10 books like Talking with Horses

The well-known tale of another hard-luck horse who achieves greatness on the racetrack never fails to inspire me. Like Snowman, Seabiscuit is another American icon, beloved for his tenacity and drive to win in the years that bridge the Depression and lead up to World War II. Hillenbrand is rightly praised for her breathtaking, heart-pounding descriptions of the race around the track, but we’re rooting for both the horse and the jockey, Red Pollard….not to mention the trainer behind the scenes, Tom Smith. Both Seabiscuit and Pollard bring a lot of baggage to the stable. Each has self-destructive vices, temperamental issues, and a whole lot of physical challenges. For me, the beauty of this book goes beyond the finish line. It meticulously chronicles the intricate relationships that develop between man and horse as they work toward a common goal. By the end of the book, the inevitable win at Santa… show more.

I’m breaking the rules by recommending two books by the same author, but I just had to. These are the two ultimate nonfiction books for horse lovers, though you really don’t need to be a horse person to love this book. Guy buys an old plow horse off the kill wagon and the horse goes on the win the national championship in jumping two years in a row. Who doesn’t love a good underdog story? Plus his whole family really loves the horse. There are pictures of his many children all lined up on the horse’s back. This is one of those feel-good books that you will remember. Even if you don’t remember specific details, you will remember the way it made you feel. 

Sorry, but it’s another story narrated by a horse! Black Beauty has happy foal days on a farm before his life takes one dark turn after another at the hands of cruel and ignorant owners. As a child, the book had a profound effect on me in terms of the cruelty humans visit upon animals and how important it is to be kind to all animals. Written over 150 years ago, the novel gives the reader a glimpse into life in the 19th century. But has anything really changed in the way we view and treat animals today? 

Carole’s protagonist, Pepper Kane, has a lot in common with my amateur sleuth—or perhaps it’s just that women who own horses are genetically wired the same way. In any case, Pepper is one feisty cowgirl who knows and loves horses like nobody’s business. Her love interest, a Lakota tribal policeman, is as enigmatic as Pepper is in-your-face, but he proves invaluable as murders seem to lead a trail to Pepper’s door. The dialogue is quick and sassy, the plots have plenty of twists and equine participation, and all five in the series are page-turners. This is a terrific go-to escapism read whether you know horses or not. Plot spoiler: If you didn’t before, you will by the end.

I discovered Mark Rashid’s books when I was researching horse whispering for my own book, and I was so entranced by what he was saying that I went to one of his workshops to watch him in action. I love both the way he writes and the way he teaches from his own experiences and mistakes. This is not a training manual – it’s a book that will improve your understanding of horse behaviour and emotions so that you can work with them without force. 

I read this book when it was first published, and I couldn’t put it down. The story opens with a dreadful accident where a lorry hits two girls out riding together. One girl and her horse are killed, the other girl has life-changing injuries. and her horse is so traumatised that the vet suggests putting him down. However, her mother refuses to do that. Instead, she loads the horse into a trailer and takes him and her daughter to Montana to meet a horse whisperer who she hopes can heal them all. (NB Although this story features a child, it is not a children’s book.)

Harkaway has serious literary pedigree but is determined to put exactly what he damn well likes in his books. Gnomon is labyrinthine, its characters sizzle with personality and it is set in researched, vibrant worlds that reek of authenticity, from antiquity to modern-day Greece. It’s also, partly, set in a dystopian, ultra-surveillance future (an arch glance at the political developments of recent years) and shamelessly combines mysticism, time-bending, and no shortage of sharks. Its rejection of convention but adherence to good, thoughtful writing is one hell of a ride.

I love reading sci-fi YA books and this book was really talking to me. Peaceful contact or not?

Reading this book by the author – her first – it reminded me of the much-loved movie Avatar, which I also love.

Like in the movie, when Captain Melissa and her crew finally arrived at the new planet, to contact the people living there, they looked peaceful. They find out, that they are telepathic, not only the people, the plants, and animals as well.

After the people of the planet perform a play, they find out, what was really going on there. Not everything you see can be trusted when you look behind the scenes. From the outside, it was all peaceful, but when you touch the plants, they speak to you.

I’m stepping out a little with this one because I just have to include Ramos, the motorbike-riding hitman, in my list of hot, tortured heroes. Why he’s an outlier in this list is because he’s actually not the hero but a secondary character. Soccer mom turned mind-reading PI, Shelby Nichols, is a squeaky-clean heroine with a loving lawyer for a hubby and two teenage kids. But sparks are always flying whenever Ramos is helping Shelby get out of trouble, and she gets in a lot of trouble as she solves her mysteries. It’s clear that Ramos, who is every woman’s Latin-lover fantasy, has fallen for our heroine, and she certainly helps him with his tortured past, but though they share some hot moments and a few kisses along the way, she remains a loyal wife. He respects that, never trying to tempt her away from her family. I just love… show more.

Have you ever sat on the top deck of a bus and stared hard at someone on the pavement below. It is surprising how often that person will then look up at you. How does this work? Rupert Sheldrake’s book delves deeply into such matters, ones for which there must be scientific explanations but which the traditional conservative scientist in a white coat dismisses without looking into the matter. Too many scientists, it seems, prefer the comfort of the status quo. We haven’t really moved on much from when Galileo was rubbished for suggesting the earth goes around the sun. Rupert Sheldrake reveals more about the human than we knew before.