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Post by susanb on Sept 29, 2020 21:53:23 GMT 1
I know, it does get harder as time goes by, doesn't it?
I had a hunt round and found these:
I haven't read either author, but the reviews are good.
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Post by susanb on Sept 29, 2020 22:04:54 GMT 1
One more thought: Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey....I remember liking this, the first in the series, though it's a long, long time since I read it. It's also available as an audible book
It's been around for a donkey's age, so there must be tons of cheap paperbacks out there too
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kunuma doesn'tlovepooboards
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Post by kunuma doesn'tlovepooboards on Sept 30, 2020 11:40:44 GMT 1
Found Moorland Mousie and speed read, also Older Mousie and all the other moorland/new forest pony type old books I had - gets a neutral face due to loving the illustrations but NOT in a mood where I can cope with reading about blood sports. (People dying, many of us never seeing family or friends, and the hunts are out in force racing around the countryside - talk about one law for them and one law for us!)
Anyway, before I get on a rant, I must give a mention to my latest read - found some pony books by a Natalie Reinert - they are American, and very much not my type of book as depict 20 somethings who behave like ten year olds and get given horse farms by parents! However ...........they are a great deal better written than most modern ones and I did actually find the descriptions of the different diseases and weather problems that go with keeping horses over there very interesting.
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Post by garej on Sept 30, 2020 15:25:53 GMT 1
Been as the Summer Reading Challenge has nearly finished I would be grateful if everyone would know here if their address is the same as last year so I can get sending the postcards. Similarly if your address has changed or you don't want to have an postcard plmk.
Apologies for not being able to send rosettes this year. My county is going into local lockdown from 6 pm tomorrow although the buses are running normally it's not worth the risk of venturing into shops. I am on enforced box rest from tomorrow.
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Post by Claire on Oct 1, 2020 13:45:53 GMT 1
Yes Garej, my address is the same as before but don't worry about sending if it's a problem getting out and about.
Susan, thanks for suggestions, I'll check up on them.
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Post by garej on Oct 1, 2020 15:46:08 GMT 1
Thanks Claire. Walking to the postbox isn't a problem as I have been doing postcrossing so it's a case of writing it and shoving the stamp on. Going into shops and dealing with public transport is an different matter entirely especially as the local lockdown is even stricter than before. I cant even ask my parents to do it as they live in a different county to me and you can't even leave your own county unless it's for essential reasons (which this isn't). So it's gonna be hard as I won't be seeing anyone for the next few weeks/months.
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Post by Claire on Oct 5, 2020 18:15:17 GMT 1
My thoughts are with you Garej, and to anyone who won't be able to visit family and friends for the foreseeable future due to lockdown rules. Thankfully we have books to keep us company, and the forum of course! Going back to the Halloween read, I've decided to go with Midnight Magic by Joyce Stranger. It's a nicely written story with a slight ghost horse element, easy to find and cheap in the UK on abebooks and can also be found in the USA at not too prohibitive a cost. Also it can be borrowed/read for free from open library.org. But I will be setting up a dedicated page for it shortly with more info. Susan, thanks very much for your input, I like the look of the books you suggested but feel they are more fantasies than ghostly stories. I am particularly intrigued by The Rose Legacy, possibly a candidate for a fantasy group read some time in the future! Talking of ghost stories, the latest book on my challenge, The Paradise Pony, is about a ghostly horse. It's a good read, though it's aimed at younger readers. So a smiley for that. Will try and get in another one, or possibly two, books before the deadline!
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Post by susanb on Oct 5, 2020 19:08:08 GMT 1
Bleh....when I clicked into the open library link, it said the book is checked out and isn't available for download, only for a 1hr audio borrow. There aren't any copies located in the US on abebooks, ebay or Amazon (there are a few companies that list as though they were in US, but are actually in UK, so the shipping takes weeks), so I'll pass for this year. No worries, I've got piles of other books to get to....I've never been so happy to have a towering tbr pile
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Post by Claire on Oct 5, 2020 20:14:28 GMT 1
Thats a shame as it's a good read. I did check on Amazon.com and it looked like there were copies from the USA. I even put in a US post code to check! Oh well you could always try open library again and see if the book has been checked back in. I do find it slightly odd that open library only allow one person at a time to read a digital book, but perhaps it's some sort of copyright thing.
I actually wanted us to do Circle of Blue this year but I'm still in the middle of house renovations and all my hardback books are packed away and unreachable so I couldn't get to my copy. I'll have to pencil it in for next year.
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Post by susanb on Oct 5, 2020 20:27:55 GMT 1
Circle of Blue by Eleanor Jones? Now that is available in the US....I'll order a copy and be ready for next year!
