March 2012 Book Selection - Art of Racing in the Rain

Hi everyone,

You all voted for the March 2012 selection and the winner (it was close) was Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

This is a great book. I read this book in 2010 and fell in love with it, which is the main reason I made it an option for book club. It is a book you want to share.

So how did I stumble onto this book? I was in the Atlanta airport on a work trip. I had finished book I brought, so I needed something for the flight home. During this time, Marley and Me was all the rage, which I had already read...but sitting nearby sat, The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Now most of you know I am a lover for all things dogs and those eyes on the cover won me over. I bought the book right there without even reading the back. I assume it was a Marley and Me knockoff but did not care and thought it would be a good plane read. This book is so much more than a Marley and Me. It is so interesting and much deeper on so many levels. I loved it, but I will not lie...there were times I cried on that Atlanta to Denver flight. But, I am a sucker when it comes to animals.

From Amazon.com:

If you've ever wondered what your dog is thinking, Stein's third novel offers an answer. Enzo is a lab terrier mix plucked from a farm outside Seattle to ride shotgun with race car driver Denny Swift as he pursues success on the track and off. Denny meets and marries Eve, has a daughter, Zoë, and risks his savings and his life to make it on the professional racing circuit. Enzo, frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, watches Denny's old racing videos, coins koanlike aphorisms that apply to both driving and life, and hopes for the day when his life as a dog will be over and he can be reborn a man. When Denny hits an extended rough patch, Enzo remains his most steadfast if silent supporter. Enzo is a reliable companion and a likable enough narrator, though the string of Denny's bad luck stories strains believability. 

I hope everyone enjoys this book and I look forward to the discussion that comes from it.

Tom