Happy Merry Christmas!

My extended family and I celebrated Christmas a couple of days early. They know how sad I am about the fact I have to leave all my books in the USA. Shipping all of them to Japan would cost too much money so I broke down and got a kindle. I am grateful to my mother, grandparents, and aunts and uncles for the gifts of  money they gave me so I could purchase kindle books. A lot of consideration went into the collection I purchased. I am happy with the ones I chose and can hardly wait to start the 2012 one-hundred book challenge hosted by Book Chick City .

So here is the list of books I bought! 

1. Chalice by Robin McKinley (I have read her novel Pegasus)

2. The Queen's Governess by Karen Harper (I was ecstatic to see a novel from the POV of Kat Ashley)

3. The Girl Who Remembered Horses by Linda Benson

4. A Horse to Remember by Juliana Hutchings (Kept showing up in my suggestions list)

5. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

6. Anthology of Japanese Literature by various (Very good price!)

7. A Voice in the Distance by Tabitha Suzuma (Check out my review for her novel Forbidden)

8. A Horse of her Own by Annie Wedekind

9. Firehorse by Diane Lee Wilson (Fell in love with the synopsis)

10. The Woman Who Loved Horses by Don Walters

11. The Story of Red Eye: The Miracle Horse of Gettysburg by Robert J. Trout 

12. Birth of a Unicorn and Other Stories by various (Short story with a unicorn? Couldn't pass it up!)

13. Sanctuary (Memoirs of a Unicorn) by Simon Skiles 

14. Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein (I have read her novel Ophelia)

15. Lone Star by Josh Laynon (Nothing wrong with a smut novel for entertainment, right?)

16. Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay (I saw this in the store and knew I had to read it!)

17. Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey (Check out my friend's review for this novel here !)

18. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (my friend Kim raved about this book to me)

19. Isabeau, a Novel of Queen Isabella and King Mortimer by Gemini N. Sasson

20. Legacy by Susan Kay (I never can pass up a novel on Elizabeth I)

21. Between by Cyndi Tefft (She followed me on twitter and that is how I discovered her novel!)

I can hardly wait to read these books! I am sure they will bring me much comfort when I feel lonely in Japan. Please check my blog again to see the reviews I write about these novels!

Book Review: The Unicornis Manuscripts

The Unicornis Manuscripts: On the History and Truth of the Unicorn
Author: Micheal Green
Published: First printing 1983, Revised and expanded 2008 by Amber Lotus Publishing
Genre: Fantasy, 168 pages
Rating: 5/5

What is the unicorn?

I think many, myself included, who have become fascinated with the legend and allure of the unicorn ask themselves this question. My first encounter with unicorns was a porcelain figure of a mare. To this day I remember staring at the figurine because it looked like a horse. In my child selfishness I pretty much demanded my mother to give it to me. She gave it to me eventually when it seemed my passion was going to endure. This passion has led me to hunt down any novels I can find featuring unicorns.

Michael Green's The Unicornis Manuscripts is truly a treasure that I was glad to discover. In the fifteenth century the scribe, Magnalucius, records his encounters with the unicorn and imparts the wisdom and truth they reveal. Not only is the content of the book captivating but the setup is one that will psychologically fool the reader. Written as if it were an English translation from a medieval text readers indeed may feel they are reading an old text. Green even went as far as to include manuscript illustrations with Latin text. Having studied Latin I found myself trying to read the fake manuscript pages.

One cannot define the range of emotions unicorns invoke in those that feel connected to the legendary creature. Perhaps, that is why unicorns are still loved. There is something in our subconscious that feels connected to what the unicorn stands for. Green's Unicornis Manuscripts will bring that familiar twinge to its readers’ souls.

The Art of Horsemanship

It is believed that horses were domesticated around 6,000 years ago by the great nomadic tribes of Eurasia. The people of Kazakhstan and Mongolia have the claim of being the greatest equestrians in the world as they continue to depend upon equines in their daily life. Mongolians teach their children to ride when they are still babes and horses are still worshiped by the Kazakh people. What brave, understanding, spiritual souls were the first to sit on a horse's back? How did they nurture the horse to trust them? Was it a horse they rescued? Perhaps they raised an orphaned foal. We will never know. What we do know is that from then on horses have played an important role in mankind's history.

Through ancient history only two texts on horsemanship have survived. One is the Kikkuli from the Hittite Empire but there is no translation available for purchase. The second is The Art of Horsemanship written by a the Greek soldier named Xenophon in 350 B.C. This important piece of equine writing lays out the foundations of horse training and care that still hold true in modern times and even before Xenophon's time.

Xenophon preaches that patience, understanding, trust and care are the best methods to training a horse: "The one best guideline, in fact the golden rule, in dealing with a horse is never to approach in anger" (36). This is the absolute rule through mankind's history with horses. If a person goes to train their horse in the wrong mindset the horse will sense this and the results could be disastrous. There have been many stories when a horse goes through a major setback because they had one bad session with the trainer. The art of patience is necessary and all equestrians should learn to work at the horse's rate of acceptance and not on the trainer's schedule. I knew a horse and he was skittish and very green. His owners sent him to a trainer who expected Chief to perform to her standards alone. When Chief came back he was even more nervous and seemed unsafe to ride. This past summer Chief was sold to someone who took the time and patience to work with him. My unsafe, skittish equine friend now goes along as pleasantly as my own Skye.

Horses are noble creatures who, in general, want to please their riders. When a horse is labeled as crazy or unsafe it is not because the horse was born that way. In nearly all cases the horse associates negativity with humans. The horse has been abused or misunderstood. Kindness and positive reinforcement are a human's greatest allies in training a horse. Horses that associate humans with positive aspects of life are more than willing to work with their human leaders: "your best plan will be to show the horse kindness whenever the horse dies as you wish, and to reprimand the horse when the horse is disobedient" (45). By using positive reinforcement to reward a horse for a desirable behavior the horse will want to repeat the action. A horse should be reprimanded only if he is truly misbehaving. Too often horses are reprimanded when they are simply confused and do not understand what they are being asked to do. Thank goodness horses have a forgiving nature as in my early days of equine ownership I made this same error.

I would strongly recommend any equestrian, whether they are a professional trainer or a pleasure rider, read Xenophon's The Art of Horsemanship. I read this ancient text to remind myself that the bond between human and horse has existed in different time periods and other countries. The world has gone through so many changes since man first allied himself with horses. I live in the resulting world. However, one thing has remained. The indestructible bond some humans have with horses has survived.

