Book picks similar to
Four Horses for Tishtry by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
historical-fiction
fantasy
vampires
horse-fiction
Rules for a Knight
Ethan Hawke - 2015
In a series of ruminations on solitude, humility, forgiveness, honesty, courage, grace, pride, and patience, he draws on the ancient teachings of Eastern and Western philosophy, and on the great spiritual and political writings of our time. His intent: to give his children a compass for a journey they will have to make alone, a short guide to what gives life meaning and beauty.
Kate and Holly: The Beginning
Maggie Dana - 2014
In exchange for her riding lessons, she works at Sandpiper Stables where the other girls look down their noses at her as she mucks stalls, cleans tack, and grooms their European warmbloods. For comfort, Kate turns to Black Magic, the barn’s best horse. His favorite treat is watermelon rinds, which he slobbers all over her. But Kate doesn't care. She loves Magic’s attention and pampers him. Together, they're already making a name for themselves at three-day events, and Kate’s riding instructor predicts they will go far . . . until a tragic accident changes everything. * * * Holly Chapman hides her sadness and loneliness behind a cheerful smile. She grooms as much of her horse, Magician, as she can reach from her wheelchair and watches another girl ride him—winning the blue ribbons that Holly used to win. Determined to keep up with the other kids, even if she can’t walk, Holly takes risks. She gets her wheelchair stuck in the mud, stranded on stairs, and wedged into corners. Sometimes she falls out of it. Her mother advertises for a summer companion, but Holly doesn’t want a watchdog. She wants a best friend.
Matchless
Gregory Maguire - 2009
In "Matchless", Maguire adds a different dimension to the story, intertwining the match girl's tale with that of a young boy, Frederik, whose own yearnings are the catalyst for a better future for himself and his family. Maguire uses his storytelling magic to rekindle Andersen's original intentions, and to suggest transcendence, the permanence of spirit, and the continuity that links the living and the dead.
The Autobiography of Santa Claus
Jeff Guinn - 1994
A few months later, he received a call from a gentleman who told him that he showed the story to an important friend who didn't think much of it. And who might that be? asked Jeff. The next thing he knew, he was whisked off to the North Pole to meet with this "very important friend," and the rest is, well, as they say, history. An enchanting holiday treasure, The Autobiography of Santa Claus combines solid historical fact with legend to deliver the definitive story of Santa Claus. And who better to lead us through seventeen centuries of Christmas magic than good ol' Saint Nick himself? Families will delight in each chapter of this new Christmas classic-one per each cold December night leading up to Christmas!
Signal To Noise
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Long before iTunes or MP3s, you said "I love you" with a mixtape. Meche, awkward and fifteen, discovers how to cast spells using music, and with her friends Sebastian and Daniela will piece together their broken families, and even find love... Two decades after abandoning the metropolis, Meche returns for her estranged father's funeral, reviving memories from her childhood she thought she buried a long time ago. What really happened back then? Is there any magic left?
Anne of Green Gables: The Official Movie Adaptation
Kevin Sullivan - 2008
Through a series of lessons and adventures the imaginative, spunky redheaded orphan who longs for a real family, friends, and a place to call home soon captures the hearts of the Cuthberts and all those around her in the small town of Avonlea. The original books have delighted millions and now younger readers can treasure this illustrated official movie adaptation based on the classic film by Kevin Sullivan.
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
Gideon Defoe - 2004
No, not since Treasure Island... Actually, not since Jonah and the Whale has there been a sea saga to rival The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, featuring the greatest sea-faring hero of all time, the immortal Pirate Captain, who, although he lives for months at a time at sea, somehow manages to keep his beard silky and in good condition. Worried that his pirates are growing bored with a life of winking at pretty native ladies and trying to stick enough jellyfish together to make a bouncy castle, the Pirate Captain decides it's high time to spearhead an adventure. While searching for some major pirate booty, he mistakenly attacks the young Charles Darwin's Beagle and then leads his ragtag crew from the exotic Galapagos Islands to the fog-filled streets of Victorian London. There they encounter grisly murder, vanishing ladies, radioactive elephants, and the Holy Ghost himself. And that's not even the half of it.
The Thief
Megan Whalen Turner - 1996
To attain it for his king, he needs a skillful thief, and he selects Gen from the king’s prison. The magus is interested only in the thief’s abilities. What Gen is interested in is anyone’s guess. Their journey toward the treasure is both dangerous and difficult, lightened only imperceptibly by the tales they tell of the old gods and goddesses.Megan Whalen Turner weaves Gen’s stories and Gen’s story together with style and verve in a novel that is filled with intrigue, adventure, and surprise.
