunchy hard treats? cakes? I made a promising looking treat already and it turned out much like Mrs Pastures - hard to crumble, easily accepted by the horses, but nothing that they will run you down for. I'll continue trying some of the treat recipes. (I got it as an idea guide since I'm trying to recreate the discontinued Paddock Cakes.)



Book #: 141
Title: Disorderly Conduct
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2017
Acquisition: 8 months ago
Rating: 3

Ever has a rule of no relationships, just one-month stands. Charlie is a recruit in the police academy and is happy with that status quo - until Ever decides that she wants to try a relationship and cuts Charlie loose.

Book #: 142
Title: The Au Pair Affair
Author: Tessa Bailey
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: 2 days ago
Rating: 4

I finally caved and spent money on fiction books. It was worth it.

Talullah gets a job as an au pair for a single dad pro-hockey player. He wants to date her. She doesn't want to be tied down to a family until she gets over some past trauma.

While the premise is a bit odd, I liked it almost as much as Fangirl Down. There are some serious themes in the book, but they don't drag anything down at all and it ends up being a positive thing. The characters are ones you root for.

Book #: 143
Title: Sports Illustrated Book of Horseback Riding
Author: Gordon Wright / Alice Higgins
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1960
Acquisition: 2 days ago
Rating: 3

The super basics of riding illustrated by Sam Savitt

Prices were listed (from 1960), and it was fun to figure out that rates stayed the same adjusting for inflation.



Book #: 144
Title: Just for the Summer
Author: Abby Jimenez
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: 4 days ago
Rating: 4

Emma is a travel nurse who goes to Minnesota for a few weeks. She picked Minnesota due to a chance online meeting with a guy who has the same problem as her: they are the one before The One for all their dates. The sticky wicket is Justin can't keep traveling with Emma (a rolling stone if there ever was one due to past traumas) - he just got custody of his younger siblings.

I love how Jimenez's books are full of real-life issues but are still positive and rom-com-like. There's some good layering.

Book #: 145
Title: Horse Girl: A Journey Home
Author: Susanna Newsonen
Genre: Memoir
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: 5 months ago
Rating: 2.5

Early Reviewer. The author describes her life and feelings while growing up moving countries frequently. She was lucky enough to have a few good horses, excellent training, and be able to show at some big events. While some parts (mostly about varying vacation homes, going on horse buying trips in Europe, ex-pat life) are a bit envy-inducing, Newsonen's love of her horses shines through and saves it.

(Actually, it was a bit vomit-inducing. Riding at higher levels without knowing how to take care of your own horse grates me. I get that her family and environment focused on competition before horsemanship, but why didn't she ever branch out and push herself to learn? How on earth does she have so much money - I know her wealthy parents supported her at least through her mid-20s, but what about after? And 'watched YouTube videos' actually made the list of what she did that she felt like made her 'knew a thing or two'. Is this an age thing? Am I being an old grump? She seems like a lovely person.)

Book #: 146
Title: American Dressage
Author: Chuck Grant
Genre: Horses, non-fiction
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1979
Acquisition: 3 months ago
Rating: 4

Grant was my trainer's trainer and I could really tell, so I am probably pretty biased in this. It was very useful to me personally (it was like hearing Dorothy while I was in my recliner) but I'm not sure it is the best dressage book out there. It has good basics but I think it was vastly improved by me doing the exercises and hearing the same phrases while riding.



Book #: 147
Title: Tangled Up in You
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4

Ren is raised on very isolated on a homestead with her parents. She convinces them to let her attend a local college. While there, she meets local 'bad boy' Fitz. They embark on a road trip together - him to go on a job interview and her after she receives some shocking news.

This was a cute story. It had the potential to go badly (being based on a Disney movie), but it was still a nice adventure and they still managed to get that whole Rapunzel vibe. A fairly chaste romance.



Book #: 148
Title: The Ethics and Passions of Dressage
Author: Charles de Kunffy
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2013
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 2.5

I was looking for philosophy and academic equitation; I got a disjointed rant. Granted, I still listened to the man write, but the book would have been improved with better editing. de Kunffy speaks of the status of dressage today (yet it felt a bit timeless - doesn't every time period bemoan how it used to be?) He compares competition dressage with classical dressage yet still claims the FEI is all about classical dressage. Hmm... I was hoping for more support about breaking the mold of showing all the time and encouraging proper training. The people who would be reading this book already (should) know about proper equitation so I'm not sure why it a few chapters on the basics of riding were included. This seems like a very down review; the book wasn't that bad but I think there are better out there that accomplish the same idea.

Book #: 149
Title: The Right Track: Arena Exercises for Riders and Instructors
Author: Sarah Venamore
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2007
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 3

There are dozens of exercises suited for teaching groups of riders. Tips for what they should be concentrating on are listed as well. It's not as good a reference for a single rider looking to mix things up but is excellent for instructors of group lessons. Many patterns have several exercises built around them - different gaits and points of transitions.

Book #: 150
Title: The Game Changer
Author: Lana Ferguson
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Delilah's baking show's rating are sinking. Her brother's best friend and pro hockey player Ian's rep is in shreds after a supposed romantic scandal. Their reps decide having Ian on Delilah's show would boost both of their images.

It was cute but seemed to lack something for me - probably not for you though - I just couldn't put my finger on it.



