Review and GIVEAWAY – The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Edited to add: Congratulations to Jessica from This Dangerous Life for winning the signed copy of The Art of Racing in the Rain! Yay!
Dear Garth,
First off, I have to apologize. I’m sorry! I truly am! I finished your book well over a month ago and I still haven’t posted the review. I’ve seen you in person and I still haven’t posted the review. We’ve traded emails and I still haven’t posted your review. It’s just that, well, I freaking loved this book and I don’t know how to do it justice. A crappy book, yes! I can write about that! I can write about how the writing wasn’t very good, the characters weren’t developed enough, and the plot had holes. But a book I love? All I do is sit here and gush. Which is okay, I guess, but I get so flustered and excited over a book I loved that it’s really hard to tell you anything objective.
So I give up. If you want a more objective, less gushy review, click over to some of the other reviews I’ve linked to below. Otherwise, read on.
OHMYGODILOVEDTHISBOOKSOMUCH!!
This book rocked. It’s making my list of best books I’ve read this year, up there at 2 or 3, though please don’t make me tell you exactly where because I’m not sure myself.
I loved the narrator, Enzo. A dog who narrates! Certainly it’s been done before, but I don’t think it’s ever been done as well. And I think what made it work was your lack of attachment to the dog. I don’t mean you didn’t like the dog, just that when I’ve talked to you you’re very pragmatic. You’re all, “Dogs die.” Which is true, but I’ve never been quite so matter-of-fact about it, and I know for a fact I’d be much more weepy than you iff’n an animal died. And I know Enzo tells us in the beginning that he’s at the end of his life, so we have the whole book to prepare, but we have the whole book to become attached to him, too.
It was so easy to love Enzo with his existential philosophizing and his loyalty to Denny. I liked that he was loyal to Denny but saw Denny for what he was: human. At one point, Enzo says, “We are all afforded our physical existence so we can learn about ourselves. So I understand why Denny, on a deeper level, allowed this situation to befall him. I won’t say he created the situation, but he allowed it. Because he needed to test his mettle. He wanted to know how long he could keep his foot on the accelerator before lifting. He chose this life, and therefore he chose this battle.” Ultimately, isn’t that what we want in our animals, in our friends? For them to love us in spite of ourselves? Blind loyalty isn’t satisfying, but having someone, a friend or an animal, love us in spite of our mistakes, our flubbers, ourselves…well, isn’t that what life is all about?
I loved how Enzo would use what he’d learned about race car driving and apply it to life. In talking about how to be a really good race car driver, one of the principles was, “That which we manifest is before us.” Enzo expounded on that thought: “Such a simple concept, yet so true: that which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.” Something I believe and try to live by is very similar: I am not a victim. I may have had a crappy childhood; I may have not had the parental support when I was transitioning to adulthood; I may not have had the breaks I wanted. None of that matters. I’ve created my life and I can’t blame anything I have or don’t have on anyone else but myself. Enzo later says, “Know who is driving next to you. Any problems that may occur have ultimately been caused by you, because you are responsible for where you are and what you are doing there.” Not a bad principle to live by, eh?
And if I might gush a little more, I loved Enzo’s take on the hero. “The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles – preferably of his own making – in order to triumph. A hero without a flaw is of no interest to an audience or to the universe, which, after all, is based on conflict and opposition, the irresistible force meeting the unmovable object.” I’ve got lots of flaws and self-made obstacles, so maybe I’ll be a hero yet.
I loved Enzo’s belief that he would be reincarnated as a human, not just because he was a dog, but because he was ready to be a human. You know how people talk about some people having old souls? Well, I think Enzo was an old soul and that was part of the reason he was ready. Some people, some animals, just seem to have a better understanding than others.
So this is my thank you to you, Garth. For writing a book that was amazing and for giving me ideas that I’ll carry with me through life. If you keep on writing, I’ll keep on reading.
