Books, Mud and Compost. And Horses.

This round up of the year’s books is drawn from books I’ve read and reviewed this year. Not all of them were actually published in 2014: sometimes it takes me a while to get round to things. One thing that’s really noticeable  is that nine out of the eighteen books that really did it for me this year were self-published. New equestrian publisher Forelock also makes an appearance, with the excellent Beside Me by Carolyn Henderson and K M Peyton’s All That Glitters , and therefore do better than most of the established publishers. Usborne, Nosy Crow, Orion and Faber wave the flag for conventional publishing, with Fidra championing reprints. My book of the year (in a very strong field) is the outstanding novella by Katharina Marcus: Boys Don’t Ride. Adult reads Cressida Ellen Schofield:  Incapability Brown KDP £2.99 This is a witty, well drawn romance with thoroughly believable characters and plenty of excellent horse content. If romances are your thing, you will ab...