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Post by tintin on Jul 16, 2017 22:17:23 GMT 1
I finished the Last Baronet this morning having started it yesterday morning - I loved it, bombed through it (oh dear - am I too weird?)
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Post by susanb on Jul 16, 2017 22:33:42 GMT 1
Finished Odds Against, (a re-read for me), big smiley, please.
Currently watching The Racing Game dvd....as well done as I remember, but man, the sound on the dvd is spotty at best...I'd forgotten that that was why I hadn't watched it in a while.
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Post by brumby on Jul 17, 2017 0:13:26 GMT 1
smiley for Cross Country Pony Agree the idea of 3 children minding fancy show ponies is preposterous but I thoroughly enjoyed it, mainly because I loved Harold! What a great pony, he brings back fond memories of some of the ponies I rode as a child
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Post by garej on Jul 17, 2017 12:13:33 GMT 1
I have read a bit more of Odds Against. Atm it's shaping up to be a neutral face. It was a frowny face before.
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Post by louise on Jul 18, 2017 21:02:39 GMT 1
Two more books completed. Valegro: Champion horse is a big smiley. What an amazing horse. Not only a great performer, but a genuinely nice chap too. The pictures really make the book. The story highlights the huge team effort of producing a horse of Valegro's class. The book has accounts from many of the people involved in his tale, although oddly not a word from Charlotte Dujardin. These accounts did slightly impact the flow of the story and IMHO a few words from Charlotte at the end would have been the cherry on top. Unfortunately, Save the Ponies is a neutral face. Whilst readable, it was such an implausible story and definitely not one of JPT's better books. As recommended, I am leaving The Last Baronet until nearer the end of the challenge, although Tintin has given me hope. I love Caroline Akrill's other books. Apparently, she is working on a follow-up to her Eventers Dream trilogy. Looking forward to that.
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Post by garej on Jul 19, 2017 0:13:42 GMT 1
I have decided on Foal of the Fjords by Primrose Cumming as one of the additional books. Not quite decided on the other book but probably something by K M Peyton - either Fly By Night/Flambards/one of the books she wrote as Herald.
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Post by susanb on Jul 19, 2017 18:30:43 GMT 1
Finished Drover's Road by Joyce West, smiley please. More a slice of life than a pony book, and a bit episodic, but still a good lazy summer read.
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Post by garej on Jul 19, 2017 20:59:51 GMT 1
I have finished ODDS AGAINST and would give it a SMILEY. Despite a weak start it picked up and I enjoyed in the end. Now to start the dvd.
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Post by Claire on Jul 19, 2017 22:41:51 GMT 1
Hi Garej glad you enjoyed Odds Against in the end. The next 2 books in the series are pretty good - worth a read. I'll update your list shortly. Just let me know when you have chosen your KM Peyton book.
Have updated the web page with smilies and rosettes - well done to all who have earned yellow and blue rosettes and a special well done to Kunuma who is the first to earn a red one!
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Post by garej on Jul 20, 2017 23:38:31 GMT 1
I have started foal of the Fjords. Good so far but then again Primrose Cumming is a gifted author.
Sorry Claire I haven't decided yet on which K M Peyton book to do. Fly by Night is looking pretty strong.
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Post by garej on Jul 21, 2017 13:16:48 GMT 1
Susanb your avatar is broken btw. Unless you want to pay photobucket nearly $400 I suggest you find an alternative.
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Post by kunuma1 on Jul 21, 2017 14:11:13 GMT 1
OK think this is my last one except for the film book combo - Pony Tracks, Remington gets a frownie - not really it's fault, I thought it was a sort of pony trekking one and it wasn't!! However am into book two of the In Times Like These series and loving it - I do love finding a new author!!
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Post by rallycairn on Jul 21, 2017 22:42:23 GMT 1
SMILEY for THE MYSTERY STALLION by Sharon Siamon, please.
I had not remembered that this book is a little like Shelley Peterson lite with so many adventurous things happening in chapter after chapter, and also with the border collie stretching the bounds of credulity (but only a little, not like Peterson's horses who lurve their riders so they pick them up and place them in the saddle!). But still this is clearly a first in a series and you sense the laying out of the characters and setting, so I can overlook the shortcomings a bit. And it was still good! Diving into the second one already.
