alsvidur's 2019 list

Hi! I'm Emilie. I'm in my 30s, live in metro-Detroit, and am a vet tech. I have two jobs and am getting another degree, so my reading went from a book a day down to 50-some. Last year I was able to bring it back up, and I hope to read even more this year! I won't work towards a number as a yearly goal, but I hope to read around 150.

I read a wide variety and discover new genres yearly. That said, I don't read a lot of 'literature'. I wish I did, but I usually just need some relaxation. I read instead of watching TV, but there isn't much difference in quality there. There will likely be a good selection of age ranges - from picture books to adult, they're all in there. I like a good fantasy or romance. Expect some non-fiction books on animals and gardening, too.

Happy 2019
A year full of books
A year full of friends
A year full of all your wishes realised

I look forward to keeping up with you, Emilie, this year.

Happy reading year, Emilie!

Welcome back!

Happy New Year, Emilie. Happy reading.

Thanks for the welcome! I look forward to lurking on threads and reading some more this year!

"Andrew inherited an estimated 16,000 books from his parents, with his mother's vast collection of titles and papers bequeathed to the International Museum of the Horse in Kentucky. It was deemed the world's most extensive privately donated equine collection. The museum had to hire a private archivist to create an inventory of the hundreds of books." (-'Capt Vladimir S Littauer Questioned Everything', Bridget Eklund, The Chronicle of the Horse, Dec 3)

I have a goal now. I have a long way to go, but I will get there.

While updating things and poking around LT, I realized that this will be my 10th year in the 75ers!

I also figured out how to post and rotate personal photos in my thread, so there might be a few this year (finally). Everyone loves animals, right? Here's my cat Archer either expressing his opinion on my reading choices or practicing his Tarzan yell.

Happy reading in 2019, Emilie!

>8 alsvidur: Nice picture of Archer, lucky shot?

>8 alsvidur: I wish you would teach me how to do the pictures, Emilie. I would love to be able to post pictures of the games I am playing, lol.

Happy New Year - and happy 10th anniversary!

Hi, Emilie! I saw the photos you kindly posted in the Black Stallion challenge thread and thought I'd drop by your thread, too. Wishing you lots of great reading in 2019!

>7 alsvidur: That's a laudable goal!

>8 alsvidur: Terrific picture of Archer.

Welcome all!

>9 FAMeulstee:: Completely lucky! He's so active, I can usually get him in focus only when he's sleeping.

>11 harrygbutler:: What a charming card; thank you!

>10 alcottacre:: The process of doing photos is a little tedious, but it's taken me so many years trying that it's worth it! I found out that LT has something called a junk drawer: "The Junk drawer is designed for holding screenshots and pictures for Talk. Pictures are visible to all, but do not show up in your member gallery."

From my phone, I email myself the photos and save them to my desktop. (I haven't tried doing this directly from my phone, but I think it might save a lot of hassle as long as the rotation formatting of my images is OK.) On your LT profile page, there is a line to the right that says 'Your member gallery'. Once there, there's a line to the right that says 'Add another picture'. On that page, you can upload your image. Make sure to use the drop down menu to select "junk drawer" - this way the photo won't show up on your profile page. There! Now your image is online and you are able to right click on it and copy the image location/URL.

From there, it's just like adding a cover of a book or other image on your thread. A post explaining that is here, https://www.librarything.com/topic/80911#1689470.

(If your image is rotated once you upload it to LT, you might have to delete it, fix the rotation, and upload it again. It's because your phone and the photo software you use don't sync up well on some digital information sharing (from what I gather). You might have to open up the photo in MS Paint or something to change the format it is saved in. This was the clearest 'how-to' that I found on how to fix rotation: https://www.ivertech.com/Articles/Image-Rotation-Issue-With-Windows-10.aspx.)

Please let me know if I left out a step or wasn't clear - I will try to clear it up the best I can. There is probably a faster/easier way to do this, but I'm just happy that I can do it at all for right now!

The year started off right: I was exploring and stopped by a tack store (place that sells horse supplies) for the first time, and they had a big used book section - all on horses! I snagged 23 books, which is about 1/4 of the amount I bought all of last year. I've been neglecting my library lately. I haven't been putting my LLC spine stickers on any of my horse books for the past year or so, so I'll have to go through and process everything again soon.

This is great timing, because aside from starting my 10th year in the 75ers, my 9-year Thingaversary is tomorrow!

(Accounting: 23 books, $97.52, A Bit Used Tack Shop)

>12 alsvidur: Thanks for the explanation, I didn't know about the junk drawer!

Congratulations on your 9th Thingaversary. Well done that book haul;-)

alsvidur - So jealous about the horse book sale!! Happy reading in 2019!

Book #: 1
Title: Adulthood Is a Myth: Sarah's Scribbles
Author: Sarah Anderson
Genre: Comic collection
Publication date: 2016
Catalog: 741 / PN
Acquisition: 5 hours ago
Rating: 2

I really enjoy Anderson's comics when I stumble across them online. It seems like this collection of comics is based on high school/college, and I've just outgrown some of those experiences, I think.



