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Garth's Event Calendar |
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We'll see you soon!
Olympia Timberland Library
Tuesday, January 13, 7 PM
Olympia, WA
Charles Wright Academy
Thursday, January 15 2 PM
Tacoma, WA
15th Annual Bookmania
January 24, 12 PM
Stuart, FL
Writers University
Thursday, January 29 6 PM
Bellingham, WA
The Candy Store
February 25, 6 PM
Burlingame, CA
Check Garth's website for further event updates. | |
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| Lucky Eight in 2008 |
 Thanks to all of Garth's fans, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a frequent attendee on the bestseller lists for 2008! Enzo is still hanging on to the New York Times bestseller list, but that's not the only list he's claimed space on.
The American Booksellers Association announced the 2008 Indie Bestsellers featuring this year's top-selling titles at independent bookstores across the country. Guess whose book made this prestigious list? That's right! For this past year, The Art of Racing in the Rain was the 8th bestselling book at independent bookstores in the hardcover fiction category. Keeping Garth company are such authors as John Grisham, Stephen King, Salman Rushdie, Jodi Picoult, Janet Evanovich, and Stephenie Meyer. For the complete list, visit the ABA website.
Eight seems to be the lucky number for Garth Stein this year. The Oregonian's list of top ten books by Northwest authors also includes The Art of Racing in the Rain at number eight. To see the reviews and the rest of the books listed, see The Oregonian online.
The Seattle Times couldn't resist the Seattle-native's book either, adding it to their list of best fiction of 2008. The list is available online at The Seattle Times.
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| Ellen's New Favorite Book |
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Enzo has a new fan! After reading The Art of Racing in the Rain, Ellen DeGeneres blogged that it was her new favorite book. She says that even your cats will want you to read it to them again and again. Read the full review here at: Ellen's Blog. | |
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| Gong Xi! |
The Art of Racing in the Rain has just been released in China. The first printing is 50,000 copies and hit the Amazon China bestseller list immediately at #13. The Art of Racing in the Rain has now been sold in 28 territories and translated into 25 foreign languages. We think we can expect a lot more good news from Asia in the months to come. On the other side of the globe, The Art of Racing in the Rain will also be appearing in Norway and Hungary soon.
For those of you whose Mandarin is a bit rusty, "Gong xi" means "Congratulations!"
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| Garth Stein Nominated for PNBA Award |
Stein and his quirky novel with a loveable, wise, canine narrator have been selected for the first-ever PNBA Book Awards Short List! The PNBA Short List was selected by a committee of independent booksellers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The committee chose twelve books from more than 100 nominees, all of which were written by Northwest authors and published in 2008. The Book Awards Committee will choose the final list of no more than six titles in mid-December. PNBA will announce the winners to its members and the media in January, 2009.
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| A Conversation with Garth Stein |
 Click on the links to watch Garth's interview on Authormagazine.org, discussing the creation of The Art of Racing in the Rain and smooth transitions on and off the track!
When you start learning to race the tendency is to treat your gas and break pedals like they're toggle switches...and it's not, it's gentle...it's about the smooth transition. - Garth Stein
Part 1:
Part 2:
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| The Art of Visiting a Reading Group |
The world has become so small, it seems, with the Internet. Messages that used to take weeks to deliver, now take seconds. What used to be a long and formal process of contacting an author via his or her publisher is practically non-existent.
I get around a dozen e-mails a day from readers of my book. And I respond to each of them (though my response process sometimes harkens to the old days and takes a couple of weeks or more). Through this process, I've discovered something that many authors --- like my friend Jennie Shortridge --- already knew: readers are thirsty for insight from the authors of books they enjoy, and they are happy to invite authors to join their reading group discussions.
Reading is a solitary sport. Whether we read alone, read in a group, or have someone read to us, the images and ideas that are evoked by the text are completely individual to us. I like to say that writing is a dialogue, not a monologue. The writer is not shouting commands: "you will now see a red car!" The writer is suggesting things from his or her experiences, and the reader must bring his or her own set of experiences to the table to complete the deal. In other words, the answer to the age-old question about the tree falling in the woods: if there's nobody to hear it, then no, it doesn't make any noise. With a book, if there's nobody to read it, it, too, remains forever silent.
With this in mind, the job of an author visiting a discussion group isn't to provide answers, but to share a little insight. To give a little perspective. One of the questions I'm most frequently asked, for instance, is about the meaning of the zebra. (Those of you who've read The Art of Racing in the Rain know about the zebra.) Well, the zebra means a lot. But it means different things to different people. It would be unfair and unrealistic of me to expect every reader to glean the same exact message from the zebra. And so I am deliberately aloof in answering questions about the zebra. Instead, I'd like to hear what you, the reader, thinks.
