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I am a cultural historian, film critic, literary critic, editor, and essayist–and a closeted fiction writer–fascinated by ‘the fantastic’ in art or in life. And Christmas seems to me the perfect example of a time that unites realism and the strange–the time of ghost stories and nativities. I wrote a book on It’s a Wonderful Life (2023) because it triumphantly succeeds at bridging the connection between ordinary life and the marvelous. I have also edited anthologies of Victorian and Edwardian ghost stories, The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories: From Elizabeth Gaskell to Ambrose Bierce (Penguin, 2010), and Victorian Fairy Tales (Oxford World’s Classics, 2015), both of which include many seasonal classics.
Dickens did not “invent” Christmas, of course, but our modern understanding of it undoubtedly derives from him.
For long a Londoner, because of Dickens, Christmas still seems to me at heart a matter of foggy London streets, enclosed city houses, and window-lights and passers-by at dusk. Christmas means rituals, and I, among others, go through the yearly rite of re-reading A Christmas Carol. And every year, it’s just as vivid, as funny, and as moving as the years before.
Dickens celebrates Christmas as a time of renewal, and Scrooge finds redemption by finding the person he used to be and the person he ought to be now. Robert Louis Stevenson said that reading it made him want to do good things, and what better recommendation could there be?
Tom Baker reads Charles Dickens' timeless seasonal story.
Charles Dickens' story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by the three ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, has become one of the timeless classics of English literature. First published in 1843, it introduces us not only to Scrooge himself, but also to the memorable characters of underpaid desk clerk Bob Cratchit and his poor family, the poorest amongst whom is the ailing and crippled Tiny Tim.
In this captivating recording, Tom Baker delivers a tour-de-force performance as he narrates the story. The listener…
I’ve been passionate about horses and adventure since I was a little girl. I’ve owned many horses over the years, and they all forever live on in the pages of my books. I wrote my book in 2001 while recovering from major surgery. The story was inspired by a young lady I met while volunteering with Nanaimo Therapeutic Riding and a frostbitten Mustang that arrived at Thunderbird Show Park en route from Wyoming to northern British Columbia. I lost my father to cancer a year before the book’s release. In many ways, Hannah Storey’s learning to cope with loss is based on my own. Life is like that, though, isn’t it?
I don’t know how many times I stayed up late, unable to put down a book, but The Black Stallion was my first ‘stay-up-all-night’ read. Alec’s journey of survival and winning over the Black Stallion exploded in my mind. I drew, I wrote, I joined a swim club and started riding lessons.
I learned to never give up on my dreams, no matter how impossible they might seem. It also drew me into the world of natural horsemanship as well as to choose an interesting career: forestry. I wanted to live the adventure and did! For me, this is where it started.
First published in 1941, Walter Farley's best-selling novel for young readers is the triumphant tale of a boy and a wild horse. From Alec Ramsay and the Black's first meeting on an ill-fated ship to their adventures on a desert island and their eventual rescue, this beloved story will hold the rapt attention of readers new and old.
This book has been selected as a Common Core State Standards Text Exemplar (Grades 4-5, Stories) in Appendix B.
I’ve been passionate about horses and adventure since I was a little girl. I’ve owned many horses over the years, and they all forever live on in the pages of my books. I wrote my book in 2001 while recovering from major surgery. The story was inspired by a young lady I met while volunteering with Nanaimo Therapeutic Riding and a frostbitten Mustang that arrived at Thunderbird Show Park en route from Wyoming to northern British Columbia. I lost my father to cancer a year before the book’s release. In many ways, Hannah Storey’s learning to cope with loss is based on my own. Life is like that, though, isn’t it?
An isle filled with fog and ponies, the windswept chill of the coast, no signs of civilization, just the whisper of the wind in the grass. Away from the hustle and bustle, it is a place of dreams, of ponies, of peacefulness, until one sad day, the real world comes crashing in.
Everyone experiences it one day; they either fall or rise above. The journey is in the life lessons taught along the way. As a kid, it’s much harder to figure out, but every so often, a book comes along that sticks in your memory like a fly-paper, and the lessons learned with the pages are summoned to mind when they’re needed: love, perseverance, and hope.
Marguerite Henry's beloved story of a wild horse's gentle colt-winner of a Newbery Honor!
On the island of Chincoteague, off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland, lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely-seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her-that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can't live without her.
