Tonight’s dinner featured BBQ pulled pork, which I prepared by following our favorite unbelievably easy crock pot recipe before covering the pulled meat in BBQ sauce and serving it alongside steamed broccoli seasoned with garlic salt.
It was good! I also ate an AllieBar while prepping the broccoli. Those things are the jam!
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Early last week I finished reading The Art of Racing in the Rain. This was one of those books that I completely fell into every time I picked it up. I read the whole thing in just three sittings and the time spent reading ticked away quickly.
For those of you unfamiliar with the book, The Art of Racing in the Rain is told from the perspective of Enzo, a golden retriever/terrier mix. The book is essentially a recount of Enzo’s life from the time his beloved owner Denny picks him up from the breeder. Enzo loves television and enjoys learning all he can about anything and everything. As a reader you cannot help but adore him and his intense love for Denny and, eventually, Denny’s wife and their young daughter, Zoe.
While I really enjoyed the book, I must say that it wasn’t what I expected. I thought the book would be more Marley and Me in nature… I figured the dog would be hysterical and off-the-walls like Marley (and Sadie!). I didn’t expect the dog to be wise and calm. I think it was hard for me to really feel like I was listening to a dog because Sadie is so unlike Enzo in my mind. She’s energetic, hyper and enthusiastic while Enzo is introspective, composed and astute.
Though the book wasn’t as funny or uplifting as I thought, it made me think and kept me interested the entire time. I will caution readers that much of the book is spent in the middle of some grave situations. The Art of Racing in the Rain was much heavier than I anticipated, but I would still encourage anyone, especially dog owners, to read it if only for the thoughts it will inspire in your mind about the importance of loving wholly and enjoying the simple joys in life we so often take for granted.
And now it’s time for another book! I’m thinking a totally cheesy girly book awaits me next…
Just in case you’re interested, here are some past book reviews I’ve posted:
- Water for Elephants
- The Hunger Games Series (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mocking Jay)
Question of the Evening
What was the last amazing book you read?
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I just finished Catching Fire last night – you’re right…it definitely picked up! Now I think I’m going to start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series.
are you not going to read mockingjay first? you have to finish the series!
I know, I know! But I’m like 50th in line at my local library for Mockingjay – ha!
I put all of the books on hold at the same time so I wouldn’t have to wait! I’m patient like that 😉
Hi Julie! If you’re looking for another dog book, I HIGHLY suggest “A Dog’s Purpose”. it’s also told through the perspective of a dog. It’s extremely funny and reminded me of my own dog. I also read Art of Racing in the Rain and loved it, but enjoyed A Dog’s Purpose more… It’s the best book I’ve read 🙂
I’ve heard The Art of Racing In The Rain is really sad so I haven’t picked it up yet. But maybe I will after reading what you thought about it.
it was definitely sad, but for some reason i cried harder at marley and me. maybe b/c i really felt like marley was a lot more like sadie whereas i felt like enzo was almost more human than dog.
If you’re looking for fun girly easy reads, I’d recommend anything by Cecelia Ahern (author of P.S. I Love You) or Sophie Kinsella (Shopaholic author). All of their books are perfect feel good light spring/summer reads.
i’ve read EVERY single book by sophie kinsella. i LOVE her. 🙂
My mom read that book a while ago, and I’ve been eyeing it on her bookshelf everytime I visit her. I’m thinking I’ll have to sneak it out this weekend when I see her! 😉
The last book I loved (which I read in a single day…pathetic, I know) was Portia de Rossi’s “Unbearable Lightness”. It’s a little intense, but it was such an eye opener on so many levels! I am excited to see your future reviews! I’ve either read or excited to read the ones you’ve already done!
I read this book in a single day too and was so bummed when it was over!! Such a great book!
I loved Marley & Me, and I really wanna read this book because I have a golden retriever.
I’m read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest now, and the series is really good…but not really a girly, happy book.
I am almost done with Mockingjay and then I’ll read your review — those books are incredible!
I read the Girl with the Dragon tatoo-it is very entertaining but not super happy/go lucky book-more murder, mystery, intrigue, scandal. I am reading The Guernsey Potato Peel Literary Society and it is AWESOME 🙂
I just finished the book One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni. It was really good and also made you think. Here’s the synopsis:
When an earthquake rips through the afternoon lull, trapping nine wildly individual characters together, their focus first jolts to a collective struggle to survive. There’s little food. The office begins to flood. Then, at a moment when the psychological and emotional stress seems nearly too much for them to bear, the young graduate student suggests that each tell a personal tale, “one amazing thing” from their lives, which they have never told anyone before. As their surprising stories of romance, marriage, family, political upheaval, and self-discovery unfold against the urgency of their life-or-death circumstances, the novel proves the transcendent power of stories and the meaningfulness of human expression itself. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival—and about the reasons to survive.