Book #: 2
Title: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Author: Marie Kondo
Genre: Non-fiction, domestic
Publication date: 2014
Catalog: 648 / TX
Acquisition: 10 days ago
Rating: 3

Netflix got me. I enjoyed the show and I was fascinated by the cleaning methods. (Not a fan of the family stories, but oh well.) I got the audiobook to listen to as I cleaned. I was a bit sad with the focus of the book. I didn't pick it up to change my life - I wanted to learn another way to fold clothes so I could re-sort them. I started Spark Joy, the illustrated companion to KonMari, and it seems to be a much better fit to what I wanted.



Book #: 3
Title: Know Better to Do Better: Mistakes I Made with Horses (So Your Don't Have To)
Author: Denny Emerson
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Publication date: 2018
Catalog: 636 / SF
Acquisition: 3 days ago
Rating: 3.5

Denny's constant mentioning and advertising on social media finally did me in. Denny chronicles some basic horse information and has sidebars on horses he's owned. Did I learn anything? Not really. BUT - BUT! How many non-fiction horse books out there are readable? Like, none. He even mentions it himself when talking about horse books: "Some are meant to teach. Of the teaching books, I have found some to be full of superb advice but so ponderously written as to be akin to studying a textbook on organic chemistry." ::cough cough:: I'm talking about YOU, Capt. Littauer ::cough cough::. Denny finally managed to do it - he made a non-fiction horse book enjoyable, like having a conversation with someone, or at least reading an entertaining facebook post. I sat through and read it front-to-back in a few sittings. That never happens. The design is full of clean white space and clear pictures that correspond to the text. It's easily readable. It's accurate. I think that's enough to ask of a horse book.



Book #: 4
Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Genre: Juvenile fiction
Publication date: 1988 (2013)
Catalog: 823 / PZ
Acquisition: 3 months ago
Rating: 5

Another audio book to listen to while I cleaned tack, and one of my favorite books. Kate Winslet does a fabulous job narrating.

Matilda is a very precocious young girl whose parents don't care about her and whose school headmistress hates children. Her teacher and her librarian, along with some magic, help her overcome.

(Slightly belated) Happy New Year and happy new thread! I look forward to seeing what you read this year.

Book #: 5
Title: Big Mushy Happy Lump
Author: Sarah Anderson
Genre: Comic collection
Publication date: 2017
Catalog: 741 / NC
Acquisition: 6 days ago
Rating: 4

The first half is a collection of published comics. The second half is some illustrated stories: one about the author's anxiety, one about learning to like cats, and another about borrowing sweaters/hoodies from guys.

This one is more polished than the first book, Adulthood Is a Myth. Although the rabbit included in many panels seems to be a projection of 'self', I can pretend that she has a pet rabbit like I do.

BTW, this is the woman who brought you these comics:

.

>14 EllaTim:: >15 DFED:: >17 foggidawn:: Continued welcomes to everyone who has stopped by!

I am slightly grumpy about a book I bought. B&N had a pile of copies of Time's Convert marked with the Members 40% off sticker. I grabbed one, since although I have no plans to read the book immediately, I do want to get to it sometime, and 40% off is really nice. It was not marked down upon purchase though, which I didn't notice it until later. It was sold at the normal price - pretty steep for a book that I would actually prefer to have in paperback instead. Should I return it and wait for the pb to be published? Should I go and ask for a discount, even though I ABHOR doing things like that? I know what will actually happen is that it will sit in the bag by the door for a month until I give up and shelve it. Maybe I should just catalog it now and be done with it. BN needs my help anyways, right?

I did order off Barnes and Noble online for the first time. Amazon, local stores, and big online horsey companies didn't have copies of Know Better to Do Better in stock, but BN did. The book got here much faster than I had anticipated. Amazon seems to be slow on deliveries at times, but I was really impressed with BN.

Speaking of trying new things, what does everyone think of Marie Kondo's method of clearing out books? Have you seen the Netflix show? I'm not sure I could do it. Clothes, papers, sentimental items, household good, all yes, but books? I guess I could start by looking through some picture books. I have no children, so the whole point of those is to 'bring me joy', and if a book was a dud, I should be able to clear it out to make more space, yeah?

Denny's book is now on my TBR :) I read Kondo's book a few years ago and, yes, my husband & I cleaned out our books. It hasn't stopped the tide of incoming books but I think it was useful - I honestly haven't missed those books that I got rid of because they didn't "bring me joy." But, there are limits and the beauty of a personal library is the potential!

>18 alsvidur: I really like Sarah Anderson. She was a guest on Neil Pasricha's podcast called Three Books, where each guest discusses their three most formative books. It's my favourite podcast, and Sarah's episode was one of the best.

I haven’t read (or viewed) Kondo’s approach, but I’ve heard enough about it lately. I do get rid of books, and periodically I go through mine to decide if I still want them, if they “spark joy” in her terms (I usually find a handful I can part with). Some of what I’ve heard of her philosophy is more minimal than I care to adopt in regards to books, but if you feel the need to reduce your collection and her method helps you do so, why not?