I love participating in discussions when I have the time. I prefer iChat, as the video makes me feel like I'm on the Starship Enterprise or something, but a speakerphone works just as effectively.
So read your books and then take advantage of our small world: go contact the author and ask him or her to join you for your discussion. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by how many writers are happy to oblige!
Happy manifesting,
Garth Stein
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| Reader's Corner |
This book touched me more than any other. My dog Sally was a huge part of my life. She went everywhere with me and was there for me through it all. I miss her. She is in my heart. This book is amazing, the story grabs you on page one and I could not put it down. Even if you have never had a pet you will enjoy this novel. You might just go adopt a dog after reading. Enjoy every word. Embrace it all.
-Liz
Bailey came into my life 12 years ago when she was abandoned in a parking lot at 2 days old. She has been with me through the birth of 2 children and a divorce. Bailey has been the one constant in my life always there always listening and always my best friend. I am so thankful that she is in my life and that my children who are now 8 and 10 have been able to grow up with her.
-Janine
The ladies of Mequon, WI hosted an Art of Racing in the Rain book club party complete with dog and racing decorations. We're sure the wine and snacks were good, but the best part had to have been chatting with Garth via speaker phone!
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| Lessons from Enzo: Chapter 2 |
Judging by Enzo's account of his early years, he had several situations which he could have complained about: a lack of a father figure (or even knowledge of who he was), his mother's indifference, and a farmer who was too cheap to pay for anesthetic when Enzo's dew claws were amputated. Enzo could have rehashed these early grievances over and over, or even blamed his later problems on it. ("It wasn't my fault! It was a personality disorder stemming from self-confidence issues and abandonment by my parents!"). Instead, Enzo chose to focus on the positive experiences from his early puppyhood. The less-than-pleasant experiences didn't overshadow his positive memories, such as tussling with his siblings. He focused on the positive incidents-especially his first meeting with Denny, "the first glimpse of the rest of my life."
In Chapter 2, Enzo demonstrates the perspective that he wields throughout the rest of his life. Bad things happen...more bad things happen...even worse things happen (after all, this is a novel) yet Enzo always stays focused on the good things in life: Denny, Zoe, Eve, car racing, and his love for all of them. This focus on the things he loves helps Enzo to endure and to help Denny persevere through the hard situations and tragedies that strike them. Instead of dwelling on the negative things of life and letting them haunt him, Enzo finds happiness from the way he thinks about the world. Focusing on the negative experiences would have trapped him in a world where everything around him was miserable. By thinking of the positive things in life, even in the midst of bad situations, Enzo is able to make his own happiness.
How would a negative perspective have impacted Enzo's take on life? Perhaps share with us a brief scene from Art of Racing in the Rain with this alternate perspective. How has a positive perspective affected your own life? In this new year, what positive changes will you make in your own story?
This segment co-authored by Aleta Raphael-Brock and Sarah Walker.
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| Enzo's Challenge |
 Thanks for all the responses we received from last month's trivia questions. It's wonderful to know that so many of you know Enzo so well. Our winner was Tara Menza of Anacortes, Washington. Check out this month's challenge and reply ASAP to win your prize!
Find the following words. They can be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal:
Enzo Ayrton Senna
Denny Alfa Romeo
Eve Tamburello
Zoe Chinetti
Brake Mongolia
Ferrari Porsche
When two words intersect, take the letter that they intersect on. There will be five letters altogether. Arrange them to find a thirteenth word.
A D C D E A B R K E S Q M Z O R T N D L
T E C I D S E K R V A U T U Z D W E P C
T N Y J A C S P Z L L O T K Y H M O T H
T N R T B X A M O N P R Q D E N W I N I
R Y I Q E N Y R T R Z T N I Y U F L P N
K U G O F N U T K O S B O S E V E B E E
F H G D L V Z B H L T C Y I R T R C Z T
E I P G D O F O N R B K H L L A R Y T T
D N W L E M K A L V O V N E S B A Q U I
R E M V B I C U S E L T E N K E R G M S
S T O A M D Z I M A Y R D N D F I D F T
M C N J O F Y O K M D E R O L C A S A E
U X G A A Y R T O N S E N N A V J M N V
P O O Z W A Y V G H L I C G V D B I V E
Q A L K F R W O E P B N O J D U R U N X
W P I L S R D R G M N T B K R G A A Z S
C L A T B I U C Z S A S R E D P K H J P
T Y H J V Z L A S K T B L A L T E R E O
E T H E L O P M X R A L C A Q E W V M L
W F J R R K I L N G O L V I U N T R B E
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We would appreciate your feedback about this newsletter. Please feel free to contact us if you have any comments or suggestions! Thanks again for your support! We hope that Enzo's insightful words continue to inspire greatness in your life and love among your friends and family. Sincerely, Garth Stein, Terra Communications, Inc., and the Go Enzo Team Contact Us | |
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