May 1, 2021| Maria Firkaly
It’s Kentucky Derby Day! Fancy hats, horse racing, and red roses. Here are 6 titles to help get you in the horse racing mood.
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Adult/General
Also available as e-book and digital audiobook
Seabiscuit was one of the most electrifying and popular attractions in sports history and the single biggest newsmaker in the world in 1938, receiving more coverage than FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. But his success was a surprise to the racing establishment, which had written off the crooked-legged racehorse with the sad tail.
Author Laura Hillenbrand brilliantly re-creates a universal underdog story, one that proves life is a horse race.
Kentucky Rich by Fern Michaels
Adult Fiction
Also available as e-book and digital audiobook
The first book in an exciting trilogy that combines the heady thrills of Kentucky horse racing with strong, accomplished women who fight for their dreams.
Horse Heaven by Jane Smiley
Adult Fiction
Also available as e-book and digital audiobook
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning, best-selling author of A Thousand Acres comes this serious and tragic, funny and uplifting look at humanity – set in the world of horses. “Eight or nine times a day, day after day, men and horses go out and line up and start running, and the next thing you know, you are in mystery-land.” So says Leo, a sad-sack gambler with an incredibly intricate betting system. Leo is one of dozens of characters – some human, some equine – who struggle through two years in the life of horse racing. Unimaginably rich magnates rub elbows with stable managers struggling to make ends meet. Trainers and jockeys balance the precarious demands of owners and horses. Can’t-miss colts canter next to glue-factory-bound geldings. From tragic spills and winner’s circle presentations, the only thing predictable about horse-racing – and life – is its total unpredictability. As in the best-selling Moo, the combination of Jane Smiley’s endless imagination and Suzanne Toren’s perfect narration creates a fabulously complete, utterly unique world.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Young Adult Fiction
Also available as e-book and digital audiobook
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
The Black Stallion by Walter Farley
Juvenile Fiction
Also available as e-book and digital audiobook
First published in 1941, Walter Farley’s best-selling novel for young readers is the triumphant tale of a boy and a wild horse. From Alec Ramsay and the Black’s first meeting on an ill-fated ship to their adventures on a desert island and their eventual rescue, this beloved story will hold the rapt attention of readers new and old.
Seabiscuit the Wonder Horse by Meghan Mccarthy
Picture Book