I had just finished "Chosen By a Horse" and I don't usually rush out to read the next book but my daughter had this one so I jumped right into it. This tells what happened to Susan Richards after the publication of "Chosen By a Horse". Many good things happen but she also must face up to the anxiety of book readings and meeting strangers and possibly facing another love interest. She stills talks about Lay Me Down, the mare that started it all and helped change her life. I wish she would also see that the Lord has a hand in orchestrating everything that has happened to her. ( )

Susan Richards rescued a horse named Lay Me Down, and changed her own life. Then, after Lay Me Down's death, she wrote a book about her, and did a book tour, and changed her life again. This is the story of that book tour, and if you think that's an unpromising topic, you're in for a delightful surprise.

Caring for Lay Me Down helped Susan Richards take the first real steps towards recovery from her emotionally isolated childhood, abusive marriage, and severe anxiety disorder. Writing about the experience took her further on her recovery, acknowledging her anger and beginning to forgive both herself and others.

In making the book tour for Chosen By a Horse, Richards does two important things: She reconnects with long-estranged family and friends, and she begins to truly get the better of her anxiety disorder. A third thing, even more important, she begins to accept herself as a worthy writer and interesting person,

A fourth thing. She meets, or rather meets again, renowned photographer Dennis Stock. She bought her farm from him twenty-four years ago, and at the time, she thought him arrogant. She apparently made no impression on him at all. Meeting again at one of Susan's first readings, at an animal shelter, they have rather a different effect on each other, and slowly begin a relationship.

This book isn't about the events; it's about Susan Richards' emotional and personal growth, and her amazing courage in being able to write about her feelings, behavior, and growth in stunning clarity. It's a revealing and rewarding story.

Highly recommended.

I borrowed this book from a friend. ( )

I loved Chosen by a Horse when I read it a couple years ago, enough so that when I saw a second memoir by Susan Richards with horses on the cover I knew I had to pick it up. Unfortunately this is a case where I should have read the book blurb better. Instead of being about her horses this book is about the impact publishing her first book had on Susan's life and the book tour and life events that came after. It is a lovely little memoir, written with heart and a lot of self reflection, and provides a little insight into the life of a newly published author. ( )

There are horses, but they are not the spotlight. Instead the book is about how the author experienced the success of her first published book, Chosen by a Horse. How she went on book tour and grew from being frightened at facing an audience of readers (or empty chairs) to feeling confident and even relaxed. How she met up with friends and family not seen in years and had some closure, renewed some relationships, learned some stories of her own past that helped with the healing process. Horses, friends, loving books, meeting readers, travelling around the country, dealing with a few age issues plus anxiety, meeting a man again. In the end it is a story of joy. I liked this book. It's a feel-good story, but one that is also painfully honest. Not all roses (do you even want roses?) Very real.

from the Dogear Diary ( )

I loved the previous book, Chosen by a Horse. I'm glad I read this book to finish the story. The only reason the first book got 5 stars and this one got 4, is that this book doesn't have nearly as much to do with horses as the first. I could still relate to Susan. However, I am not yet to the stage in my life, that Susan is in this book. Still and all, a really good read. ( )