Love, your newest biggest fan (but I promise not a stalker),
Trish
Rating: 98 out of 100
Check out the author’s website. You can also check out the book’s website which also has the book’s trailer.
Other (and probably better) reviews:
Jill met the author and read the book, too.
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
I want to thank HarperCollins because I have a copy to give away to one of you, and it’s signed, no less. To enter the contest, just tell me if you had stuffed animals as a kid, and if so, which one was your favorite. To get FOUR extra entries, you can Twitter about this giveaway, Stumble this, or do a blog post about this (putting this in your sidebar doesn’t count). Plenty of people have won with only one entry, though, so no pressure! The contest will end December 29th at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Good luck!
| Tags: book review, Books, garth stein, giveaway, the art of racing in the rain 99 comments »
December 14th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I had a few stuffed animals, yes. My favorite was my father’s childhood stuffed dog, Charlie, followed closely by a musical teddy bear I got from my grandmother’s maternity store. I cranked that musical bear nightly and drove everyone in the house nuts. Charlie has jingle bells in his ears.
I twittered. Not sure that gives you any extra exposure because I’m new and don’t have too many followers, but hey . . . extra points.
Sounds terrific, Trish. Poor author had to wait a whole month. Awww.
You know where to find me.
December 14th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
I have heard such great review about this book including yours. It ‘s good to find a book you like so much isn’t ?
December 14th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Ooh, I’ve wanted to read about this book since I first heard about it in April. I’d love to win! And I love your review, it makes me smile.
December 14th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
hiya trish…you make me wanna go out and buy this book! yes, i had stuffed animals as a kiddo. my favorite was a large bear that had a shirt that said i love janelle (my name).
December 14th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Yikes, I forgot to answer the question, didn’t I?
Yes, I had stuffed animals as a child — I remember a stuffed penguin with fondness.
December 14th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Oh, and I stumbled this post.
December 14th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
This book has been on my TBR list for so long that I forgot about! I would love a chance to win. Let’s see…stuffed animals.. we did not have a lot of money for food much less stuffed animals so I did not have any as a kid. If I could have chosen one, it would have been a cushy teddy bear of some sort.
thereedfamily [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
December 14th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Oh my gosh, what a great giveaway! I had lots of stuffed animals. My favorite was a koala bear my uncle brought me from Australia. I will do a tweet about this one!
December 14th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I would love to be entered in the contest. I have heard nothing but great reviews about this book, and can’t wait to read it!
December 14th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Wow, how could I not want to read this book after such gushing?
Stuffed animals? Well, I had a ton as a kid. And, you know…now. There have been times when I was lucky that I fit into bed with all of them. Far and away my favorite is my gigantic teddy bear. He made (er…continues to make *blush blush*) my bed about 75% more comfortable.
December 14th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I did. I had a ton of them. My favorite- brace yourself, this is creepy- is the cabbage patch kid that my nana had made for me. IT LOOKED LIKE ME. I still have it. Locked up somewhere, far far away from where I sleep.
Totally twittering about you AND blogging away about it.
I knew you would get sucked in….tweet tweet!
December 14th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Ok I’m convinced. I had no interest in reading this book until I read your review, and now I NEED to read it. So enter me. Better yet, I’ll Twitter about it so I can get those extra entries. AND the contest ends on my birthday! So I should win, right? Ok, probably not but it was a good try, right?
December 14th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
oh crap. Stuffed animals. Kinda forgot about that part. I had lots of stuffed animals, but I wasn’t attached to any of them so I don’t remember any names or important features. I did get a HUGE teddy bear when I had surgery one year, though, from the people at my dad’s company. But I don’t remember his name either.
December 14th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
This book has just moved up a few notches on my TBR pile due to your fantastic review!! I’m so excited to read it.
Now, to the stuffed animal question. My favorite stuffed toy as a kid was my Raggedy Ann doll, does that count? She was made especially for me and I loved her to pieces!!