>18 alsvidur: HAHAHAHAHAHA! I literally guffawed at those comics, thanks for sharing!

Regarding "horse" books: I never really rode (only 2-3 times in a saddle for a very short time) but have devoured stories about horses since I first started reading. I recently discovered the pony club books by Josephine Pullein-Thompson. There was so much about technical aspects of riding that was totally new to me, but I still enjoyed the dressage and jumping lessons contained within.

I've starred your thread again this year, and am looking forward to your comments.

Happy new year and congrats on your recent Thingaversary!
I watched a few minutes of the Marie Kondo Netflix show because I wanted to see what she'd do with books, but I found her childish personality so grating that I couldn't watch. I'm sure she'd annoy me less in book form :-D

Book #: 6
Title: Herding Cats
Author: Sarah Anderson
Genre: Comic collection
Publication date: 2018
Catalog: 741 / NC
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 3.5

More comics, some as 4-panel shorts and others as illustrated advice to other artists.



Book #: 7
Title: Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
Author: Marie Kondo
Genre: Non-fiction, domestic
Publication date: 2016
Catalog: 648 / TX
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 4

This book was what I was looking for after watching Kondo's show. It has diagrams on folding clothes and advice on actually storing and cleaning - less on the self-help and more on the organizing.



Book #: 8
Title: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness
Author: Ingrid Fetell Lee
Genre: Non-fiction
Publication date: 2018
Catalog: 152 / BF
Acquisition: 4 months ago
Rating: 4

Started this before I left my old job (which did not bring me joy, to say the least). Finished it up since I left it sitting in the living room. I marked my copy up like crazy with ideas on things to bring happiness. This is really about finding happiness in the world today and less about meditation and looking inward. There are a few pages of worksheets on what aspects bring you happiness, but I find that I don't actually need them now. I'll hang on to this book just in case, and I do like my lists I made of things that bring me joy. The author's instagram account is a nice boost to your feed.

(I've been able to post a bit at work, but I can't do images and things are slow, so this post is in progress until tomorrow.)

I watched Kondo's show the other day after all the chatter I've seen about her on the threads here. Glad to hear that the book is still worth looking into after you've learned from the show.

>8 alsvidur: Hi Emilie- I love this cat pic :)

Re: your latest read, I love the idea of happiness coming from ordinary things....I could buy into that.

>27 LovingLit:: Yes, it seems common sense - and easier than mediation and re-crafting yourself as a human being. It's about paying attention to little things like bubbles, color, ice cream, etc, and what those items have in common so that we can notice more happy things. The intro was the most 'self-helpy' part of the book; the rest is a narrative of the author's quest as a designer to find out the basic concepts joyful things share. That said, the intro was very helpful and I wish it made more of the book.

>26 fairywings:: Yes, the companion book is very helpful, but the original book is not.

The flu hit me this week. Banned from work for a whole week, one would think I would be happy to have time off, but I am so bored, and yet too tired to do much about it. I at least progressed from continuously nodding off while The Office is on in the background (chosen because other shows often seen while ill were too much for my headache) to being able to sit up and read.



Book #: 9
Title: It Happened One Autumn
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Genre: Fiction, romance
Publication date: 2005
Catalog: 813 / PS
Acquisition: 1 day ago
Rating: 4

Wallflowers series #2: A group of 4 shy women who can't catch gentlemen band together to help each other...catch gentlemen. This one features Lillian, the brash American, who argues her way towards love. I think I liked this heroine the most, and the chemistry between her and the hero is very nice.



Book #: 10
Title: Devil in Winter
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Genre: Fiction, romance
Publication date: 2006
Catalog: 813 / PS
Acquisition: 5 months ago
Rating: 2

Wallflowers series #3. Perpetual stutterer Evie goes to a rogue to ask him to marry her - she knows he needs the money and she needs to get away from her abusive family. This book was tiresome - it took awhile to like the hero after the events of the previous book, and it really should have affected the girls' friendship more - aside from lackluster romance and plot points. The side characters were the best part.



Book #: 11
Title: Scandal in Spring
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Genre: Fiction, romance
Publication date: 2006
Catalog: 813 / PS
Acquisition: 5 months ago
Rating: 4

Wallflowers series #4. Back to the Bowman family, this time with Lillian's little sister, Daisy. Daisy's father has become sick of spending money on the society circuit for the past 3 years with no proposal yet for his youngest daughter, so he gives her an ultimatum - find someone acceptable in the next 2 months or marry his employee. Is there scandal? Eh, my cat seems to think so. Me, not so much.

Hope you are 100% soon!

Book #: 12
Title: Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction
Author: Gabrielle Moss
Genre: Non-fiction, books about books
Publication date: 2018
Catalog: 813 / PS
Acquisition: 1 day ago
Rating: 3

I had so many thoughts while reading this, and now that it comes time to write them down, I'm blank.

