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Post by Claire on Aug 27, 2018 17:28:24 GMT 1
Claire, just pm me the address and I will get it posted as soon as I can. I remembered liking it but not details and I really enjoyed it this time. Stands up very well. Thanks very much, I'm going to hang fire on that for a little while as am in negotiations to buy a huge job lot of children's books and as luck would have it both We Couldn't Leave Dinah & The Mystery Trek are in it!
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Post by ginslinger on Aug 27, 2018 19:42:26 GMT 1
Fantastic. Hope it goes through but just let me know if not.
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Post by susanb on Aug 28, 2018 1:25:27 GMT 1
Good luck on the book lot Claire, hope there are lots of goodies in it!
I started reading Five Proud Riders over the weekend, about half-way through now. Not terrible, but bogs AND thieving gypsies...sigh.
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Post by brumby on Aug 28, 2018 6:26:56 GMT 1
Almost forgot to check in with my last book The perfect horse gets a smiley mainly because of the subject matter, I found the second half a bit of a hard slog, too many people to keep track of and a bit confusing. I understand that the author didn't want to leave anyone out as so many soldiers played a part in the rescuing of the horses. Has anyone else read it, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts?
Hard times here my dear ol' greyhound is really struggling with anxiety, we have had his dementia under control but all of a sudden he has gotten worse. Time to make a hard decision, its never easy...
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Post by susanb on Aug 29, 2018 1:45:23 GMT 1
I'm so sorry to hear about your dog brumby, it's so hard to see a beloved pet suffering, and the alternative is awful too. Hang in there I haven't read The Perfect Horse, though I've got it on my kindle...I did like her 80 Dollar Champion, the biography of Snowman...too bad Perfect Horse was a let down.
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Post by trixiepony on Aug 29, 2018 4:21:45 GMT 1
My rug is all dune now yay now to get back to the books. Mmm file to big.
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Post by ginslinger on Aug 30, 2018 0:11:54 GMT 1
I have stalled on the wool based activity but have found my library books... plodding on...
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Post by Claire on Aug 31, 2018 18:54:43 GMT 1
So sorry to hear about your dog Brumby. It's a sad, distressing time for animal lovers when they get old and infirm. We've all been there before but it never gets any easier.
Have shirked the challenge somewhat lately so will try and get back into the groove! I think quite a few of us have been having a breather. But there's still a month to go so hopefully time for us all to get finished.
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Post by ginslinger on Sept 1, 2018 11:45:34 GMT 1
Yes, I certainly had the equivalent of the long distance runner hitting the wall. I was on safe ground with the early ones, PTs, Peyton, Cummings and the Gregg one was readable..then with stress at work and a couple of adorable new babies to knit for the harder reads have been less appealing. I am now quite enjoying the Coronation now I have found it and remembered what was happening, and I should be ok with the French one as so short though it isn’t riviting. The Orchardist will be a killer. Slow going and tiny print
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Post by susanb on Sept 1, 2018 19:21:31 GMT 1
Finished Five Proud Riders, still trying to decide on a smiley. It rolled along for a while, but it lost it's way in implausible (to say the least) adventure in the end. And, of course, there was the bog. And the tne gypsies. Ok, I've convinced myself .... can I get a neutral, Claire?
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Post by rallycairn on Sept 2, 2018 6:36:14 GMT 1
Started Frog, The Horse Who Knew No Master but decided to set it aside for the excellent and fast reading Morrell trilogy, just to get some momentum going again.
SMILEY please for THE PONY VACATION by Gill Morrell.
So sorry about your dog, Brumby.
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Post by susanb on Sept 2, 2018 17:18:01 GMT 1
Finished The Phantom Trailer, can I get a smiley, Claire? Completely predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless.
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Post by ginslinger on Sept 3, 2018 18:30:17 GMT 1
Smiley for The coronation. Historical fiction not usually my thing but it was quite suspenseful and clever set against the coronation of the last Tsar in Moscow.
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Post by susanb on Sept 4, 2018 2:34:35 GMT 1
Finished Top Kick this morning, still debating on the smiley rating. On one hand, it was a really excellent story of a horse and the training given war horses. On the other, it's very much a product of its time (early 1940s) and there was racial stereotyping in several places that was disturbing.
edited....having slept on it, have made a decision on a smiley....can I get a conflicted, Clare?
And for my star read, an easy choice this year: it's my recommended book (thanks again, garaj), Racing Manhattan
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Post by louise on Sept 4, 2018 8:09:25 GMT 1
Challenge completed. Please can I have a SMILEY face for JACKIE'S PONY CAMP SUMMER? It was a masterclass in how to put your foot in it, but enjoyable all the same. I found WILD WHITE STALLION an easy enough read, but did not like the ending. Therefore, I'll give that a NEUTRAL face. Now to decide on my top read - 3 or 4 books in the running.
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Post by brumby on Sept 5, 2018 1:45:58 GMT 1
Thank you for your kind words, Sadly I had to say goodbye to my dear 13 1/2yo greyhound Gulliver, we had close to 7 years together he was such a gentle kind soul. This is the first time in 58 years I have been dogless, I am going to console myself with more chickens, choosing some lovely breeds now. In the not to distant future will have a place for more greyhounds.
Haven't chosen a star read, seems like ages ago I read the books...
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Post by trixiepony on Sept 8, 2018 11:18:11 GMT 1
mm think Im going to give up with that last book, Heavenly Horses by Mary Stanton, put a didn't like or finish on that one I will keep it for a wile and try again but I'm just not getting in to it. as to the star read mm I will get back to you for that Claire.
