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Post by kunuma1 on Jul 16, 2019 15:54:36 GMT 1
The Thirteenth Horse and A Pony for Free, get meh - well I suppose I will give them tentative smileys as they are not unpleasant, just rather like all modern pony books really, and not something you are going to be rereading again, never mind rereading 50 years later as I do many of the old pony books! I just have a saddle club one left, read two last night and couldn't decide whether to review a terrible one or a slightly less terrible one !! LOL
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Post by Claire on Jul 16, 2019 23:13:19 GMT 1
Apologies I thought that was just 1 book not 2 !! More info on these please as I'm quite partial to an occaisional sci-fi read. Well at last the weather has improved up in t'north and it seems more like a Summer reading challenge than a winter one! I've been distracted by reading other non-pony books for a few days and am now wondering what book to read next for the challenge. C J Cherryh is probably my favourite SCi fi writer, and the one I read for escapism, even more than say Heinlein or Asimov. She was obviously a horse lover! The horses in her fantastic Morgaine Cycle books are real horses, but these are from the world of Nighthorses, so not so real!! If you like strong heroines, no stupid romance and horses, try the 3 Morgaine Cycle books - mine have fallen to pieces from reading! Thanks Kunuma will DEFO try those books ! Tintin - cannot for the life of me remember the black baby part! But then I never did have the best memory.
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Post by Claire on Jul 17, 2019 11:05:42 GMT 1
Hi folks have updated the web page. Kunuma - have you decided on which Saddle Club book you're reading yet?
I'm giving a big smiley for Dark Horse by Patience McElwee, in fact the book really is a 'dark horse' as its been lurking for a while and I didn't think it would be as good as it was. Full of humour, warmth and some great characters, including a truly horrific social climbing grandmother. Not the usual storyline, it keeps you wondering what's goiing to happen next. I'll try and make time to do a full review on this as I feel it is a 'hidden jewel' type of book. Will definitely be a candidate for my star read and has made me want to find the author's other two books now. Has anyone ever read any of her books before?
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Post by susanb on Jul 18, 2019 0:11:47 GMT 1
Hi Claire, yes, I've read all of Patience McElwee's books and enjoyed the lot. They're coming out as ebooks in September, if you have trouble finding hard copies.
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Post by kunuma1 on Jul 19, 2019 18:48:11 GMT 1
Hi folks have updated the web page. Kunuma - have you decided on which Saddle Club book you're reading yet? I'm giving a big smiley for Dark Horse by Patience McElwee, in fact the book really is a 'dark horse' as its been lurking for a while and I didn't think it would be as good as it was. Full of humour, warmth and some great characters, including a truly horrific social climbing grandmother. Not the usual storyline, it keeps you wondering what's goiing to happen next. I'll try and make time to do a full review on this as I feel it is a 'hidden jewel' type of book. Will definitely be a candidate for my star read and has made me want to find the author's other two books now. Has anyone ever read any of her books before? Have picked out Summer Rider - written by Catherine Haptha I think. Will read it tonight!
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Post by rallycairn on Jul 21, 2019 1:05:59 GMT 1
The Mandrake I'm afraid gets a neutral but was very close to a frowny. This was a reread and I think I found this book even more annoying the second time, it scrapped a neutral cause I loved all the ponies, But Lesley did my head in, what a nasty thoughtless pot hunting individual. She seemed to care more about winning than her beautiful ponies. Her thoughts on Bellamy made my blood boil, always saying she was ugly. I'm afraid I found it very annoying, so far the only book I haven't liked by this author, would be interested to know if anyone else felt this way about this book? I haven't read The Mandrake but I found myself skimming much of Sabre, the Horse from the Sea because I thought the heroine, who got lots of help and support from countless others, was a selfish beeyotch. Her cousin only wanted to befriend her -- the protagonist spurned her overtures and scorned her, and really many people she thought she was oh-so-superior to. She had no compunction kind of using the trainer and jockey-pilot for free care and training for Sabre, and she knew full well she was stealing someone else's horse the whole time. Uggh, really couldn't stand her. There was a slight hint of self-centered and stuck on herself traits, but well tempered with other good qualities, in Christina of the Flambards books, imo. Especially in the last two books.