I was expecting something a bit more hard-hitting or in-depth, and I think that's what let me down. This is not an academic work. There's plenty of nostalgia, lots of pictures and fun design, and humor. It's a nice walk down memory lane. It seemed to be more a run-down of certain novels the author stumbled across recently, or a list of the bigger names in genres, than something heavy. The meatiest bits were the sidebars - how did the illustrators come up with the covers, Lois Duncan's daughter's mysterious death, publishers working on getting out minority voices, etc. As someone who wasn't into romance or "issue" books, a lot of the book that was supposed to be a friendly reminder of old books just illustrated how different I felt I was back then. (I still don't get the hijinks of the Sweet Valley set.)

Now, as someone who is really into a specific portion of the paperback series trade of this time period (pony books), there are only 3 pages devoted to the entire subgenre. I guess that could be a good thing, because the author even mentioned she was never into horses and non-horse-people usually get things wrong, but I was really looking forward to a less superficial look at something that makes up such a big portion of girls books. That said, even though there was only a few paragraphs total on The Saddle Club, the author managed to hit something that helped me understand myself a bit more in her discussion of teen girl archetypes/stereotypes (the shy one, the smart one, the tomboy, the arty one, etc):

"Carole, the third member of the Saddle Club, doesn't fit neatly into your classic '80s middle grade series molds because her "thing" is...she's a talented, dedicated rider. In the world of the Saddle Club, that's a trait that can help shape your identity, sense of yourself, and relationships with others as much as "being super-organized" or "hating 'girly' stuff" or any of those other tween archetypes."

OK. Carole is how I related to myself when younger, and it's enlightening to think upon how much that influences me even today. So I guess that even though Paperback Crush more design-heavy than I was looking for, it was still totally worth it.

Book #: 13
Title: Look Alive Twenty Five
Author: Janet Evanovich
Genre: Fiction, chick lit
Publication date: 2018
Catalog: 813 / PS
Acquisition: 1 month ago
Rating: 2

Stephanie Plum series #25: Bounty hunter Stephanie is inept but lucky. Stephanie's manager Vinnie 'inherits' a deli and has her run it, but it has a history of managers disappearing leaving only a shoe.

This feels like it was phoned in. There wasn't as much humor as usual, it was missing an exploding car, Stephanie didn't do much aside from wait for Ranger to solve her problems, and the mystery's solution was convoluted. #25 would not be able to stand on its own. The best thing about it was the guest star Wulf, which in itself isn't great, but at least it reminded you that there were series and books that made you really like that universe. Bring back the Wicked series; I miss Lizzy.

January Summary

Best book(s): Matilda audiobook read by Kate Winslet

Monthly books: 13
Total books: 13

Non-fiction, animals: 1
Non-fiction, other: 4
Fiction: 8
Pony books: 0

Re-reads: 1
Time since last reread: unknown
TBR Pit books read (over 6 months): 0
Time spent in TBR: 5 hours - 5 months
Library/borrowed: 0
% not new books: 7%

Books acquired: 39

Year-by-year:
1 - 2000s
6 - 2010s

Genre:
3 - Humor

1 - Juvenile fiction

3 - Romance
1 - chick lit

1 - Non-fiction, horses
3 - Non-fiction, domestic
1 - Non-fiction, books about books

Classification:
1 - 152
1 - 636
2 - 648
3 - 741
5 - 813
1 - 823

1 - BF
2 - NC
1 - PN
5 - PS
1 - PZ
1 - SF
2 - TX

Book #: 14
Title: 99 Percent Mine
Author:
Genre: Fiction, chick lit
Publication date: 2019
Catalog: 813 / PS
Acquisition: 1 day ago
Rating: 3

Darcy is fixing up her relative's house to sell, and the handyman company is owned by her brother's best friend.

I really, really loved Sally Thorne's previous release The Hating Game and was bummed that I had to wait so long for her next book. 99% Mine feels like a sophomore attempt though. It feels like an outline that wasn't fleshed out - I was left feeling like I didn't get the whole story on some of the characters. It was still very enjoyable, but I think it would have been better suited to a longer book with the time for further character development.



Book #: 15
Title: Moonlight Scandals (deVincent series #3)
Author: Jennifer Armentrout
Genre: Romance, mystery
Publication date: 2019
Catalog: 813 / PS
Acquisition: 1 day ago
Rating: 3.5

The ghost stories of the deVincent series continue! The oldest brother (the younger tow already had their books) falls in love and the girl has to deal with the ghosts that haunt the home and the mystery of what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-this-family.

More of the same - a good romance with extra plot and excitement.



Book #: 16
Title: Fellowship of the Ring
Author: JRR Tolkien
Genre: Fantasy
Publication date: 1954 (1965)
Catalog: 823 / PR
Acquisition: 7 years ago
Rating: 4

Does this one really need an explanation? A group of fantasy beings go on a quest to defeat the evil taking over their land.

Confession: I hadn't read this series yet. It's ALWAYS been on my TBR list and I'm finally powering through those books I feel like I should have read.

(originally 2-10-19, edited for descriptions and covers)

Book #: 17
Title: The Two Towers
Author: JRR Tolkien
Genre: Fantasy
Publication date: 1954 (1965)
Catalog: 823 / PR
Acquisition: 9 years ago
Rating: 3

The continued quest of the Fellowship. Sam and Frodo are on their own trying to get into Mordor and the remaining party is off in another direction.