Book #: 151
Title: Henry Huggins
Author: Beverly Cleary
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1950
Acquisition: 9 years ago
Rating: 4

Henry is a little boy who likes getting into adventures. Each chapter has a different event - getting a dog, accidentally having hundreds of guppies, losing a friend's football, entering a dog show, etc.

Beverly Cleary is wonderful. I may have enjoyed Ramona more when I was a child compared to Cleary's other characters, but reading as an adult, Henry is pretty swell.

Book #: 152
Title: Rejected Princesses: Tales of History's Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics
Author: Jason Porath
Genre: Biography/ short story
Classification: 920 / CT
Pub date: 2016
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 3

A Dreamworks animator had a conversation with coworkers to determine who would LEAST likely be selected for the Princess treatment in a film. That inspired the author to collect tales of hundreds of women throughout history who challenged the status quo.

The illustration style would suggest that this would be a great book for a younger teen. It is not. The author even warns of this in the intro. However, while I feel that the facts of each woman's life might be appropriate (if sad/terrible), the language the author chooses to use is what brings it on the said of 'caution'.

Book #: 153
Title: Grooming Horses: The Duties of a Groom in a Racing Stable and How to Perform Them
Author: RW Collins
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 1971
Acquisition: 2 years ago
Rating: 3

This is some really outdated advice but written in a very clear way to instruct those who have ZERO experience with horses on how to be a groom. It even tells you how and where to place your hands while brushing, for example.

Book #: 154
Title: Manes of Gold Herds of Thunder
Author: Bruce Coville
Genre: Pony book, short stories
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1989
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Coville collected a dozen short stories/selected chapters about horses. I remember this a lot more fondly than I think it might deserve. No individual selection stood out as wonderful or worse than others, but along with the usual (Black Beauty, Red Pony, etc) there are some new stories included. I think as an adult the best part is the Ted Lewin watercolor illustrations.

Book #: 155
Title: Forget Me Not
Author: Julie Soto
Genre: Contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4

Ama is a wedding planner. She finally gets a big break designing a celebrity's wedding, but they want to use a particular florist - who happens to be her ex.

The hero Elliot seems a bit generic - there's not much character besides his mumbling and love for Ama. The book is told in parts - current day narrated by Ama and flashbacks narrated by Elliot - that worked out well.



Book #: 156
Title: Not Another Love Song
Author: Julie Soto
Genre: Contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4

Gwen and Alex play in the same orchestra. When Alex finally notices Gwen, they fall for each other, but their careers get in the way. Gwen wants the stability of the first chair violinist at the Pops but Alex wants to ditch his musical family (who aren't terribly great) and go on the road with his band.

Cute. While the climax and resolution seemed abrupt, the rest of the book was perfectly fine.

I think Soto is an author worth getting from the library as an 'autobuy'.

Book #: 157
Title: The Fiance Dilemma
Author: Elena Armas
Genre: Contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Josie is put on the spot - her absentee father's PR person says she will be the target of some bad gossip involving Josie's failed engagements (four of them) - so in a panic, Josie grabs a guy walking down the street and says that he's her new fiancé. The guy happens the be Josie's new sister's best friend. He goes along with it.

This came close but was missing something important. It could be the character build up was in the first book in the series (The Long Game) and I forgot about it. It could be insta-love that wasn't really explained until the end of the book. Whatever it was, it knocked off some stars.

Book #: 158
Title: The Art of Catching Feelings
Author: Alicia Thompson
Genre: Contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

In the midst of a terrible day, Daphne gets drunk and heckles a baseball player - he cries and ends up on TV. She - and he - deal with the fallout. When she messages him on social media to apologize, she neglects to mention that she was the heckler. They start communicating and fall for each other. When Daphne is forced to become the new sideline reporter, she stops talking to him via messages and starts talking to him in person. They fall for each other (again). Now that Daphne has completely catfished (not sure I'm using the slang right) this poor guy, she's in a pickle.

Considering I attempted one of the author's previous books and had to DNF about 50 pages in (the main character assumed EVERYONE was a serial killer), this one went a bit better. The heroine still had some big problems though. Sometimes in romcoms the heroine does something tragically stupid or makes a huge mistake - but it's OK because the whole story is zany and madcap. This was not one of those. This girl was kind of a terrible person. The rest of the story was great though.



Book #: 159
Title: Horseback Summer: Horse Crazy #1
Author: Virginia Vail
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1990
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 3

Emily goes to camp but has to leave her attached-at-the-hip best friend behind. She makes friends with the other campers, but snotty Caroline has her eye on Emily's horse-for-the-summer, a pretty palomino. (Not much is said about this horse other that how 'beautiful' it is, so hopefully Emily builds a bond with the horse later in the series.) Emily learns to be careful of people offering popularity and goods as well as how to stand up for herself - all within the first few days of camp. Emily also has never had a single riding lesson but is magically good enough for the intermediate group at camp. This series has promise, but with the weird details maybe try another old series first.

Book #: 160
Title: Care and Repair of Harness
Author: Robert Steinke
Genre: Pony book
Classification: 685 / XX
Pub date: 1997
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 3

Cleaning and sewing of driving harnesses



Book #: 161
Title: Stables and Stable blocks
Author: Christopher Powell
Genre: Horses non-fiction
Classification: 720 / NA
Pub date: 1991
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 3

Architecture of old stables in the UK - changes in building materials, designs, etc



Book #: 162
Title: Arabian Spirit
Author: Betsy Sikora Siino
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 1998
Acquisition: 9 years ago
Rating: 2

I don't know what this was. Pretty photos of Arabians are accompanied by a stream of words. The author is usually pretty good, but this was like she was being paid by the word. Much was put on the page, but not much was said - it was very 'Arabians are perfect and mystical' without saying much concrete about the breed standard, development, and results. I do remember the author calling them 'clairvoyant'.... If you are already in love with Arabians and don't need to read anything special about them but would like your choices validated and stroked, this would be a good buy.

