The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

I do not classify myself as a book fiend or anything like that, however as I look over at the dresser next to my bedside, I do see several books stacked one on top of the other...some waiting to be read...some freshly read, but still demanding my attention for one reason or another...some mine, some Jen's, some Kathy's. There are books about vampires, books about aliens, a couple of journals....

Recently, a friend at work handed me a book about racing in the rain. "Read this," Deni said "I think you will like it." What is this? A book about racing?! Seems I can't even get away from it at the office, and why is there a picture of a dog on the front anyway?

I took The Art of Racing in the Rain home at lunch and sat down on the sofa to read a few pages. Thirty minutes later I had to rush out the door to make it back to the office on time. I couldn't wait to get home that afternoon to read more about Enzo's theories on life, relationships, love, old age, ailments, and yes even racing cars in the rain.

Reasons I loved this book:

• Enzo's racecar driver/owner Denny, secured him in the front seat of his car with a bed sheet, then took him on a wild ride on a road course. I felt Enzo's joy as he lived every lap of his very fast ride. I learned that two barks means, "Faster, faster!" (I will use the knowledge I gained by reading this book in my own relationship with grandpup Chance.)

• There was the time Enzo accidentally got left at home for 3 days without food or water (except for toilet bowl water). Enzo began hallucinating (or not) as a stuffed toy zebra came to life, began dancing around and misbehaving with the other toys in the room. Enzo became quite irritated with the misbehaving zebra. Before it was over, that zebra had destroyed every stuffed animal in the room! Naughty, naughty zebra!

• Enzo watched a lot of television - he KNEW that when his dog life ended, his soul would go on to live as a man. This he had learned by watching a documentary on TV. When he wasn't watching documentaries, he liked to watch videos of racing, or movies about racing. He used the knowledge he gained by watching television to ensure that he would be ready for his new life as a man when this one ended. With that in mind he lived his dog life fully and he embraced it.

This is great story about a dog's life from beginning to end, as told from the dog's point of view...and if I EVER get another dog, I think I will name him Enzo.