Amish Horse Whisperer is a short and sweet novella that heavily features horses. Elizabeth Glick had two close friends in life. Paul and David. David she fell in love with and married. Whilst Paul went on a trip away, David looked after Paul’s heavily pregnant mare, Irma.

When Irma gives birth, David has an inkling that something is wrong and goes out in the freezing weather to tend to the pair. Elizabeth is against the idea, knowing it to be too cold out. And yet David goes and assists the pair, saving the foal’s life. The result is that David’s life is lost due to developing pneumonia.

As Elizabeth battles with the loss of David, Paul comes to her aid consistently. He has made a promise to David that he will look after the woman they had both grown to love.

Amish Horse Whisperer is a good mix of horses, romance and the Christian faith. Unfortunately, there were a few things that detracted from the read for me. The tense consistently changed and some sentences didn’t flow very well, making the story at times confusing.

I have read quite a few Amish novels and am learning the non English phrases as they come along. Some are easy to work out in context such as Gotte being God and gut being good. Unfortunately, although unfamiliar terms were easy to understand in other novels that I have read, this was not the case in this novella. The author could improve this by not assuming that all non English words are self explanatory. Weaving definitions into the story would really help.

I am someone who loves horse novels that are educational and correct. There was reference to David’s character giving the foal mouth to mouth to save its life. This is incorrect – horses cannot breathe through their mouth. Technically speaking, it should have said mouth to nose. Aside from these issues, the story is a quick and nice read.

Author – Esther Weaver
Fiction – adult
In my library – Indeed it is as a Kindle version!
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Morning Glory is the third book in the North Oak series by Ann Hunter. Alex is finding herself fitting in with the Showman family and she’s just starting to feel like she could belong. With an unusual sense of anticipation for a family Christmas, Alex is dragged shopping with Laura Showman, her honorary sister.

Whilst out, the girls get into an amusing debate about Santa Claus. As they continue the heated discussion, Laura gets distracted whilst driving and there is an accident. When Laura’s future health looks grim, Alex finds herself wracked with guilt. Add to this the fact that the Showmans seem to only have eyes for their ailing daughter, and Alex questions how she could have gotten her hopes up about belonging in the family.

As Alex is questioning where she fits into the scheme of things at North Oak, Brooke is determining what she wants for her own future in racing. When she is asked to ride for another trainer, she is rapt at the opportunity to make some of her own connections. The filly that she rides – Morning Glory – sweetens the deal, too. Brooke is in love and determines to purchase the filly when she comes into some unexpected money.

Unfortunately, Morning Glory is well named and so Brooke struggles to work out what can make the filly perform like she knows she can.

Morning Glory is a great exploration of North Oak’s three teenage girls and their own battles in life. They are human and flawed and can all do with a little grace at times. The third book in the series is an interesting follow on from the first two and introduces readers to a new character who looks like he could be sticking around. Worth the read.

Author – Ann Hunter
Fiction – teen
In my library – Indeed it is as a Kindle version!
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This book is a short read with a lot of pictures to help emphasise points. For those interested in the varying colours of the horse and a little of the genetics, then this book is worth viewing. The cover easily identifies the topic of horse colours, with a beautiful photo utilised on it. Horses: Pictures and Fun Facts about Horse Colors looks into common coat colours like bay, black, grey, chestnut and brown.

It also explores the colours cremello, perlino, champagne, varying roans and appaloosa and pinto markings and colouring. In total, twenty three different colours are explained, with pictures to further educate readers.

After exploring these colours, Mel Jeffreys provides information about the meaning behind dilution colours and base colours. For those who are interested in learning more, a link to further read about horse genetics is provided within the text.

The book is finished with a diagram of the horse and its points. In this way, readers are able to identify different areas of the horse.  This helps for points that are referred to within the text, when describing varying colours.

Horses: Pictures and Fun Facts about Horse Colors is a short, simple read for anyone interested in further exploring horse colours. The text is to the point and backed up with plenty of photos.

Author: Mel Jeffreys
Non Fiction – any age group
In My Library? Indeed, I downloaded it for free on Amazon.
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“He’s of the colour of the nutmeg. And of the heat of the ginger…. he is pure air and fire; and the dull elements of earth and water never appear in him, but only in patient stillness while his rider mounts him; he is indeed a horse, and all other jades you may call beasts.” ― William Shakespeare

The eighth book in the Saddle Club series by Bonnie Bryant is titled Horse Show. In this novel, Carol, Stevie and Lisa are excited to learn about their horse riding instrutor’s trip to the American Horse Show in New York. They are dying to go.  So together they hatch a scheme to be able to attend with Max and his mother Mrs. Regnery.

One of Max’s former students – Dorothy DeSoto – is competing there on her beautiful gelding Topside. Carol, Stevie and Lisa are amazed to find themselves able to go along to New York and see behind the scenes of the show as well as the competition itself.

The three girls, otherwise known as the Saddle Club are rapt to find they also have time to visit the sites in New York. They even get a chance to go riding in Central Park. It’s whilst out riding that Lisa comes across a young man on a runaway horse. It’s obvious he has no idea how to ride. What isn’t obvious at first glance, is who he is.

The three girls are all familiar with teen heartthrob Skye Ransom. And so Lisa is amazed to find that it is Skye who has fallen off an out of control horse. This is more surprising when he is supposed to be a proficient rider and horse riding in a film that is being made in New York!

When the girls realise Skye’s dilemma they decide that helping Skye learn how to ride – in three days – is definitely a project for the Saddle Club! Alongside this, they also enjoy sight seeing and attending the American Horse Show. Unfortunately, when a fall at the horse show spooks Skye away from riding for good, the girls know their work is cut out for them. Horse Show is an entertaining read full of horse facts and fun.

Author: Bonnie Bryant
Fiction – pre and early teenage years.
In My Library? It is!  I recently added it to the series after a gift from Paypal!
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Young Evy has an unusual gift as is shown in Winter of the Crystal Dances. Living a secluded life with her mother, she is able to take advantage of her fascination with local mustangs. The animals are struggling to keep weight on and survive in the cold weather. Evy doesn’t know this solely through observation, she can hear the mustangs. Hear what they are thinking and communicating to each other. She can also feel their emotions – like they are her very own.

After a short conversation with her mother about what she experiences, Evy concludes it is easier to hide her gift. What isn’t so easy, is explaining how she knows where the mustangs are or what they’re experiencing at times. Like the time one of the young mustangs was attacked and Evy knew she needed to save it; needed to brave the cold winds and snow to bring it home.

With the rescue of a beautiful buckskin filly, Evy feels incredibly excited and proud about her new acquisition. In time she is able to treat the wounds the filly received in her attack. What Evy can’t treat is the filly’s fear and anger. Although Evy can feel everything the filly is experiencing, she cannot work out a way to show that she isn’t the enemy, but instead a friend.

Winter of the Crystal Dances shows how a young girl has to decide between her love for a horse – and the desire to keep it – and the need to release it back into the wild to its family. The first in the Whinnies on the Wind series, this book is an interesting read and sure to draw the imagination of pre-teens and early teens. It’s a great start to the series by Angela Dorsey.

Author – Angela Dorsey
Fiction – teen
In my library – That it is as a Kindle version!
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