May has been a wonderful reading month. The bookworm in me is overjoyed at the variety of genres, the number of people who have reached out to me, and the positivity that has been shared. Big thank you, everyone.
It has been a month of equestrian living for sure, and my goodness has the horsey book community been wonderful!
If you missed last month’s list…click here!
The Books
Independent Authors
Appaloosa Summer
Tudor Robins
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Length: 246 pages
First Published: 2019
Synopsis:
16-year-old Meg suffers a tragic disaster during a show, where her brave thoroughbred drops dead mid-jump leaving her grieving for the first time and her summer now free and open. She ends up taking up work at a friend’s B&B on an island, a change of scenery, a job, and the possibility to overcome her suffocating grief.
Jared, an islander and cattle farmer knows loss after recently losing his father in a tragic accident. after chance brings Jared and Meg together, that and a dusty old appaloosa, both of their summers end up completely different from what they could have imagined.
Review:
See the full review here!
Rating:
Emily Edwards Equestrian Extraordinaire
Laura Holt-Haslam
Genre: Children’s
Length: 276 pages
First Published: 2022
Synopsis:
Emily Edwards is bright for her age. She has read all the books the local library has on horses – not just the kid books either, but all the adult books on horsemanship, riding disciplines, and Kentucky Derby winners. She has the knowledge of horses but has never actually ridden a horse. That is until she wins an essay competition to join an Equestrian Adventure camp for a week in summer!
Review:
See the full review here!
Rating:
The Hush Society Presents
Izzy Matias
Genre: Coming of Age
Length: 280 pages
First Published: 2021
Synopsis:
A nostalgic coming-of-age tale that navigates the awkward unknown between high school and university, following passions and family relationships. Set in the UK, the book follows Cameron, a teenager on the cusp of going to university to follow his parent’s ideas of what he should do in his life. However, Cameron has other ideas after meeting Cassie and her music project The Hush Society. The last summer between high school and university quickly turns into a summer of gigs, friendship, personal development, and moral dilemma…
Review:
See the full review here!
Rating:
The Other Books
Fludd
Hilary Mantel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 186 pages
First Published: 2010
Synopsis:
Featherington 1956. A stranger in a storm throws the congregation and holy order of Fetaherington into disarray.
He is the curate sent by the bishop to assist Father Angwin-or is he?
In the most unlikely of places, a superstitious town that understands little of romance or sentimentality, where bad blood between neighbors is ancient and impenetrable, miracles begin to bloom.
Review:
Quick-witted, theological, and relatable. Fludd is the kind of novel you need to read to break up the mundanity of work-life, adding a little bit of wit to the question of whether or not there is a God. There are some really good questions brought up in this book that are answered in several enjoyable ways so is definitely worth a read to people questioning faith as well as people who want a nice break. My only issue is that I kept losing the idea it was set in the 1950s.
Rating:
Where the Bluegrass Grows
Laurie Berglie
Genre: Romance
Length: 186 pages
First Published: 2016
Synopsis:
Tired of her life in Maryland, Molly packs her bags and heads west to Lexington, Kentucky, where she’ll spend the summer with her best friend, Macy. Molly’s looking forward to riding horses, doing a little writing, and taking a break from her love life. But then she meets Beau Bridges, a handsome horse vet who steals her heart and turns her world upside down.
Review:
The main character is called Molly – this definietly took some getting used to, as many of my friends call me Molly. It is a story of rediscovering oneself whilst falling passionately in love. It’s not too linear and has some twists and turns to keep it interesting.
Rating:
The Paris Apartment
Lucy Foley
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Length: 360 pages
First Published: 2022
Synopsis:
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better in Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.
Review:
Disappointed by this one, not going to lie. After experiencing the Guest List, I was so excited to finally get a copy of The Paris Apartment. I lost interest midway through but continued to read it in hope that my interest would be peaked again. Great premise, a nice variety of characters just didn’t hit the mark for me.
Rating:
Grabbing Mane
Natalie Keller Reinert
Genre: Equestrian
Length: 364 pages
First Published: 2020
Synopsis:
Casey Halbach’s life was perfectly adequate. Good friends, loving boyfriend, decent job: she had it all. So why did she feel like she was missing something? And was that something actually a part of her life she’d already given up?
When Casey finds herself back at the stable where she learned to ride as a child, she impulsively decides a fresh riding lesson is exactly what she needs to liven up her life. She never could have expected just how lively her life was about to become.
Review:
A book that doesn’t have to choose between horses or the real world. It has a bit of everything, rediscovery, romance, horses, friendships – the balance between horse life and normal life.
Rating:
Please keep the suggestions coming in!
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