The Art of Horsemanship is available in print but also can be downloaded for free on Amazon's Kindle.

Sources:

The Majesty of the Horse by Tasmin Pickeral
The Art of Horsemanship by Xenophon
http://globalhorseculture.typepad.com/global_horse_culture/2008/05/conditioning-th.html#comments

Book Challenge 2012

So I have decided to join Book Chick City's challenge of reading one-hundred fiction books in a year. Sure I am moving to Japan and finishing my MFA novel but what's one more challenge?

Equine Reflections: Linda Kohanov's "Way of the Horse"

Earlier this year I went through a chain of events that heightened  former spiritual beliefs I had held as a child. Somehow between the loss of innocence and entering adulthood I lost the connections I had once seen. I could no longer write as a once had. I felt inadequate and any hope I had seemed to have died with the winter. The only time I felt close to actually living was when I was with my horse. When I looked into Skye's eyes I could see that she knew things about the past I did not know. I thought to myself, when I was a child I had wanted to follow horses wherever they lead me. Why should I not go to Japan to write about horses? I am nearly as passionate about the Japanese culture as I am about horses.

I began to read books about how horses have helped heal people. I talked to friends and how they felt they were healed by horses. One night I discovered the works of Linda Kohanov which include The Tao of Equus, Riding Between the Worlds, and The Way of the Horse. Kohanov is the founder of Epona Equestrian services, a stable that uses horses to reveal the emotional and mental afflictions that are holding back individuals.

While reading Riding Between the Worlds tonight I found myself with a clear cut explanation to problems I had with Skye at the beginning of this year. Horses can sense when a person is putting on a facade. They have a heightened awareness and can percieve things about a human before the individual realizes it. We have a "false self" and a "true self" and horses wants their handlers to acknowledge their "true self". Skye could sense my feelings of frustration, inadequacy, and unhappiness under the fragile smiles I gave her.  I was not a confident leader she could trust and this resulted in her refusals to go out alone at times. Not until I acknowledged my unhappiness and my desire to start a new life to her did she become more willing.

Over the summer at the SNHU MFA residency one of  my classmates hosted a Goddess card reading. I drew the card of Isis, the Egyptian goddess who symbolizes rebirth and the ability to create life. I took this, in regards to my question, that by going to Japan I could begin to create the life I want. I purchased Kohanov's Way of the Horse cards. They are not the typical tarot cards. The cards give advice for guidance from the equine perspective.

Last night I did a card reading in regards to person I feel I have a connection with. The results were quite interesting and I hope this person and I will cross paths again someday.

Do I worship horses? Perhaps in sense I do through my spirituality. I am not making prayers to horses but I am looking to them for signs. I have chosen to live my life by going wherever they lead  my spirit and passion for writing. Many will not be able to understand my reasoning or my views but I am fine with that. After all, every human lives their "truth" differently.

Book Review: Native Dancer

Native Dancer: Racing's Great "Gray Ghost"
Author: Eva Jolene Boyd
Published: 2007, Blood-Horse Publications
Genre: (Equine) Biography, 175 pages
Rating: 4/5

This is a thoroughly researched biography about the racehorse Native Dancer. Native Dancer was a great gray stallion and his coloring made him distinguishable on the 1950's television. He had an unbelievable stride measuring 29 feet  which is 5-7 feet longer than the average Thoroughbred. The biography is engaging but at times started to drag in a few places where I found myself skipping to the next paragraph. Background information on the humans connected to Native Dancer is detailed and grounds the reader back in time. If you want to learn about Native Dancer I highly recommend this book to any racing fan!

Book Review: Man o' War

Man o' War
Author: Walter Farley
Published: 1962, Renewed 1990, Yearling (Imprint of Random House)
Genre: Fictional Biography for Ages 10+, 352 pages
Rating: 5/5

As a child I read several novels from The Black Stallion series and was absolutely in love with the movies. Last spring I went on a horse racing book buying escapade when Man o' War showed up in the Amazon results. I did a double take when I saw the author's name. Never before had I even heard of this novel by Farley.

Danny is a teenager whose only desire is to be with the race horses he admires. One night, he witnesses the birth of a great chestnut colt who captures his heart. When the colt is sold he follows Man o' War to his new home and watches the glory of his beloved horse unfold. Man o' War, while considered over-sized by some, was a demon on the track winning 20 of his 21 races. In his two year racing career he won $249,465 in purses and shattered several records. The greatness of this colt captured the attention of racing fans across the United States and he was named Horse of the Year in 1920.

Farley did not only write a great tribute to Man o' War but to horse racing as well. Readers will feel their heart swell with excitement as his prose carries them through the races. They will be able to hear the cheering of crowds, feel the heat of summer, and see the streak of red crossing the finish line as shouts erupt in the stadium. With his excellent use of imagery, Farley recreated the  races so readers could imagine them with the greatness Man o' War brought to the track. When a reader feels anticipation and excitement at the starting gate the author has indeed brought glory to the equine writing world.

Going to Japan: Selected Books

With only three weeks to go before moving to Japan I had to make a decision about the few precious books I would bring. While I love my kindle I still prefer a physical book that I can touch. This decision wasn't as hard as I thought as it would be after I reflected on stories that are precious to me.

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle and I have had a love affair since I was eight-years-old. This novel was my introduction into the fantasy genre. Admittedly, I saw the movie first and didn't read the book until I was thirteen. I've returned to this novel repeatedly over the years and even wrote a paper for my Literature Theory class on the novel's themes. It is hard to express the emotional ties I have to this book. I just know it has to come with me.

The second novel I chose was the ever enduring horse classic Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. The spirit of the horse fills the pages and has overflown into the hearts of readers for over 100 years. The voice of Black Beauty is so beautiful the reader can hear the unspoken knowledge of horses .

With my love for Elizabethethan England I could not be without something from this time period. So the Barnes and Noble edition of The Complete Works of Shakespeare will be crossing the Pacific Ocean with me. This book weighs 8lbs and I had to do quite a bit of shifting around with the suitcase weight limit.  I am so happy it is coming with me!

The last book I am bringing is  Horses in Japan by Vivienne Kenrick. Why? This book is where I will start preliminary research. Not only that, there are some stories in there I wish to pursue myself. Also, this is the only book in English I have found about horses and their cultural impact in Japan. 