December 14th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I never had stuffed animals as a kid. I had 4 sisters and 5 brothers instead. Guess that is why I love to read then and still love to read… to escape to a quieter place. LOL
December 14th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I had LOADS, and I had to have them on a rotation so they all got to sleep with me. My fave was a grey bunny called (rather predictably) ‘Buns.’ I am lame.
December 14th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
My mom (I think) decided that because my sisters collected unicorns & horses/ponies, I should collect something too. Bunnies. I got a few cute ones, but only one I’ve hung onto–a squishy brown bunny named Rodney (who’s most important quality is that he was perhaps even more loved by my best friend). And my junior prom date gave me a Vermont Teddy Bear Co. bear I named Anonymous, who has also been much loved.
December 14th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
And here’s my tweet: http://twitter.com/muse2323/status/1057627326
December 14th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I only had one stuffed animal that I loved: Spots. A dalmatian puppy. Soft and hugable. It was a Christmas present.
Would love to win this book. Thanks!
nite-swimming at hotmail dot com
December 14th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I had a lot of stuffed animals, and my favorites were a teddy bear that I had from when I was a baby, and a large stuffed dog that I liked to flip back and forth with my feet (I liked to pretend that I was in the circus and could juggle with my feet).
akreese(at) hotmail (dot) com
December 14th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Lol. I still have stuffed animals! My favorites as a kid were Snowy a white bear, a bulldog named Butch, and a Fluppy puppy named Jam.
December 14th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Wow, when you have that high of praise for a book, I definitely take notice! Dogs in books seem to always get me weepy (dogs in movies as well).
December 14th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I am so dying to read this book! Please pick me. I also twittered!
I wasn’t much of a stuffed animal type of girl. Probably because I had so many allergies and you know how dust mites like to live on stuffed animals.
December 14th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I did have stuffed animals as a kid. I really loved one my sister had though…seeing as how it was Winnie-the-Pooh.
Lauren
lauren51990 AT aol DOT com
December 14th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Wow, you have more than sold me with this gushing review.
I absolutely had stuffed animals as a child (should I not mention the ones that I still have as a 33 year old??). My fave was a simple brown teddy bear that had a red heart sewn on one hand, because it was given to me by a boy at my 6th birthday party. (And the boy-craziness started early…) The coolest thing is that Teddy is currently residing in the stuffed animal basket in my baby’s room, and both he and his older sister and brother like playing with him, too. 
December 14th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Did I have stuffed animals? I used to line them around me and pretend we were stuck on an elevator and read to them. (Can you say youngest child and no children my age in the neighborhood?) Monkeys became my favorite and I had a long yellow one named Chiquita. I actually think it is still in my daughter’s stuffed animals somewhere. I would not let my husband get rid of it! Please enter me for this drawing!
Kristi
kherbrand(at)comcast(dot)net
December 14th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
when I was a toddler I had so many stuffed animals that my mom put them all in a little hammock a foot off the ground to display them cutely. One night I crawled out of my bed and slept hidden in the hammock with them and it took a frantic search by both parents to finally find me!
I have been DYING to get my hands on this book and your review just sealed the deal!
December 14th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I had a stuffed animal…actually I still have it. Its a little piglet named piggy.
December 14th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Would love a chance to win this book – sounds fantastic! I had a lot of stuffed animals as a kid and slept with my favourites, a cute dog and teddy bear. I still have them, put away in a cupboard.
December 14th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Oh my! Now that I have read your review and the philosophies of Enzo, I want to go right out and buy
the book and read it right now. I am a certified animal
lover and dogs are one of my favorites. I have lost a few
of my best friends (pets) after having them for almost
19, 16, etc. years. My favorite stuffed animal was
a Winnie the Pooh Bear. Please enter me in your
delightful drawing. Many thanks, Cindi
December 14th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
The Art of Racing in the Rain is tied for first place for my favorite read of the year along with Keeping The House. I reviewed the story of Enzo and his family on Planet Books
http://planetbooks.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/book-review-the-art-of-racing-in-the-rain-by-garth-stein/
and Garth Stein wrote a guest post that you can check out at:
http://planetbooks.wordpress.com/2008/08/22/guest-post-author-of-the-art-of-racing-in-the-rain-garth-stein/
It is hard not to gush about this book, I know.
