Recent and Upcoming Horse Books

So, I am a compulsive buyer when it comes to horse books. I go to used book stores and if I find children or YA horse books that are (very) cheap and sound remotely interesting, I buy them. I also check Amazon frequently, though thanks to having three real horses to feed (and being relatively cheap in general), I am less likely to buy new books online.

However, I do tend to keep lists of new series / individual books that catch my interest, and I figure since none of my friends give a flying fart, you all can share in my discoveries. Maybe I'll read a few of them for the blog, maybe not, but maybe you all out there might find a diamond in the many horse turds.

Recent Releases:

Released July 14, 2014
Headed for the Win
by Rachael Eliker

Available on Kindle, a girl and her horse switch bodies.

A GIRL AND HER HORSE SWITCH BODIES. I need this book in my life. This is the only book this author has written.

Released November 9, 2014
Roll the Dice (Bittersweet Farm Book 9)
by Barbara Morgenroth

Available on Kindle and older books in paperback, obviously a long running series that flew under my radar. Sounds like a series full of delicious drama, might be worth checking out. The author has a stable full of horse books, check them all out here:
Author page

Released November 20, 2014
Nothing But Horses (Shamrock Stables Book 3)
by Shannon Kennedy

Available on Kindle and in Paperback, I've read none of these books, but it seems each has a different main character, so maybe chronology isn't a huge concern. Others in the series are:
1. No Horse Wanted
2. No Time for Horses

Released November 22, 2014
JUMP GIRL (The Go Girls Chronicles Book 2)
by Leigh Hutton

Available on Kindle and in Paperback, part of a series focusing on girls in sports, not strictly horses. This book sounds banana-balls, it sounds like it's trying to be every genre. The first book in the series here:
1. Rev Girl

Released December 2, 2014
A Hoof in the Door (Eventing Trilogy Book 2)
by Caroline Akrill

Available on Kindle, again I haven't read any of this ongoing trilogy, but it sounds like the main character is really riding the struggle bus, so maybe it would be worth a look. The first book in the series here:
1. Eventer's Dream




Future Releases:

Releases December 15, 2014
Showdown (Red Rock Ranch Book 2)
by Brittney Joy

It seems there are far fewer rodeo centric horse books than show jumping and dressage, which is interesting considering the drama on the rodeo circuits easily rivals the English disciplines. First book here:
1. Lucy's Chance

Releases December 30, 2014
Star Rise (Horses of the Dawn Book 2)
by Kathryn Lasky

One of those stories told from the animal's point of view that really became popular again after the Warriors series took off, the author has written a few other similar series about wolves and dogs. Book one here:
1. The Escape
Author page

Releases April 21, 2015
Stormbound (The Guardian Herd Book 2)
by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez

Marketed directly towards fans of Warriors and Kathryn Lasky's books, this fantasy series follows pegasus politics... I guess? Not really my thing, but it does sound more unique than some. First book here:
1. Starfire

Releases March 1, 2015
A Horse for Kate (Horses and Friends Book 1)
by Miralee Ferrell

Releases June 1, 2015
Silver Spurs (Horses and Friends Book 2)

New Christian horse fiction series. I don't generally pick on religion, but these sorts of books tend to be easy targets. I may have to check these out.



Marguerite Henry's Ponies of Chincoteague
by Catherine Hapka

5. A Winning Gift - Releases July 7, 2015
4. Moonlight Mile - Releases April 28, 2015
3. Chasing Gold - Released November 4, 2014
2. Blue Ribbon Summer - Released July 8, 2014
1. Maddie's Dream - Released July 8, 2014

Described as a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague. This series is on my buy list, may be review material.



Marguerite Henry's Misty Inn 
by Kristin Earhart

2. Buttercup Mystery - Releases June 16, 2015
1. Welcome Home! - Releases June 16, 2015

Described as a chapter book series inspired by Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague. What the devil is going on with all the Marguerite Henry stuff? Amazon is also listing like ALL her books in new Hardcover additions...
Well, these will most likely be on my buy list / potential review list as well, because why the hell not?