I can hardly wait to read these books in Japan!

Book Review: The Majesty of the Horse

The Majesty of the Horse: An Illustrated History
Author: Tamsin Pickeral
Photographer: Astrid Harrisson
Published: Barron's Educational Series, 2011
Genre: Animal/Nature History
Rating: 5/5

I picked up this amazing book at Barnes and Noble on sale. The photography is beyond stunning and captures the disposition and beauty of each different breed. Pickeral has thoroughly done her research and has gone beyond the scope of many equine dictionaries. This book contains pages that are dedicated to breeds both rare and common that are not found in most horse breed books. I have never before heard of the Kazakh horses of Kazakhstan or the Sorraia of Spain. Through books I have been introduced to the horses of America and Europe but the horses from Asia always seemed to be neglected. I am very pleased with the information this book contains about horses from India, Kazakhstan, Russia. My only disappointment is that it did not include information on the native breeds of Japan.

Book Review: Horses Never Lie About Love

Title: Horse Never Lie About Love
Author: Jana Harris
Published: Free Press, 2011
Genre: Memoir, 276 pages
Rating: 5/5

I used to rarely read memoirs. Until I was in college I was a fiction junkie. I took a summer literature class that focused specifically on the memoir genre. My favorite memoir that I read for the class was the popular Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. In a sad twist of fate Mr. McCourt died shortly before my class began. Perhaps it was his death or my interest in Ireland that drew me to his memoir. Whatever the case, the summer of 2009 opened my reading world up. I am now a consumer of many animal related memoirs.

Harris' memoir focuses on her life after she purchases a mare and two foals to start a small breeding farm. The mare, True Colors, hasn't been touched in years and the foals have never known human touch. Filled with detailed descriptions and defining passages the reader is brought into Harris' world of horses. She struggles to gain the trust of one of the foals and tries to understand True Colors who never wants for humans. Readers will be able to sense the the atmosphere, emotion, and wonder horses bring to a person's life. Harris has made her love for horses palpable on every page. Any equine enthusiast will enjoy this engrossing read.

Book Review: Horses and Civilizations

Horse: How the Horse Has Shaped Civilization

Author: J. Edward Chamberlin

Published:  BlueBridge, 2006

Genre: Nature/Philosophical Essay, 288 pages

Rating: 5/5

What is the horse? How has the horse affected the world of humans? Why are humans fascinated with horses? Chamberlin attempts to explain the connection between humans and horses from the dawn of time to the modern era. Drawing on evidence from archaeology, art, literature, stories, and cultural history he tells the story of how humans have worshiped and valued horses.

The passages in this book are rich with imagery, metaphors and parallel ties between man and horse. From the steppes of Mongolia to the American farm Chamberlin finds the important essence of the horse in art, battle, religion and life. There is no linear story for the human's history with the horse. Chamberlin has done a wonderful job weaving together the multiple histories of the horse into a concrete and well written essay. 

This book also mentions a certain Greek, Xenophon, whose writings on horses "were influential on the classical world". This book in modern publication is a short 42 pages but is an important document in equine history. It is available on the kindle for free. I intend to indulge in this historical text and share my opinions on it in a later post.

Writing for Horses: Heading to Japan

When did I start to write about horses? From the moment I was able to write complete sentences as a second grader. My history with horse stories went back to when I was four years old. When I fell in love with horses I could not get enough stories about them. Looking back now, it is as if my younger self had innocently planned out the rest of my life.

I was a voracious reader. I would read anything as long as it had horses in it. My favorite time in school was when we went to the library. I went to the horse section in the library in a sort of delirium. I still do this  as an adult.

In sixth grade my English teacher, Mr. Meehan, gave my class a writing assignment. We had to write an adventure story. Already a loner and outsider due to shyness I looked forward to this assignment. My novella consisted of three teenagers looking for one of the girl's stolen horse. They discover the horse had been stolen by a psychotic adult who had planned on killing and dismembering the horse. I thought to myself that the story could have been better. My teacher was excited though for I had produced the longest and most intricate piece out of the class. He gave me a 110% and wrote on the cover page "You have the talent to become an author". That's when I started to believe I could become a writer. 

As a teenager I wrote and read about horses and Tudor England. My fantasy novels were inspired by the culture of Japan and its native Shinto religion. In high school I signed up for every writing elective I could take. Much to one of my teacher's dismay, I enrolled at the community college with a major in Early Childhood Education. 

One day the thought finally came. What was I doing?  I loved kids and enjoyed working with them but that was not my true passion. Horses and writing were. This thought led me to Southern New Hampshire University where I completed my BA in Creative Writing. Through my years with the school I was told by three professors that when I wrote about horses my writing took on a higher quality. These remarks led me to pursue an MFA at SNHU and begin my first true novel.

Nearly all of my life has been spent with horses. Even when I was not physically with them my mind and heart were consumed by them. I wanted a horse. I dreamed of horses. My horse Skye is my dream in the flesh.

Still, my heart wouldn't settle. There was something more I needed to know about horses. I realized I wanted to know about horses in Japan. What is the story of the horse there? I want to know. So that's where I am going. It is hard to express the emotions I feel when I think about learning and writing about horses in this country. 

I do not question this attraction though. I just pursue it. 

Reflections after reading "The Hojoki"

The Hojoki was written by a Buddhist monk, Kamo-no-Chomei, in the 13^th century. This man left the city to live a solitary life. In his work he recounts the horrors that befell Kyoto during his life in the Kamakura period.  The writing is poetic, profound, and eye-revealing. Chomei’s struggle to find meaning in the world beyond the bindings of society is a human condition that is painted all over modern society. Do we not find stories both within ourselves and in others that sound familiar?

Chomei shares his view that life is hard and it is simply the case of the human condition. There is no satisfaction for each person will always want for more or less living in society. Troubles are produced by a society’s standards for those involved which results in the endless quest to find happiness. If an individual binds themselves to society they are forever conformed by the rules set before them. However, if you refuse to conform then you may be wholly rejected by others. How is a human supposed to find peace in any society in that case?

So I asked myself, what good are the materialistic goods of our modern day and age? I have met many unhappy people in my lifetime. I myself was unhappy growing up in a family with little money. My consolation was books and from that a thirst for knowledge grew. I was no longer completely unhappy as long as I had a book to learn and read from. I still desired materialistic goods as any child and my possessions grew when I was a teenager. I still wasn’t happy with all these things though.

