The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein -- Restarting August 16th 2024

[Shannara]

Starting April 15, 2019

Description: 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. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.

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.

[Katie]

I'm going to start this one this weekend!

[Katie]

I started his last night, and I read 46% in one night!!!! Super fast read! Didn't want to put it down to go to bed.

Chapter 26

(view spoiler)[I can tell this is going to be a very sad book :( But I'm very much enjoying this so far! I've enjoyed hearing how Denny, Eve, Zoe, and Enzo came to be a family through Enzo's point of view. I've laughed out loud at a few lines in the book, and there are some incredible quotes happening in this text! WOW! Beautiful ! It's very well written!

Some of the parts seem out of place...like the 15 year old cousin making a pass on Denny, unless that comes back later if the grandparents try to keep Zoe and use that against him. I have a feeling it will, which is just kind of meh for me...I hope this doesn't happen.

But enjoying it so far! (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

Chapter 35

(view spoiler)[ Sigh... saw that one coming... I was loving the beginning of this book, and as soon as I hit 52%, I very much disliked where the story was going. I will finish the book for sure, but the whole 15 year old cousin saying he raped her pisses me off... now I’m sure I’ll read the second half of the book and how this destroyed his lively hood, and I just want more funny chapters and lines from Enzo!!! (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Shannara]

Chapter 25 (view spoiler)[ this is actually a lot harder for me to read than I thought it would be. I love Enzo and the family dynamic but it’s so sad!! I just keep thinking about either my husband or I getting sick and my kiddos having to do without one of us. I just can’t really imagine. I just wish a miracle would occur and Eve would be okay, but I know that probably won’t happen. (hide spoiler)]

[Shannara]

Katie wrote: "I started his last night, and I read 46% in one night!!!! Super fast read! Didn't want to put it down to go to bed.

Chapter 26

I can tell this is going to be a very sad book :( But I'm very much..."
Omg I know!! (view spoiler)[ I cannot believe she did that. At 15!!! To a married man!!! 😳 I hope it isn’t held against him either. That would be so unfair. (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

Chapter 51

(view spoiler)[ Goodness, this book can be hard to read at times. The same day Denny's wife dies, the grandparents want custody of Zoe....that is just tough to read through. And to not allow him to the funeral. And to keep him from getting a job and wanting him to pay child support when they know he can't afford it. So hard to read. I can't even imagine my family going through something like that. I'm very lucky that both my husband's family and my family get along together. But I'm getting towards the end, and I feel like Denny is a strong character and will "not give up the race." I feel a "come back" about to happen. I hope he'll teach us grit and resilience is a character trait worth having! (hide spoiler)]

[Katie]

Finished

(view spoiler)[ Love the ending of this book! That last chapter was perfect! :) I'm so glad the cousin came out and told the truth in the end, but it bothers me that 'what if she didn't...' Ugh, that part of the story really bothered me, and kept the book from getting 5 star rating for me. It bothered me that much, but I loved the beginning of the book so much, and the ending was great! (hide spoiler)]

[Shannara]

Chapter 34 (view spoiler)[ holy cow I’m so mad right now!!! I cannot believe the grandparents are that evil to do something like this!!!! Can you get arrested for falsely accusing someone? I feel like that should be a thing specifically for cases like this. 😡 (hide spoiler)]

[Shannara]

Katie wrote: "Chapter 35

[spoilers removed]"

Ugh, I feel you there. I’m so disheartened at where this is going. It’s so unfair!

[Shannara]

Katie wrote: "Chapter 51

[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I hope you’re right because at this point I’m thinking, “okay, what next?” Poor Denny just seems to be hit by everything terrible once Eve dies. I sure hope his talk with Annika knocked some sense into her. Otherwise I may go nuts. (hide spoiler)]

[Shannara]

Finished (view spoiler)[ so once I got to a certain point I couldn’t put it down! I loved the ending so much!!! I cried soooo much!!! I’m knocking off a star for how much I hated the terrible things that were happening to Denny. While it made the ending that much more triumphant, it also was just too much. But that ending!!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Anna 'Bookbuyer']

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Date changed. Restarting August 5th 2020. Happy Reading ☺

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[Brandee]

I already started reading this book and I am reading it alongside the audiobook and so far the narration is really good!

[Summer]

I'm starting it right now and already the description make me emotional. I'm so ready for these feelings!

[Brandee]

Having a hard time reading with my school year starting but I am really liking how it changes time frames. So we started in present, then went to past, then back to present, then more of the past. Normally I don't like books that way but I am really enjoying this one!

[Summer]

I had to stop midway through because the topic of his arrest and the reasoning behind it boiled my blood. I had to take a break from it for a few days but I’ll get back to it in a few days!

[Brandee]

I am glad I haven't checked this in a while because I hadn't gotten there yet. But yes, that my blood boil too. Honestly everything the Twins after the death made me SO MAD!! Like after everything Dennis has been through and now they do that! And honestly I didn't like Annika at all. I felt from the start of her interactions that something wasn't right. I am almost done! So curious to see how it ends :)

[Brandee]

Oh my goodness!! What a phenomenal ending! Was so not expecting that (although I was hoping for certain parts). The last line will always stay in my mind and I am really glad that Stein added that epilogue part. Such a beautiful story!

[Summer]

I’m planning on finishing it this week! I have to get back into it, especially after he got arrested. I was livid. But I’m definitely going to get into it and hopefully the ending won’t make me sob too much!

[Jenn]

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Date changed. Restarting August 16th 2024. Happy Reading ☺

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[MelanieJoy]

Whoops I totally forgot I committed to this! I'm in a little bit of a reading slump but I can try to focus on it if you want.