Elin Hilderbrand’s “The Island” was a really good one. Also, Emily Giffin’s “Something Borrowed” which they are making into a movie!!
are they really!? i can’t wait to see it! i thought that book was cute!
“My Name is Memory” by Ann Brashares
I LOVE loved this book. It is supposed to be a trilogy but only the first book is out. I Highly recommend it.
I absolutely loved Stones Into Schools — it was educational as well as uplifting and really motivated me to put more time and money toward helping people in the developing world build a self-sustaining life for themselves
I’ve always said there needs to be a blogger book club! how fun would that be?!
Awww I love that idea!
I don’t remember who it’s by, but it’s called The Blessings of the Animals–so GOOD. I also read Red Riding Hood because I’m really excited to see the movie 🙂
Have you considered joining Goodreads? It’s a great site for book lovers!
I’ve recently enjoyed “Star Island” by Carl Hiaasen, “Last Night at Chateau Marmont” by Lauren Weisburger and “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett.
“Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin is a great book that will be released in theaters on May 6th.
“City of Bones” (The Mortal Instruments series) by Cassandra Clare – awesome YA series.
“The Host” by Stephenie Meyer (author of Twilight)…
I could go on and on 🙂
i just joined good reads a couple of weeks ago. i need to play around on that site more though!
I read “Secret Daughter” a few weeks ago in a weekend…I got totally sucked in. The only reason it took that long is cause I made myself take a break every once in a while so I wasn’t sitting all day! Right now I’m reading “The Pillars of the Earth” and about halfway through. It’s really as good as everyone says. Very long but an easy read with a lot of action. I think that would be a good one for you and your husband to read together.
I had to laugh bec my nephew’s name is Enzo….and he is EXACTLY like the dog in Marley & Me. So, yea, I would have had the same expectation as you.
PS – pulled pork wins for me too.
I read mostly True Crime..morbid I know. But I am reading Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo 😉
i have a suggestion, although i think it would be more for you to read alone than aloud with ryan…as it’s a love story…
my friend let me borrow this book and i loved it. it’s a historical fiction about the taj mahal:
“beneath a marble sky” by john shor
THE BRIDE QUARTET– Nora Roberts! A four part cheesy girl series about four girlfriends who run a wedding business. I have read ALL the sophie kinsella books and these are very similar!! 🙂 They are easy reads and have a little romance for the romantics (like me!)
(Have you read “The Wedding Girl” Sophie Kinsella as Madeline Wickham? Also really good!!)
I’m planning a wedding right now…so I’m really into the wedding-themed books, but you’ll love them as well!! Promise!
P.S. I’m about to start the Hunger Games 🙂
is the wedding girl new? i thought i had read all of her books! how did i miss that one!?
I thought it was new when I picked it up b/c they had it set out on the “new releases” stand at Chapters, but they actually just re-released it. Originally published in 1999.
Isn’t she great? 🙂
I read that book as well, and while I loved reading it from Enzo’s point of view, all the things that happened just broke my heart.
I almost forgot! Have you read House Rules? It’s about a severely autistic boy– it’s a little bit of a mystery and I really liked it.
Tooootally love all of these suggestions in the comments. Gonna be checking out a lot of these! And I think The Art of Racing in the Rain is going to go on my list, as well!
Great reviews, thanks for sharing! I’m in need of a new book on my kindle, and The Art of Racing in the Rain sounds perfect!
Also…YUM that bbq pork looks amazing. I had pulled pork like that at my wedding, and now I’m drooling. 🙂
Hmmmm, last AMAZING book? Probably Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist. It’s essentially her memoirs of being a wife and mother, and I loved every page of it. She’s so relatable and I love her perspective.
HIGHLY recommend it, too :D.
I loved “Eat, Pray, Love!” I read it three times, the first time I didn’t fully appreciate it until similar things happened in my life and then it all just related so well I read it twice! People tend to either love it or hate it. I also loved “Born to Run!” So inspirational, it makes you want to go out and just run and run and run…
Yeah I really tried to like Eat Pray Love but just couldn’t get into it. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
The Book Thief. Excellent book. It’s set in the Holocaust so it can get heavy, but it’s not dark.
i just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain last night and I loved that book, definetly not what I thought it was going to be, but really good. My next on the list is the hunger games, I am picking it up tomorrow. I cant wait 🙂
Water For Elephants!!! 😀 super fantastic! Finished in about 3 hours!
i loved it too. 🙂 such a beautiful book!