I was not happy because I was not living my truth. Are our realities not created by ourselves through our choices and reactions? I found my truth through horses. Perhaps only fellow equestrians will understand the extent of my own “truth”. Horses are my passion and it is from them I have had my greatest happiness and inspiration. My choice in life is to follow horses wherever they lead me and write about them.

I enjoy modern comforts such as the computer and being able to travel by airplane. However, these are mere tools to achieving my greatest desire. My greatest desire is to record the relationship between human and horse in stories. I want my stories published because I want people to read about the healing power of horses. That is one reason I want to go to Japan. What is the relationship between man and horse there both in history and the present? There are many reasons why I am going to Japan. All I will say is that horses had a lot to do with my choice to go there. 

Book Review: War Horse

Title: War Horse
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Published: Scholastic, 1982
Genre: Children's Fiction, 165 pages
Rating: 5/5

This is novel that is on equal ground with Anna Sewell's Black Beauty. Told from the view of a farm horse named Joey this is much more than a mere "horse story". Morpurgo took hold of the history of World War I and incorporated the horrors of mankind into the world of horses. Joey has an unbreakable bond with his master, a teenager named Albert. Joey sees both man and horse die in the blood stained lands of France as he is shuffled from the British army to the German army. He learns that many humans do not understand what they are spilling blood over. Through it all Joey valiantly carries out his tasks while always thinking of the promise Albert made to him.

Filled with concrete details Morpurgo brings the past world of horses to life. Even in the new age of machinery man still depended upon the horse for transportation, strength, and friendship. Countries prided themselves on the quality of horses and riders in their Calvary. In World War I hundreds of thousands of horses died serving whatever man they called master. In this modern age there are many who have forgotten how nobly the horse has served human causes. Morpurgo's novel is a testament to the horse's nobility and the enduring bond he has with man.

Equine Affaire Book Adventures!

Over this past weekend I went to the fabulous horse convention Equine Affaire in Massachusetts. I absolutely love this event and look forward to going every year. It's my one chance in the year to see well-known trainers and riders giving seminars and be surrounded by a bunch of horse-crazy individuals. Of course, my favorite vendors are the book vendors. Every year that I go I always discover those horse-specif books that I have been looking for. This year I found three books which absolutely made me gasp and perhaps even squeal with delight.

The first is Zen Mind, Zen Horse  by Allan Hamilton. This book explores how horses affect a person's thought process, spirituality and emotions. There is a small section about horses in Japan as well. That had me sold on the spot.

The second was The Horse  in Magic and Myth by M. Oldfield Howey. The pages are filled with legends, folklore  literature, and mythological references to horses. As an individual who is curious how the horse has affected cultures and religions there was no question about me buying this book.

The third and most expensive was Horse and Man In Early Modern England by Peter Edwards. This is a book originally published in England and not readily available in the US. Let's face it: I am a nerd. I love British History and the novel I am currently working on was inspired by Elizabethan England. This book contains information about horses specific to the Tudor era. Sold for the price of $60 US dollars to the Tudor/Japan/horse obsessed college student.

Book Review: Forbidden

Title: Forbidden
Author: Tabitha Suzuma
Published: 2010
Rating: 5/5

Lochan and Maya are siblings forced to act as surrogate parents to their three younger siblings. As they become more dependent on each other their relationship starts to change. Lochan is unable to handle the social pressures of school and Maya is the only one who understands him. She is unable to stand the thought of sharing her brother with anyone. For them, their love for each other runs deeper than sibling affection.

Suzuma pulls her readers in with raw and beautiful prose. The prose is so electrically charged readers will find themselves a prisoner to the characters' emotions as their relationship develops from siblings to lovers. The author pulls off this deeply psychological relationship with such brilliance that those who shirk from incest will find themselves supporting the characters. Suzuma has created a novel that will allow readers into a "taboo" subject that exists in society. But will it seem so "taboo" as her readers' hearts are left bleeding for the characters on the final pages?

Personally, I was ecstatic to find a novel that explored incest. I have heard stories where publishing companies will reject a novel if it contains a deeply controversial topic. The fact that this novel was written for young adults seems like a milestone of sorts. Writers are meant to convey human truths without sugarcoating the realities their novels are inspired by. Suzuma has done just that.

Book Review: The Foretelling

Title: The Foretelling
Author: Alice Hoffman
Published: September 2005
Rating: 5/5

I discovered this middle-grade novel at a used bookstore. The name of the author sounded familiar to me, but I could not recall any novels that I might have read by the writer. Turns out Alice Hoffman is the author of Practical Magic which I read years ago when I was a teenager. I was happy to rediscover an author whose work I enjoyed once years ago.

Rain has been named for the sorrow from which she was conceived. She is the princess of the Amazon women and destined to be queen. She has been prescribed her destiny and her future foretold by the High Priestess. A child of the horse, Rain is raised on mare's milk and able to ride better than any warrior. She has dreamed of the black horse of death. Unlike others of her tribe she wonders about life beyond war.

Hoffman has written a compelling coming-of-age story of a young warrior whose values are different from the society she is born into. The characterization of Rain and how she changes as she grows is the heart of this story. In all purposes, Hoffman planted a beautiful blossom in the eye of the storm of this novel.

Book Review: The Scorpio Races

Title: The Scorpio Races
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Published: October 2011, Scholastic Press
Rating: 5/5

I knew the minute I walked into the bookstore and saw this novel on display I had to read it. The cover was what drew me in. The silhouette of a girl riding a galloping horse struck a core inside me just looking at it. The story inside exceeded the beauty of the cover.

Puck Connolly is tomboy and loves her island home, Thisby, and her horse, Dove, more than anything else in the world. Every year there is a horse race, the Scorpio races.  The horses and riders in this race are not jockeys with Thoroughbreds though. The horses are the horses of the sea, Capaill Uisces that eat flesh and can never truly be tamed by man. Unexpected events force her to sign up for the race. She is the first woman to ride and her mount is no Capaill Uisce. 

Sean Kendrick has ridden in the races six years and has won four times. He is the only one to have "tamed" a Capaill Uisce, Corr, the red stallion Sean loves beyond everything. There is one problem: Corr is not legally his. Sean would give anything to own Corr. He would do anything to make himself and Corr free of the man that owns them. 