 

Any other recent / upcoming books that I missed? Please share in the comments!

Watching She-Ra

Claire, who has contributed her comedic take on horse books and various Thoroughbred series installments around here, is taking on She-Ra (yes, you heard me, the whole series) on Tumblr: Watching She-Ra.

Go.

Upcoming: The Cup

So this has been out in Australia for all of five seconds, and I have no idea when it's wandering over to the US. Still, it looks promising in a Champions sort of way.

Upcoming: more fun in the YA department

My Favorite Mistake: An A-Circuit Novel
March 13, 2012

Tommi, Zara, and Kate are all elite riders on the A Circuit. Tommi, the billionaire heiress, is training a young horse to prove she can make horses a real career. But when her new beau, Alex, convinces her to skip a horse show to party in the Hamptons, the results could be disastrous. Zara, the celebutante wild child, is finally taking her riding seriously. Until the new “nanny” her dad hires threatens to upstage Zara’s party girl status. Then there’s Kate. She doesn’t have money to burn like the others, but she does have Fitz, the barn’s resident hot guy. But when the pressure of being a working student builds, Kate’s perfectionist tendencies threaten to get in the way of her relationship and her riding. 

Note: This is specifically being marketed toward girls who have "outgrown" Canterwood Crest, and as I read that I was appalled. Just how old are these kids now? What the hell is going on? How old is this blog? *cries* Also, as an afterthought, I do have The A-Circuit sitting on my coffee table. I'm prepared to read it while keeping a running tally of how many brands get name dropped per chapter. I'm excited!

The Scorpio Races
October 18, 2011

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Note: This is a blurb? She's in no way prepared? For what? Conflict? The plot? Well, color me intrigued. Okay, look. I'm not a fan of Shiver. I kind of got a third or a fourth or something into that book and rolled my eyes so hard there was no hope of recovery. Now the author has run off and written some young adult paranormal/dystopia/romance/horse book thing, creating MUCH INTERNAL ANGST because this is like a cocktail of all my guilty pleasures. Thanks a lot, Maggie.

New Books

Dare to Dream
by Valerie Lilian
Pub Date: 3/15/2011

Dreams only lead to disappointment. I've had dreams of finding a family and of having my own horse. Something always goes wrong. Look what happened when I took a ride with those boys. The main reason I went was to see some dumb horses; horses that landed me in the hospital and are soon to land me in that hole they call a home. My dreams are history. If I expect the worst I won't be disappointed. Jan Allen wakes up in the hospital after a drunk-driving accident with high school friends. Although innocent, Jan is no longer wanted by her foster parents and is forced to return to the horrible girl's home upon her recovery. Jan used to live in a dream world, but after twelve years of foster-homes and countless foster families, she's convinced herself that dreams do not come true. When Jan meets Tammy, a competitive horse rider, her life is changed forever. Tammy's elaborate schemes present Jan with her dream horse and a compassionate young cowboy. But Jan's dream becomes a nightmare when she crosses paths with Celia, a jealous and vengeful girl who stops at nothing to see Jan ruined. Dare to dream is an exhilarating story filled with the magic of horses, teenage romance, and the struggles of a young girl who Dared to Dream. 

Finding Somewhere
by Joseph Monninger
Pub Date: 11/8/11

Two girls: Best friends Hattie and Delores feel that life in their small New Hampshire town is a dead end.
One horse: Old and about to be put down, Speed gets a reprieve when Hattie and Delores decide to save him.
A road trip: Determined to set Speed free, Hattie and Delores drive him west in search of rangeland. But the road takes some unexpected turns as the girls get their own taste of freedom—and as they confront the reasons they left home.

True Blue
by Jane Smiley
Pub Date: 9/27/11

True Blue is a beauty, a dappled gray, and when Abby gets to take him to her family's ranch, she can hardly believe her luck. The horse needs a home: his owner—a woman brand new to the riding stable--was tragically killed in a car crash and no one has claimed him. Daddy is wary, as always. But Abby is smitten. True Blue is a sweetheart, and whenever Abby calls out, "Blue, Blue, how are you?" he  whinnies back.