Some of my friends had to read that in high school but I wasn’t in the class. They loved it!!
I’m looking to start a new book too – I may read “Good to Great” as it is sort of the theme book of my workplace. I just finished The China Study though!
I really loved reading the lost girls…talk about wanting to take a vacation!
Not my favorite, but if you are looking for a good girly book how about Something Borrowed and Something Blue? The movie is coming out this spring 🙂
Read ’em!
I saw that book at the bookstore and almost picked it up. Thanks for the review! The Hunger Games is soooo addicting, definitely couldn’t put it down. Did you happen to hear that they’re making a movie out of it? I wonder if it’ll be any good..
yesss! i can’t wait! i wish it was coming out sooner.
The Art of Racing in the Rain was very intense I thought as well. It was sad the entire time, but I completely agree that I also got very caught up every time I read it.
First off your pulled pork looks amazing! I love going to red hot and blue and getting the pulled pork sandwich!! The last book I read was Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest… I loved the whole series!! I also love all of Nicholas Sparks books, and another good author is Jodi Picoult. She wrote my sisters keeper and a whole bunch of others!
I second The Guernsey Potato Peel Literary Society, its a great girly read. I just finished The Help which was also fantastic. The Girl with the Dragon tattoo series is amazing as well, if you’re looking for something more adventurous.
One Day by David Nicholls is a more recent girly read, easy to finish in a weekend! Also myt fave Emily Giffin is Baby Proof, but Love the One You’re With ir Heart of the Matter are both good too.
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, just finished the whole series and would defo recommend them.
Yes, The Millennium Trilogy was awesome!
I’m just starting the 3rd one now!
I love all of Alice Sebold’s books. And, if you want a great foodie read, Ruth Reichl’s books are SO GOOD!
The Girl Who Played With Fire (second in the series after The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo). Loved it! Highly suggest you read these. They just suck you in…
Anything by Jane Green is super girly, fun and more like chatting with a friend over coffee than it is “reading.” I’ve read everything she has out currently and am hoping for something new soon! It’s the perfect chick-lit 🙂
The Art of Racing in the Rain is actually one of my favorite books. Very touching. I think that is the last great book I read. The Jen Lancaster series is pretty good if you want and light and funny read.
I read Eat Love Pray. It was a really good book. Not really EXTRA girlie.
The Help was also really good, not girlie but good.
If you are looking for REALLY girlie let me know, Ill see what I can find, try to read as much as I can!
I just finished jodi pocult house rules, it was good but each chapter is different characters point of view. Im not sure if that is my ideal way to read and follow the book. But it had a good story.
I already bought the art of racing in the rain and can’t wait to start it!
Valley of The Dolls by Jacqueline Susann, 60’s glamour, betrayal, parties, models, discos, So much fun!
Anything by Jodi Picoult is a good, quick, girly read…loved The Pact, Salem Falls, and My Sisters Keeper
The Help is what my book club is reading but have yet to get into it.
Finally, my favorite book ever, She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb. Its an oldie but a goodie.
LOVE She’s Come Undone! I have read that book over and over!
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood. Beautiful writing & compelling story. Or, her seminal work, The Handmaids Tale.
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. Such a page turner with unforgettable characters.
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. So funny. So sympathetic. The humanity!
The World According to Garp or, my favorite book, A Prayer for Owen Meant, by John Irving.
The Power of Now (eckhart tolle) The best book everrrrrr
Half the Sky!!! its SUCH an emotional book- but gave me SO MUCH insight into the trafficking industry
The last book that I read that I couldn’t put down was called Left Neglected by Lisa Genvoa, about a woman who sustains a traumatic brain injury in a car accident, and has a condition called “left neglect” where the whole left side of her world doesn’t exist anymore because her brain no longer perceives it. I used to work with people who had had strokes, and I would see people with this condition – soo fascinating, and definitely so frustrating for the individual who has it. Such a great book, I really recommend that one, as well as Still Alice by the same author.
The last great book I read was The Book Thief. Kind of strange at first, but beautifully written!
I am currently reading “An Unquiet Mind”, which is a very insightful look into the mind of someone with Bipolar disorder, who is actually a Psychiatrist. It really sheds light on understanding mental illness.