I really want to read Odds Against, but my copy is in the attic and we are in the midst of a killer heat wave. When that breaks I can go digging around up there without risking heat stroke! And I want to read the book before watching the tv series, though I have that all ready to go.
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Post by brumby on Jul 24, 2017 7:53:50 GMT 1
Unfortunately can only give Penny & Pegasus a neutral face Story started off well, loved the pony club challenges with Mortimer and I really enjoyed the parts in Greece that were about Penny & Pegasus , but the ramblings about monuments in Greece and the gold treasure were so boring I had to skim over some of it I thought I was ready a travel guide! This book was on its way to getting big frown, until Pegasus found the treasure! I may be the odd one out as I think others have enjoyed this book. Claire you may have missed I gave Cross Country Pony a smiley
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Post by garej on Jul 24, 2017 11:45:48 GMT 1
I have finished FOAL OF THE FJORDS and would give it a SMILEY. Lovely evocative writing from a usually superb author. Easily readable too.
Started Flambards. Haven't got very far though but I noticed a difference already between the book and the tv series.
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Post by Claire on Jul 24, 2017 22:45:20 GMT 1
I'm sorry tro hear you didn't enjoy Penny & Pegasus so much Brumby. I really liked it, though as I love travel and travel books I liked that part of it too. On the other hand glad that Garej enjoyed Primrose Cumming's other book, Foal of the Fjords. Its definitely not your run of the mill piny book. You have to give the author kudos for pushing the boundaries of the genre way back in the early days of the pony book, what with fantasies, histories and stories set in unusual countries and yet she also did the traditional pony story really well too. Great author!
I finished Odds Against. A smiley for it, I will add more about it on the film club thread. Unfortunately couldn't start watching the TV series as I was away for a few days and forgot to take the DVD with me. Trouble is now I want to read the next book in the series before getting on with the rest of my challenge books! I'm looking forward to reading The Myetery Stallion as I really like the other Sharon Siamon books I've read, she was a bit of an under-rated author.
Thank god for books cos we are having an atrocious July here in the north of England so hardly been outdoors at all. Its the coldest and wettest I can remember. First time I've known people having to put their heating on in July. One day I needed a pair of gloves! When I did a bit of googling I found out it was only 1 degree off the coldest July day on record in England. Haha I just had to get a weather rant in!!
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Post by susanb on Jul 25, 2017 18:40:34 GMT 1
garaj, thanks for the tip on my broken link! Switched to a forum generic one till I get a chance to upload something better.
Finished A Girl and Five Brave Horses, smiley please. While I'm glad the days of diving horses are long gone, it was a very interesting read about a very different time.
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Post by tintin on Jul 25, 2017 22:55:47 GMT 1
Can I have a smiley face please for:-
First Fence
Good on what being a kid is like and a fascinating mother and daughter team producing ponies
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Post by Claire on Jul 26, 2017 18:57:33 GMT 1
Finished A Girl and Five Brave Horses, smiley please. While I'm glad the days of diving horses are long gone, it was a very interesting read about a very different time. Before I started the chat forum I had never even heard of Diving Horses! Then I heard of, then read, Patsey Gray's excellent Diving Horse which is very informative as well as being a great story. I could hardly believe it actually took place and like Susan, am glad it doesn't go on now, but still it is a fascinating slice of horsy history. It's interesting that there is another story about the subject. Do you know if there are any others Susan, (or anyone else who knows)? Glad there seem to be more smilies than frownies or neutrals so far in everyone's lists. I'm now onto Who Sir Me Sir, having resisted the temptation of Whip Hand (tho I think I will probably read it at some point in the near future.
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Post by ginslinger on Jul 26, 2017 19:14:44 GMT 1
Oh my.I thought diving horses was a typo for driving horses.... intrigued.
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Post by susanb on Jul 26, 2017 20:03:05 GMT 1
Gah! Claire, you had to ask, so of course I had to look, and now I've bought another book!!