The frenzied roundup that follows on the next Pony Penning Day does indeed bring Phantom into their lives, in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom would forever…
I’ve been passionate about horses and adventure since I was a little girl. I’ve owned many horses over the years, and they all forever live on in the pages of my books. I wrote my book in 2001 while recovering from major surgery. The story was inspired by a young lady I met while volunteering with Nanaimo Therapeutic Riding and a frostbitten Mustang that arrived at Thunderbird Show Park en route from Wyoming to northern British Columbia. I lost my father to cancer a year before the book’s release. In many ways, Hannah Storey’s learning to cope with loss is based on my own. Life is like that, though, isn’t it?
Nothing puts me in the mood for the Holidays like holiday-themed hanky-waving, happy-ending Christmas stories about family, life, horses, and the holidays. Everyone needs inspiration. Pick-me-up stories are the name of the game when the winter blues set in, and a page-turning series of tales is needed to keep you going.
There is nothing like the fresh smell of manure in the morning when the outside world is covered in white. Inside the barn, the frosty breath of the horses waiting for their morning feed reminds you that you have a cup of hot chocolate and a great book waiting for you once you’ve done your chores.
Get in the holiday spirit with this Christmas-themed set of short stories from some of your favorite equestrian writers! Some of the top authors in the genre have banded together to share Christmas stories from the heart. Look for best-selling authors Maggie Dana, Mary Pagones, Mara Dabrishus, Brittney Joy, Kim Ablon Whitney, Kate Lattey, and Natalie Keller Reinert -- plus an exclusive Canterwood Crest holiday short story from Jessica Burkhart!
And in the true spirit of the holidays, all proceeds will go to benefit Old Friends, a Thoroughbred retirement home providing life-long homes for former racehorses.
In addition to being a writer, I am an avid horse-person who has been obsessed with these amazing creatures my entire life. I was a pretty feral child so I spent my teen years riding bareback around the countryside, daydreaming about going to the Olympics or thwarting horse thieves or discovering a herd of Unicorns…the usual. I’ve worked at many barns, taken internships, volunteered, and have been lucky enough to own a few horses of my own over the years. The horse books I’m drawn to always have realistic protagonists who are also kind, empathic, and who understand how special and magical these animals are.
This true-to-life series follows dressage rider, Lizzy, who gives up her job, her boyfriend, and her whole life in order to become a working student with a top trainer. It has a great cast of authentic characters, both humans and horses, and the training parts are spot on. A very enjoyable series.
You know what happens to all those girls who are just crazy about horses? Once they discover boys, the horses are history. Or maybe not. For Lizzy, and others like her, no boy, no man who knows what’s good for him, speaks the unspeakable. “It’s me or the horse.” It’s no contest. And so Lizzy snips the threads that hold her, however tenuously, to a conventional life, and begins her journey into the world of horse sports. She signs on as a working student for dressage superstar Margot Fanning, heading to south Florida with her six year old mare, for…
I have ridden horses for over sixty years. Regarding dressage riding specifically, I discovered that in the early 1980s and never looked back. The subject has held my attention since then in my work with my various horses. My preference has always been for classical dressage, not competition dressage. Any book that aims towards that is a winner for me. Formerly I wrote for a newspaper for twenty years, along with holding many other jobs in different professions. Now I write fiction based around the subject of the sport of dressage.
The author was a student of the renowned Egon von Neindorff. This book gives clear descriptions and a step-by-step guide on how to achieve the lightness and impulsion dressage riders seek. It explains how a younger horse’s exercises should differ from a more seasoned one. The explanation of an ideal seat is par none. I found the photos used as examples to be clear. The author uses bullet dots to make his key points and this enhances the importance and clarity of his descriptions. I can look at the short lists for critical pieces of info and use them as I work my own horses.
"Dressage Formula" was first published in 1980 and has been constantly in demand ever since. It has now been completely revised and extended for the third time and is presented in the same clear, easy-to-read format that has helped to make it one of the most consistently popular and widely quoted books on the subject of dressage in print today. Based on the principles of the classical school, the author covers both the aesthetic and practical aspects of riding and training in order to encourage everyone who rides, whether professional or amateur, to obtain maximum pleasure and education from their…
In addition to being a writer, I am an avid horse-person who has been obsessed with these amazing creatures my entire life. I was a pretty feral child so I spent my teen years riding bareback around the countryside, daydreaming about going to the Olympics or thwarting horse thieves or discovering a herd of Unicorns…the usual. I’ve worked at many barns, taken internships, volunteered, and have been lucky enough to own a few horses of my own over the years. The horse books I’m drawn to always have realistic protagonists who are also kind, empathic, and who understand how special and magical these animals are.