But sometimes True Blue seems...spooked. He paces, and always seems to be looking for something. Or someone. Abby starts to wonder about True Blue's owner. What was she like? What did she look like? One moonlit night, Abby could swear she hears a whisper in her ear: "He's still my horse." Filled with riding scenes and horse details, this newest middle-grade novel from a Pulitzer Prize-winner offers a mysterious and suspenseful almost-ghost story.

Star Gazer
by Chris Platt
Pub Date: 9/1/11

Thirteen-year-old Jordan McKenzie loves draft horses gentle giants, as they're known in the horse industry. Her favorite is the sweet, dependable Black Percheron, and she hopes that her mom will let her have one someday. But considering they don't own even one animal on the small farm they rent in their new southern Michigan town, that seems very unlikely. Jordan's fortunes change at a local livestock auction. With the help of a Mennonite boy, Jacob Yoder, she and her mom bid on a draft mare who is in danger of being sold to a slaughterhouse. She's thrilled to become the proud owner of a large, two-thousand-pound draft horse named Star Gazer. But Jordan's joy is short-lived when she learns that her new horse, once the winner of many log pulling contests, is lame and depressed due to years of neglect. Furious, Jordan vows to beat Star Gazer's former owner in the state pulling contest at the end of the summer but can she get Star Gazer's health and confidence back?

 Winter Pony
by Iain Lawrence
Pub Date: 11/8/11

In the forests of Siberia, in the first years of the 20th century, a white pony runs free with his herd. But his life changes forever when he's captured by men. Years of hard work and cruelty wear him out. When he's chosen to be one of 20 ponies to accompany the Englishman Robert Falcon Scott on his quest to become the first to reach the South Pole, he doesn't know what to expect. But the men of Scott's expedition show him kindness, something he's never known before. They also give him a name—James Pigg. As Scott's team hunkers down in Antarctica, James Pigg finds himself caught up in one of the greatest races of all time. The Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen has suddenly announced that he too means to be first to the Pole. But only one team can triumph, and not everyone can survive—not even the animals.

Upcoming

The Daughter of Siena
by Marina Fiorato
Release Date: 5/10/2011

Amid the intrigue and danger of 18th-century Italy, a young woman becomes embroiled in romance and treachery with a rider in the Palio, the breathtaking horse race set in Siena....

 

It’s 1729, and the Palio, a white-knuckle horse race, is soon to be held in the heart of the peerless Tuscan city of Siena. But the beauty and pageantry masks the deadly rivalry that exists among the city’s districts. Each ward, represented by an animal symbol, puts forth a rider to claim the winner’s banner, but the contest turns citizens into tribes and men into beasts—and beautiful, headstrong, young Pia Tolomei is in love with a rider of an opposing ward, an outsider who threatens the shaky balance of intrigue and influence that rules the land.

Fans of Canterwood Crest, prepare your Kindles...

Dominate
Novella One
Wellington Prep

Jessica Burkhart is releasing an e-book series under the name Jessica Ashley, co-written with Kate Angelella. Looks like it will be a young adult version of Canterwood Crest, except it will be about Canterwood's evil counterpart: Wellington Prep.

Wellington Prep: home to the notorious Jasmine King. And if you think Jasmine's a mean girl . . . meet the one who taught her everything she knows.

Dare I say this is like a modern version of Caitlin: The Love Trilogy? How awesome could this likely get?

Release date is coming soon. (Remember, Wellington Prep will not be available in print.)

2011 Upcoming YA Books

Belladonna
by Mary Finn
June 14, 2011
Young Adult

When Thomas Rose first spots the girl hidden by the roadside, she looks as drab as a lark, with only her red kerchief giving her away. But French Hélène, who goes by "Ling," is no ordinary bird. Tiny Ling enchants Thomas with her wild spirit and tales of a circus where she danced atop her beloved horse, Belladonna. But the horse has been sold, and Ling must fetch her back. Now Thomas’s life as a clever but unschooled wheelwright’s son is about to change. Their search leads to painter George Stubbs, who euthanizes ailing animals in order to study their anatomy. Stubbs draws eerie horses that stride as if they could move out of the paper world into the real one - but he assures his young friends that their horse is safe at a nearby estate. As Ling and Thomas devise a risky plan to recover Belladonna, Stubbs hires Thomas as an apprentice, teaching him to read and write as well. In this fascinating story, Mary Finn incorporates a real eighteenth-century artist into a beautifully imagined tale of adventure and young romance.

