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!