December 14th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
I would love to read this book -sounds so very interesting!
December 15th, 2008 at 1:38 am
i had a small toy stuffed horse when i was little and i used to sleep with it and everything and about 16 years later i met my boyfriend and we both found out we had the exact same horse when we were little and that we still had it!! they are both sitting on my bed as we speak!
December 15th, 2008 at 1:40 am
My favorite was a big stuffed teddy bear! but sadly my parents gave him away =(
December 15th, 2008 at 1:43 am
wow this sounds like an awesome giveaway! i had this stuffed duck Quacky that i would carry everywhere with me!! i took it to school to the park and on trips!! but one day i was so sad because i left it at the park and i never saw him again!!
December 15th, 2008 at 3:04 am
Oh, please, please, please enter me, Trish!! I have heard nothing but wonderful things about this book. I put it in my TBR list.
Anyway, my stuffed animal was a little Snoopy. He was kind of like a beanie baby, but before such things actually existed with that name. He was full of little beans, though. I loved him so, so much that his little felt eyes fell off. My mom said she would sew buttons on for his eyes and she let me pick the buttons from the button jar. I chose two little pink flower buttons. So my Snoopy had little pink flower eyes. And I still loved, loved, loved him. He resides presently in my cedar chest at my parents house!
December 15th, 2008 at 3:05 am
Oh yes, I’ll post about your giveaway as well. I need to wait until tomorrow, though (Tuesday) because I just posted my own giveaway this morning!
December 15th, 2008 at 3:33 am
I had a bunch of stuffed animals when I was younger. But my very favorite was a stuffed Skunk (yes, I know…I was weird even as a kid!) It was Flower from Bambi. And I loved that animal!!
December 15th, 2008 at 5:22 am
Great review! I loved this book so, so much, I know any review I tried to write would end up being a blubbering gush. It was such a touching story.
December 15th, 2008 at 8:51 am
I want to read thissssssssssss
Awesome review by the way! I know how it is when you love a book. It’s so much harder to review it!
I had a stuffed animal as a kid and I still do. It’s with me right now actually. Ummm… he’s pretty raggety. I’ve had him since… about 2 years old I think. Maybe earlier. So for 18 years!! He’s a mouse and he no longer has a tail. He’s pretty awesome lol
December 15th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Aside from the part about racing, which I think is asinine in this day and age (what a waste of fossil fuel), this sounds like a great book.
I had a stuffed gray dog as a child. It had a music box inside it that played a tune I only recently recognized as a tune from The Nutcracker ballet. It was my favorite because of the music, and because I wasn’t allowed to have a dog.
December 15th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Trish, no need to enter me. I just wanted to add a “hear! hear!” to your review. Here’s mine: http://thebluestockings.com/2008/11/the-art-of-racing-in-the-rain/
December 15th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Ok you sold me
I had TONS of stuffed animals growing up but my favorite was a cuddly polar bear. (Runners up are a duck and an owl). Thanks for the contest!
December 15th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Thanks for this great giveaway. My favorite stuffed animal was an adorable dog named borfus, which is barefoot in Yiddish due to his coloration. Loved this cutie.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:49 am
The book by the hottie you posted pictures of from Book Group Expo?!? I haven’t had a chance to track down a copy yet, so, yes, please enter my name in the giveaway!
I had a blue stuffed bear when I was a kid, named …. Blue Bear. My grandmother made it for me, and when it started to wear she would repair it (and re-repair, and re-re-repair). Finally, we laid it to rest. I have fun pictures of its many incarnations
December 15th, 2008 at 11:41 am
This book sounds soooo good! I’ve heard others say they loved it! I really, really want to win it! I love dogs and cats! I never had stuffed animals as a child. I did get a few from boyfriends though. Thanks for such a great giveaway!
mittens0831 AT aol.com
December 15th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Great review. Sounds like a really good book. This would be a nice diversion to what I’ve been reading lately.