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Post by Claire on Sept 8, 2018 16:05:48 GMT 1
Ah I'm so sorry for your sad news Brumby. My heart goes out to you. But you'll have treasured memories of him to help you through the this hard time. I am dog-less (and cat-less) at the moment too and it's a strange feeling. What chickens have you got? I love those little bantams with the fluffy feet. They're such fun.
Thanks for everyone's smilies and star reads. I will update the web page next.
I've managed to get back on track. About a third of the way through Stephen King's Sleeping Beauties, enjoying it so far, though I don't think it's destined to become one of his greats.
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Post by rallycairn on Sept 9, 2018 18:59:04 GMT 1
I'm sorry you had to let Gulliver go, Brumby - it is so hard to lose them.
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Claire, SMILEYS please for PONY TREK and PONY WINTER by Gill Morrell. One book to go for me!
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Post by trixiepony on Sept 11, 2018 11:53:40 GMT 1
I think my star read will be the pony club trek JPT. love that series.
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Post by Claire on Sept 11, 2018 19:36:56 GMT 1
Sorry about the delay in updating the web page. It should now be up to date. Well done to everyone who has finished so far.
Susan - what is The Phantom Trailer about? I'm intrigued by the title.
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Post by susanb on Sept 11, 2018 21:06:58 GMT 1
Hi Claire, Phantom Trailer is the last in a short (only 4 book) juvenile mystery series by Mildred Wirt, the original author of the Nancy Drew books. All four books are about three siblings (2 girls and a boy) on the open road in a trailer (caravan) and the mysteries they solve on the way. Here's a link to a blog that has plot descriptions and cover art: www.series-books.com/mildredwirt/trailerstories.html
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Post by trixiepony on Sept 13, 2018 10:37:25 GMT 1
sounds nice book susanb.
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Post by ginslinger on Sept 13, 2018 22:30:15 GMT 1
Frowned for The Orchardist. Had some good writing but overall the slowest moving book I have read in a long while. I only persisted because I had committed to it in the challenge and it didn’t reward the effort. Just glad I didn’t pay for it and will happily return it to the library. Just the French one to finish now...
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Post by darkhorse on Sept 15, 2018 23:09:55 GMT 1
Kids back to school gave me a chance to finish the Challenge. Smileys for War Horse and The Mystery Trek. War Horse was harrowing at times but it rightly emphasises the role of horses in the war and a happy ending balanced out some of the sadness. Mystery Trek was a good old fashioned pony story. It was a successful Challange for me as I liked all the books I read and finished them all.
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Post by rallycairn on Sept 17, 2018 5:09:17 GMT 1
SMILEY please for FROG, THE HORSE WHO KNEW NO MASTER by S.P. Meek.
And that makes 7 books read, and CHALLENGE COMPLETED!
STAR READ really belongs to the entire trilogy, but if I have to pick one of the three, PONY WINTER by Gill MORRELL.
CONGRATULATIONS to all participants in the challenge, BIG THANKS as always to Claire for setting it up and doing all the work to keep it going.
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Post by tintin on Sept 17, 2018 12:09:36 GMT 1
Smiley face please for:-
Three Jays Over the Border
very brave of Pat Smythe setting a pony book in the troubles (the little written about 1956-63 bout) and she handles it very deftly
Not frightening for kids, but definitely "no children, no" if you are an adult. She obviously the border area very well, she is a particularly good author at landscape.
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Post by Claire on Sept 17, 2018 21:04:07 GMT 1
Thanks Susan for the info. I thought it might be some sort of fantasy judging from the title!
Tintin, I've said it before, but glad there is someone else who likes the Three Jays books, sadly we are in the minority on here. As an added bonus the hardback editions have really nice dustwrapper. I must do a re-read of the series some time. I'm still at a loss as to who recommended the book in the first place as I combed the reading challenge discussion thread and couldn't find out who had come up with it!
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Post by tintin on Sept 20, 2018 10:00:12 GMT 1
lol Claire - the Three Jays are a little bit of an acquired taste
Please could I have a smiley face for:-
Ponies and Caravans
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Post by Claire on Sept 20, 2018 21:58:59 GMT 1
After a lot of humming and hawwing, I have finally gone for a conflicted smilie for Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King. Although easy to read and enjoyable in parts it was rather an odd plot and had some problems. Unlike most of his other books (possibly as this was a joint effort with his son Owen King) it had a bit of a polemic going on; what first appeared to be a rather feminist slant. It actually asked some interesting questions about men and women and what would happen to the world if either sex disappeared. I liked this exploration of the theme, but in the end it had a pretty dreary view of the whole men and women thing. Although it was very down on men and their treatment of women and gave the female sex the moral highground(interesting as the co-authors were both male), the conclusion at the end it seemed to arrive at was that women will always forgive men for their terrible treatment of them and will put up with men's unsavoury aspects rather than do without them. For me this seemed like they were saying yes men are pretty awful and they treat women badly, but women are the stupid ones as they put always up with it. This element, plus a rather unnecessary extremely violent episode near the end of the book, made me reach for the conflicted smiley button.
Well done to Darkhorse and Rallycairn for completing their challenges. The rest of us have only one or two to finish so I think we can all give ourselves pats on the back for doing well this year. I can hardly beleive the challenge (and summer) are almost over for another year!
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