Your comments on Arabian Spirit made me LOL :)

Book #: 163
Title: Haunted Ever After
Author: Jen deLuca
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Heroine moves to a quaint town that bills itself as the most haunted town in Florida. Heroine has problems with her house - and she didn't know it was a flip. The original owner was a cranky lady and townspeople swear they've felt her ghost. The hero runs the local coffee shop. Heroine decides that the townspeople aren't crazy people. Heroine works through her house stuff.

Cute.



Book #: 164
Title: Dressage in the French Tradition
Author: Dom Diego de Braganca
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2012
Acquisition: 1 month ago
Rating: 4.5

The best riding book I've read in months. Philippe Karl was very upset that one of the best advocates for French dressage was in fact a Portuguese, but aside from a few chapters on how French dressage and working equitation are similar, I didn't find it a bad thing at all. Everything is defined and spelled out (including those silly French terms), photos are illustrative of concepts well, and the writing is easy to follow even when talking about difficult concepts. I really think that with all the dressage horse welfare stuff going about now French dressage might be a place people can go to find relief (my horse sure did) - where lightness and beauty are prioritized over precision, power, and sport.



Book #: 165
Title: Evidence Based Horsemanship
Author: Martin Black
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 2018
Acquisition: 6 months ago
Rating: 3

While poorly designed, the basics of equine neurology and how it affects horse behavior are explained OK.

Book #: 166
Title: The Dixon Rule
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Diana can't stand hockey player Shane - he keeps sleeping around with her cheerleading team and causing chaos - so she's having a hard time when he moves into her condo building. Shane is recovering from an old heartbreak and when his ex comes back around, he tells her that he has a girlfriend - Diana.

I wondered why the author thought she needed 500 pages to tell a fairly common trope, but I didn't mind it at all. I liked the characters and what they went through.



Book #: 167
Title: Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
Author: Talia Hibbert
Genre: YA romance
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4.5

Brad and Celine were best friends growing up, but Bradley abandoned Celine to do sports and other 'cool kid' things while Celine continued working on her conspiracy theory vlog. When they end up at the same wilderness survival camp competing for a scholarship, they are forced to work together.

This was super cute, and I really want to be friends with the author. I've run out of her books through my co-op library system so I am now going state-wide in my requests.



Book #: 168
Title: Riding Out: Strategies for Training Outside the Arena...
Author: Ingrid Klimke
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: 4 months ago
Rating: 2

If you're an eventer, you already know all this, and if you're not, you need a trainer to get you through XC elements safely. It was mostly photos, and what text there was happened to be generic and simplistic. I like the idea - every horse can benefit getting out of the arena - and the author, but I think there are more complete references out there already.



Book #: 169
Title: With Love from Cold World
Author: Alicia Thompson
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: library
Rating: 2.5

Lauren and Asa work for Cold World, a third-tier tourist attraction in Florida (snow! in FL!). They have to collaborate on ideas to boost profits to save their beloved employer but they hate each other. Lauren is all about the numbers and organization and Asa is all about the fun. Or are they?

Average. I wasn't in love with the hero, but it was still not a terrible way to spend an afternoon. (Maybe it was just their age, who knows?)



Book #: 170
Title: The American Roommate Experiment
Author: Elena Armas
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 823 / PR
Pub date: 2022
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4.5

Rosie's roof crashes on her, so she stays at her BFF's apartment during repairs - the only problem is that her BFF's cousin was told he could crash there for a few weeks while the BFF is on her honeymoon. Lucas is a pretty good guy though, and he tries to help Rosie out of her writer's block.

*This* hero was heartbreakingly sweet. I loved the bars he tried to raise for her.

Book #: 171
Title: Appaloosa Spirit
Author: Audrey Pavia
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 1998
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 2

While not a word-salad like Arabian Spirit, this was still not exactly informative. There were some facts about Appys, but a lot was generic 'horse'. The photos were plentiful and the design made it easy to read, so maybe I'm just not the right audience for this - is this supposed to be for kids? Difficult to tell.



Book #: 172
Title: Horse Racing
Author: Jamie Douglas-Home
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2000
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 3

Photos focusing on racing in the UK, organized decade by decade



Book #: 173
Title: The Whitbread Book of Horses
Author: various
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 1962
Acquisition: 12 years ago
Rating: 3

As with any collection of essays, some are better than others. Each chapter is about a different aspect of hors sport - the UK Pony Club development, steeplechasing, flat racing, polo, etc. I was going to discard this once read, but the last section on organizing shows might mean it gets kept.



Book #: 174
Title: The Allen Illustrated Guide to Training Aids
Author: Hilary Vernon
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 2000
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 4

Clear illustrations illustrate basic artificial training aids. Thankfully there was a chapter in the beginning about how you probably shouldn't be using these. Some are pretty wicked looking, but the photos sometimes show how miserable the horses are in them - only hope everyone can pick up on it. Not a fan about how tightening straps completely was mentioned so often.