Yes, I had plenty of stuffed animals, but my favorite was a brown stuffed bear that was my dad’s when he was a kid. I still have that bear too.
December 15th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I did have stuffed animals as a kid, my favorite was a German Shepherd and I still have him! And I stumbled this post! (Though I would have regardless of the contest because I loved your review!)
December 16th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Awesome review Trish
u writing a letter to the author, I smiled reading thru it 
I am sure the author is as well very very pleased withthis review 
It was avery different kind of review
I have read some really nice thing about this book
and I am thinking this bookgiveaway is only open for people in US[ ll Hatchet giveaways are 
] .. so by any chance it is open to me… enter me 
and well I had a cute elephant when I was a kid, last month my stupid dog girl got it…and well u knw what happened after that **sigh**
Thanks
December 16th, 2008 at 1:05 am
i tweetesd about it too
December 16th, 2008 at 7:19 am
I had lots of stuffed animals and my favorite was a poodle I slept with until it became flat, kinda like a flounder.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:47 am
My favorite stuffed animal as a kid was a bunny, and his name was bunbun because I got him when I was a toddler and couldn’t say bunny. I still have him. He was so fuzzy and warm, but definitely smaller than the other stuffed bunnies and animals I had, which made him o-so portable.
I posted your giveaway in my sidebar anyway.
While gushing did get me interested in this book, not to mention all your posts about Mr. Stein, I was really hooked when you said, “A dog who narrates!”
I hope I win!
December 16th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I had lots of stuffed animals as a kid, but my favorite was (still is!) a white teddy bear named Eric.
Thanks for the chance to win!!
December 16th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Is this open internationally?
If so, I’d love to win! I had lots of stuffed anumals as a kid, but my favourite was a blue teddy bear I (well, my parents did it for me, because I was too young to think up names) named Gigio. It was my favourite toy for years and years.
December 16th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I had several stuffed animals as a child and my care bears were by far my favorite. My dad was in the Navy and whenever he would come home from leave, he would buy me a new one. I’m a daddy’s girl so that’s probably why they were my favorites. I still have a couple of them.
December 16th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I had a stuffed chimp I loved so much I wore out part of his torso so my mom had to do surgery with her sewing machine.
This book sounds really different. I love different!
December 16th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I had a ton of stuffed animals. My favorite was a white cat named Snowball that I carried around for years. I lost it when I was 5 or so and then when I was about 7, living in a different town, I found an identical white stuffed cat at a garage sale. So I bought it and carried IT around for years, along with a stuffed black cat named Midnight that I’d been given for Christmas.
Now, I have several stuffed animals, including a big Pumba doll from Disneyland. But my favorites are two pandas — one from the National Zoo and one from the San Diego zoo — that I sleep with.
I’m going to twitter this. My twitter name is Jobetta.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Thanks for including a link to my review! I heart this book too! I also loved your review.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I’m sure you figured out that I’m not entering but I did blog about your giveaway here:
http://teddyrose.blogspot.com/2008/12/this-weeks-giveaways-galore_12.html
I also can’t help but put in my two cents about stuffed animals.
I wasn’t allowed to have pets as a child. My mom hates all animals. I was allowed lots of stuffed animals though. My favorite was Tiger. He’s about three feet tall and well over 50 years old now. Yes, he is older than me. A family friend gave him too me when I was very little. I remember crying over him, I loved him so.
His fur is now rotting away. I have a thing tied around his neck to keep his head on. I am 45 years old, but I cannot bear to throw him away.
December 16th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Please Dont Enter Me- I just wanted to drop in and say I loved your review. This was one of my favorite books of 2008 and I know your review will turn this fabulous book on to many new readers!
December 17th, 2008 at 1:26 am
LOL-so after all the gushing, what did you finally take the 2 points away for (98/100)?