Told from Puck's and Sean's alternating points of view Stiefvater holds together a strong narrative between her two main characters. She captures the bond between horse and rider in both quiet and explosive scenes throughout the novel. While elements of family, romance, and sacrifice play a role, the bond between horse and rider sets the overall tone for this novel. This is a novel that will be immensely enjoyed by all horse lovers who enjoy the fantasy genre.

Book Review: The Lady of the Rivers

Title: The Lady of the Rivers
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2011, Touchstone
Rating: 5/5

This is Gregory's latest novel which came out on October 18, 2011. It is the last installment in The Cousins' War and is one of her more powerful works.

Jacquetta has a power forbidden by the society she is born into. She has the gift of the Second Sight. As she watches Joan of Arc burn she realizes the deadly dangers for women who are different or even dare to think. After her first husband dies she marries his squire, Richard Woodville, for love and a simple life.  However, they soon find themselves trusted friends of Henry VI and his young queen. As the royal family crumbles with the king's mental illness Jacquetta fears for her family and England. Unable to continue their support to the house of Lancaster, Richard and Jacquetta swear allegiance to the house of York. While she wished for a simple life herself, she dares to hope for much more for her children.

Gregory has reached a new depth in this novel. She pulls her readers into Jacquetta's world and will keep them reading with each scene. One of Gregory's strongest craft elements in this novel was her scenes. Each is fascinating in its own way and the reader will want to know even more what's going to happen as the years pass in the novel. My personal favorite scene takes place when Richard Woodville is teaching Jacquetta to ride a horse. While she is bound to her life, the reader senses Jacquetta's strong desire to be free as the galloping horse. Yet, her horse is bound to nobly serve her mistress. The two are more alike than some could perhaps know or understand.

Book Review: The Other Queen

Title: The Other Queen
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2008, Touchstone
Rating: 3/5

Mary, Queen of Scots, is a queen with no kingdom. She is a naive and foolish woman, unable to hold her throne and unable to use the men around her to reach her goals. Imprisoned in England, she will do anything to be returned to Scotland and her young son. She is forgiven again and again until she forces her cousin, Elizabeth, to bring the ultimate punishment on an anointed queen.

Bess of Hardwick is a woman who has been in a low position. She knows what poverty is. Through making advantageous marriages she had gained what most Tudor woman only dream of: her own land. Upon marriage to her fourth husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury, she finds herself a woman with a title. She has risen high and will do anything to keep her future secure.

George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury is a man of honor. He will serve his queen, Elizabeth, while admiring the Queen of Scots. He will keep his word, even it means bringing about his own ruin. Even if it means he loses his fortune and the love of his wife.

Told from these characters points of view Gregory weaves together the story of Mary's imprisonment in England and how she brought her own ruin. As always, Gregory has provided a pleasant read but this novel is lacking momentum. She only covers three years of Mary's imprisonment and the novel is repetitive. There is the endless saga of plot discovered, Mary forgiven, Mary moved, Mary plots again. In my personal opinion, Gregory would have been better off to write a novel about Mary's short reign as true Queen of Scotland before she was forced to flee.

However, Gregory brought up an element of life for Tudor women. Women in Tudor England were oppressed. They were not valued like a son. Daughters of the nobility were fortunate if they received an education comparable to that of their brothers. They were born into world dominated by men and they were valued for what goods and land they brought to the marriage. They were valued if they were fertile but rejected if they could not "breed". So, what woman would not use the men in her life to advance her station? Even if she loved her husband, why would she not use that love to secure her future?

This tragic reality for Tudor women is perhaps most well played out in the case of Henry VIII and his endless quest to have a son. He divorced Catherine of Aragon because she only gave him Mary. He had Anne murdered when she could only give him Elizabeth. Jane Seymour died giving him a son. It was said only a man could rule a kingdom. His own daughter, Elizabeth, proved him wrong. She proved every man living in the Tudor era wrong.

Book Review: The Queen's Fool

Title: The Queen's Fool
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2004, Touchstone
Rating: 4/5

Hannah Verde is an educated young woman and her father owns a bookshop. They are in possession of forbidden books and they are also Jewish. Hannah is begged as a spiritual fool to first King Edward, then to his sister the Catholic Mary. Forced to hide her true religion as Catholics seek to purify England of all heretical beliefs, Hannah finds herself trapped between loyalty to herself and of the Queen. Hannah is rare gem who loves the Queen and yet also admires the Protestant Princess Elizabeth. She is the key character in showing the complicated relationship between the sisters.

Gregory made a very good decision in having this period of the Tudors told from the view of a different character. Through Hannah the reader sees the effects the warring religions in England had on both the common person and those of royal blood. The reader is able to have three stories in one through Hannah: Mary, Elizabeth and Hannah herself.

Book Review: The Broken H

Title: The Broken H
Author: J.L. Lanley
Published: 2007, Loose Id.
Rating: 4/5

Shane Cortez has lived on the Broken H since he was rejected by his own family for being gay. Taken in by the Hunters, they raise the teenager as their own son and give him a job. He is also the reason the Hunters' biological son doesn't come around much.

Grayson Hunter is Shane's junior by 13 years and growing up worshiped the ground Shane walked on. When he tried to confess his feelings to Shane when he was 17, the rejection hurt him too much. So much, he left home and went on to become a cop. Now, he serves as Sheriff to their county. Even though he lives in the same town, he barely ever goes home to see his parents in order to avoid seeing the man who broke his heart.

A sudden tragedy forces the two men back together. How will they handle this reunion and the emotions both of them can no longer deny? Will the truth hurt or heal them?

This book is a pleasant M/M erotic novel. As a romantic smut book, the plot is not too complicated. There is a certain lack of story in the story. Still, the the characters are realistic and the dialogue well done. The sex scenes are very explicit in detail but do seem to consume too much of the book towards the end. However, isn't that what smut books are all about?

Book Review: The Virgin's Lover

Title: The Virgin's Lover
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2005, Touchstone
Rating: 5/5

Was Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen", truly a virgin? Or was it all part of an image she sought to project to her beloved people? In this novel, Gregory delves into the psyche of the young queen as she struggles to be the ruler she needs to be and the woman she wants to be. Her characterization of the conflicted queen is tastefully done as the reader sees the effects Elizabeth's childhood had on her.

Elizabeth is a survivor. She is the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, who died in false shame and ruin. Having survived her sister's reign, she has come to the throne in peril as she has lived her whole life. Unable to trust many of those around her she seeks out her childhood friend Robert Dudley. He is her favorite, her trusted adviser, and soon becomes her lover.