Book #: 175
Title: Ringcraft
Author: Stuart and Nigel Hollings
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1998
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 2.5

Basics of horse showing in the UK - some can be applied to the HUS or OTF classes in the US.



Book #: 176
Title: Planning the Jumper Division
Author: AHSA
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 1968
Acquisition: 13 years ago
Rating: 3

Half was completely useless because it was detailing how to select classes from the old tables of the AHSA rulebook, but the latter half was more about organizing the horse show and was still useful.

Book #: 177
Title: The Nanny
Author: Lana Ferguson
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 20
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Sophie runs an OnlyFans account, falls for a client, and ditches OnlyFans to become a nanny when the client disappears after agreeing to meet with her. The family she nannies for is young dad Adrian and his 9yo daughter. When she realizes Adrian is that one client of hers, how does she handle the fall-out?

Kind of skeezy but could have been done a lot worse. (In fact, I keep trying to read another romance involving a nanny but I can't get over the fact that the nanny is only 20 so I can never get past the first chapter!)



Book #: 178
Title: Allen Illustrated Guide to Saddlery
Author: Hilary Vernon
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 636 / SF
Pub date: 2004
Acquisition: 14 years ago
Rating: 3

Basics of basic tack - much is repeated from the other Allen Illustrated Guides though, so it ends up being a bit more basic than the others (Bitting, Blankets, etc)



Book #: 179
Title: Not in Love
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance, contemporary
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Rue is a scientist working on food preservation and Eli is a money guy who is taking over her company. Too bad they have the hots for each other and Rue is kinda messed up.

Not a romcom like Hazelwood's other books, but thankfully she spells it out in the beginning.



Book #: 180
Title: Dressage Q & A
Author: Janet Foy
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2015
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 2

A short chapter on each of the steps of the training pyramid followed by detailed questions and trite, pat answers to those complex topics. Many were simply 'refer to my other book'. You could tell some of the important things to Foy because they were repeated many times throughout: mistakes are good/it's how you learn, stop coddling students, stop over-relying on the outside rein, suppleness is super important, etc. Those themes are more important than the individual short answers, I think.

Book #: 181
Title: Rose Daughter
Author: Robin McKinley
Genre: Fantasy YA
Classification: 398 / PZ
Pub date: 1997
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Retelling of Beauty and the Beast. No talking furniture, a mystery and some spells, joined names 'Jeweltongue, Lionheart' etc.

I loved this when I was younger. It was an interesting ending and reset my enthusiasm for reading a bit. (It's all been blah lately.)



Book #: 182
Title: Happy Place
Author: Emily Henry
Genre: Contemporary romance
Classification: 813 / PS
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3.5

Heroine and hero are separated and haven't told their friend group yet - and they are all stuck together on vacation. Flashbacks tell of their relationship and why they split up. Was it for the better? Why didn't they tell their friends? Why are their friends all being weird?

I really stink at these summaries.



Book #: 183
Title: Danger Dog
Author: Lynn Hall
Genre: Juvenile fiction/YA
Classification: 813 / PZ
Pub date: 1986
Acquisition: 11 years ago
Rating: 4

OK, so this rating is for the writing, plotting, etc - not the actual story. The actual story is a train wreck trauma that you can't look away from. Seriously: look away!

A dog is on trial for attacking a serviceman that entered the house. The lawyer's kid takes the dog and wants to rehab it. He feels guilty because his parents are terrible and made him feel like he killed his last dog. (Read: they bought their small child a cocker, made it his responsibility, and when the dog was untrained, matted, and stinky, they took it to the pound. When they found that the dog was euthanized, they told the child.) Anyways, back to the real train wreck: although this kid is trying hard, he's scared of the dog and of the responsibility of always being on his toes to keep the dog from hurting someone else. The adults do not help him here either. The story ends with the dog mauling a neighbor kid, the owner child pulling the dog off, only to be attacked himself, and having to stab the dog in the chest and kill it with a toy arrow. It was described in detail. Pretty heavy stuff for a supposed book for 12-year-olds.

Jumping to something else - the cover illustration is done by one of my favorite horse illustrators, Ted Lewin!



Book #: 184
Title: Equestrian Style: Home Design, Couture, and Collections from the Eclectic to the Elegant
Author: Vicky Moon
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: / 747
Pub date: 2008
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 2

This is a book for people who don't know anything about horses and have no real interest but like the concept of being horsey and preppy. It's all about name dropping and alluding to how expensive things are. Very little is actually about the usable rooms and style of horse people. Mentions of artists simply cover who owns pieces of the collection. The photos mostly show architecture, table spreads, or rich people standing by their dogs, not design, not horses. I don't care who moved where and why: I already know about Welly World. How can I more stylishly incorporate all my horse junk into decor? This book is zero help with that. The author is a contributor to People magazine, and you can tell.



Book #: 185
Title: Pearls Hogs the Road
Author: Stephan Pastis
Genre: Comics
Classification: PN / 741
Pub date: 2017
Acquisition: 6 years ago
Rating: 2.5

I used to love seeing a misanthrope in comics. It had gotten a bit boring reading puns and feeling sad, so I stopped reading Pearls Before Swine, but I found I had an unread volume on my shelves. Unread no more. Donated.

(I am feeling a bit harsh in my reviews lately. I am sorry to the authors. Nothing has been BAD - it's not your fault that I'm full of ennui.)

