Fiction: Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain. It's the story of Denny Swift, a BMW mechanic and semi-pro race car driver, and his philosophical dog Enzo. The world throws a lot of heart-wrenching crap at Denny. Some seems a bit overblown, but, if everything were easy, it wouldn't be much of a story now, would it? Using key techniques from racing such as keeping his eyes focused on where he wants to go, smooth, gentle moves, anticipation, and hanging in there for the long run, Denny, with help from Enzo, overcomes and succeeds in an uplifting story. In many parts you will cry. Some vividly recreate the pain of loss, almost mirroring my own experiences with my first dog Casey. But other parts are pure joy, such as when Denny takes Enzo for hot laps around Thunderhill Raceway. I was just there last weekend teaching with the Golden Gate Audi Club, and while sliding around turn 2 at 70+ MPH was laughin my ass off imagining Enzo strapped into the passenger seat barking in glee. Two barks for faster!
I seldom read "real" or "literary" fiction, leaning towards historical fiction, thrillers, mysteries and fantasy. So for me to pick The Art of Racing in the Rain means it is really good. Honorable mention to Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora.
Non-Ficton: Juliet Barker, Agincourt. She does a tremendous job of describing Henry V's preparations, with plenty of small realistic details that bring out the full color of the period, from mighty nobles leading huge retinues to individual free-lance archers. She handles the overall political struggles without going too deeply into every last boring detail of which Count was trying to betray which Duke. After all the excellent lead up, the description of the battle is short and slightly disappointing. But the French still trudge through the mud into a maelstrom of longbows and lose valiantly. Honorable mention to David McCullough, John Adams.
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