Favorite Books

There is this Facebook tag game going around—which is actually quite cool—where you get to tell everyone of your favorite books.
As a reviewer, this was almost painfully hard, as I read so many good books. So I sat down and thought about the books that have really meant something to me, through the years, and came up with this list.

Here is how it worked:

I was tagged by M LeAnne Phoenix and Srae Lizess to "List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don't take more than a few minutes and do not think too hard. They do not have to be the "right" books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way."
 
Well, here is my list, starting with 2 books from my childhood, 1 book for growing up a strong woman, 1 fanfiction story that woke me up and shook me alive, and then finally 6 books from the wondrous land of M/M:

1. Philippa Pearce, "Tom's Midnight Garden"
2. Astrid Lindgren, "The Brothers Lionheart"
3. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, "Women Who Run With the Wolves"
4. Just4Ale, "The American Vampire Series" (fanfiction, because reasons)
5. Cody Kennedy, "Omorphi"
6. Sarah Black, "The General and the Horse-Lord"
7. Julio-Alexi Genao, "When You Were Pixels"
8. TJ Klune, "Into This River I Drown"
9. Con Riley "After Ben" (and the two sequels)
10. S.a. McAuley, "An Immoveable Solitude"
and the sixtyeleven other books that didn't make it to the list? Gaah, to tag a reviewer? Not nice!! *gigglesnort*


Then I was tagged again, by Timmy this time, and I thought I'd do something different.

So I listed my favorite books about how to relate to your horses, softly. These men and women have taught me how to stop and listen, how to sit down and wait. Because the horse will seek you out, if you are quiet and wait patiently.

1. Buck Brannaman, "The Faraway Horses" (and sequels)
2. John Lyons, "Lyons On Horses" (and sequels)
3. Xenofon, "The Art of Horsemanship" (ca. 350 BC)
4. Henry Blake, "Talking with Horses"
5. Pat Parelli, "Natural Horse-Man-Ship"
6. Alexandra Kurland, "Clicker Training for your Horse"
7. Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling, "Dancing With Horses"
8. Lucy Reece, "The Horse's Mind"
9. Linda Tellington-Jones, "The T-Touch"
10. Monty Roberts, "The Man Who Listens to Horses"


Most of these authors have written several books, I'm just adding one for each here. Some are better than the others, and my personal preference will always be Buck Brannaman. He is a fantastic storyteller, and the original horse whisperer. (You'll notice that the book by Nicholas Evans is NOT on my list).

So, there you have it. If you want to know about horses (and the beautiful men and women who follow them closely) start with Buck Brannaman.

There is something with the outside of a horse that speaks directly to the inside of a person.

Thank you, Timmy, for tagging me, so that I could do this list, too. I suddenly feel like I have to read all these books again!

Oops. Those were eleven books. Well, dang!


©Art by AnnaLund/2014

Book Review - Omorphi, by C. Kennedy

High school senior Michael Sattler leads a charmed life. He’s a star athlete, has great friends, and parents who love him just the way he is. What’s missing from his life is a boyfriend. That’s a problem because he’s out only to his parents and best friend. When Michael accidentally bumps into Christy Castle at school, his life changes in ways he never imagined. Christy is Michael’s dream guy: smart, pretty, and sexy. But nothing could have prepared Michael for what being Christy's boyfriend would entail. Christy needs to heal after years of abuse and knows he needs help to do it. After the death of his notorious father, he leaves his native Greece and settles in upstate New York. Alone, afraid, and left without a voice, Christy hides the myriad scars of his abuse. He desperately wants to be loved and when he meets Michael, he dares to hope that day has arrived. When one of Michael’s team-mates becomes an enemy and an abuser from Christy’s past seeks to return him to a life of slavery, only Michael and Christy's combined strength and unwavering determination can save them from the violence that threatens to destroy their future together.

As you know, I don't write recaps of the story (read the blurb), nor do I fill my reviews with spoilers. This is my experience of the story. My connection to it.

AND WHAT A STORY IT IS.

Christy. You had me, hook, line, and sinker, already when you were sitting up on the bleachers, watching Michael from afar. His #1 Fan.

How somebody can take this subject matter and gently turn it into something so brilliant and elegant, is beyond me. Child abuse, sexual child abuse, in a story that has me cry like a baby and laugh like few books before, without ever even potentially falling into the horrifying trap of exploiting the abuse for the reader's "pleasure"?

Simply amazing.

Even the (quite tame, young and loving) sex scenes are never graphic nor exploiting. All power is, thanks to Michael, left in Christy's hands, for him to rediscover sexuality, love and discover Mike.

There is the one scene that just killed me dead, when Christy says he is glad that at least Michael is a virgin, and Michael responds:

"You are too. You have never been touched by someone who loved you."

There is so much in this book that just totally rocked. Or had me sitting in the corner, rocking.

The only parts that grated on my sense of correct storytelling were about the slacker security, and while I understand that it was to make the story more interesting, seriously, it just managed to annoy me, and took half a star off my rating.
Nuff said.

One of the most charming characters was to be found on the sidelines: young Lisa. She was a force to be reckoned with, and by god I loved that. More and more intelligent women-side-characters are appearing also in m/m books these days, and I applaud it.

There were people from different continents and several colors in this story, and they all had their own voice. That is quite unusual, so extra kudos for that. (I have no idea if the Greek written in the book was correct, but the Italian could have benefited from a helping hand from a native speaker).

What is great with a story like this is that this was an MC I could really root for. Every step Christy took in the right direction was a screaming victory and I adored him so much for his strength. Even when he froze and walked in the wrong direction. To eventually bolt like a rabbit. God, I screamed for him, rooting so hard.

There is so much understanding about abuse and power play in this story that I am left shattered at the end. But mended, somehow, by the fine example of NEVER GIVING UP ON YOUR FRIENDS.

You stand up for your friends. Every. Single. Time. 

And the cover of the book? That is seriously such a perfect image of Christy. I kept closing the book, and looking at the cover for minutes on end.

Beautiful.

Omorphi.

Indeed.

***

I received a free ARC from the publisher, Harmony Ink/Dreamspinner Press. A positive review was not promised in return.

Disclaimer: Since reading and reviewing this book the first time in September 2013, I have become friends with the author, who has gifted me with a paperback copy. It is simply beautiful.

On my list of Top-Ten Reads of 2013


Find and buy this book at Harmony Ink/Dreamspinner Press