Robert Dudley has been laid low by his family's defeat. He has lost his fortune and many of his family members. When Elizabeth comes to throne, he sees it as his way back to glory. An unfamiliar feeling consumes him when he is with Elizabeth. Her happiness and welfare is more important to him than anything else. He would give anything to be her husband, but he has two objects in his way: his wife and Elizabeth's love of her throne.

The ambitious Robin may love Elizabeth, but he also wants to be King. Elizabeth is eager to be loved, but she is unwilling to do anything that would cost her the throne. She is unable to protect her throne from her private life. William Cecil, Secretary of State, makes the ultimate move to protect England with the Queen's royal command.

Now back to the question: Was Elizabeth truly the virgin she claimed to be? There is no doubt she and Robin Dudley loved each other and wanted to marry. My personal belief is that Elizabeth feared the state of marriage and only contemplated marrying Robin because she did love and trust him.  When she could not have him, she decided she would never marry. Did she sleep with him out of wedlock? I do not believe so. Perhaps they came close, but in my view Elizabeth was too shrewd to do anything that would put her and her beloved England at risk.

Book Review: Howl's Moving Castle

Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Author: Diana Wynne Jones (deceased)
Published: 1986
Rating: 5/5

I am ashamed to admit that I discovered this book on accident browsing the middle-grade reading section of Barnes and Noble. As a fan of anime, I have indulged in watching Hayao Miyazaki's film Howl's Moving Castle several times. This movie quickly became my favorite film produced by Studio Ghibli. The art is amazing and the story is a touching romance about plain maid and a handsome wizard. However, the are both cursed. I had no idea the popular anime movie was based off of a novel.

Jones'  ability to weave human truths into a fairy tale like setting is appealing to all ages. Sophia is the eldest daughter of a deceased Hatter and views herself as very dull. One day, she gets tangled with the Witch of the Waste and ends up cursed with an aged body. She embarks on a quest to seek her own fortune and to rid herself of the curse. She gets more than she bargained for when she finds herself living with the immature and selfish wizard, Howl, and Howl's young apprentice.

If anything, Jones mocks the traditional fairy tale. Her heroine is not beautiful or brave. The knight in shining armor is given to tantrums over hair dye and is a well known heart-breaker. However, they can only break their curses by discovering themselves through an unlikely friendship. Along the journey, the reader will find themselves laughing at some of the unpredictable situations these two characters find themselves in. I hope this novel stays in publication for future generations as a children's classic.

Book Review: The Boleyn Inheritance

Title: The Boleyn Inheritance
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2006, Touchstone
Rating: 5/5

In this novel Gregory embarked on a journey to tell the story of the more fortunate fourth wife and the less fortunate fifth wife of Henry VIII. Told from three compelling and beautifully crafted POV the reader experiences the inner thoughts of Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and the infamous Jane Boleyn. 

Anne of Cleves marries the King of England out of duty to her brother's kingdom. Everything goes splendidly wrong for her. The King abhors her and is unable to consummate the marriage. Fearful for her life, she agrees to the terms the King sets for the marriage to be annulled. She will be his "sister" and the highest lady after the Queen and the King's two daughters. She will have an allowance and her own small court. She discovers with unexpected joy the advantages of becoming a discarded wife. 

Jane Boleyn is the infamous wife of George Boleyn and sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn. She will do anything to get back to court. She will lie and tend to the needs of her family and of herself. She lives half in the present and half in the past. She is a murderess without committing murder.

Kitty Howard is a young girl. She cares only for clothes, jewels and looking pretty. She is shallow and the petted fifth wife. She is perhaps the most tragic of the wives, for her childhood upbringing will be her downfall. Against better judgment, she listens to the advice of Jane Boleyn and their uncle. Who could blame a young girl for taking a lover? Who can blame a young girl who cried out "I die a Queen but I would rather die the wife of Culpepper" when married to a beast like Henry VIII?

Gregory shows her readers that history is never truly in the past. History affects the present and the future. What happened in England when Henry VIII was on the throne with his second wife would haunt his future wives, his children, and England for years. The life of those in the royal circle always had to be wary of the past as they were of the future. 

Gregory has made me consider this aspect in my own novel. The present circumstances of my novel have been influenced by events that took place before the start of my story. The political plots in my novel are born from past incidents in my characters' lives. Sibling rivalry, favored children, jealousy, a sense of injustice, and ambition are just some of the elements influencing my characters and their political word. Those raised and involved in ruling families, I believe, had a very different mentality. These psychological influences from their childhood would show through in their adulthood and would determine what kind of rulers they would become.

Book Review: Old Magic

Title: Old Magic
Author: Marianne Curley
Published: 2000, Simon Impulse, Imprint of Simon & Schuster
Rating: 4.5/5

I first read this book eleven years ago when I found it at my local library. I found a paperback copy at the bookstore a month ago and was so excited it was still in publication! Since this is one of the novels that introduced me to the world of young adult fantasy I picked up a copy. One of my greatest pleasures is rereading novels that influenced my early writing days.

Kate Warren has no history and is a social outcast. Abandoned by her mother, she has been raised by her grandmother who practices the "old magic". In the small town where she lives, she is accepted only by her best friend and grandmother. Not much changes or happens where she lives until the day Jarrod shows up.

Jarrod is cursed. Kate probes his mind and discovers he has immense powers. Jarrod doesn't believe in anything that doesn't follow his "rules". However, as more misfortune befalls his family, he opens up to the idea, perhaps, there is a curse. Even when he is transported back in time with Kate he still can't accept the fact he has a gift himself. What will it take to make Jarrod accept his gift?

Curley has created likable characters whom the readers can inhabit, as she crafted the novel from both Jarrod's and Kate's POV. Readers will feel Kate's frustrations and Jarrod's reluctance to open up. Her plot is well done, entertaining, and will make the reader wanting to know more and more. So much so, I still wish there was a sequel!

Book Review: The Constant Princess

Title: The Constant Princess
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2005, Touchstone
Rating: 5/5

What if you told a lie so great it altered the course of history? Catalina is sent to England to marry Arthur, Prince of Whales, to seal the alliance between England and Spain. Alone in a foreign country she is blessed to find a lover in her husband. Blessings do not last long. A widow at 16, she makes a promise on the Prince's deathbed that she will marry his younger brother, Prince Henry. Here, Gregory brings in the twist of what could have happened in history or actually did happen.

