Nir takes us into the lesser-known corners of the riding world and profiles some of its most captivating figures. It is also a coming-of-age story of Nir growing up an outsider within the world’s most elite inner circles, and finding her true north in horses. Horse Crazy is a fascinating, funny, and moving love letter to these graceful animals and the people who-like her-are obsessed with them. Acclaimed journalist and avid equestrian Sarah Maslin Nir is one of them she began riding horses when she was just two years old and hasn’t stopped since. It may surprise you to learn that there are over seven million horses in America-even more than when they were the only means of transportation-and nearly two million horse owners. In the bestselling tradition of works by such authors as Susan Orlean and Mary Roach, a New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist explores why so many people-including herself-are obsessed with horses.
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7/4/2023 0 Comments Mastiff by Tamora PierceCarthak (setting for Emperor Mage) is south of Tortall across the Inland Sea, while to the west lie the Yamani Islands and the Copper Isles. To the east are Galla, Tusaine, and Tyra, and past them are Maren and Sarain. Tortall and Scanra are at war in the last two Protector books and the first Trickster book, Trickster's Choice. To the north is Scanra, a wild and somewhat barbaric country. The capital of Tortall is Corus, located near the western coast on the Emerald Ocean. The Tortall series is named for the country in which the majority of the works are set, Tortall. The Tortall universe is a fictional setting shared by six book series: Song of the Lioness Immortals, or Wild Magic Protector of the Small Daughter of the Lioness, or Tricksters and Beka Cooper ( Provost's Dog) the Numair Chronicles, as well as multiple short stories. This is a list of works by American fantasy author Tamora Pierce. One evening he arrives home in particularly good spirits because he is sure he has achieved something that will delight his wife: he has managed to get an invitation for them both to attend an official reception at the ministry. That does not mean, however, that he is anything but very happy to be at home in his little flat in Paris where his very pretty young wife, Mathilde, always waits for him after his day's routine work with an economical but tasty meal. He has a little money put aside and is promising himself a few hunting trips with his friends next summer. Monsieur Loisel is a minor clerk in the Ministry of Instruction (just as Maupassant himself had been a couple of years before writing this story), and things are beginning to go reasonably well for him in his modest way. Rather than commenting on what has been taking place he leaves us to find what response we may to the situation. All this Maupassant recounts vividly without wasting a word. This is a story of aspirations and fears, and then there is a conclusion rich in ambiguities that has the force and heartbreaking irony of tragedy. In just a few pages it vividly evokes a situation with which every reader-especially female Parisian readers at the time of the Third Republic towards the end of the nineteenth century-could easily identify. First published in the daily newspaper Le Gaulois on 17 February 1884 and then included in 1885 in Contes du jour et de la nuit (Stories of Day and Night), "The Necklace" ("La Parure") is rightly one of the most famous of all Guy de Maupassant's short stories. 7/4/2023 0 Comments Ascent of mt carmelThe Arabs know Carmel as the Mountain of Holy Elijah. It sits, as well, at the head of Valley of Jezreel, also known as the Valley of Megiddo. Carmel overlooks the Mediterranean and the city and harbor of what is today Haifa, Israel. The wearing by others of a miniature version of the Carmelite Scapular, known simply as “the Brown Scapular” from the color of their habit, has come to mean being joined spiritually with them in accepting the Blessed Mother’s love, devoting oneself to the spirituality of the Carmelites, and trusting that Our Lady will protect them in life and at their death.Īs a physical place, Mt. She said to him, “This is a privilege for you and the order: whoever dies wearing the Scapular will be saved.” Simon Stock, a Prior of the Carmelites, giving him the Brown Scapular. The 13th century, however, was a time of persecution for the Carmelites, and, in the midst of this trial, on Jthe Blessed Virgin appeared to St. And there, in the 12th century, the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin of Mt. There, also, Christian hermits persisted in prayer. Mount Carmel has been a place of prayer and closeness to God since the time of the prophet Elijah in the 10th century before Christ (cf. Think of it as a student loan, except once you owe The Taker’s Guild, they firmly hold you in their clutches, and paying them back is one hell of a deadly task. The story follows Kinch Na Shannack, a trained thief whose prestigious tutelage has earned him an immense debt to The Taker’s Guild. I was charmed, often left dazed or horrified, but thoroughly entertained from the very beginning to the very end. The Blacktongue Thief is one cleverly written, fantastical novel. I’m thoroughly grateful to Gollancz for sending me an early copy because now I truly understand the hype. To say I was hyped for this book would be a complete understatement, for several months I’ve been desperate to get my hands on an ARC to discover just what all the early furore was about. The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman is a book I’ve had my eye on since early last year when it was recommended to me by Brian Naslund, author of The Dragons of Terra trilogy. I won’t be your dog but, if you’re half the wolf I think you are, you’ve found a fox to run with.” If you do the worst of the fighting, I’ll make sure you know where your foes are coming from and cull the weak ones. I need your arms, yes, but you need my nose. You’ll never again meet a door you can’t get through, nor a wall you can’t get eyes over. If you let me do the talking, I’ll make sure you miss the pennycock with the pizzle-itch and get the best wine in the merchant’s barrel. I’ll lie to you, but I’ll also lie for you. 7/4/2023 0 Comments Angel