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Post by haffyfan on Jul 21, 2019 15:19:22 GMT 1
I didn't think I'd read the mandrake, however looking at the thread on it I have so it was clearly very unmemorable!
Please can I have a smiley for A Horse Called Ambition. It was a bit busy,or maybe it's because I've been very tired and found focusing on it hard, characters whose lives intricately link and also with quite a few unnecessary sub plots, not to mention an obligatory happy ending all round! Looks like there is a follow up so I will probably read it at some point. Interestingly it seems to be set in 2012/13 and is already feeling pretty dated!
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Post by trixiepony on Jul 23, 2019 10:56:15 GMT 1
Calling on Dragons gets a Smilly face Claire, it was a fun read, Killer was funny, Killer is the Rabbit / blue flying donkey. i was telling you all about. Its in a enchanted kingdom the Wizards how are the bad gyes in this set off storys have stollen the enchanted forest Kings enchanted sword. yes there is a quest involved. Now what too read next.
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Post by Claire on Jul 24, 2019 11:10:30 GMT 1
That does sound Fun Trixie, if a trifle weird!
Well I'm now tackling Mr Galliano's Circus by Enid Blyton. It has some horse content though more of a general animal and (of course) circus story. It's a real blast from the past for me as haven't read this since I was about 10 or 11!
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Post by ginslinger on Jul 24, 2019 18:31:38 GMT 1
I haven't got very far due to the fact I have been on holiday. Was too busy to get reading done. Ginslinger I reviewed A Place With Two Faces on my Pullein Thompson blog several years ago. I enjoyed it even though it's quite a departure from JPT's usual style. I read you blog when I saw this and agreed with you a lot. It certainly would have been a shock if I had picked it up asa preteen because of the name so not surprised she used a nom de plume. Certainly darker than the detective fiction despite the murders - adult things in those are dealt with more obliquely or just alluded to this is more explicit. JPT is the most technically accomplished writer of the sisters probably and I think it is a shams she didn’t write more fore adults. smiley for Murder in the Mill Race. A solid if not earthshaking late golden age detective. Smiley for Spanish Steps though I think it a miracle the donkey survived given Tim Moore’s complete lack of affinity for animals. I just hope there is a degree of exaggeration for comic effect. It was interesting and funny though. Conflicted about Three Days Running. Suspect the qualities that made Wilcox successful also make her rather unsympathetic. Certainly some of her training methods are shocking and she has an odd idea that her horses to understand their lifestyle was dependent on submission to her implacable will which is not something I think is likely. I think I may have read the original in youth..one anecdote rang a bell but it has been updated to rather frank details of her sex life which would have not passed the school librarian!
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Post by brumby on Jul 25, 2019 0:14:50 GMT 1
Interesting I had trouble logging in, tried few times and eventually success!
Big Smileys for Jump to the stars and The difficult summer in my opinion so far Gillian Baxter can't write a bad book, although some people weren't very taken with Tan and Tarmac I liked it. I thoroughly get lost in her books, when the characters are walking along a bridle path then galloping up the hillside I am totally there, makes me want to jump on a horse and go for a ride.
Looking forward to the next three Gillian Baxters
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Post by kunuma is here on Jul 25, 2019 15:19:18 GMT 1
The Saddle Club book gets a generous neutral face, pony story it is not, and the idea that the "overwork" involved in going riding at a camp and reading books at the same time is somehow damaging to the psyche, is I suppose at least in line with today's youth!! LOL
Bet you at least are happy with this weather Claire!! Needless to say I'm longing for the winter, having fastasies of moving to the Antarctic,and generally not enjoying it!! Had to sit in a half hour traffic jam in baking heat this morning too - not fun!
