Books with category 🦁 Animals
Displaying 4 books

Kick the Latch

2022

by Kathryn Scanlan

Kick the Latch is a piercing narrative about one woman's remarkable life at the racetrack. With its unyielding brevity and enigmatic complexities, the novel captures the essence of a life spent in the world of horse racing—the flat expanse, the improvised structures of the backstretch, the undercurrent of discord and tension, the euphoria of the winner's circle, and the convivial atmosphere of the racetrack bar.

Kathryn Scanlan's Kick the Latch vividly portrays the life of Sonia, a horse trainer, through the lens of her particular environment and the distinctive vernacular of those who inhabit it—grooms, jockeys, trainers, and others intimately involved in the sport. The book is a testament to Scanlan's skill in crafting a composite portrait that resonates with authenticity and a profound sense of character.

Carved with a unique artistic vision, the story launches out of the gates with intensity, inviting readers on an exhilarating journey through the inner circle of the racetrack.

Horse

A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history.

Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.

New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.

Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse--one studying the stallion's bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success.

Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes

2022

by Cat Sebastian

Cat Sebastian returns to Georgian London with a stunning tale of a reluctant criminal and the thief who cannot help but love her. Marian Hayes, the Duchess of Clare, just shot her husband. Of course, the evil, murderous man deserved what was coming to him, but now she must flee to the countryside. Unfortunately, the only person she can ask for help is the charismatic criminal who is blackmailing her—and who she may have left tied up a few hours before...

A highwayman, con artist, and all-around cheerful villain, Rob Brooks is no stranger to the wrong side of the law or the right side of anybody's bed. He never meant to fall for the woman whose secrets he promised to keep for the low price of five hundred pounds, but how could he resist someone who led him on a merry chase all over London, left him tied up in a seedy inn, and then arrived covered in her husband's blood and in desperate need of his help?

As they flee across the country—stopping to pick pockets, drink to excess, and rescue invalid cats—they discover more true joy and peace than either has felt in ages. But when the truth of Rob's past catches up to him, they must decide if they are willing to reshape their lives in order to forge a future together.

An Immense World

by Ed Yong

An Immense World opens a door to a dimension previously unfathomable—the world as it is truly perceived by other animals. Ed Yong takes us on a journey into the unique sensory experiences of various creatures, revealing the diversity of life's perceptions beyond our own human capabilities.

We delve into the lives of beetles drawn to fires, songbirds that visualize magnetic fields, and the tactile sensitivity of a crocodile's face. The evolutionary marvel of a giant squid's eyesight and the astronomical observations of spiders are just a glimpse into the intricate tapestry of life's sensory palette.

The book not only recounts tales of significant scientific discoveries but also contemplates the enigmas that continue to puzzle researchers. It's a celebration of the vastness of nature and the intricate ways in which all creatures, great and small, navigate their existence.

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