Equus Palaverous Horse Fiction Library
Us horse-crazy gals tend to be a wee bit obsessive. I personally never tire of reading about horses, but there are times that I also long for fiction, not another training book that I have to ponder or riding book that I have to decipher. It’s harder than you would think to find fiction books with a horsey theme when you’re using a search function at the bookstore or the library, since it tends to miss a lot of books that don’t list the word ‘horse’ in the title or, even more frustrating, leaves you with a long list of young adult fiction to wade through in your hunt for a decent novel.
So, I’ve compiled a list of horse novels based on recommendations via Amazon’s “Customers who bought this item also bought…” and “listmania!” features, which have led me to some good things in the past. Keep in mind that I’m not endorsing these books as a group – I haven’t even read most of them. I have no idea if they’re brilliant or boring. I’m just looking for as inclusive a list as possible of adult horse fiction.
In my research for this post, I did find a library on ponydom which looks promising, but there’s no way to simply see all the titles without the non-fiction and some Young Adult being mixed in, which is confusing. On the plus side, you can browse by discipline or genre, which is handy if you have one you really like (mystery) or one you don’t (science fiction). It’s worth checking out and obviously the product of yet another horse-crazy gal like the rest of us. I also stumbled across a new blog, Equestrian Ink, which I highlighted on yesterday’s weekly blog round-up, and I have high hopes that these professional writers/horsewomen will make a grand splash into the horse blogosphere.
In order to make this list work as painlessly as possible, I’ve decided to utilize LibraryThing. Why not Google Books, you ask? In this case, Google Book Search can’t help me, but tags and recommendations from other readers can, so LibraryThing’s social bookmarking is a better application for this project. As always, books I’ve actually read can still be found in my Google web library. Neither list is as updated as I’d like, but it’s a work in progress and I will update frequently. Tags, comments, and reviews still need to be added, so if you have any, please leave your thoughts in the comments of this blog and I will add them to the list. I’ve included a link to the EqP Fiction Library on the sidebar so it’s easy to find.
I’d love to hear feedback on the books listed, and more than that, I’d really like some good recommendations that aren’t on the list. My only request is that it be limited to fiction – any genre is fine, so long as the setting includes horses in a meaningful way.
I hope this is useful for all of you who love to read as much as I do and are constantly on the hunt for a good horse book to curl up with at the end of the day.
Equus Palaverous Horse Fiction Library
Note: Looking through the list, it does seem like the mystery genre is over-represented, and I’m not sure why that is, but as I continue to add books that may become less weighted. A good many of the books I found are Young Adult but read by adults as well, much like the Harry Potter series. I’ve chosen not to include these since I haven’t read them and don’t know if they really transcend that label or not.
p.s. If it seems like I’ve included a lot of links to the library, you’re right. After cataloging 168 books over the course of an evening, I may have lost my mind. My lovely boyfriend certainly thought so when he went to bed and I was still feverishly typing, 11 open tags on my browser…. “I’ll be to bed soon. I just have seven more lists to go!”
This is a great idea. I have looked over the list and can tell you I have read all of the Dick Francis books, which are great. Also Dark Horse by Tami Hoag, which was alright. My absolute favorite book is Sweet William, I am glad to see it is still in print, I really enjoyed reading this years ago and now that I’ve seen it here, I may just dig it out and read it again. I will try and think of something that isn’t on the list, but I really haven’t read any good horse fiction lately that I could recommend. Great post.
I have read lots of the young adult fiction that is horse related but the older ones. I haven’t done much reading since the accident that caused my double vision. I sure do miss the reading but it just doesn’t go well in that small print and few books are available in the large type.
Thanks so much for mentioning Equestrian Ink and for giving some much needed attention to horse fiction. As not just writers, but readers, we, too, are always on the lookout for more horse fiction! I’ll be sure to checkout some of these books.
Pam
(writing as Jami Davenport
GHM, I love Dick Francis, too – I think I’ve read them all and I really admire his productivity! Amazing! My all-time favorite horse novel is Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley. It’s so well-written and so obviously the product of a lifetime of loving horses – it’s wonderful. I’ve read it several times. I had never heard of Sweet William before I made this list but it jumped out at me, and with your recommendation, it’s going to be the first I search out. I also highly recommend Traveller by Richard Adams, a Civil War story (or as Traveller might say, The War of Northern Aggression) told from the point of view of Robert E. Lee’s faithful mount. Good stuff.
MiKael, I’m sorry to hear that – books are everything to me. Have you looked at your library? Ours has a huge large-print section. How about books on tape or CD? If you have any YA that you would recommend as being suitable for adults, I will include it.
Pam, Let me know if you find anything or hear of anything that should go on the list. Also, let me know when your book The Dance comes out – maybe we could do a review/interview? I have a secret dream of owning an Andalusian (shh, don’t tell Mojo!) so I am really looking forward to reading it!
I just love Equus Palaverous and will be visiting often. This is a great resource for all of us horse-crazy people. Thank you! Also, thanks so much for mentioning the Equestrian Ink blog. We appreciate it!
Regards,
Kit
Thank You for mentioning Equestrian Ink on your blog! We really appreciate it, and all of the great info. you provide. I have bookmarked the site and will come back often!
Cheers,
Michele
Great site! I can see I’ll be spending some time here.
I did a list of Best Horse Fiction for Grown-ups at Squidoo. I probably have what you have, but if you want to cross-check, here’s the link: http://www.squidoo.com/horsefiction
Thanks for mentioning Equestrian Ink!
Best,
Toni
Kit, Michele, Toni, Thanks for stopping by! I am excited about your Squidoo list – I will have to check it out when I have a little time. I hadn’t ever really checked out Squidoo, either, so thank you for leading me there!
Hi,
Equus Palaverous is a fantastic blog and I’ll be back to visit often! Thanks so much for mentioning us at Equestrian Ink and for all the great information Equus Palaverous provides.
Cheers,
Mary
Hi, Mary! Thanks for the kind words, and for stopping by to say hello. I am totally behind in my blog reading this week, so I will hopefully get time on Sunday to cruise over to see what you ladies have been up to this week. I look forward to it.
Great idea! I look forward to discovering new writers and finding old favorites.
I have a short story that’s been published about horses. I feel funny giving the link, though I gave it on my blog long ago. Horses and other animals always sneak into my fiction.
You won’t hurt my feelings if you delete this comment. (Might even be a relief!)
Thanks again for putting all this information together.
Hi, Anne! I would never delete a comment of someone’s creativity – no such luck!
Besides, from your blog I can tell that you are a great writer – very professional. I have been so behind in my reading and writing (and riding) that I haven’t read it yet, but I am glad you shared it and will make a note of it and get back to you with feedback. I think all of us love to hear from readers – otherwise we would just be writing in our diaries.
Thanks for stopping by!
p.s. I did edit your blog to insert the link – hope you don’t mind!
Awhile ago, I was also on the search for what was out there for adult type horse fiction…I ended up compliling 440 book list of adult fiction and roughly 200 of YA books. I have not of course read them all but would be happy to share with anyone. Some are very hard to find and others are probably your favorites as they are mine.
M