The Scorpio Races (horse racing, fantasy)

Book Title: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Topic: Fantasy, horse racing

Thoughts: I have wanted to read this because it deals with horses and horse races.  I loved Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit, and knew that I would enjoy this novel too.   I was not disappointed.  This reminds me of fantasy The Secret of Roan Inish.

Like Seasbiscuit, this book focuses on the events leading up to the race instead of centering around the race itself:  the race only takes five minutes.

Each year Thisby Island hosts an annual horse race, but the horses that race in this book are mythological flesh-eating horses from Celtic lore.  Sean Kendrick begins the narration telling us how one of these horses killed his father nine years before at the beginning of the race.  While Sean becomes a horse trainer, loves the water horses, and races one each year, Puck Connolly (a female), whose own parents were killed by water horses wants nothing to do with them.

While they both love the island and have no desire to leave it, Sean and Puck come together because they both are going to race this year and need to win the prize money but for different reasons.  This is another book that my husband read before me, and when I told him I was at the beginning of the race, he asked me if I wanted to know who wins.  I told him no and what I thought the outcome would be.  No spoilers. I was wrong but not disappointed with the finish.   

I did not realize until I read Steifvater's author's notes that she also wrote the Shiver trilogy that I did not like.  I guess I should pay more attention to the author's names....I just see the cover of a book, read a review, or someone recommends it to me that helps me choose what books to read.  I don't have certain authors that I have to read.  Anyway.... I did like The Scorpio Races  probably because I love horses and water.  I can visually imagine these powerful and beautiful horses along the beach shore.  One of my dreams was to ride my own horse along the beach....alas....my father dispelled this dream by telling me that sand and salt water are hard on a horse's hooves.  If only I could ride a capaill uisce along the beach without the fear of being eaten and drug to my death in the ocean. 

While this does not center on the Scorpio Race itself, this is a worthwhile book to show the stress, fear, and determination of the contestants of the race.

Trapped (Survival)

Book Title: Trapped by Michael Northrop

Topic: Survival

Thoughts: I think if I had read this last year during our blizzard, I would have been more freaked out.  Think Breakfast Club meets Day After Tomorrow. Breakfast Club and Trapped have a jock, pretty girl, trouble-maker, outcast, but they don't end up with the close bond in the book. 

Besides a Super Walmart, school would be an ideal place to be "trapped" during a blizzard.  You would have food, water, and toilets. I don't think our school has blankets to cover up with though, but I would use all the towels from the locker rooms.

Two questions I have:  1) why didn't they drag out the PE mats to sleep on?  That would have been more comfortable than sleeping on the tile floor.  2) Why didn't they sit on the more comfortable furniture in the teacher's lounge than the hard desks?

I can't even imagine being in the blizzard these students were in.  I kept expecting it to be like Day After Tomorrow in which the end of the world is coming, but it is just a blizzard that they experience in New England. 

Scotty Weems, the main character, does address us a couple times during his narration to let us know it is worse than what we would imagine--we are sitting at home in our warm houses while reading it not trapped in the blizzard like he is. This is a fast read that doesn't feel like you are trapped to read it.