Writing contest opportunity for kids ages 6-17!

Any kid writers out there? (Ages 6-17)
You could win some cool prizes from author Susan K. Marlow!

Deadline for entries is January 15, 2018.

More details here.

Book Review: Rider in the Dark

Rider in the Dark

written by Victoria Holmes
320 pages
published in 2004

What started as an interesting horse story for me, ended in an thrilling tale I wanted to read again.

Helena is a girl who lives in Dorset, England in 1740. Her daily life usually consists of riding horses, and lately, everyone is preparing for the local Bridport horse race. There's a new addition to her family's stables... Oriel, a horse she can't stay away from, even though he is unbroken and dangerous. Her main goal is to prove to everyone that Oriel is not as wild as he seems... and she will take great risks to show this.

Her father is the leader in their quaint village, and even though Roseby is a small place, it has plenty of crimes taking place. The two most repeated criminals throughout the book are the smugglers (villagers who collect ship cargo without paying taxes) and the wreckers (villagers who deliberately crash a ship, murder the sailors, and steal the cargo).

Although the wreckers are notably worse, smugglers are punished on the same level. Lady Helena never gave much thought to these criminals until she discovers that the people she trusts the best are involved. She doesn't want to lose these friends to the death penalty, so what is there to do?



~*~click here to read my review of another Victoria Holmes book.

Sharing Our Bookshelves {July 2011}

What's on your bookshelf right now?

Since June's "Sharing Our Bookshelves" post, I've read quite a bit myself.
To share what has recently passed through my own bookshelf:

The thrilling adventures of "Captain Blood" by Rafael Sabitini (1922). A simple doctor living in an Irish village is falsely accused of treason. As punishment, he is sent to a Barbados plantation as a slave. Thereafter, he makes his way into a pirate... yes, it all makes for a very exciting novel.

I visited 221B Baker Street, London, this past month. Twice, actually. This was while reading "Adventure of the Copper Beeches" and also "Silver Blaze"--both excellent Sherlock Holmes stories.

A trip to the library allowed me pick up a couple other books I've been wanting to read. "I am Lavina Cumming" by Susan Lowell was one. In short, it's about a young girl from a family of Scottish heritage, living in the Arizona desert, who can speak both English & Spanish. After moving to California, she experiences the 1906 San Fransisco earthquake.

"Rider in the Dark" by Victoria Holmes is a wonderful, suspenseful book (all about horses!) set in the 1700's of England. Complete book review will be coming soon on this one!

So, what is on your Summer Reading List? Are you tackling some thicker books during this school break?

If you have any new or recent book-related blog posts during the whole month of July, you are welcome to come link up below. Book reviews, summer reading plans, lists, pictures... you name it! Feel free to share anything about books on your blog, and link up here so others can read your posts.

Book Review: Heart of Fire

Heart of Fire

written by Victoria Holmes
352 pages
published in 2006

Maddie is a 15-year-old girl who has lived in her grandparents' country estate in England, ever since her parents died. Her older sister, Louisa, also lives with them--but Theo, their brother is fighting in the Great War (WWII).

The main plot of the book begins when Theo suddenly returns from the war--which is a wonderful surprise for the family. It has been so many years, and Theo has changed so much in that time. He awkwardly tries fitting in with their life at Sefton Park. However, most of the time, Theo is out in the stable with the horses, instead of being with the family. Because he distances himself like that, Maddie attempts to become close with him in his own world. She takes the leap to finally show an interest in horses, so that she can get to know her brother.

She slowly becomes more and more attached to her brother until she uncovers something he has been hiding from the family. It is intriguing and astonishing--it even caught me by surprise! However, by the time Maddie finds out Theo's secret, if she tells everyone it will wreck all the horse riding plans that she and her brother previously had. How much farther will she go without telling? What kind of trouble is it going to cost her?

"Heart of Fire" is a excellent story, and revolves a lot around horses. So, if you're a horse fanatic and love historical fiction, I'm sure this is the book for you.



~*~click here to read more of my book reviews.

~*~this post is linked to: Book Love

~*~at the end of March, will also be linked to: YLCF