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Post by ginslinger on Jul 25, 2019 18:09:50 GMT 1
Smiley on whole for Galloping across a Cornish Summer. Some of the characters aren’t introduced very well ( although this is first in this series some featured in a different story I discovered and it felt like the author had forgotten that a new reader wouldn’t get back storyJ. In many ways it is an old school pony story in a modern setting. Couple of things jar - a pony club camp with less regard to H&S than in old school books and some of the dialogue clunks. The poor child veers from “cor blimey” dropped aitches to saying cake is “awfully good” it is a bit more class obsessed than you would expect. Anyway mostly enjoyable.
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Post by Claire on Jul 26, 2019 13:03:31 GMT 1
Hi folks am enjoying reading your comments. I’m on second book of the Galliano circus trilogy and finding it better than I thought it would be.
Must apologise in advance for not being able to update the Challenge web page for a few days - this is due to technical problems ie my laptop charger has konked out and I’m waiting for another one to be delivered!
Interesting to hear that folk have had troubles logging in (again) as it wouldn’t even let me log in on a windows laptop or my kindle fire tablet but I did get in on my trusty iPhone. So I’d you are having probs and have an iPhone try using that. It’s annoying I only wish I could export the whole forum to a different forum provider as Pooboards really is dreadful.
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Post by susanb on Jul 26, 2019 16:47:30 GMT 1
Hi Claire,
Can I get a frowny/didn't finish for Belladonna by Mary Finn? It's fiction, but incorporates one real person: George Stubbs. When I picked it up, I thought "cool, this will be great!". Unfortunately, it's got a lot of very explicit descriptions of him dissecting a horse for anatomical study. I literally cannot stomach any more, and I really skimmed those passages.
Otherwise the story and characters are a bit flat, so there is nothing to warrant the trauma of reading the bits about pulling a horse apart. Actually, if I could get a puking emoji, that would work too.
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Post by Claire on Jul 27, 2019 12:11:00 GMT 1
Oh dear that does sound a bit grim Susan. Shame, because, like you say, the idea of Stubbs appearing as a character in a fictional story sounds intriguing. I'll try and find a pukey face just for you lol.
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Post by susanb on Jul 27, 2019 14:34:39 GMT 1
Thanks, Claire! I got a bit better than halfway through, and really wish I'd stopped sooner Can I get a smiley for Race the Wind? Not up to the standard of One Dollar Horse, the mystery inserted wasn't really developed or particularly convincing, but after the trauma of Belladonna, it was a nice, quick, enjoyable read On to High Stepper now, so back on track!
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Post by haffyfan on Jul 27, 2019 20:24:18 GMT 1
That sounds really grim Susan! I'm doing very badly as got distracted again and been reading books not on my list. Going to try and be strong and start one when i finish my current read.
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Post by ginslinger on Jul 28, 2019 10:45:50 GMT 1
I am not sure I wouldn’t prefer a graphic dissection of a horse to the graphic descriptions of Sheila Wilcox’s sex life.
Anyway huge smiley for Gemma Hogg’s Stable Lass. I am not especially into racing but this was a really good read, informative and funny. It is certainly a tough life.
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Post by darkhorse on Jul 29, 2019 10:53:37 GMT 1
A big smiley for Rebel Pony please. I really enjpoyed that one even if it is a bit tame compared to all the sex and gore in everyone else's books
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Post by haffyfan on Jul 29, 2019 20:48:32 GMT 1
Can i have a smiley for Horses and Challenges at Bracken. Quite a few loose ends were left so i'm assuming there will be another coming out soon?
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Post by ginslinger on Jul 30, 2019 5:03:54 GMT 1
Can i have a smiley for Horses and Challenges at Bracken. Quite a few loose ends were left so i'm assuming there will be another coming out soon? There is but I forget the title.
