It has been a little while since Nell took over the blog on Wednesday so now that the chaos of graduation is over I am excited to have her back here. As many of you prepare for summer or some vacation time of your own hopefully you’ll have a bit of extra time to take her up on her suggestions! While I know that I’ll be doing a lot of work for grad school this summer I plan to read by the pool in the free time I do have so a slew of book recommendations will certainly come in handy! If you’d like to see all the recommendations she has done be sure to click the “book recommendation” label in the sidebar or at the bottom of the post.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
My family has been fortunate to have 3 great dogs so far: one, a chocolate lab, that is now in doggy heaven, and the two dogs we currently have- a white-with-brown-spots lab mix (but who really knows what exactly she is) that we adopted as a puppy, and a 5-month-old fox red lab (I know…I’d never heard of red labs either until we got one, but it’s a thing, you can Google it). So yes, I am a dog person. Dogs > cats, always. Sorry, cat lovers. And naturally, a dog person would enjoy reading dog books. I read this book one Thanksgiving break in high school when my family was down at Watercolor. I biked over to Sundog Books in Seaside and came back with this Garth Stein novel. I loved it, it made me cry, and all you dog lovers out there should read it too. I’d also recommend it to cat lovers so they can see the error of their ways (hehe).
“Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.
Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn’t simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life’s ordeals.
On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny’s wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoë, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side. Having learned what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person, the wise canine can barely wait until his next lifetime, when he is sure he will return as a man.
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it.”
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Here’s a little fun fact for you! Today I get to meet Nell’s newest dog (that fancy fox red lab which they named Dud) and I’m pretty excited considering when her family got it we had them FaceTime us in my room so that we could watch her!
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