Less engrossing than the first; the fifth part of Sam and Frodo was starting to get boring - the Shelob came in a bit too late for me.



Book #: 18
Title: A Princess in Theory
Author: Alyssa Cole
Genre: Romance
Publication date:
Catalog: 813 / PS
Acquisition: 2 days ago
Rating: 4

Ledi is a grad student in epidemiology who keeps getting annoying Nigerian prince scam emails. But they're not a scam this time - there really is a prince who's looking for her.

This was a nicely done secret-royalty romance. If only more heroines had fuller lives like hers, with real-world issues and careers.



Book #: 19
Title: How to Give a Cat a Bath
Author: Nicola Winstanley
Genre: Picture book
Publication date: 2019
Catalog: 813 / PZ
Acquisition: 1 hour ago
Rating: 4

Early Reviewers. A girl needs to give her cat a bath. She has a plan, but she needs to keep revising her plan as each step happens.

This is really cute. As a veterinary professional, it can be hard for me to not take everything with an animal in it as incorrect instruction, but this book is so well done that that thought didn't come up. It's really more about coping with change and continuing on with a plan. The illustrations are simple yet action-filled.



Book #: 20
Title: The Bear and the Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
Genre: YA fantasy
Publication date: 2017
Catalog: 813 / PS
Acquisition: 2 weeks ago
Rating: 4

Vasya is a strange child in 1300s Russia. Her grandmother was rumored to be a witch or a friend of Frost. Vasya doesn't like that the new viallage priest is sowing fear and stomping out the old ways, since only some of the old spirits are dying - there are a few that are gaining power and are eager to use that power to destroy Russia.

It was hard to get into this after I started reading the first 50 pages or so on the Amazon description page and then switching to my nook and back to my phone, etc, but the story itself is a nice fairy tale. I hope books 2 & 3 continue it and tell more about Frost.

>34 alsvidur: I also loved How to Give Your Cat a Bath!

>34 alsvidur: My cats give each other baths so I don't have to! LOL

So... how's everyone been? I've been lazy and uninterested in reading. If I'm not at work, I'm at the barn or sleeping. I've started and dropped at least a dozen books and can't seem to get into even some of my favorites. I can't even remember if I've read more than I can recall over the past few months. What have I been doing with my free time? Sitting and staring? Looking at online tack stores? Studying for boards? I dunno.

21 -The Girl in the Tower
22 -The Winter of the Witch

23 -Hero in the Highlands
24 -My One True Highlander

25 -A Night to Surrender
26 -A Week to Be Wicked
27 -A Lady by Midnight
28 -Beauty and the Blacksmith
29 -Any Duchess Will Do

Well, even though you've been lazy and uninterested, that's still a great list!

Hope you get your mojo back soon, Emilie.

Book #: 30
Title: The Event Groom's Handbook
Author: Jeanne Kane
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Publication date: 1983
Catalog: 798 / SF
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 4

Professional grooms discuss how to be a groom at a long-format 3-day event.

Although this book is terribly out of date, for what it was at the time, it showed promise. If you ignore some of the medical advice, it gives practical tips on grooming for a long-format event - what meetings to attend, where to wait for your horse, how to handle nervous riders, etc. I wasn't a fan of 'if you have a question, ask your rider'; although in realistic terms it's good for your job status, some riders I've worked for didn't have the foggiest idea about horse care. This is not one of the essential grooming guides, but it's a fun one to add to the collection.

Still not here. In over 2 months, I've managed to finish a single book. I've read a bit more, but I always drop a book halfway through. Lord of the Rings series, my favorite YA fantasy series, chick lit, YA contemporary, kid's books, it's doesn't matter. I can't seem to make it to the end. I've rotted my brain out with TV and spend too much time on social media.

The only bright point is that while traveling today I found a *good* bookstore with a huge used section. Of course I bought as much as I could. It's the first time I was a little excited about buying books in a long time. I just wish I had more spending money so I could have purchased the books I wanted to read soon rather than the books I needed for my collection.

I read this one like 2 months ago, but haven't been visiting LT lately.



Book #: 31
Title: All About Manes and Tails
Author: Carolyn Henderson
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Publication date: 1999
Catalog: 636 / SF
Acquisition: 1 week ago
Rating: 3

I don't know why I hope these Allen Guides, all 24-pages of them, will have any good insight. It's a short introduction to braiding and horse hair care.

32 That Summer - Sarah Dessen

Finally found something to break the dry spell!

33 The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Han
34 It's Not Summer Without You - Jenny Han
35 We'll Always Have Summer - Jenny Han

YA contemporary trilogy. Which brother is best for her? Very summery.

36 The Wedding Date - Jasmine Guillory

Can't remember much about this one. I think I liked it? This is what happens when I don't log books after I read them.

37 Intercepted - Alexa Martin
38 Fumbled - Alexa Martin

Love this romance series. I'm not usually one for sports stories, but these are great.

39 The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) - Tessa Dare

Not my favorite Dare, but it's still better than most other historical romance.