Moonlight Detective Agency Complete Series Boxed Set 1-4
Isobella Crowley - 2020
He's in dire straits.From Bestselling authors Isobella Crowley and Michael Anderle.Last Ditch Effort:While his rapidly dwindling checking account is a problem, Remy finds out the last company he owns is run by something that goes bump in the night.And she is willing to bump him off if he fails to live up to her expectations.Trying to get sober, Remy needs to work the day shift for Moonlight Detective Agency. Can he learn the ropes before the faeries, werewolves or his supposed employee kills him off?There is only one way to find out. Accomplish what Taylor sets out for him to do, or die trying.Diamond in The Rough:The secret world is being hidden by a vampire hundreds of years old - and her human frat-boy apprentice. He might shape up to be an asset. If she doesn't kill him first.Between setting up the office and hiring new preternatural staff, with some surprising...talents, Taylor tasks Remy with a new case.She assumes he will stick to her instructions.But this is Remy.Reformed frat boy. Low compliance. With a desperate need to prove himself...Of course, he won’t stick to the plan.So when things heat up with the dwarven cartel - and the preternatural world order hangs in the balance - it'll take everything Taylor has to prevent the city of NY being exposed to all she's managed to kept secret for centuries.Will Taylor decide that Remy needs to take the final nap for the benefit of everyone? Will everything go up in a Frat-Boy blaze of glory? What happens when Remy starts to get a clue?A GIrl's Best Friend:Taylor sets Remy on the trail of a dwarven drug cartel responsible for supplying humans with preternatural drugs. Is this just another way to test if Remy can stay alive?Drugs that are deadly to humans. In order to prevent countless human deaths and keep the preternatural world hidden, Remy has to stop the deal from happening AND take out the supply chain.This would be just a regular Tuesday except Moswen is closing in and her attacks are getting more targeted.To save both worlds, the team have to survive – and that is going to take all their wits and resources - and wits are in short supply.Under Pressure:With Moswen still on the loose and the whole preternatural world in mortal danger, Taylor realizes that drastic times call for drastic measures.Meanwhile, Remy and the team - oblivious to the dire situation Taylor is getting into - work to track down Moswen and her goons.A clear plan of what they're going to do if they find her, eludes them...How do they take on the world's oldest, most powerful vampire?Of course, Moswen is tracking their every move and intends to pick them off one by one before they can get close.Their only course of action is to go balls out to take her out first, in the most cunning way they know how...Will what they know be enough? Or will Moswen accomplish killing Taylor and completing her plans?
The Lady Rogue
Jenn Bennett - 2019
She’s read every book in his library, has an impressive knowledge of the world’s most sought-after relics, and has all the ambition in the world. What she doesn’t have is her father’s permission. That honor goes to her father’s nineteen-year-old protégé—and once-upon-a-time love of Theodora’s life—Huck Gallagher, while Theodora is left to sit alone in her hotel in Istanbul.Until Huck returns from an expedition without her father and enlists Theodora’s help in rescuing him. Armed with her father’s travel journal, the reluctant duo learns that her father had been digging up information on a legendary and magical ring that once belonged to Vlad the Impaler—more widely known as Dracula—and that it just might be the key to finding him.Journeying into Romania, Theodora and Huck embark on a captivating adventure through Gothic villages and dark castles in the misty Carpathian Mountains to recover the notorious ring. But they aren’t the only ones who are searching for it. A secretive and dangerous occult society with a powerful link to Vlad the Impaler himself is hunting for it, too. And they will go to any lengths—including murder—to possess it.
The Dragon and Her Boy
Nolan Crabgrass - 2014
After struggling with the death of her lifemate of over a century, Tara spends what the leaders of her clan considers an unreasonable amount of time in finding another. The clan needs offspring, they insist. While soaring over a meadow, Tara sees a dragon intruder attack a shepherd. Outraged, she intervenes and saves the young man from certain death. Breaking a two hundred year old pact between man and dragon forbidding any contact between the two, a powerful yet dangerous bond slowly grows between the dragon and her boy. This is a fun short story, at 5300 words. Stories two and three are already written. They continue the series and will be available shortly! I hope you enjoy them all.
