So here’s our third giveaway for the month of June—isn’t this fun?!!! This week I am featuring the paperback version of Horses Never Lie About Love, by Jana Harris, which I have reviewed before on my blog. It’s a true life story, nothing fictional about it, but it gives you a clear picture of one horsewoman’s devotion to her dream, and this really different sort of horse that she falls in love with. I think any horse lover would enjoy this book, and you can win your very own copy right here on CowgirlDiary.com.
I read this book back in November when I was given a copy by Simon and Schuster, asking me to review and feature it on my blog when the hard cover was first released. I really enjoyed reading it, it brought back many memories of my own horse experiences, especially as the horse in the story never did come around to being a pet or a riding horse…she was truly an individual. It was neat to read the transformation that took place when the mare foaled, and how her whole personality was instantly molded into being a mother, and not just a terrified horse who had survived injuries and trauma in the past. Reading of the author’s dedication to this horse is inspiring, because many a horse owner would have just cut their losses and sent the horse on to the next sale, thinking better luck next time. But this is a different story, and one with many good lessons in it for horse ownership.
The book, Horses Never Lie About Love, is written by Jana Harris, an educator and poet who shares her real life experience of moving to a rural farm in the mountains of Washington to make her dreams of raising horses a reality. The story isn’t your typical fairytale episode where the funds are limitless and the horses are perfect. I loved reading of how she and her husband took this piece of rundown property and worked so hard to make it what they wanted. And when Jana falls in love with a horse named True Colors, she opens herself up to the vulnerability of loving someone who might never love her in return. When she took that risk and stuck with it, it made me truly identify with her, because I have done that myself, in so many horse situations of my own.
It is a book about relationships….the blacksmith with wife troubles, the veterinarian with too much perfume, the husband with a heart of gold, the neighbor girls with the ponies they bring into Jana’s kitchen….and each of the horses with their individual characteristics as clear and bright as the ones in your own stalls….this book is real, and you will enjoy the empathy you feel when you read it.
The book is written from the perspective of a very responsible, very careful, very intuitive person. Jana took her horse ownership seriously and did everything she could possibly do to prevent any injuries…and she still met with vet bills for sick horses, spills from the saddle, many sleepless nights, and even a trip to the hospital for her husband. I loved this book because it didn’t paint a picture that was all rosy; it painted a portrait so beautifully realistic of the horse lover’s life, you get the true meaning of what makes everything worth it in the end.
Now with the release of the book in paperback, I was again offered a free copy by Simon and Schuster, and happily said “yes!” I know there are others who will enjoy reading this book, and I’m glad to offer it in a free giveaway. Here’s how to enter:
1. Click the “comments” link at either the top or bottom of this post.
2. Login to your WordPress account, or click the “register” link below the login box to create an account—it’s free and easy.
3. Leave a short comment, either telling why you’d love to win the book, or something you enjoyed from this review, and you’re entered to win it!
4. The contest is open until next Monday, July 2. Sorry, I can only send the book to U.S. addresses, so if you’d like to enter from another country or province, you’ll need a generous cousin or grandma in the states who will provide their U.S. address for me to send it to them, and then they will mail it on to you. I will notify the winner and request their mailing address in order to send them their prize.
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Horses AND poetry. She does both, and that is very intriguing to me as I love both. I would so love to relax in an Adirondack chair next to the pasture this summer (sweet tea at hand) and enjoy this special book about the commitment of love between horse and human.
I just love to read about the great capacity that animals have to show unconditional love. We as humans can learn so much. Thanks for the opportunity to read this book.
I apologize, as I’m a week late in closing out this contest, but things got extra busy here and we were traveling last week….so I pulled up random.org, which gave me the magical number 2, and that makes auntiebiff our winner for this book giveaway!
Congratulations, auntiebiff! I’ll be contacting you via email regarding mailing directions for the book.
Thank you, Margaret, for entering the contest, I wish I had 2 books to give, I’d send you each one! Hopefully your library can supply you with this great book.
Happy reading!