The A Circuit
by Catherine Hapka and Georgine Bloomberg
May 24, 2011
Young Adult

The A Circuit is the top of the top when it comes to horse shows. It's a world with its own rules and superprivileged lifestyles. Teens travel the circuit all year, showing horses that cost as much as some homes.
Tommi, Kate, and Zara are all elite competitors on the circuit, but they come from totally different backgrounds. Tommi is a billionaire heiress trying to prove she has real talent (not just deep bank accounts). Kate puts the working in working student—every win has been paid for with hours of cleaning stalls. She's used to the grueling schedule, but Fitz, the barn's resident hot guy, is about to become a major distraction. And then there's Zara. She's the wild child of a famous rockstar, but she's ready to take riding seriously. Can a party girl really change her ways?
Readers who enjoy peeking into the elite world of Gossip Girl or The A-List will feel right at home in this new series with its friendships, drama, and privilege set against the backdrop of competitive horseback riding.

(Okay, this was only a matter of time. In fact, I've been waiting for this to happen only so I can read the book and stare at it in awed fascination.)

War Horse & News

Somehow I missed that Steven Spielberg was turning War Horse into a movie.  Here are set photos.  I suppose this means I need to actually read this book? 

There are a few horse books on deck for this blog, as well as a ton of planned giveaways, however I am in the middle of a move and new job madness, so please excuse the summer malaise around here.  We'll get back to some regularly scheduled programing soon.    

Grand Prix

Essentially, Seo Joo-Hee is a jockey who suffers the breakdown of her favorite horse and must battle through her emotions to return to the track. Woo-Seok plays the romantic male lead who has also suffered heartbreak and finds a kindred spirit in Seo Joo-Hee.

I don't know, you guys.  I could potentially love this...

(Thanks to Cinda for pointing this out to me!)

Upcoming Books

The Risen Horse
by Karen Taschek (aka Karen Bentley)
Release Date: September 15

It's 1905 in New Mexico Territory, and John Chavez, a survivor of Victorio's band of Mescalero Apache warriors whom we first met in Horse of Seven Moons, is now an adult with teenage children of his own. Life is difficult on the reservation, and after the death of his beloved wife, John decides to send his daughter, Isabel, to the Indian Industrial boarding school in far-off Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to get a fine education and leave the reservation village. Reluctantly, Isabel agrees to go, although she doesn't want to leave her family or the horses she secretly trains on the reservation.

At first Carlisle is everything Isabel and her father hoped for, but the school is not immune to tragedy, and Isabel must confront her fears of death and loss. She finds new horses to train and love, linking her life and passion to the horse her father is training for her as a special surprise back home. This story of the tribulations of early reservation life that led to the modern-day triumphs of the Mescalero people also offers a rare glimpse at the strengths of education at Carlisle, largely remembered for its flaws. 

 I am so excited, you guys.   (My thoughts on Horse of Seven Moons can be found here.)

Secretariat!

YOU GUYS IT LOOKS GOOD.

Kentucky Derby Reading List

The first lady of Kentucky has a Kentucky Derby reading list of ten books, and Thoroughbred, by some weird turn of fate, is named twice. It appears she is a Thoroughbred fan, because I still can't really figure out why The Horse of Her Dreams is on this list otherwise.