Disenchanted
Brianna Sugalski - 2020
Years later, her coronation ceremony looms, and between the riotous townsfolk and scheming nobleman bent on snatching the throne, Lilac prepares for the worst... Until a mysterious letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine Grotto, detailing a curious offer to cure her darkness forever. Lilac begrudgingly trades her coronet for a cloak and ventures into the forest Brocéliande in pursuit of the impious enchantress at the edge of town. With only the protection of an inherited dagger—and unsolicited help of the sardonic stranger who inserts himself on her quest—she must traverse Brocèliande and return in time to claim her rightful position as sovereign monarch. This is the story of a cursed princess, A crestfallen killer, The town that wants them to burn, And the witch that can save them both.Advance Praise for DISENCHANTED:"Girl meets boy, girl turns out to be heir to the throne, boy turns out to be a centuries-old vampire…tale as old as time, right? Wrong. Sure, Disenchanted delivers all the explosive romantic energy you’d expect when a woman on a mission to save her kingdom gets mixed up with a reluctant bad boy bodyguard. But, Brianna Sugalski’s magical pen delivers so much more: adventure, intrigue, humor and the kind of deep and diverse world building that leaves you eager for more."-Sean Gibson, author of The Part About the Dragon Was (Mostly) True and The Camelot Shadow"Sugalski's skill with character development is masterful - knights in tarnished armor, monsters that cherish family, heartless vampires that need a hug, crazy witches, and royally intriguing wastrels - Who is good? Who is bad? What side will you choose? Humans? Darklings? Disenchanted is full of treachery, prejudice, disillusionment, and death - but it also embraces unlikely friendships, forgiveness, merriment and joy, beautiful landscapes, and love."- Kristen, Whiskey & Wit Book Review"Disenchanted by Brianna Sugalski is a bold combination of history and fiction, fact and fantastical. As if the upheaval of the French Revolution weren't already enough to ramp up the tension in any story, the addition of magic and our heroine's quest to save herself makes for a thrilling adventure that will leave you on the edge of your seat." - Katelynn Watkins, Watkins Editorial Review"Though the story is woven on the yarn of a political conflict, it's romance that stays at the heart of the book. Sugalski, with an exceptional eye for characterization and situations, creates an absorbing fantasy that's a delightful romance and a compelling coming-of age tale wrapped together. With its witty, sharp dialogue, crisp prose, and tight plotting, this impressive series opener has all the merits of a well-crafted fantasy. Readers who love medieval-esque fantasy will be greatly rewarded by this thrilling tale of magic." - BookSiren, The Prairie Book Review"Sugalski's writing is what predominantly adds the fantastical touches to this tale of risk and vulnerability. A lyrical prose coupled with vivid descriptions completely engulfs, effortlessly carrying away readers to another place and time. A straight-forward plot with the majority of its focus on the evolution of its characters transforms this epic romp into a very intimate illustration of personal growth and self-awareness. The mechanics used to build tension do so without flaw, which oftentimes had me audibly declaring "just one more chapter". It's easy to lose yourself in this world she's created, and I honestly couldn't ask for anything more." - Justine Bergman, Whispers and Wonder Reviews
Illyria
Elizabeth Hand - 2007
Even within their large, disorderly family—all descendants of a famous actress—their intensity and passion for theater sets them apart. It makes them a little dangerous. When they are cast in their school’s production of Twelfth Night, they are forced to face their separate talents and futures, and their future together.This stunning short novel, winner of the World Fantasy Award, is the perfect introduction to Elizabeth Hand’s singular voice. Her many novels offer a window into what it means to create art, to experience it, to feel passionately about the world. Illyria throws her talent into high relief—it is magic on paper.
The Piper
Danny Weston - 2014
When Peter and his little sister, Daisy, are evacuated from London to the countryside, they find themselves on an isolated farm in the middle of a treacherous marshland. As Daisy gets drawn deeper into the secrets of their new home, Peter starts to realise that something very sinister is going on. What is that music they can hear at night? And who are the children dancing to it?
Puppet Master
Joanne Owen - 2008
Her parents' once prosperous theatre lies in disrepair and her life seems to be in ruins, and has been since that fateful night her father died in a tragic accident and Milena's beautiful, talented Mother went missing. No trace of her has been found. But Milena has never lost hope that she will come back. The day she meets the flamboyant Puppet Master and his menacing proteges, the twins Zdenko and Zdenka, under the shadow of Prague's famous Astronomical Clock in the Old Town square is, coincidentally, the date of her mother's birthday. And it's the day Milena's grandmother chooses to reveal to her the story of her ancestors... and of her legacy. Or perhaps it's not such a coincidence. Joanne Owen's debut novel skilfully mingles the legends of Bohemia in a story rich in the traditions of circus, theatre and magic, all set in a city waiting to lay bare a myriad of secrets.