Seriously though, I didn't expect to see anything else, but I did find one more book....a children's picture book (only 48pages) called The Girl on the High Diving Horse by Linda Oatman High. The illustrations are by Ted Lewin, and I simply had to have it, I love Ted Lewin's work, and I didn't think he had ever done a horse picture book that he could spread himself a bit in...it's usually just a few black and white illustrations in a chapter book. I've linked to the US Amazon site, because it has the "look inside the book" feature.
A Girl and Five Brave Horses by Sonora Carver is available in the UK cheap on Kindle, worth checking out. I think one of the things that surprised me most was finding out that this was a touring act....it actually went from fair to fair across the country. I had always assumed that it was just in Atlantic City, as part of the amusement attractions on the Steel Pier. This one isn't a children's book, it's autobiographical....Sonora started riding diving horses for Dr. Carver's touring company at the age of 19 and went on for several decades. She married Carver's son, who took over the act after his father died, and went on riding after she was blinded (detached retinas) after an awkward landing with her eyes open.
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Post by Claire on Jul 26, 2017 20:13:15 GMT 1
Lol sorry Susan Thanks for the link. I like Ted Lewin too. Thanks for the info on the Sonora Carver book. Sounds fascinating. I never got round to adding a non-fic on my Challenge list cos I found I already had 11 before I turned round, but I certainly would be interested in reading that one some time.
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Post by susanb on Jul 26, 2017 20:18:17 GMT 1
I was glad you'd put a non-fiction on the list, Claire, because it lit a fire under me to finally read it....it's been in the tbr pile for several years now! I'm reading Lassie now, which I think has lurked in the tbr pile even longer, so the challenge is really working for me this year!
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Post by louise on Jul 27, 2017 22:13:18 GMT 1
A SMILEY for ROSETTES FOR JILL, please - definitely Jill at her very best and worst:-)
Off on holiday on Sunday and 3 of my books are going in the case - just hoping the kids will allow me a little reading time.
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Post by susanb on Jul 28, 2017 1:35:31 GMT 1
Finished Lassie, smiley please!
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Post by rallycairn on Jul 29, 2017 3:08:40 GMT 1
SMILEY please for ODDS AGAINST by Dick Francis. Made some comments in the film/book discussion thread.
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Post by Claire on Jul 30, 2017 16:33:24 GMT 1
Hi all, have just updated everyone's smilies, etc. Well done to all, we've all earned some rosettes now!
Couple of questions:
Susan, what was your verdict on the Racing Game TV series? Smiley/neutral? If you have a chance it would be great if you could also vote/add a comment in the film club section re. the book and film.
Kunuma - sorry if I've asked you before and you have replied, but I've forgotten, you know what I'm like - but are you going to do one of the films?
Garej - have you decided on your extra book yet?
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Post by susanb on Jul 31, 2017 1:18:20 GMT 1
Love, love, love The Racing Game. In fact, it's what led me to Dick Francis...I first saw the mini-series, and watching the credit crawl, I found that there were BOOKS! I raced to my town library to find that they had ALL of them....woo hoo! Treasure trove! Off to vote now, will comment asap!
Still trying to decide if my elbow is up to one more physical book, and if so, which one.....will decide soon...I'm on my last book now :-(
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Post by garej on Jul 31, 2017 1:24:53 GMT 1
I have started on Flambards Claire.
I have taken the liberty of ordering rosettes for anyone who wants one as a way of saying well done. I haven't received them yet and they are random colours. I won't be sending them out until the challenge is over however. I will get pictures once I receive them.
I will say one thing that of course it involves giving out your address so if anyone is under the age of 16 please ask permission from your parent or guardian. I don't want to get Claire into bother from an irate parent. (I don't think we have any under 16s but just in case I thought I would say it) Also I don't need your address yet so please don't pm me yet. I am happy to send worldwide.
To make life easier and because it's come out of my own pocket I will send out colours randomly though if you're male I will not send out a pink rosette!
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Post by garej on Jul 31, 2017 14:59:46 GMT 1
Finished FLAMBARDS and would give it a SMILEY. Although I have read it before it was a number of years ago so I wasn't too sure which parts were made up for tv and what was in the book.
I am not sure if to add another 3 books to make it up to 10 if Claire will let me. The Silver Eagle Riding School looks tempting. I tried to read it many years ago but failed.
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