The List:
1. B Is For Bluegrass: A Kentucky Alphabet, Mary Ann McCabe Riehle
2. Perfect Timing: How Isaac Murphy Became one of the World's Greatest Jockeys
3. Little Freddie at the Kentucky Derby, Kathryn Cocquyt
4. The Horse of Her Dreams (Thoroughbred Series #24), Joanna Campbell
5. A Horse Called Wonder (Thoroughbred Series #1), Joanna Campbell
6. A Horse Named Seabiscuit, Mark Dubowski
7. Man O’ War: Best Racehorse Ever, Jennifer Guess McKerley
8. Skipingo Home, Jane Lyon and Karen Bailey
9. The Black Stallion, Walter Farley
10. National Velvet, Enid Bagnold

Source.

2010 Upcoming Books

A Good Horse
Jane Smiley
Oct. 26
Sequel to The Georges and the Jewels

When eighth grader Abby Lovitt looks out at those pure-gold rolling hills, she knows there’s no place she’d rather be than her family’s ranch—even with all the hard work of tending to nine horses. But some chores are no work at all, like grooming young Jack. At eight months, his rough foal coat has shed out, leaving a smooth, rich silk, like chocolate. As for Black George, such a good horse, it turns out he’s a natural jumper. When he and Abby clear four feet easy as pie, heads start to turn at the ring—buyers’ heads—and Abby knows Daddy won’t turn down a good offer.

Then a letter arrives from a private investigator, and suddenly Abby stands to lose not one horse but two. The letter states that Jack’s mare may have been sold to the Lovitts as stolen goods. A mystery unfolds, more surprising than Abby could ever expect. Will she lose her beloved Jack to his rightful owners?

The Outside of a Horse
by Ginny Rorby
May 13

The stories Hannah Gale's father told her of breaking wild horses in Nevada one glorious summer when he was her age have captured her imagination. After her dad is called up to fight in Iraq, she regularly stops to watch the horses at the nearby stable to feel closer to him, and finally gathers the nerve to ask the owner for a job. There, she helps bring a rescued mare back from the brink, takes her first riding lesson, and witnesses the birth of the filly who steals her heart.

Hannah believes the worst is over when her dad returns from war, but soon she realizes her family's fight is only just beginning. When his nightmares rock the household, it is the horses Hannah turns to for comfort. Can the horses help her teach her dad the same lessons of survival and hope they've taught her?

Based on a patchwork of true stories, this is a heartbreaking story about rehabilitative power of animals and the depth of the human capacity for hope.

Whirlwind
by Alison Hart
May 25
Sequel to Shadow Horse

When thirteen-year-old Jas Schuler found her beloved mare Whirlwind dead in her padlock, she thought her heart would break. But now Jas knows the truth: Whirlwind is alive! Wealthy horse breeder Hugh Robicheaux faked the mare's death, collected insurance money, then sold her to an unsuspecting buyer. And he's going to get away with his crime, too—unless someone can find Whirlwind. And that's exactly what Jas plans to do.

But hunting for Whirlwind is dangerous. Hugh has threatened to destroy everything Jas holds dear unless she stops her search. As she struggles with her desire to find Whirlwind without endangering the people she loves, Jas must ask herself: Should she risk so much for a horse she may never find?

Astra
by Chris Platt
Sept. 1

Thirteen-year-old Lily O'Neil's passion is Arabian horses. Someday she wants to be a great endurance rider like her mother. But a year earlier, when a freak riding accident took her mother's life, Lily's father sold Lily's beloved pony and forbid her to ride ever again.

When Lily's grandmother comes to live with them, however, she convinces Mr. O'Neil to let Lily clean stalls on the neighboring Arabian ranch. Lily's mother had worked there as an exercise rider. Lily is ecstatic, especially since she'll be near her mother's favorite horse, Astra. Lily's mother believed that Astra had the talent to become a national champion. Her goal was to ride her in the famous Tevis Cup Endurance Race, the toughest horse race in America. Lily is determined to fulfill her mother s dream. But how will she convince her father to let her ride again?

Dream of Night
by Heather Henson
May 4

An abused horse. A damaged girl. A last chance for both...

No, Nick Nolte. No.

Nick Nolte circles HBO's upcoming series 'Luck'.

If this series starts to resemble Simpatico, I might watch it out of sick fascination alone. But only if they cast someone pretty to look at. Sorry, Dustin Hoffman.