What if Catherine of Aragon did indeed lie about her virginity? It makes one wonder how much of our history could be a lie. Gregory will invoke her readers to think beyond the pages of her stories into the psyche of humans. What would you do if you were an ever constant princess?

Book Reviews: The White Queen & The Red Queen

Title: The White Queen
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2009, Touchstone
Rating: 4/5

Elizabeth Woodville catches the eye of Edward IV, a King who is not yet secure on his throne, and never will be. The War of the Roses rages throughout their reign. Family betrayal and forgiveness makes the white roses of York red with blood. Elizabeth is desperate for peace but also wants revenge against those that have taken her family and her sons' inheritances. Elizabeth's strong and haunting voice tells the story of her greatest joy and tragedy as the mother of the lost Princes in the Tower. Gregory's descriptive and grounding scenes will bring her readers to court, the battlefield, sanctuary, and the reunion of a mother and her son.

Title: The Red Queen
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: 2010, Touchstone
Rating: 5/5

At the age of 9, Margaret Beaufort had a "saint's knees" from praying too much and wanted nothing more than to be like her idol, Joan of Arc. At the age of 12, she is married to Edmund Tudor and soon finds herself a pregnant widow. Her only child becomes her greatest love. She will do anything to keep him safe. She will do anything to give her son his true inheritance: the throne of England. From the voice of small child to that of a wise and cunning adult, Gregory brings Margaret to life. With England in discord between the warring houses, Margaret has everything to gain for herself and her child from God, or perhaps, veiled ambition.

Being Released in October 2011!

"The Lady of the Rivers", a novel about Elizabeth Woodville's mother, Jacquetta.

Available at Amazon.com

Book Review: The Other Boleyn Girl

Title: The Other Boleyn Girl

Author: Philippa Gregory

Published: Touchstone, 2004

Rating: 3.5/5

Gregory has fully mastered giving a voice to her character and pulling her readers into the Tudor time era, the enormous liberties she has taken with historical events did her novel no credit. If a reader was to approach “The Other Boleyn Girl” purely has a work of fiction, they might readily enjoy this novel. Those that have prior education on the Tudor era might have a harder time enjoying this book.

Mary Boleyn, at the tender age of 15, is forced to cuckold her husband, William Carey, by becoming the mistress of Henry VIII. Forced to accept her fate for the advancement of her family, she bears the King a daughter and then a son. While she labors in childbirth her sister, Anne, steals the attentions of the King. Weak with lust and love the King breaks away from the Church of Rome in his will to marry Anne.

While I applaud Gregory for telling her interpretation of the life of Mary Boleyn, her distorted representation of Anne Boleyn is slanderous. While Anne Boleyn did indeed wish for Katherine of Aragon’s death and treated Mary Tudor in a horrendous manner, she never did seek custody of her sister’s son. For that matter, Henry Carey, the son of Mary Boleyn, was more than likely not the son of Henry VIII. Nor did she commit incest with her brother, which is implied in several scenes throughout the novel.

I admire Gregory’s ability to weave the “what if?” into her novels but I have enjoyed this work less than her others. I am not saying this is a poorly written novel; on the contrary, it is a well written story if you only approach as a story. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a historical fiction novel about Mary Boleyn that follows historical events more accurately, because there is none.

Little is known about the life of Mary Boleyn. It is true she was raised in France, married Will Carey, and was mistress to the King, had a daughter and son, and married a man named William Stafford for love. Most of her life is a gap lost in history. That is why I applaud Gregory for choosing Mary Boleyn as the subject for this novel. It is the extensive liberties she took to tell Mary’s story that bothers this reader. 

Book Review: Catalyst

Title: Catalyst

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Published: 2002, Penguin Books

Rating: 4/5

Kate Malone has two personalities: good Kate and bad Kate. On the outside she is the smiling, hardworking daughter of a minister who sees to her family’s needs in place of her dead mother. Then there is bad Kate on the inside, the one who views her world partly as a nuisance and herself as a slight bitch. Kate is sure she is going to get into MIT and that her world is smooth sailing after she gets an acceptance letter.

Yeah, right.

The Litchs’ house burns down and Kate is forced to share her room with her childhood nemesis and Teri’s baby brother, Mikey. Unbeknownst to the football players and cheerleaders who heckle Teri, her life has been a living hell. Carefully hidden in her private world, Teri has shouldered more hurt and responsibility than all the 4,000 + students in her school.

Good Kate and bad Kate melt into one as her relationship with Teri evolves and she learns the truth about Mikey's parentage. 

Anderson's sarcastic and quirky style created yet another fantastic novel. With realistic teen struggles, young readers will be able to identify with Anderson’s characters. Although, they may like to seem invincible, all adolescents know, they are riddled with faults like any other human.  

Book Review: Horse Tales from Heaven

Title: Horse Tales from Heaven

Author: Rebecca E. Ondov

Published: 2010 Harvest House Publishers

Rating: 5/5

In this memoir written through a collection of short stories, Ondov shares her life working with horses and humans on pack trips. Ondav’s memoir is also a devotional work of art as well where her relationship with god manifests through her relationship with horses. Her rich descriptions ground the reader in the breathless landscape of the west. Strong images will form in the readers’ minds as they see a foal born and another horse tragically die from an accident. This is one of those rare books where after every chapter, the reader is forced to sit and reflect upon their own life. This novel is a must read for anyone who honestly believes horses have changed their spirit and relationship with god.

Personal Side Story: I read this novel on my way home on the airplane from LA after my interview. Although I am not Christian, I understood Ondav’s relationship with God and how she often felt him around her when she was with horses. As a spiritual person, I believe horses have always influenced my life and helped mold who I am. Stories about horses made me want to be a writer. Being a writer makes me want to explore the world of horses and everything connected to them for the rest of my life. This makes me want to write about them. This is one of the many reasons I am determined to go to Japan and experience the culture and the horses. While I feel prepared to teach English and face the challenges of being a gaijin (foreigner), I am not sure if I feel prepared to write the novels. Why? I am not sure if I can do justice to the spirit of the horse sometimes in my writing. All I can hope is some of my future non-horsey readers will come to respect the horse through my writing. 