Book #: 186
Title: Riding on the Edge: Frances Dodge and Dodge Stables
Author: Karel Bond Lucander
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 992
Pub date: 2017
Acquisition: 2 years ago
Rating: 4

Frances Dodge, the daughter of the founder of Dodge Brothers automobiles, enjoyed the show horse scene and bred a lot of very good saddlebreds. This is a well-illustrated short biography of her life and involvement with horses.

I had no idea she bred Wing Commander - how cool!



Book #: 187
Title: The Heavy Horse
Author: Edward Hart
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 1989
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 3

A short historical look at draft horse breeds in the UK.



Book #: 188
Title: Working Horses: Looking Back 100 Years to America's Horse-Drawn Days
Author: Charles Phillip Fox
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 1990
Acquisition: 8 years ago
Rating: 3

Heavy illustrated look at horses in the 1800 and early 1900s - many photos from Wisconsin and California

The photos were super neat to look at but there wasn't much text to accompany them.



Book #: 189
Title: The Morgan Horse Handbook
Author: Jeanne Mellin
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 1973
Acquisition: 7 years ago
Rating: 4.5

Although the book is 50 years old, the information in here is superb and still useful. The first half of the book focuses on Morgan history, type, and conformation. It is amazingly illustrated - everything is super useful. This is actually one of the best judging/conformation sections I've come across. The second half is about showing Morgans in breed shows. Although the fashions are a bit dated, it was a fascinating look at *why* Morgans are so saddlebred-like and how they are made that way.



Book #: 190
Title: The Royal Mews At Buckingham Palace: Official Guidebook
Author: Royal Collections
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 2006
Acquisition: 2 years ago
Rating: 2

I have not been to the Mews, so as a guidebook I cannot say how effective this is, but as a generic book about the Royal Mews it was so-so. The focus was on the carriages themselves - year built, modified, etc - and the different official positions people have in the Mews with almost nothing on the horses or their training. There was more information about the models of cars than the horses. Bummer.



Book #: 191
Title: All About Tack
Author: George Dulaney
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 1972
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 2

Definitely a Western guy - I wouldn't rely on this for information on any type of English tack. There are better tack books out there. This is not detailed, interesting, or very accurate. The tiny lines about the history of California vaquero tack and Texan Western tack were the best bits.

Book #: 192
Title: Over, Under, Through: Obstacle Training for Horses
Author: Vanessa Bee
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 2015
Acquisition: 2 years ago
Rating: 4.5

Mostly photo illustrated guide to desensitizing your horse to scary things - starts with the basics, start each exercise easy and work up, etc. I wish there were blueprints to building the obstacles she uses, but other than that, it's a good guide to 'bomb-proofing' your horse.

Book #: 193
Title: Ticket to Ride: Eventers #3
Author: Caroline Akrill
Genre: Juvenile fiction / pony book
Classification: PZ / 823
Pub date: 1983
Acquisition: 1 month ago
Rating: 4

Finally at the training stable for a month with her horse Legend, the heroine deals with strict riding instructors and trying to make the junior Olympic team while staving off the Fanes - who claim they now have a financial portion of Legend.



Book #: 194
Title: The Valley of the Ponies
Author: Jean Slaughter Doty
Genre: Juvenile fiction / pony book
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 1982
Acquisition: 7 months ago
Rating: 4

A girl is on vacation for the whole summer and she gets to have a pony for the summer. She and the pony ride around, enjoy the New England scenery, and go on an adventure stopping some horse thieves.

I have been in the *worst* book funk. I've picked up about 2 dozen books and I can't get past page 50 in any of them. This has been going on for a month now. My attention span is trash and my mind wanders after a paragraph. I can't get into a book; I just see me holding a book. I am so proud of myself for finishing one.



Book #: 195
Title: Educating Caroline
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: Historical romance
Classification: PS / 813
Pub date: 2002
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4

Cabot wrote some historical fiction as she was starting out under the pseudonym Patricia Cabot. This one was recently republished under her more famous name.

Caroline finds her fiancé in a compromising position with another woman. She knows her options are limited: breaking the engagement off would be disastrous for her. She endeavors to make her philandering fiance fall in love with her. To do this, she will need to learn to use her 'womanly wiles' as her mother says. Just how she is supposed to do this with no one willing to tell her, no one knows. She decides to go to the 'Lothario of London' and ask him to teach her (academically only) how to entrance her betrothed in exchange for testifying as a witness in a court case (so shocking for a prim miss back then).

While the hero's totally realistic name is Braden and there are some jumps in the action, Cabot is still good enough to save me in a slump.

Book #: 196
Title: The Paradise Problem
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Romance
Classification: PS / 813
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4

Anna and West married so they could afford student housing in college (the only thing in their price range was the married student housing). They went on their own merry little ways after they graduated. Years later, West tracks Anna down and asks for a favor - they technically never divorced and he needs a wife to show up at a family event in Indonesia. He's willing to pay her. Anna thinks this is bonkers, but she needs the money. How hard will it be to stand next to him and smile while on vacation with a bunch of rich people?

Book #: 197
Title: Underfoot: The USDF Guide to Arena Construction, Maintenance, and Repair
Author: USDF
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 2015
Acquisition: 2 months ago
Rating: 4.5

The basics of arena construction and footing composition. It doesn't have the greatest graphic design or illustrations, but the information is solid and concise. There is a workbook at the end for your own notes and calculations.

There isn't as much information on fixing a purchased property's arena or how to maintain arenas where you don't know the exact specifications of the subbase/base/footing, but it was still informative.