I had lots of stuffed animals, but my favorite was probably a walrus (named Wally, I think). He had a pink shirt, and I remember writing an essay about him in 2nd grade. I had just discovered quotation marks and thought I was being super cool using them throughout my entire essay until I got my essay back and they were all crossed out with red pen.
Good thing Wally was around for consolation!
December 17th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I’d like a chance to win a copy of The Art of Racing in the Rain. I enjoyed your review.
I’m sure I had stuffed animals as a kid, but I really don’t remember them. My favorite today, is my dogs’ plush green frog that croaks when they squeeze it. LOL!
December 17th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Oooh this book sounds so good. I’ve seen a few reviews of this.
I had TONS of stuffed animals as a child. I still have 40 bears but they are packed away for now. I collect teddy bears obviously but i had other stuffed animals too. My children have quite a few too.
I tweeted your contest: callista83
December 17th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I blogged about it here: http://athomewithbooks.blogspot.com/2008/12/weekly-giveaway-roundup_17.html
December 17th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I would love to win a copy of this book. I had so many stuffed animals that I could hardly find my bed…but my favorite would have been a bunny. I also blogged about your contest here:
http://jo-jolovestoread.blogspot.com/2008/12/current-book-giveaways.html
Thanks for offering such a great contest!
joannelong74@gmail.com
December 17th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
I had a ton of stuffed animals when I was a kid, and I use to sleep with all of them (which took up most of my bed) Although I much perfer real animals thats why I have a spoiled dog and this sounds like a great book please enter me thanks!
December 17th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I LOVED stuffed animals when I was little. My favorite was a large stuffed pig. I still have him somewhere. Thanks!
December 17th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I had a Care Bear Cousin called Mr. Raccoon!
December 17th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
I wasn’t a huge stuffed animals-fan as a kid, but my dad once gave me a stuffed donkey that I named Flag because I had just seen The Yearling. I guess when you’re about six the difference between a donkey and a deer isn’t that big…
Btw, Flag is still around, and I still love him… 
December 17th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I had quite a few stuffed animals as a child. One of my favorites was a little blue bear.
Please enter me to win a copy of THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
i had tons of stuffed animals and still DO..they’re all kept in a big plastic sealed bag. My favorite was a stuffed teddy
Thanks for a great giveaway! i hope i’m chosen as the lucky winner.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
my fav was a pink teddy named pinky:) my daughter still plays with him to this day:) thanks!
December 17th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
My favorite stuffed animal was Sammy the Seal. (Such a cute little seal!)
But don’t enter me. Give the book to someone more deserving….
Trish, thanks for the wonderful and heartfelt review. You will always be a hero to me.
Happy manifesting!
Garth
December 17th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
[...] forget to enter my giveaway for a signed copy of The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein! Contest ends December [...]
December 18th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Thanks for the giveaway!
Happy Holidays!
bridget3420(at)yahoo(dot)com
December 18th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Gosh, I have been so busy, I almost missed this. Kids, concerts, working! I can’t wait for the holiday to get here so we can all be home where you should be!
Anyway, I have heard incredible things about this book. I so want to read it.
And YES! I had a stuffed animal. My beloved Jingles. Jingles was a very small dog–sits in you hand–with a jingle bell inside his tail (thus my oh-so-original 4 yo self’s name for him!). He had a little teardrop mouth that fell off almost as soon was we got home. Then his nose fell off. This started a lifelong obsession. I could not sleep without Jingles, and he was fragile–that darn nose kept coming off, and my mother had to glue it back on. At some point (I was much older and more capable) I actually sewed it on as well. Okay that could have happened like in the last ten years or so. Sad, I know. Jingles is still around. He even made it through a fire–first thing out the window (I was 21). Mangey and worn, tail coming off, but well loved. That’s my Jingles!
December 18th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Would love to read this after such a display of enthusiasm! Really enjoyed looking through your blog just now. My first visit.