40 Meet Cute - Helen Hunting

Romance/chick lit. Law student bumps into former child actor. Fangirls out. Is embarrassed. Years later, she's responsible for his sister's estate.

41 The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang

Romance. Adored this one. Woman with Asperger's decides she needs practice in the romance department so she hires an escort to teach her.

42 The Bride Test - Helen Hoang

Chick lit. Esme is brought to America by Khai's mother to become a wife to Khai. She has a summer to figure it out. Eh.

43 The Honeymooners - Christina Lauren

Olive's sister wins everything. She even won a wedding reception and honeymoon. When the whole party gets sick from the food, Olive ends up on her sister's honeymoon with the only other person to escape - the best man, Ethan, whom she hates.

44 The Princess and the Fangirl -

Imogen looks like the actress Jessica Stone from a sci-fi movie. They switch places for a few days at a con.

The Honeymooners sounds like a bit of fun.

Still haven't been reading much or updating LT at all. Want to know why?



Rotating that is a lot of effort. Bummer.

Anyways, I have Cici on full lease, so the few hours every day I had free are now at the barn. I'm OK with this, but it does put a dent in reading time. The rest of my time has been spent studying Pony Club stuff. My barn is a USPC riding center on hiatus, so I'm trying to get all ready before we get it back going. Not sure if I want to volunteer or be an adult member.

45 - The Proposal - Jasmine Guillory

Romance. Can't really remember this one - I read it back in June but forgot to log it.

46 - The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish - Neil Gaiman

Picture book. Sunday night read alouds at work have stopped for now

47 - Love and Gelato - Welch

YA. Girl's mom dies and her mother sent her to Italy to live. Cute.

48 - Fix Her Up - Tessa Bailey

Romance. Cute.

49 - My One and Only - Kristan Higgins

Romance. Woman and ex-husband take road trip home from another wedding. Meh.

50 - The Good Luck Charm - Helena Hunting

Romance. Woman's ex-boyfriend comes back to town.

51 - The Thousand Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars #1) - Jennifer Graham and Rob Thomas

52 - Mr Kiss and Tell (Veronica Mars #2) - Jennifer Graham and Rob Thomas

Reread before the new season released. Yes, of course I rewatched the entire series first.



Book #: 53
Title: The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship D Level (2nd ed)
Author: Susan Harris
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Publication date: 2012
Catalog: 636 / SF
Acquisition: 3 weeks ago
Rating: 4



Book #: 53
Title: The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship C Level (2nd ed)
Author: Susan Harris
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Publication date: 2013
Catalog: 636 / SF
Acquisition: 2 weeks ago
Rating: 4

New editions (to me). I still referenced the 1994 ones. Thought I should update things.

What?!?! No way - guess who I work for - USPC!! :) What center do you ride at?

Ah!!! How cool!!! I'm actually not sure what it's listed under - the barn is Hox Acres, but the program is run by Emily Nett as Emily Nett Eventing. She is building her own barn right now, so she said she got a hiatus (or something like that) while the barn is being done. We have a Pony Club Riding Center 2018 sign in the tack room, but that's about it. I already told her that I would help out in any way I could as soon as she's ready.

I never got to be in Pony Club as a kid, and I always wanted to. When they increased the age limit to adult, I was over the moon, but am still a bit unsure about things since I don't know someone 'on the inside' to guide me through the changes over the past 20 years. I'd love to be able to actually *do* Pony Club, especially now that I have a pony, but maybe I could help out more as a sponsor. My riding skills are D3/C1 at most, but I do have a bit of management knowledge. I thought of joining a club that's about an hour away, but how easy would it be to change clubs if I needed?

Agh, I'm so excited that I can geek out over this with someone! My bf thinks I'm crazy to be so pumped about USPC, but just like 4H and FFA, I really believe in the program and what it does for kids.

What a small world! :) Yeah, I wasn't in it either as a kid - but I was in FFA. We just had a Club open up last year nearby that accepts adults but I haven't gotten my act together on whether or not to join myself yet. It's totally easy to switch clubs/centers, just a simple online process. I know Emily had some issues with the facility and we look forward to having her back on board - and you too, I hope?? Message me anytime with any questions!

Well...ouch. In two months, what have I read? Five books. I'm plugging my way through multiple non-fiction books, but it's still sad.



Book #: 54
Title: Fly-By-Night
Author: KM Peyton
Genre: Pony book
Publication date: 1968
Catalog: 823 / PZ
Acquisition: 2 months ago
Rating: 4.5

Ruth gets a pony and wants to take him to a show, but they have a lot of training to do. This reminds me a bit of the Jill books - I loved it.



Book #: 55
Title: National Velvet
Author: Enid Bagnold
Genre: Pony book
Publication date: 1935
Catalog: 823 / PZ
Acquisition: 3 years ago
Rating: 4

One of the quintessential pony books turns out to be not that terribly horsey. It's more about a girl going for her dreams (which happen to be horsey). Still great, still worth it. This edition is also illustrated by one of my favorite horse illustrators - Ted Lewin.



