Book Review: Pity the Reader, On Writing with Style

“Write like a human” has been my advice to university students for years; imagine my delight to see those same words from Kurt Vonnegut to his pupils in Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style. For any writer, novice or not, advice on the craft from someone like Vonnegut is well worth your time. Fans of his will wince a bit at my purposeful use of a semicolon in my opening sentence.

Read the rest of my review on New Pages Blog here.

Book Review, Horses Adored and Men Endured – A memoir of falling and getting back up

If you were at all wondering what you’d find between the covers of this book, look no further than the title. There are no secret themes, but there are plenty of characters – human and equine – expertly chronicled in this life journey by Susan Friedland. Taking 10 years (and troughs of tears) to write, Horses Adored and Men Endured is the “horse lover’s dating memoir” according to the author.

And what a memoir.

Before you think this is some fairy tale of tails and top hats, it’s not. Friedland’s experience is everyone’s. You may not have exactly the same line-up of disappointing dates, but the personalities are all relatable. Kevin and his orange leather jacket. Steve and prom night down the toilet (literally, food poisoning). Geoff and his crazed ex-girlfriend. Or romantic but elusive, Kolton; they’ll always have Paris. All are men best remembered once they are decidedly in the rearview mirror, or laughter at their memory would be as elusive as Kolton.

If you pick up this book wanting more of horses adored, you’ll get that. Honestly, I felt myself impatient with the chapters that weren’t all about a horse. Not because the book isn’t an engaging read throughout, but because, well, I’m a horse nut. Friedland gets me with the opening sentence: “… if only I could marry a horse.” Tell me your 10-year-old self didn’t also have that thought, however fleeting. Of course, I did not take it as far as the author did and fill a horse “hope chest” but that’s a splendid idea.

You can read the rest of this book review where it was originally published at Arabian Horse Travels here.

Book Review: Mustang – From Wild Horse to Riding Horse by Vivian Gabor

For many equine enthusiasts, the iconic image of the US West isn’t a chap in chaps on a dusty town road. It’s a herd of wild mustangs kicking up dust as they fill the horizon with magic. Nothing stops them. Nothing separates them. The plight of today’s North American mustang is anything but magical – unless you’re reading Mustang – From Wild Horse to Riding Horse by Vivian Gabor.

Within her pages, the personality and spirit of these now-feral horses take center stage. The cover teases you: “One Trainer’s Journal: Groundwork, First Rides, Obstacles, Trail Work, Liberty, Performance, and More.” The ‘more’ is what every trainer and rider is constantly searching for: insight into what our horses are thinking, what motivates them to behave the way they do.

Read the rest of my review at Arabian Horse Travel here.

Book Review: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy

Children have very big questions – about the universe, about feelings, about things seen and unseen. Grown-ups answer with facts, seizing every chance for a “teaching moment” but not realizing they’re really not answering at all. Children figure this out quickly and quit asking we grown-ups the Very Big Questions. They give us the simple ones (“How do I tie my shoes?”) and save the VBQs for special friends.

“The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse” by famed British illustrator Charlie Mackesy is a sweet tale of – you guessed it – a boy, a mole, a fox, and a horse helping each other answer the kind of Very Big Questions that grown-ups can’t (but probably still have).

Read the rest of my review of this delightful book at Arabian Horse Travels.