Book #: 198
Title: Your Complete Guide to Equine Arenas: How to Build and Maintain an Ideal Riding and Training Space
Author: Abigail Boatwright
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: 2 months ago
Rating: 3.5

While the title is fairly self-explanatory, there are some caution signs for this one. The author is not a footing expert herself, but a journalist who references only a couple of sources - most from two arena building companies. There is little of the nitty-gritty science here and very little technical information. This one is really more of a really long magazine article: it's a good summary of the main points, but not the only source you want to rely upon for your own arena. The other caveat is that this is heavily slanted towards arenas for western sports in the American West. The coverage ratio feels like pages and pages for each cutting, cow horse, barrels, pleasure, reining, etc vs only a paragraph for jumping and dressage combined. The author and her main sources are based in TX so it's not surprising, just a little disappointing for an eventer in the Great Lakes. There are a surprising number of differences between building/maintaining a dressage arena in the NE and a Western arena in an arid climate.

Book #: 199
Title: Stablekeeping: A Visual Guide to Safe and Healthy Horsekeeping
Author: Cherry Hill
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub Date: 2000
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 3

Basics on organizing, building, and maintaining a barn. The parasite chapter was very outdated, but the rest is still solid information for those new to horses.



Book #: 200
Title: The Pony Club Guide to Pasture Management
Author: Elizabeth O'Beirne-Ranala
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 2010
Acquisition: 1 year ago
Rating: 3.5

This has some great grass ID pages - but for the UK only. All the recommendations I've seen for this book must be coming from the UK, since the whole book is devoted to managing that particular grassland. It was interesting to note how different it is to US management styles though.



Book #: 201
Title: Design Handbook for Stables and Equestrian Buildings
Author: Keith Warth
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 2013
Acquisition: 2 years ago
Rating: 2.5

I'm not sure of the intended audience for this book. Experienced horsemen will not need this - they know that concrete is hard on feet, ventilation is important, etc. Experienced architects would, I assume, know that wood is less permanent than cinderblock/brick and that natural light is important. Maybe it's made for you if are new to horses but want to build your own barn all the same.

Book #: 202
Title: Gallop to Freedom: Training Horses with Our Six Golden Principles
Author: Magali Delgado
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 2009
Acquisition: 2 months ago
Rating: 3

The Delgados created the Cavalia show - think Cirque du Soleil but with horses. They wrote a mish-mash memoir, training thoughts, photos, biography of their horses, etc. It was very vague. If you want a liberty coffee-table book, I recommend The Horses Who Made Me instead. It wasn't a complete wash though; the language they use for their moves is different than others so the many ways a horse can bow are slightly separated. I might have appreciated this more if I had ever seen Cavalia.



Book #: 203
Title: Understanding Your Horse's Behavior
Author: Sue Mc Donnell
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 2005
Acquisition: 10 years ago
Rating: 3

This is a compilation of articles written by McDonnell for the magazine The Horse back in the 90s and early 00s. There isn't new material and the questions, given the format, are not the nitty-gritty but the general basics of behavior and learning theory. Good for those new to the field.

Book #: 204
Title: Academic Equitation
Author: Albert Decarpentry
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 1949
Acquisition: 1 year ago
Rating: 4.5

Decarpentry goes into detail about dressage, training, and gaits of the dressage horse. Very useful as someone getting into the nitty-gritty theory of dressage, but I would have skipped it otherwise. The notes by the translator in the second edition are helpful as well.



Book #: 205
Title: Justin Morgan Had a Horse (original version)
Author: Marguerite Henry
Genre: Juvenile fiction/pony book
Classification: PZ / 813
Pub date: 1949
Acquisition: 2 months ago
Rating: 4

Did you know that the story of Justin Morgan you read by Henry is likely not the first version? She wrote a shorter version that focused more on the historical fiction parts than the boy-and-his-horse parts. It was so popular that she was asked to make an extended version to match the rest of her pony books.

I think I liked this version perhaps better than the one I am more familiar with. There are not as many of her frequent exclamation marks as she is known for. The illustrations seem different as well, but I haven't compared page by page yet. Maybe it's just because they are in a larger format with crisper/not overly copied originals.



Book #: 206
Title: Storey's Barn Guide to Horse Handling and Grooming
Author: Charni Lewis
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 2007
Acquisition: 4 years ago
Rating: 2

There are clearly illustrated guides to the VERY basics of walking around horses. I wouldn't consider this a grooming guide, but a basic quick-read to those kids or adults who have never been around horses.



Book #: 207
Title: Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous
Author: Suzanne Park
Genre: YA
Classification: PZ / 813
Pub date: 2021
Acquisition: 9 months ago
Rating: 3.5

Sunny is trying to gain college acceptance and some cash with her YouTube channel. Her school and her parents think she is too invested in marketing herself so they ship her off to a tech detox camp for the summer before her senior year.

I really like Park's books. The characters are sweet, even the side ones, and you end up caring about them all.

That's interesting about Justin Morgan! I actually have an original copy but haven't read it, thinking it was the same one I grew up with...I'll give it a read!

>119 DFED:: I never knew either until I read Lottie Teague's biography on Henry this summer. It's nice and....wet? (I'm not sure what a good word meaning the opposite of dry is; my brain is mush today) and super interesting. I only had the common version until this fall when I saw an original copy available on a facebook group.