News: Bonnie is back!

Poppet Press has reissued the Bonnie books, starting with The Sweet Running Filly and A Horse Called Bonnie. Both are available on Amazon.com, and the rest of the series will soon be available.

I don't know about anyone else, but that was the most fantastic series involving a girl, her naturally doped wonder horse, a man in a cowboy outfit, the most annoying beagle on earth, and illicit step-sibling unrequited love that I have ever read.

New HBO Series

David Milch and Michael Mann team up for new HBO drama

Variety reports today that Public Enemies/Heat/The Insider director Michael Mann will direct the pilot for Luck, Milch’s new drama about the world of competitive horse racing. It’s a world Milch is familiar with; as a thoroughbred owner himself, he’s won two Breeders’ Cups. Mann hasn’t directed for TV since 1989’s L.A. Takedown, an unaired pilot that he later fleshed out into Heat. I’m expecting lots of long shots of tortured but purposeful dudes with professionalism and mortality on their minds and profane, vaguely Shakespearean dialogue on their tongues.

Milch describes the uncast main character of Ace Bernstein as “a guy versed in all the permutations of finance, elicit and otherwise. When he is released from jail for securities violations, he resumes his place at the race track, where he is a figure of long-standing repute.”

I am pretty sure whoever wrote this has never been to a race track, but whatever. I still sort of clapped my hands in delight.

Casting Call: "Secretariat"

Secretariat got the green light what seems like ages ago, and now it's finally steamrolling ahead. Filming begins at the end of this month, and it should finally be in theaters next year. (Okay, I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for a Secretariat movie and I might be besides myself that it is finally happening and I don't even care if it might be awful. It is a movie about Secretariat. The only thing that could be better is a movie based on Thoroughbred. THINK ABOUT IT, HOLLYWOOD.)

From IONCINEMA.com:

Scripted by Mike Rich, this is about the 1973 Triple Crown-winning racehorse and its owner, Penny Chenery (Diane Lane). Chenery was a mother and housewife who knew little about horses when she was pressed to take over her ailing father's horse farm in Virginia. Though Secretariat came along and began to take shape as a potential champion, Chenery was pressured to sell the farm after her father died and she was hit with a multimillion-dollar inheritance tax. She saved both the farm and the horse, and watched as Secretariat became the first thoroughbred to win the Triple Crown in 25 years, taking the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in dominating fashion. Chenery became known as the "first lady of racing."

Casting call for Secretariat is next week in Louisville and Lexington. Read about the details here!

New series?

Because I have OCD (somewhat) I was checking out amazon.com. I search Children's Books/ Animals/ Horses about once a month to see what's coming out. This month I saw two books called "Daring to Dream" and "Playing For Keeps," both part of the Wildwood Stables series by Suzanne Weyn. There isn't any info, but for anyone out there who is also OCD, you might like to bookmark it so you can check back later. Both are due to release on March 1, 2010.

http://www.amazon.com/Daring-Dream-Wildwood-Stables-Suzanne/dp/0545149797/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248264872&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Keeps-Wildwood-Stables-Suzanne/dp/0545149800/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248264872&sr=1-2

Edit to add amazon synopsis:

Daring to Dream
Taylor Henry loves horses, but her single mom can't afford riding lessons, much less a horse. So when she discovers an abandoned gelding and pony, Taylor is happy just to be around them.
But the rescued animals have nowhere to go, and Taylor is running out of time to find them a good home. Could the empty old barn on Wildwood Lane be the answer? And could Taylor's wildest dream -- of a horse to call her own -- finally be coming true?

Playing For Keeps
Taylor Henry thinks Wildwood Stables is perfect -- even if it needs repair and a lot more money, it's become a home to her and her new horse, Prince Albert. And as soon as Taylor trains Prince Albert to give lessons, Wildwood will be in business!
But the gelding refuses to let anyone ride him except Taylor. Can she convince Prince Albert to earn his keep? Or will Taylor need the help of her worst enemy to save her beloved new home?

Wow, just wow.

Fiction Competition!

Take a look!