At this very moment, we’re sitting in The Living Room, a hookah lounge/cafe in La Jolla. I’m getting some work done while Kendrick reads Garth Stein’s The Art of Racing in the Rain – a book that I just finished, and that you must must must read as soon as you can possibly get your hands on it.
The book (much of which I read on my balcony in Cancun, pictured above) is about a dog who believes that he is a man trapped in a canine body, which may sound cheesy, but it is absolutely – and I mean this – one of the most stirring, thoughtful, beautifully woven books I’ve ever read in my life. Also, it’s making me desperately miss Lucy and Virgil (who probably aren’t missing me much at all, as they’re spending the weekend in dog heaven, a.k.a. Pets at Play).
One caveat: do NOT read the final pages of The Art of Racing in the Rain while on an airplane. You will cry – semi-to-very-hysterically – and the people around you will be extremely concerned and offer you tissues and tranquilizers. It will be embarrassing. Read alone, in your apartment, and in close proximity to your dog if you happen to have one.
