There are some oft repeated themes today (music and horses) as well as one that came as a recommendation because of a more recent post. :-)

For me, Stradivari's Genius: Five Violins, One Cello, and Three Centuries of Enduring Perfection, by Toby Faber, was even better than the one on Faberge Eggs, but this was probably due to the subject. While there are many types of stringed instruments made by Stradivari such as violas, lutes, and even a harp, this book follows five (sort of, there's a surprise at the end) down through time. There is a picture of a Very Young Yehudi Menuhin getting his first Strad, and wonderful comments on what it's like to play one. It's amazing to hear one Stradivarius being played, but what about four? That's what the Tokyo String Quartet has .... it must be an amazing sound!

When one reader of my blog saw the listing for The Secret World of Slugs and Snails (March 20, 2015) she suggested The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. It seems that not only can you see a slug breathing, you can hear a snail eating! The author was pretty much totally incapacitated by some unknown (at the time) disease and spent a long time on her back, in bed. Even sitting up was difficult. One day a friend added a small snail to some woodsy flowers she was bringing as a gift and so started the year of snail watching. Sweet, reflective, and informative.

For an interesting contrast to James Herriot, give Ben K. Green's The Village Horse Doctor: West of the Pecos, a try. He was a vet in the 1940's in west Texas. He mostly did large animals, in large quantities (think herds of cattle). He did all his own lab work, discovering what plants were toxic and then a remedy for the animals that had eaten them. His territory was so big he might not make it back home for days. He made arrangements with the two pharmacies in town to take his calls. When a call came in, they'd phone the ranches in the hopes of catching him. (Sometimes an owner would flag him down on the road to pass on the messages).

He is also the author of Horse Tradin' (first of several, actually) about, well, horse trading. Read all about the scams and deceit ... how to make a horse appear younger, or a different color. Lots of fun, actually, as Dr. Green had a good sense of humor.

Dr. Green's interest in if the color of a horse had anything to do with stamina or intelligence started when he was a young boy when he heard old cowboys talk about their choice of color, and why. He did a thorough investigation! I do know that a dark hoof is stronger than a light hoof, but, being from the PNW, I never knew there was something called "sand scald". His studies took him on to the actual pigment of each color and a drawing of that is shown with each picture. Interesting, but a bit technical at times. My copy of The Color of Horses: the Scientific and Authoritative Identification of the Color of the Horse is illustrated by Darol Dickinson.

Reading Hermit With Dog