This is a great novel about a young man who is deciding if he wants to dedicate the rest of his life to training dressage horses. He interns with his cousins who are professional horse trainers and gets a crash course in classical dressage. It follows the real triumphs and struggles of working with horses for a living as well as his personal journey to become a better rider and a stronger person.
James MacLiesh shocks his conventional parents when he chooses to work with horses instead of going to college—can he make it happen?
Bucking his parents—and tradition—seventeen-year-old James MacLiesh decides he wants to be a horse trainer. When he arrives at his cousins’ farm, James enters a world completely different from that of his privileged, boarding-school upbringing. Not quite prepared for the rambling, ramshackle old house, he knows he made the right decision the minute he goes into the barn. The horses are magnificent. Ghazal, an obedient if aloof white stallion, is to be James’s first training project. But first, James…
I have ridden horses for over sixty years. Regarding dressage riding specifically, I discovered that in the early 1980s and never looked back. The subject has held my attention since then in my work with my various horses. My preference has always been for classical dressage, not competition dressage. Any book that aims towards that is a winner for me. Formerly I wrote for a newspaper for twenty years, along with holding many other jobs in different professions. Now I write fiction based around the subject of the sport of dressage.
I rode with the late Colonel for many years when he traveled to America. He was classically trained in dressage and a judge of the sport in Europe. I own all of his books and DVDs. He was always about the horse first. He was still riding and training up through his eighties which is testimony enough as to why dressage, if done properly, helps not only the horse but the human rider as well with longevity and proper posture.
With this title, the author has developed a useful tool for any horse person interested in riding and training a horse for dressage, eventing or jumping. This book was developed to help riders, trainers and judges undesrstand what it takes to train a horse classically so that it can be successful in any discipline. Here, the author presents his "training tree" concept. It outlines the ten essential elements of classical basic training and shows how the elements are related and in what order they should be achieved.
I was a horse-crazy young girl whose passion for equines went dormant for 30 years. It reawakened when I turned 40, and I was again a lovelorn teenager, daydreaming about horses, plotting treks, swooning over the mere sight of an equine, even if it was online. One day in the late 90s at the dawn of the Google search engine, I happened upon a picture of a beauty, a dark horse with a thick mane blowing in the wind. It was an Icelandic horse, the photo taken on a misty green tussock in Iceland. That was it for me. I focused my equine passion (fair to call it an obsession) to that horse and that country.
The title just made me laugh. Wade introduces herself and her co-partner in her adventures, Penelope Langley, as middle-aged women who refuse to surrender to age, and exhort themselves and others to reclaim their “yeehaw”—that feeling of freedom, wildness, that one we last had at the age of twelve. In this collection of short tales, her answer to the age-old problem of aging is a call to gallop. We follow her all very relatable equestrian pursuits through all her foibles and fun. A scene where she watches as Penelope makes friends with the most questionable character—why? because he owns horses—made me spit out my coffee. Hence the title of her book explained, they are horse sluts because they will do anything to pimp a ride.
Wade is honest about the challenges of riding as you start to get older. She is both fearful and fearless. She worries about hurting herself…
A swelling number of horse riders aren't nubile nymphs and don't start riding as toddlers. Horse Sluts - The Saga of Two Women on the Trail of Their Yeehaw winks at mid-life riders who relate to the feeling "when memories of who we were and what we used to do smash at our egos like bugs on a windshield." Candace Wade and Penelope Langley wrote Horse Sluts to give those riders a leg up on recapturing the yeehaw of youth. "It's how to stand up to fears, how to challenge ourselves. Horse Sluts is for women who refuse to surrender…
I have ridden horses for over sixty years. Regarding dressage riding specifically, I discovered that in the early 1980s and never looked back. The subject has held my attention since then in my work with my various horses. My preference has always been for classical dressage, not competition dressage. Any book that aims towards that is a winner for me. Formerly I wrote for a newspaper for twenty years, along with holding many other jobs in different professions. Now I write fiction based around the subject of the sport of dressage.
This is a dense book but well worth the read. It goes into the history of how some decisions have been made about the regulation of dressage internationally. It gives an excellent analysis of how classical dressage became the goal and should always remain so. It is more of an “overview” book on dressage rather than a “how to” but I have enjoyed reading it for background. One particularly interesting segment explained how modern day dressage relegates the lower level riders to use snaffle bits and how this decision came to be. There are not many books out there that focus just on this aspect. That is why I appreciate this one in particular.