Book Review: Wintergirls

Title: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Published: Viking Juvenile, 2009
Rating: 5/5

Unable to live and unable to die Lia is frozen. With the death of her former childhood friend Lia's already self-destructive actions and mental state plummets into freezing conditions. Anderson's vivid and poetic writing will make her readers feel the crippling disgust Lia feels every time she eats, every time she counts a calorie and every time she cuts. Unable to see how much her actions are hurting her perplexed family, Lia drags them down until she touches the bottom of her icy cage. Anderson's complex characters and beautifully disturbing realism will bring her readers to the tragic reality of Lia's mind.

Book Review: Water for Elephants

Title: Water for Elephants
Author: Sara Gruen
Published: 2006, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Rating: 5/5

During the Great Depression, a young man who seems to have lost everything all of sudden has a reason to live when he falls in love with a married circus performer. Jacob Jankowski and Marlena soon finds themselves threatened with the darker side of show business from her husband and his henchmen. Researched to the hilt, Gruen pulls her readers into the world of the old-time circus where men worked for little and animals hoped for kindness. Gruen builds the tension with each page and readers will not be disappointed with the explosive climax.

Book Review: The Housekeeper and the Professor

Title: The Housekeeper and the Professor
Author: Yoko Ogawa (translated by Stephen Snyder)
Published: 2003 in Japan, 2009 in America, Picador Publishing
Rating: 5/5


Ogawa created a world of nameless characters, except for the nickname of the housekeeper's son, "Root". Although, the story is told in first person through the intimate thoughts of the housekeeper, Ogawa keeps her readers at bay outside of the intimate circle of characters. The effect is successful as the reader is unable to completely inhabit the three main characters' sphere of life. Ogawa's ability to create deep, dimensional characters allows her readers to accept their nameless identities. The story itself is episodic and bittersweet about how friendship and loyalty can come in unexpected ways. The deep impressions such events have on humans is captured in the spirit of Ogawa's story. Ogawa's subtle writing style will leave her readers reflecting on human psychology as her characters strike a chord in each reader’s view of humanity.  

Book Review: The Bad Queen

Title: The Bad Queen: Rules and Instructions for Marie-Antoinette

Author: Carolyn Meyer

Published: 2010, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Rating: 5/5

Carolyn Meyer set out on a mission to tell the story of Marie Antoinette, whom history has painted as a selfish and shallow woman. Combining her in-depth research and her historical fiction writing talent, Meyer presents a stellar narrative of a young princess who is expected to be perfect. Masterfully written in first person, readers are allowed into the private thoughts and feelings of the Queen who history has horribly misunderstood. Meyer leaves her audience with a much different opinion about the character and psyche of the last queen of France. Readers will find themselves contemplating what they would have done if they were put in the position that Marie Antoinette found herself in.

Check out the other novels in the Young Royals series:

Cleopatra Confesses (Just Released!)

Mary, Blood Mary

Beware, Princess Elizabeth

Patience, Princess Catherine

Doomed Queen Anne

Duchessina: A Novel of Catherine de' Medici

SNHU MFA Summer Residency

On June 18, 2011 several of my classmates will  be graduating from the MFA program, and all of them have become an important part of my life and have been very supportive. That is why I love this program. We all supportive of each other's goals and aspirations. Our goals to become better writers and eventually to become published and share "human truths" through our stories, essays and poems. We are all writers, and in each of us we have seen our ability to express our view of the world through the beauty of words.

Today, Melanie Cecka who works for Bloomsbury told me that I had better write about horses next. She said my whole face lit up when I talked about writing about horses in Japan. That is all I want to do now; that is is now an obsession. I have started applying to companies to teach English in Japan and many of my friends here are encouraging me to go for it. Several people have asked me when I am leaving, and I told them as soon as I can secure a teaching position and get a work visa I will be going.

I am ready to be a teacher. I am not merely going to Japan just for my own writing purposes. I love knowledge  and teaching is a way for me to make use of my knowledge of the written language. Of course, I will learn more human truths from living in Japan. I will learn about the culture, their traditions, the people, their wildlife and their language. I know I will be a good teacher because of everything horses have taught me. I will be a good teacher because of what the people in my MFA program have taught me, both the mentors and the other students. 

On Sunday we leave for Star Island for a week. Last year I did not want to go. Just the thought of being trapped on a small island made my heart skip a beat. This year though, it is different. By going there part of my soul is freed from everyday society. All of us while we are there, can reflect on humanity and its relationship to the rest of the world. We are forced to look at ourselves as writers and all that we wish to convey.

I am grateful to everybody that has helped me. I am grateful to all the mentors and students. I am grateful to my friends at home. I am grateful for Skye, because I did not start to truly live until the moment she came into my life.  I am grateful to someone who made me realize I can't be afraid to live, even though he will no longer talk to me. 

 "Water in the river flows without cease, besides there isn't original water" - From the Hojoki

Book Review: A Unicorn is Born

Title: A Unicorn is Born
Author: Trinie Dalton, Illustrated by Kathrin Ayer
Published: 2007, Abrams Image
Rating: 4/5

This is a delightful book for any young girl or woman who is fascinated with the legend of the unicorn. This short story recounts a mare's pregnancy, birth, and rearing of her firstborn foal. The author does a wonderful job of weaving many legends of the unicorn into her story, and the influence of Robert Vavra's "Unicorns I have Known" is noticeable. The illustrations have a child, dreamlike, quality and are a pleasure to look at. However, the book seems to end abruptly before the young unicorn even reaches her first birthday and leaves the reader wondering what will become of Uma as her powers increase. While this book is an enjoyable read, Dalton could have brought her story to a much higher level by lengthening the tale.

Book Review: Horses in Japan

Title: Horses in Japan
Author: Vivienne Kenrick (deceased)
Published: 1964, Hokuseido Press for J.A. Allen & Co, Ltd. Published in Japan
Score: 5/5

"Why tether your young horse
To a blossoming cherry tree?
As he prances
The flowers will flutter and fall."
     -Min-yo, Folk Song (from the introduction)

In this well researched and breathtaking informational book Kenrick reveals the spirit of the horse in Japan from mythology to Post-World War II. Similar to Robert Vavra's musical soundtrack "Horses of the Wind" the reader is taken on a journey of the horse in Japanese culture. The reader will encounter the ancient war horse, the samurai and his horsemanship skills, and the introduction of European breeds into the land of the rising sun. Kenrick leaves the reader with the understanding of the great role horses have played in the Japanese culture through history, art, and religion. The translated Japanese texts Kenrick selected to be a part of her pages are fascinating and provides her work with the essence of the horse. Kenrick's desire to make horses of Japan known has continued from beyond the grave.