Book #: 208
Title: Yours Truly
Author: Abby Jiminez
Genre: Romance
Classification: PS / 813
Pub date: 2023
Acquisition: 1 month ago
Rating: 4

Brianna is a doctor who is finalizing her divorce, living in her mother's old house, and is trying to take care of her brother who needs a new kidney. Jacbo is a new attending who is up for the same job (kind of). Brianna and Jacob don't initially hit it off, but when Jacob apologizes via letter, their relationship starts to improve. Jacob is a match to donate a kidney and needs a 'fake girlfriend' to a family event but how can he separate the two?



Book #: 209
Title: Masters of Equitation on Collecting and Lengthening
Author: Martin Diggle
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 2002
Acquisition: 2 weeks ago
Rating: 4

Diggle collects passages about a certain topic from the masters' other works and puts it into one volume, referencing each. It's a great intro to each topic and is a springboard into other references. I liked the Trot one better than the Collecting one though. I wanted info on extended gaits and all of the references just said collection first to get impulsion but with longer frame and stride. Cool, but I needed more info. Maybe Sally Swift will have better visualizations.

Book #: 210
Title: 101 Eventing Tips: Essentials for Combined Training and Horse Trials
Author: James Wofford
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 2006
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 4

While this seems like a simple little introductory book at first glance, it does contain some in-depth information and helpful hints for more advanced riders. There was a theme throughout (balance in better than accuracy) and there were technical bits too (conditioning set formulas, etc).

Book #: 211
Title: Riding and Jumping
Author: William Steinkraus
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 1969
Acquisition: 7 years ago
Rating: 4

I had to take a break from the dressage tomes.

There are different editions of the same title out there. The first edition of R&J has different photos than the 2nd from 1969. The 2nd edition's photos are of the riders people still talk about. Reflection on Riding and Jumping is a separate, more detailed book from 1991.

Steinkraus is considered one of the best riders the US has ever seen, with classical technique and considerable knowledge and finesse. BTW, aside from being a gold-medal Olympian (riding on the weekends and during vacations), he was a classical violinist and worked in book publishing as his day job. This book was his first collection of thoughts on riding. There is nothing too technical or specific in here, but his general impressions are the basics behind every good rider: have a plan, be prepared, and get a good teacher.

Book #: 212
Title: Outfoxed
Author: Rita Mae Brown
Genre: Mystery
Classification: PS / 813
Pub date: 2000
Acquisition: 14 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Sister Jane is a master of foxhounds in Virginia and is looking to retire soon. Choosing the next master stirs up some hornets nests and a member ends up dead - in the middle of her hunt. Sister needs to find the murderer.

Most of the book is a novel on foxhunting and the lifestyle of Virginians. The murder doesn't even happen until halfway through. It's not a bad thing, but be aware when diving in. The talking animals were tolerable, something I usually hate.



Book #: 213
Title: Winning with Frank Chapot
Author: Frank Chapot
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 1992
Acquisition: 16 years ago
Rating: 3

Frank Chapot is another great in show jumping. The book's current value is in his description of conformation of jumpers and copious amounts of information on walking/riding a course. The bits about how the FEI should allow poling, how exactly to 'punish' your horse, and harsh bits are eye-opening. Never meet your heroes - and never read their books. Yikes.



Book #: 214
Title: The Alchemy of Lightness: What Happens Between Horse and Rider on a Molecular Level and How It Helps Achieve the Ultimate Connection
Author: Dominique Barbier
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 2013
Acquisition: 3 months ago
Rating: 2.5

Jumping from twisted wire bits in the previous book to reading about New Age zen woo-woo was super jarring.

Barbier studied with Nuno, one of the best classical dressage riders. He also studied martial arts. Together with his co-author, Barbier writes about how all you need is intention to ride well, heal any ill being, and alter people across the planet. I am not his audience. I am all about controlling your breathing, being in the moment, etc, but this got way too spacey for me. He emphasized that if you are doing - you either need to stop and just be, or you are just learning the basics. I am just learning the basics. This apparently means that the book is not for me, and I agree. The photos saved it and brought it up from a 1-star read to a 3-star.

Book #: 215
Title: In Service to the Horse: Chronicles of a Labor of Love
Author: Susan Nusser
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 2004
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 4

Nusser follows the grooms of three barns around: stallion grooms at Lane's End, jumping grooms with Anne Kursinski's Market Street, and eventing grooms with the O'Connors. My impressions of certain farms are correct: I'm not sure I'd want to work for Kursinski, the O'Connors will drive you hard but you will learn a lot, and stud farm grooms often start with no experience but end up being great. The best part of the book is that it covers Max Corcoran's start with the O'Connors! Reading about how she frequently messed up and made a somewhat terrible impression on everyone is SO relieving. If she can go from that to the president of the USEA and one of the best grooms around, there's hope for us all.



Book #: 216
Title: Making Your Own Jumps
Author: Mary-Gordon Watson
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 1998
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 4.5

While this has no plans and no information on making show jumps, the information on the earth-works required for cross country obstacles was surprisingly detailed considering this series of 20-some page books focuses on the introductory skills. Most other jump building books give you plans for show jumps; this told you how to rivet steps, tie knots for timber, and reinforce ditches safely.



Book #: 217
Title: Riding the Show-Ring Hunter
Author: Jane Marshall Dillon
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 1974
Acquisition: 7 years ago
Rating: 3

An out-of-date book on riding the hunter classes, but written by one of the best teachers of the era. Dillon writes so clearly; you can tell she must have been an excellent instructor for children. While the showing information might no longer be accurate, the traditions and explanations are.



