Book Review: A Hundred Horses

A Hundred Horses
Author: Sarah Lean
Published: Harper Collins, 2013
Genre: Middle-grade, Coming of Age
Rating: 5/5

So, a few weeks ago I went to my local bookshop The Toadstool to browse through the middle-grade reader horse novels. For years as a child, my mother brought me to this bookstore so I could by a new Saddle Club book or some other horse related novel. Even though I am now an adult, part of me still enjoys reading books about young girls healed by horses.

Nell is not too pleased about spending her spring break with her aunt and cousins on the farm. But, Nell's mom is too busy working, and maybe too busy trying to forget about Nell's father. Something important is taken from Nell by another girl riding a horse, and Nell will do anything to get back her treasure. Nell meets Rita, an older women whose husband's recent death is forcing her to sell her herd of 99 horses. The connection between Rita and the other girl, Angel, is revealed and Nell and Angel forge an unlikely friendship based on their need for affection and understanding.

There is an old truth of horse bringing people together, and this novel captures that truth in character and plot. The writing is fluid and the characters grow with each encounter and challenge they face. I would recommend this novel to horse lovers and parents whose daughters might be facing a difficult time.

Book Review: Colorless

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
Author: Haruki Murakami and translated by Philip Gabriel
Published: 2014 English Edition,
Genre: Psychological Fiction
Rating: 5/5

Have you ever had that urge to buy that hardcover, but just couldn't justify spending the money on it? I was there when Colorless by Haruki Murakami was released in 2014. I really wanted to buy it, but I was short on cash and had accumulated several unread titles by Murakami. My practical side won and I decided I would buy Murakami's most recent novel when it was released in paperback. The day it came out, my inner book dork took control and I spent the next few days reading it whenever I could.

Tsukuru Tazaki is a mid-thirties bachelor spending his working days designing train stations. He leads a lonely, but not unsatisfactory life in Tokyo when he meets Sara. Over dinner one night, Sara encourages Tsukuru to explore how the collective rejection of his four childhood friends has affected his adult life. Unable to ignore the fact the wound never completely healed, Tsukuru goes on a quest to find out the reason why he was rejected and abandoned by his high school comrades. As he speaks to each one, he begins to realize they all had their secrets, desires and disappointments. Tsukuru delves into the emotions of the past and present to heal the wounds with understanding and respect.

Haruki Murakami is known for his extensive analysis of human emotions through his characters. This novel is a balanced work of art that explores the emotional and the spiritual quest of Tsukura, This novel's plot seems simple, but the intricate interior dialogue brings readers to Tsukura's fifteen-year-old plight. Murkami's dialogue is natural and flows between the characters as the emotions build with each reunion.

What is startling about this novel is how simple it makes readers question their own life. Are you hiding old wounds? Has a traumatic event that you "recovered" from still haunt you? How many of us lie to ourselves?

 For readers looking for a psychologically driven plot, Colorless is just the book for you.