Book #: 56
Title: The Cruel Prince
Author: Holly Black
Genre: YA fantasy
Publication date: 2018
Catalog: 813 / PZ
Acquisition: 3 days ago
Rating: 4

As a small child, Jude and her sisters are kidnapped by fairies. She grows up amongst them and wants nothing more than to not be looked down upon because she is human.

More twisted than I thought it was going to be - not a romance like I was anticipating, but just as good.



Book #: 57
Title: Horse Shy
Author: Bonnie Bryant
Genre: Pony book
Publication date: 1988
Catalog: 813 / PZ
Acquisition: reread
Rating: 3

Carole is devastated when her favorite horse is euthanized and vows to give up riding.

I'm a purist when it comes to my Saddle Club, so I stick with the original editions as much as possible. My cat peed on my box of SC books during our move a few years back, and I've been replacing the damaged books as I can. This one was a new edition, and it came with an article in the back by Kimberly Burbaker Bradley about becoming an Olympic rider. I would have LOVED these articles when growing up, and now I'm almost tempted to have both the original and newer editions in each book....



Book #: 58
Title: Phantom Horse
Author: Bonnie Bryant
Genre: Pony book
Publication date: 1996
Catalog: 813 / PZ
Acquisition: 7 years ago
Rating: 3.5

Carole hears a scary Halloween story about an evil spirit that every 13 years takes over the body of an otherwise normal horse. She keeps having nightmares, and isn't relaxing during the day, because Starlight is starting to act possessed!

Meanwhile, Lisa and Stevie are trying to solve a mystery of a thief at the barn (strange how every October a thief comes to Willow Creek....), and Phil is busy with his bar mitzvah.

I fell and got my yearly concussion yesterday, so I need comfort reads while I'm grounded. (I'm fine, btw!)

>48 alsvidur: I recall reading a story about a girl who gets a pony named "Fly" but am not sure that's the book. I'd know the cover if I saw it, and none of the ones on LT match my memory. Does the girl keep him in a tiny paddock/yard?

Addendum: Never mind, I found it with an image search, and that's the same book!

You seem to be on a roll with horse stories.

I'm glad that you're okay! I remember Horse Shy being a real tear-jerker.

Book #: 59
Title: Horse Whispers: Saddle Club #74
Author: Bonnie Bryant
Genre: Pony book
Publication date: 1998
Catalog: 813 / PZ
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 2.5

This is one of the later books that I've never read before. I'm kind of glad I stopped.

Carole and the gang are out at Bar None during winter break. The Bar None got in a load of new horses which the girls are trying out, and all the girls have their favorite. Carole is immediately taken with a black mare that looks like Cobalt, the horse she lost in book #2. Now, normally horsewise Carole isn't stupid about horses, but she is this month: she thinks the mare wants to be free and attempts to release her into the wild. Meanwhile, Stevie and Lisa are trying to cook a meal for a school project, bringing up what seems to have happened in a previous book: Lisa has an eating disorder now? Did I miss an "issues" book?



Book #: 60
Title: Horse Trade: Saddle Club #38
Author: Bonnie Bryant
Genre: Pony book
Publication date: 1994
Catalog: 813 / PZ
Acquisition: Reread
Rating: 3

Stevie takes care of a new horse with allergies, while the Saddle Club rides with a girl with allergies to horses. They all love horses so much, why bother mentioning to an adult that Hollie seems to have problems talking or, you know, breathing? There are more important things, like preparing for a dressage demonstration at a neighboring Pony Club. At the end of the book, Stevie's parents buy her the horse since she was such an adult about things.

Snark aside, I do enjoy the books about Stevie's new horse, and I love Stevie, Carole, and Lisa to death.

>49 fuzzi:: It sounds like the right book. Glad you figured it out!

>50 thornton37814:: Yeah, I'm on a horsey kick for the past few months. Reading pony books, reading non-fiction horse books, watching Horse & Country TV, spending hours every day at the barn.... It's like I'm living my best 12-year-old life. I've decided to embrace it for now.

>51 DFED:: It was sad, even as an adult. I was focused on losing Cobalt as a kid, but now, I'm more aware that it happened only a few months after Carole lost her mother.

Oh - good point! I really don't remember that bit! And, Horse Whispers sounds extra crazy :)

While you're on a pony/horse kick I'd like to recommend the Gypsy books by Sharon Wagner. They were recommended to me by CassieBash, and I found them to be believable stories about a girl and horses.

From my review of Gypsy From Nowhere:
I appreciate it when I find an author who can write a story that appeals to both a juvenile and an adult audience. The author of Gypsy From Nowhere, Sharon Wagner, appears to be in that category. While set in Montana of more than forty years ago, this tale is timeless, about a young girl who struggles with her feelings of failure and unworthiness, and how through the love of a horse overcomes her doubts. Never preachy, heavy-handed, or overly dramatic, the author strikes a balance that is just right, and left a smile on my face as I finished the last page.

This may be my saddest reading year yet. In two months, I've only been able to add a handful more books to the list.