Book #: 218
Title: The Bit and Reins: Developing Good Contact and Sensitive Hands
Author: Gerhard Kapitzke
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 2004
Acquisition: 13 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Most of the focus is on rein handling in the double bridle and how bits fit and affect the mouth. A few pages at the end detail the Spanish walk. While reading it, I kept dozing off and thinking 'talks much, says little' but somehow a lot stayed with me. I'm glad I read it now instead of when I was doing eventing or hunters.



Book #: 219
Title: The Allen Illustrated Guide to Bits and Bitting
Author: Hillary Vernon
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 1998
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 3

The first half covers the principles of bitting and the second is illustrations of different combinations of cheeks and mouthpieces. Most bitting books don't cover driving bits, but this one does.



Book #: 220
Title: Horse Tack and Saddlery
Author: Dominique Barbier
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 2016
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 2.5

Basic illustrated guide to tack and gear. It was a bit weird to have Prolite pads in the same book as New Zealand rugs with surcingles and not as a historical background. What a weird time period. Bust out the magnifying glass with this one! The font is so tiny, if you lay your finger over the text, you can cover up to 5 lines. It was very uncomfortable.

Book #: 221
Title: The Complete Training of Horse and Rider
Author: Alois Podhajsky
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 798
Pub date: 1967
Acquisition: 1 year ago / reread
Rating: 4

I've been pecking at this for a year during slow times at work. Podhajsky was the director of the Spanish Riding School; he brought it through WWII and was the first to write down the procedures there instead of relying on verbal instruction. He discusses breaking the young horse all the way through the airs above the ground. When I first read this way back in elementary school, it was very dense and intense. Now.... I felt like it didn't contain enough.

Book #: 222
Title: Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club 2011 Directory
Author: Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: SF / 636
Pub date: 2011
Acquisition: 12 years ago
Rating: 3

Directory of members of the KTFM Club from a long time ago - super useful over a decade after I bought it



Book #: 223
Title: Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals
Author: Karen Pryor
Genre: Non-fiction, learning
Classification: 599? / SF
Pub date: 2009
Acquisition: over 14 years ago
Rating: 4

Why is clicker training so effective? One of the pioneers of the field discusses how our brain processes the click, the difference between primary/secondary/tertiary/quaternary reinforcers, why not to poison clicks, and TAGteaching.

While it made me gung-ho in the middle of the book to move immediately onto another clicker book, the last chapter petered out in enthusiasm.

LOL - I have that EXACT same directory! Used to use them all of the time in my old job and figured it wouldn't hurt to keep a copy around...

>128 DFED:: That's what I thought too, but really...I could probably toss it at this point. :( But on the other hand, what if I suddenly leave the emergency veterinary field, grow a working left hand, move to another state, and decide to start a whole new career at the bottom? It could happen, right?

Book #: 224
Title: Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreader, and the Rise of Social Engineering
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Genre: Non-fiction, sociology
Classification: 302 / HM
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 2.5

Sometimes all it takes is just one or two individuals to cause a ruckus (COVID). You can't always tell when something is going to take off (gay marriage). Sometimes you have to hurt an individual to help the cause (preventing white flight). Gladwell covers these with the idea of an overstory that controls most.



Book #: 225
Title: Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Genre: Non-fiction, sociology
Classification: 302 / HM
Pub date: 2021
Acquisition: library
Rating: 3

Making judgements about people quickly is very flawed. Humans are set up to trust people (sometimes to our detriment), but the consequences of NOT trusting people are terrible. Gladwell relates this to policing, spies, and leaders of Ponzi schemes.

I'm not sure why, but when reading these, it seems very disjointed - many little magazine articles collected into a themed book. The reminders about what he talked about a chapter ago are actually needed. I'm not sure if Gladwell has always done this and it is only now bugging me, or if my brain is the thing that changed.

Book #: 226
Title: Kids Riding with Confidence: Fun Beginner Lessons to Build Trusting, Safe Partnerships with Horses
Author: Andrea Eschbach
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2014
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 4

While only 32 pages and mostly pictures, the text is great - it focuses on equine welfare for beginning riding kids. The basics of grooming, mounting, riding the gaits, etc, are briefly covered, but covered while acknowledging the horse's perspective, biology, and psychology.

Book #: 227
Title: Daydream: Maple Hills #3
Author: Hannah Grace
Genre: Romance
Classification: 823 / PR
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: library
Rating: 4.5

Henry and Halle meet at a book club. He needs help with schoolwork and she needs help getting life experiences for her novel. She is dealing with feeling overburdened by people pleasing and he is dealing with not enjoying being a leader.

It was so nice to read a romance with mature characters; there was no 'if they would only have a single conversation, the book would be over' moment. It was blissful. Their relationship built up slowly and wasn't frustrating at all. I think I really like this author.



Book #: 228
Title: Newcomer to the Horse World: How to Do Right by Horses and Not Be Taken for a Ride
Author: Andrea Sinner
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Classification: 798 / SF
Pub date: 2024
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 3

The author is a lawyer who started riding as an adult.

This felt very scattered. It kept referring readers to other parts of the book to the point of distraction. It also seemed to push the author's views on ethical horse care as the only 'correct' view.

I did really like that it pointed out things to watch out for in certain populations: are you super rich? are you watching out for your child? etc