Garth Stein is excited and he should be! His new novel, The Art of Racing in the Rain, 
will be released this coming week. It is a wonderful and heartfelt tale told beautifully from the point-of-view of Enzo, an uncommonly cerebral dog with a penchant for car racing.
Starbuck’s has chosen the book to be their selection-of-the-month, and Road & Track just published a great review of the work. It’s sure to be a sell-out summer must-read. I had the privilege of being offered an advanced reader’s copy by Garth and thoroughly enjoy edit. I know you will, too.
Canine fiction is become the “au courant” genre. Give it a try. You’ll be glad you did. And while you’re at it thank Garth in person for imagining on paper this lovely tail…er, tale.
Check out Garth’s two web sites: www.goenzo.com and www.GarthStein.com for more information.
Garth will be appearing around the Northwest at the following venues:
May 13 – Starbucks Madison Park, Seattle, 7 pm
June 2 – Border’s Books, Tacoma, 7 pm
June 25 – Elliott Bay Books, Seattle, 7:30 pm
July 4 – Book Stop at the Gorge, Hood River, 5 pm
Thanks so much, Robin, for your kind support of Garth!
I absolutely fell in love with Enzo. His quirky comments and even more his wisdom and whimsys about life in the present and everafter–his thoughts had me chuckling, agreeing, crying, and appaulding his accutity when responding to any situation. I also loved the way he admitted his mistakess realistically with a cerain amount of shame along with the understanding of nature commnads us intinctually to behave in a certain manner.
Dear Robin,
I wonder if you might be interested in another original work of fiction, also narrated by a sentient labrador. (This labrador, Randolph, has rather high-brow tastes, preferring Dante to television.)
A DOG AMONG DIPLOMATS (April 2008) is the second book in a quirky mystery series by J.F. Englert. The first book, A DOG ABOUT TOWN was published in May 2007, and the third book, A DOG AT SEA, is scheduled for publication in April/May of 2009.
An overview of the books and excerpts from reviews already in are below. I’d be happy to send you review copies of either or both books if you’re interested!
Best,
Eleanor
[email protected]
BULL MOOSE DOG RUN MYSTERY SERIES – A Dog About Town, A Dog Among Diplomats
In writing this fanciful mystery series, Englert adopts the daring and original conceit of employing a first-person narration by a labrador-cum-detective, Randolph. The first book in the series, A Dog About Town, was recognized with the 2007 fiction award from The Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA).
Unbeknownst to his owners, Randolph (a black lab) is both sentient and literate–even well-read, spending much of the time that he has to himself at their Upper West Side apartment immersed in books. A year before the first novel opens, Randolph’s mistress Imogen disappears without a trace, leaving behind a broken-hearted and mystified boyfriend and dog.
In A DOG ABOUT TOWN, the object of Randolph’s ability to read and to reason turns from private past time to undercover detective work as he gently prods his less-enlightened owner, Harry, toward the answers behind a suspicious death–which also holds clues to Imogen’s disappearance. Combining his powers of reasoning with his superior sense of smell (100,000 more powerful than that of humans), he is able to literally sniff out the trail, as well as the guilty parties.
In A DOG AMONG DIPLOMATS, Randolph dedicates himself to a second murder case—this time one with ties to the U.N. and in which Imogen is implicated as a possible suspect.
Advance praise for A DOG AMONG DIPLOMATS
Englert’s droll mix of mystery, philosophical musing about man and beast, political doings at the U.N. and the mysteries of love make this an elegant, funny and inspiring romp in the park. – Publishers Weekly
LibraryThing members on A DOG AMONG DIPLOMATS
“This book reminded me of two things, both very disconnected: the old-time movie serials where the heroine is always left in utmost peril until the next sequence and P.G. Wodehouse.”
“the writing is sharp and witty”
“I couldn’t help but fall in love with Randolph.”
“a marvelous study of character, especially the dog’s, and has some of the funniest writing I’ve ever read in the genre.”
“Like Wodehouse, [Englert] often throws off phrases that you want to reread just for the sheer pleasure of it.”