fire weatherlyThen there’s the lonely Seb, who can’t stop loving the unavailable Willow. For romance fans, she provides appropriately spaced hot kissing scenes and hints at behind-the-curtains sex. Weatherly’s action scenes move briskly, and she draws out the impossible-to-win-but-can-they-do-it-anyway scenario. Willow’s trek across the country and the solo adventure of another major character stand out as high points in this entry. Meanwhile, half-angel Seb still loves Willow, who still loves Alex. Half-angel Willow and boyfriend Alex find a secure underground CIA base where they train and plot, only to learn that they are so severely outnumbered that victory appears impossible. In middle volume Angel Fire (2012), the group succeeded in killing much of the angels’ leadership, but devastating worldwide earthquakes resulted, and the angels have pretty much taken over anyway. The humans respond by worshipping the angels even more, except for Willow and Alex’s band of Angel Killers. In a nice twist on the usual angel meme, the angels in this series are the bad guys, feeding on humans’ auras and killing them. The Angel Burn trilogy ends with plenty of action and heaping portions of romance, complete with jealousy, rivalries and lovers’ quarrels. 7/4/2023 0 Comments Unsettled ground fullerIt is a portrait of life on the fringes of society that explores with dazzling emotional power how we can build our lives on broken foundations, and spin light from darkness. Unsettled Ground is a heart-stopping novel of betrayal and resilience, love and survival. Perhaps Fuller will win: her style is lyrical, the plot is engrossing, and I ached for the characters, fifty-one-year-old twins, Jeanie and Julius, who are shattered when their mother dies. Jeanie and Julius would do anything to preserve their small sanctuary against the perils of the outside world, even as their mother's secrets begin to unravel, putting everything they thought they knew about their lives at stake. We discussed Claire Fuller’s superb novel, Unsettled Ground, which is shortlisted for the Women’s Prize this year. Inside the walls of their old cottage they make music, and in the garden they grow (and sometimes kill) everything they need for sustenance.īut when Dot dies suddenly, threats to their livelihood start raining down. From the Costa-Winning, Womens Prize-shortlisted author of Unsettled Ground: a gripping, haunting novel about memory, love and survival, for readers of Never Let me Go and Leave the World Behind Neffy is a young woman running away from grief and guilt, and the one big mistake that has derailed her career. At 51 years old, they still live with their mother, Dot, in rural isolation and poverty. Twins Jeanie and Julius have always been different from other people. What if the life you have always known is taken from you in an instant? Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021 7/4/2023 0 Comments A Violet Fire by Kelsey QuickThe world is on literal fire, there are World War III memes that seem more earnest than not, and we all need the opportunity to enjoy whatever the hell we want, even - especially - if it's something that we were made fun of for liking when we were younger.įanpires and Twihards probably aren't going to get their hands on Midnight Sun anytime soon, if ever, but that doesn't mean that 2020 can't be the year you re-read Twilight. then you might be rolling your eyes and wishing everyone else would just grow up. If, like me, you weren't a huge Twilight fan - I was more of an Interview with the Vampire person, myself. We're approaching two years of renewed interest in Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster hit series, which began sometime around the first Twilight movie's 10th anniversary in 2018. If you miss all the fang-baring, blood-sucking goodness of the mid-to-late aughts, you're in luck: Twilight is back, baby. 7/4/2023 0 Comments Iceman vol 1 thawing outFrom a continuity standpoint, we were deep in the weeds of X-Men lore… time-displaced young versions of existing characters, legacy characters ultra dead af, and a handful of random mutants being touted as “Omega-level.” It was a great time for folks who kept up with every single story, but more than a bit confusing for anyone just walking in. From a production standpoint, there are three artists for a five issue story arc. We had a completely frank conversation about a book that I love but can wholeheartedly admit is not perfect. He gobbled the book up before the last Christmas meal was set on the table, and I asked him what he thought. Full transparency: this isn’t some kind of NPR story submission, Mark and Chris are my friends and the latter wanted to read the book that is my highest profile work to date. He wanted my first Iceman collected edition, Thawing Out. Instead of asking for a queer banger album on colored vinyl, or designer slippers, Chris wanted an out of print X-Men comic that today is five years old. Christopher Corbo had a peculiar item on his Christmas wishlist for boyfriend Mark Orr. 7/4/2023 0 Comments Waking nightmare kylie brantOne of her books, Undercover Bride is included on Romantic Times' All-Time Favorites list. Her only thought was of survival, and even that seemed more and more unlikely. She is the 20 recipient of the overall Daphne du Maurier award for excellence in mystery and suspense writing. Her exhausted muscles started cramping, but she didn’t dare move. A few months later the publisher purchased her first manuscript as well.Ī three-time RITA nominee, Brant's work has garnered five Romantic Times nominations, and was awarded their Career Achievement award. She submitted her finished manuscript to Silhouette Books in New York City, but it was her second novel, McLain's Law that became her first sale in 1992. Shes twice been awarded the overall Daphne du Maurier award for best mystery and suspense novel. Shes a three-time Rita nominee, has been nominated for five Romantic Times awards, and is a RT Career Achievement award winner. Kylie Brant is an American author of contemporary romantic suspense novels.īrant claims she began writing in 1990 because her favorite authors couldn't write fast enough to keep her in reading material. Kylie Brant has penned over forty award-winning romantic suspense and suspense novels. |