The Art of Racing in The Rain

It was unanimous...Enzo is a keeper! We all agreed that the way Garth Stein used fact and strategy from auto racing to tell an intense story through the eyes of a (very perceptive) dog was creative, to say the least. Who would have thought to bring those subjects together in order to go deep into the philosophical relationship of the life-altering events these characters endured? (Garth, apparently!) He used some brilliant parallels of what it takes to handle a car on a race track in inclement weather, and what it takes to handle the inclement weather life throws at you. "The car goes in the direction of your eyes," and "No race has ever been won in the first corner; many races have been lost there." Think about how true those statements are in the life we sometimes race through.

Enzo thinks he was meant to be human, and that he will come back in his next life as a boy. I admit, the entire time I was reading this book, I kept looking at my dog, Coby, and wondering how much he understands and how 'human' he may really be. (Naahhh!) Lisa Wooden said, "I look at my dog Katy very differently now." I think anyone who has a dog and reads this book will think the same things. And Crissie said reading this book made her want a dog. SO totally understandable! The story would make anyone want to have a friend like Enzo.

Crissie King, Deb Bada, Lisa Wooden, and I were at our gathering to discuss the book. I've heard from a few others who read it along with us, and the consensus was that it was a GREAT read. Deb mentioned that she would like to read more from this author. Agreed by all! He has two other books out, Raven Stole the Moon, and How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets. They both have wacky titles, but the stories sound intriguing. Based on what we've seen of Stein's style of writing, I would have to guess these books will be quite a ride as well. Maybe we'll get to them as our group's picks in the near future.

Evidently, we aren't the only group who love the book. There is an entire website and store for Enzo-stuff. http://www.garthstein.com/enzostore/. Check it out! (Thanks for digging this up for us, Deb!)

We've picked the books for the next two months: January's book is Chronic City, by Jonathan Lethen. February's book is True Colors, by Kristen Hannah. Chronic City is only in hard covor, so it's a little bit on the expensive side, but it's available at the library as well. Best Books in the Jackson Crossing has ordered multiple copies (they're in and waiting for us now), and they're giving us a 15% discount if you tell them you're buying it for our group. You may have to give my name. True Colors comes out in paperback in early January, and I will have them get copies of that one in for us as well.

Our next gathering is January 11, 2010 (can you believe we're THAT close to 2010 already?) at Biggby's in Jackson, 6:30-8:30pm. I hope you can make it!

Meeting Reminder

Hey Everyone! Don't forget, tomorrow night is our next book group meeting. Mon, 12/14, 6:30 - 8:30 at Biggby's in Jackson. We'll be discussing 'The Art of Racing in the Rain'. I loved the book and can't wait to hear what everyone else thought of it.

This is a very busy time of year, but take the time out for yourself to get together with fellow book-lovers and enjoy a good cup of coffee or fancy-schmancy drink. Trust me, you'll be glad you did!

CORRECTION for Next Meeting Date

Please make a note that our next meeting is on Monday, December 14, 6:30-8:30, at Biggby in Jackson. We mistakenly originally set it for next Monday. Be sure to make the change on your calendar!

I hope you're all enjoying The Art of Racing in the Rain. I'm looking forward to getting together and hearing what you think about it.

Book Available

Our current read, The Art of Racing in the Rain, is available at Best Books in the Jackson Crossing. If you let them know you're purchasing it for our group (you may have to give my name, Wendy Robison), they'll sell it to you for 15% off list price. Be sure to stop in soon to pick up your copy.

November 17, 2009

Our first meeting last night was fun and productive! Everyone is excited to get this party started. In attendance were Crissie King, Deb Bada, Lisa Wooden, and myself. Several others have expressed interest in joining us, and all are welcome! We discussed and decided on a couple of key things last night.

First on the agenda was choosing a name for the group. Deb came up with one that struck a chord with all of us as the PERFECT name. The Novelties! So when you hear news from Westwinds about The Novelties, that's us!

All future meetings will be held on the second Monday of every month from 6:30-8:30 pm. The next meeting will be December 7 at Biggby in Jackson. We decided to meet there one more time, then we can choose to rotate to different locations for future meetings.

We looked through a list of titles recommended by indies (independent bookstores) and decided on The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein, for our first read. The four of us decided to head on over to Best Books in The Crossing to pick up copies. They only had one, so we ordered more. They will be in tomorrow, so feel free to stop in and pick one up.

One last note... this is something that is important to me so I'm going to make it somewhat of a theme for the group... I believe if at all possible we should support independent bookstores. Indies are part of the personality of a community and we want them to survive these tough times, right? Best Books is the only indie new bookstore in Jackson that I know of, but there are others nearby: Schuler's in Lansing, Bestsellers in Mason, and Nicola's in Ann Arbor, just to name a few. Also, check out www.indiebound.org. There is a huge list of indie stores nationwide there. If you're a fan of ordering online (Amazon?) you can order books from indiebound online as well. (Just a suggestion.) So... no pressure... but if you can support indies, especially Michigan owned, that would be a very cool theme for our group. And Best Books in The Crossing will give us 15% off the price of a book that you purchase for our group. I will let them know ahead of time which selections we choose so they can get copies in stock for us right away.

Ok, I think that wraps up the kick-off of The Novelties!!! Please invite all of your book-loving, Jesus-loving friends and let's get reading!!!