Book #: 61
Title: Fit to Show: The Guide to Grooming Your Horse
Author: Frank Madden
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Publication date: 1985
Catalog: 636 / SF
Acquisition: 6 months ago
Rating: 3

A guide to how the big barns did things in the 1980s. It was a nice historical read (OMG, I know), but not much was still useful that you couldn't find in any other grooming book. It was interested to see how they did things to give Beacon Hill such a name - they treated anything done as part of 'show business' (and not horse shows, but theatrical shows).

62 - The Friend Zone - Abby Jimenez

Not a fluff romance read - but more of a drama regarding infertility and how it affects relationships.

63 - My Favorite Half-Night Stand - Christina Lauren

Fun while reading it, but can't remember much. A girl makes a dating website profile under a fake name and gets matched with a coworker.

64 - Sweetest Scoundrel: Maiden Lane #9 - Elizabeth Hoyt
65 - Dearest Rogue: Maiden Lane #8 - Elizabeth Hoyt
66 - Darling Beast: Maiden Lane #7 - Elizabeth Hoyt
67 - Duke of Midnight: Maiden Lane #6 - Elizabeth Hoyt
68 - Lord of Darkness: Maiden Lane #5 - Elizabeth Hoyt
69 - Thief of Shadows: Maiden Lane #4 - Elizabeth Hoyt

I really enjoy this series. My favorite are the books about the Ghost of St Giles, as well as Phoebe's story in Dearest Rogue.

70 - Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake - Sarah MacLean

When romances bleed together, are you reading too many? I can't remember this one.

71 - His Bride for the Taking - Tessa Dare

Don't remember this one.

72 - Sin and Sensibility - Suzanne Enoch

Cannot remember anything. :(

73 - The Darkest Star - Jennifer Armentrout
74 - The Burning Shadow - Jennifer Armentrout

Luc, a side character in another series, gets his own YA scifi romance series. Love this connected Origin world.

75 - Obsession - Jennifer Armentrout

Reread romance. in the Origin world.

OK, after digging those up from my nook and my pile of done books, it at least brought me to 75 for the year!

Book #: 76
Title: Sergeant Billy: The True Story of the Goat Who Went to War
Author: Mireille Messier
Genre: Children's picture book
Publication date: 2019
Catalog: XXX / XX
Acquisition: 2 months ago
Rating: 4

Early Reviewers. It's nice to add a Canadian war animals book to my collection; most available are either all-encompassing or American. The story intrigued me enough to wish for more in-depth information and more detailed pictures. For children, I think this is terrific. 'Sgt Billy' focused on inspiring troops and the relationship between the soldiers and their mascot. The illustrations managed to portray Billy as happy or determined and not scared or drab, even though the color scheme remained full of browns, greens, and greys.

Book #: 77
Title: The Horse Grooming Manual
Author: Alison Pocklington
Genre: Non-fiction, horses
Publication date: 2015
Catalog: 636 / SF
Acquisition: 8 months ago
Rating: 4.5

I try to find fault with this book for the review, but I'm having difficulties. Everything is clearly laid out, detailed, and illustrated. Not only does it have basic information, but it contains some more in depth skills as well - grooming native British breeds for shows, anyone?

Plowing through some books that had only a chapter or two left to finish....



Book #: 78
Title: CW Anderson's Complete Book of Horses and Horsemanship
Author: CW Anderson
Genre: Juvenile non-fiction, horses
Publication date: 1963
Catalog: 636 / SF
Acquisition: 5 years ago
Rating: 4.5

Anderson loves his hyperbole and loves the thoroughbred, but much like Marguerite Henry and her exclamation marks, it simply drives awe about the topic. His portraits and illustrations make the book.

>56 alsvidur: Congratulations on reaching 75, Emilie!

Congrats!

Thank you for keeping me company in 2019.......onward to 2020.

Also congratulations on making it to 75!

Stats are fuzzy since I didn't record stats for half the year.

Best book(s): Matilda audiobook read by Kate Winslet; Fly-by-Night by KM Peyton

Total books read: 78
Books acquired: 159

Non-fiction, animals: 9
Non-fiction, other: 4
Fiction: 65
Pony books: 7

Re-reads: 12
TBR Pit books read (over 6 months): 12
Time spent in TBR: 1 hour – 9 years
Library/borrowed: 0
% not new books: 31% (awesome – best ever!)

Genre:

3 – Picture book
7 - Juvenile fiction
1 – Juvenile non-fiction, horses
6 – YA fantasy
6 – YA contemporary

33 - Romance
6 - Chick lit
2 – Fantasy
2 - Mystery
3 - Humor

7 - Non-fiction, horses
3 - Non-fiction, domestic
1 - Non-fiction, books about books

Classification:
1 - 152 senses and emotions
7 - 636 animal husbandry
2 - 648 housekeeping
3 – 741 drawing
1 - 798 equestrian sports
53 - 813 American fiction
6 – 823 English fiction
1 - 940 history of Europe

1 – BF psychology
1 - D world history
2 - NC drawing
1 – PN literature (general)
2 - PR literature (English)
42 - PS literature (American)
15 - PZ literature for kids
8 - SF animal husbandry
2 - TX home economics