December 18th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
looks like a great book. i recently has surgery so im layed up a bit and would love a new book. thanks
December 19th, 2008 at 2:25 am
I didn’t really have stuffed animals that I loved, but I did have a stuffed pillow with a cat on it and I loved that pillow. Later on I did get a cute stuffed dinosaur that became my fav
December 19th, 2008 at 4:59 am
i actually had two favorites although i had many many stuffed animals, i had a gorgeous black french poodle who was almost as big as me, and a duck named dodo
December 19th, 2008 at 5:44 am
I only had 1 stuffed animal whe I was young but it went everywhere with me – a small stuffed tiger!
December 19th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
My favorite stuffed animal as a child was a monkey. It was my best friend for quite a while.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. There’s nothing better than a good book!
December 19th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I’ve wanted to read about this book for some time. Thanks.
December 20th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Trish,
I’m squeeling about the above comment from Garth Stein! How awesome for you! You rock! I would be thrilled to win, if I don’t I will buy it anyway:)
I don’t remember a stuffed animal, sad:( I don’t have a very good memory though. My son sleeps with about 5 staples, Clifford, Esther(Veggietales) Whale, Monkey and Dog. So cute!
I will tweet and come back with link
Thanks for great giveaway! I’m reading In The Woods and The Likeness for Christmas Vacation strictly based on your raves and so far so good!
December 20th, 2008 at 11:13 am
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December 20th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
What a great review! I have to read this! My favorite childhood toy was my Snoopy stuffed animal. When I received him, he was already used and his stuffing was starting to come out. But I loved him. I was around nine when I finished playing with him and by then we had his eyes replaced several times!
December 21st, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Honestly, I didn’t really have a favorite stuffed animal growing up. BUT…it’s been cute to see my kids and what they fall in love with. Three of my five kids actually collect certain stuffed animals – one has zebras, one has giraffes, and one has lambs. What is funny is that it’s my 7yo son who collects lambs. It all stems from an adorable toy he got as a newborn, and to this day he just adores lambs. And he’s such a rough and tumble little guy! Very sweet.
Stacey @ book:thirty
http://book-thirty.blogspot.com
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:41 am
Great giveaway! I’ve heard such good things about this book. I’d really love to read it. Please enter me, if the contest is open to Canadians.
My favourite stuffed animal was a purple bull. Yep, a bull. My twin sister had one, too, except hers was red. Hmmm…or was it the other way around? Anyway, we were really little when we got them for Christmas and loved them to death. I would probably still have mine (after 40 years) but I played with it so much, it’s stitching finally gave out. I loved that thing.
Happy Holidays.
December 24th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I had a few stuffed animals when I was a kid, but I do not think I developed a special attachment to any of them.
December 27th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
personally….the gushy reviews are my favorite!
thanks for contributing ANOTHER one to my wish list…amazon loves you
i really really want to win it…that would be BETTER than christmas…
oh i almost forgot….stuffed animal. a white fluffy cat that became decidedly gray and matted as the years wore on…still my favorite though
December 28th, 2008 at 9:56 am
I still sleep with Wemmick, my stuffed beagle. I’ve had him since I was 13. He’s in pretty good shape for being 7 years old. Before that I had a stuffed bear, but the dog destroyed him (he was on his last leg anyway). I would love to win this, it sounds like a great book!
December 28th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I had a blue gingham hippo that my Mom made. I slept with him every nite from 5th grade to marriage! I still have him!
December 28th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Now I REALLY want to read this book! Please enter me.
My favorite stuffed animal was a red squirrel who stood upright and had a long red tail and white belly. I got him for my first Valentines Day. Still have him, actually, in a box somewhere in the basement. He’s forty years old!
Thanks for a great contest & review, Trish!
December 29th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I had lots of stuffed animals, and my favorites were cows and bunnies.
I didn’t have one special one that I loved to death, though.
December 29th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Stumbled for four entries.
choochoo428
December 29th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Tweeted for four entries.
choochoo428
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