Happy Chinese New Year!
Today, February 17th, is the start of the Year of the Fire Horse. Across Asia and around the world, millions of people are welcoming in the Lunar New Year, a celebration marking not only the new calendar year but a time of renewal, reunion and hope.
Fire Horse years are associated with bold action, impulsivity and breakthroughs, and it favors those who are courageous, independent and take decisive action.
Horses have symbolized strength, endurance and freedom for centuries. Chinese legends tell stories of ‘thousand-mile horses’ used by emperors and believed to be so powerful they could travel vast distances in a single day. In books and movies, mythical horses sometimes possess the ability to speak or to travel down to the underworld or up to heaven, and mounting a horse is often seen as the starting point for adventure.
There are many novels and non-fiction books featuring horses. So many, in fact, that it’s hard to pick and choose when it comes to assembling a list. But for those who are looking, here are a few books – both classic and contemporary tales – to consider:
Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards
The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