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Post by garej on Oct 6, 2020 2:32:06 GMT 1
Thanks Claire. Ironically enough if my parents were in the same county as me they would be allowed to visit as I am a single person household and therfore can form an bubble. Yet my friend can visit me if she could. She lives 50 miles away in England (I am in Wales) yet my parents who are only 5 miles away cannot because both counties are in local lockdown. Sheer madness. The local lockdown is even stricter than before with fines being imposed so its not worth it.
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Post by rallycairn on Oct 6, 2020 21:37:29 GMT 1
Hi, everyone! Always think of pony books when autumn and Halloween roll around. I just ordered Joyce Stranger's Midnight Magic, which, from her author page on the ponymad website, looks to be a good one! Perhaps a fall read candidate?
Congrats everyone finishing up the Summer Reading Challenge!
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Post by susanb on Oct 7, 2020 21:42:15 GMT 1
Hope your book comes quickly, rally! The only copies I could find were from places like Awesome Books USA, which is actually based abroad I've used those sellers before, and found them pretty reliable, but slooooowwwww
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Post by Claire on Oct 8, 2020 21:46:39 GMT 1
Hi Rally good to see you around. Yes Midnight Magic is to be our Halloween read this year - dedicated thread can be found hereWhen I post books to the USA they dont normally take more than 2 weeks to arrive, its unusual for it to take much longer. I wonder if they are posting them economy sea post and not airmail. On a similar subject...Just a heads up to the American forumites, but certain categories of parcel sent by the UK Royal Mail have gone up a huge amount lately. This would include smallish to large hardback books, though not paperbacks. So, sadly, you may find it becoming quite expensive to buy hardbacks from the UK.
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Post by garej on Oct 11, 2020 16:12:11 GMT 1
Since the Summer Reading Challenge has officially finished I have to award a FROWNIE award to Scratch. Not because it was a terrible read but because I didn't finish it in time. Though I didn't like a particular word being used (rhymes with duck) as I think it's lazy writing having to resort to that particular word. I have to say had I finished it (got over three quarters through) it would have got an neutral mainly due to use of said word.
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Post by Claire on Oct 11, 2020 19:05:08 GMT 1
Hi all, as Garej said, the Summer Reading Challenge is now officially closed. Well done to all who took part. If you coukd award star read to your favou rite books in the next few days th at would be great.
Although I haven't finished The Secret Pony I will award it a smi ley as its been a good read so far. I will finish it off and may do a review of it.
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Post by garej on Oct 11, 2020 20:34:45 GMT 1
I have managed to finish off the book and had i finished it in time I would have awarded an NEUTRAL. Mainly for the bad word and the violence in it. I like it implied not spelt out.
Claire I will try and get your postcard out this week. Again if anyone would like an postcard plmk. I think everything may be going sea mail rather than by air as 2 postcards that I sent within the last few months haven't been registered on postcrossing.
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Post by garej on Oct 11, 2020 22:42:00 GMT 1
My star read is A Pony For Jean by Joanna Cannan Claire. It's the one I enjoyed the most and you can see where the PTs got their talent from as its a very PTesque story.
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Post by garej on Oct 13, 2020 12:45:09 GMT 1
Claire your postcard got posted yesterday.
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Post by Claire on Oct 15, 2020 20:14:53 GMT 1
Thank you Garej, received my postcard yesterday and it's great. A nice treat in the middle of bills and boring stuff!
Thanks also for adding your star read. A very difficult choice for me as I really enjoyed every book I read but I will go for Land of Ponies. Susan, Tintin, Darkhorse and Kunuma - if you have a chance can you let me know what your star reads were this year?
Thanks again to all who took part, and for Garej for arranging the postcards. It really has been a 'challenge' this year what with everything that has been going on in the world and in our lives. I'm hoping to finish off a couple of the books I missed during the summer in the winter challenge. I hope that folk will join in with that one again this year. In the meantime don't forget the Autumn / Halloween group read.
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kunuma doesn'tlovepooboards
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Post by kunuma doesn'tlovepooboards on Oct 16, 2020 18:21:06 GMT 1
Why on earth does one keep getting these stupid allow cookies things which refuse to let you onto the site until you have filled it all in, EVERY time you go onto a site, even if you filled it all in the day before, and the day before that, and the day before - you get the idea!!!
However, that isn't what I came here for - it was to say that my best book choice would be The Little WHite Horse. I've read most of the Natalie Keller books - and quite enjoyed them - they have weird horse shows over there, seemingly especially for those who only ride round an indoor school!I could have done without the silly romance in all of them - but I'd recommend them for a modern read.
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Post by susanb on Oct 17, 2020 17:00:11 GMT 1
Ponies in Peril, for my star read, please!
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Post by Claire on Oct 17, 2020 20:45:58 GMT 1
Thanks folks for the star read recommendations. Kunuma - you're not alone in hating those cookie acceptance things. Oh for the days before they kept popping up left, right and centre on everything you do online!
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Post by darkhorse on Oct 18, 2020 9:52:15 GMT 1
Ponies in Peril for Star Read for me too.
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