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Post by trixiepony on Jul 31, 2019 6:01:21 GMT 1
I will have a smiley face for I rode a Winner please Claire, It was a lovely story, one off my childhood favourites.
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Post by trixiepony on Jul 31, 2019 6:04:55 GMT 1
Wow Im powering throw mien, only got 2 morse too read and I will have the challenge dune, Tuch wood, I have probably jinked myself know.
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Post by rallycairn on Aug 1, 2019 1:57:33 GMT 1
NEUTRAL please for THE LOST BIRTHDAY PRESENT.
Delightful Paul Brown illustrations, of course, and praise to it for being basically a really long children's young children's book -- the length is a bit unusual for the level of reader it is aimed at, I think. So it could have been a very special book to kids, especially when it was new. But the story is pedestrian in the extreme, and even giving it a break for the time period in which it was written (1950s), I didn't care for the plot and the whole attitude/approach of the grandparents.
Grandmother wants to find the perfect special present for the grandkids while grandparents are traveling on a long vacation. They are from the east coast of the US and are traveling out west. The kiddies get lots and lots of presents, but still must have the perfect "special" present. When they arrive at a ranch in the southwest, Grandma finds it -- a miniature burro, Tiny Timmie. But it's not for sale -- that is, until Grandma gets to pleading and of course she gets her way. Supposedly because the burro loves kids, and the ranch owners have none, and the burro is to be a present for kids, so his owners are willing to sell him so he can be around kids.
Except, the burro will live on the grandparents' farm -- the children don't live on a farm, and it's all explained that their birthday occurs during a planned visit to their grandparents. So much for Tiny Timmie getting loved on by kids! He would probably see a lot more children at the guest ranch where he comes from! There is just this whole paternalistic assumption going on that made me squirm -- grandparents want the burro, they are going to get the burro, they have no problem sending an animal used to the arid southwest to the northeast (can we say cushing's and laminitis?) just because the kiddies just have to have lots and lots of prezzies plus a special one, too -- gag!
And all that's just the setup -- the title pretty much lets you know what the crux of the plot is going to be.
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Post by brumby on Aug 1, 2019 4:58:47 GMT 1
Big smileys for The perfect horse and Love & horses at Bracken I think Gillian Baxter has done a great job with love & horses... it didn't read like something that was written years later.
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Post by ginslinger on Aug 2, 2019 0:09:50 GMT 1
I found I rode a winner upsetting as a child and still upsetting as an adult. Maybe being pony less I didn’t like stories where the girl loses the pony. I felt similarly about Dream of Fair Horses. The girls seemed so vulnerable.
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Post by ginslinger on Aug 2, 2019 0:11:34 GMT 1
Oh and big smiley for Miss Pam disposes. Very well written, witty and thought provoking. The best of her booksI hav3 read - though I enjoyed th3m too.
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Post by haffyfan on Aug 2, 2019 16:38:12 GMT 1
Can i have a conflicted smiley for bareback please.
Bit of an odd one, not completely terrible writing, jumps around a bit, but i am assuming the author knows pretty much bugger all about his subject, which is frustrating to say the least!
I couldn't quite fathom the era it was set in until near the end when it mentioned previous Badminton winners and fences so dated it post 1997.
As it was partially set in America and partially UK this may not have helped, is train travel still relatively common for horses over there? This for one initially made me think it was set in the earlier days of eventing, and would have some way gone to explain how basically a beginner, on a horse that cost about a £1000 pounds, quite rapidly qualified for Badminton. It just didn't tie in with the modern eventing world at all so i'm now assuming the author was pretty clueless! Another with all 5 star reviews too!
There appears to be a sequel...
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Post by susanb on Aug 2, 2019 19:47:07 GMT 1
Smiley, please, for The Horse is Never Wrong. Has anyone read Fortune's Fool?
Also, totally off topic, has anyone read Murder at Morrington Hall by Clara McKenna? It got a good review in the current issue of Mystery Scene Magazine
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