Name: The Art of Racing in the Rain
ISBN: 9780007284764

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoe, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoe at his side. Having learned what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person, the wise canine can barely wait until his next lifetime, when he is sure he will return as a man.A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life... as only a dog could tell it.

What Hacker News says

dcchambersDec 2018

A selection:

Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari, 2014 [English]) - A bit late to the party on this one. Mostly enjoyed it, especially the early ancient history stuff, but I felt it got a bit contrived in the middle - like the author was forcing it. Overall a good read though.

How to Invent Everything (Ryan North, 2018) - First book I've pre-ordered in a long time. A look at the history of civilization and technology through a comedic lens. Pretty funny and enjoyable.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Edmund Morris, 1979) - Randomly happened across this book while browsing a used bookstore for some stuff to read on a summer vacation. Loved it. It's big, but reads pretty quick for a biography. I've been a fan of TR since I first really learned about him in High School and I would recommend this for anyone interested in TR/The West/Americana.

Jaws (Peter Benchley, 1974) - Quite a bit darker than the movie.

Sharp Objects (Gillian Flynn, 2006) - I enjoyed Gone Girl (book and film) so I wanted to read this before the HBO series. To be honest...not my cup of tea. It was okay.

The Art of Racing in the Rain (Garth Stein, 2008) - Made me cry on an airplane. Thankfully my coworkers were on a different flight.

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derangedHorseDec 2018

The Art of Racing in the Rain was one of my favorite books to read!

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dhosekJul 2020

The problem is that Amazon treats books as a loss leader. Books are a somewhat unique business in general in that you have a huge number of products and thin inventory of most of them (most books at a bookstore will have 1–2 copies in stock with only a few dozen titles with larger inventories). To sell at Amazon discounts would mean in many cases losing money given that bookstores typically pay 60% of the cover price of the book. I did a quick check and saw that Amazon is claiming a 51% discount on The Art of Racing in the Rain although I notice that there are two paperback editions of the book with the same cover available at my local indie, one a trade paperback, the other mass market paperback (the difference is the latter is printed on smaller-sized pages) and the latter has a list price of $9.99. Interestingly, the latter edition, doing a search by ISBN shows up at the same price as the TPB which is—interesting and makes me wonder if they're doing inventory commingling with these two editions.

I'd recommend Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption for a (somewhat dated) look at the unique economics of bookselling. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0226525910/donhosek

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wglbMay 2013

I have been in leading-edge programming since a good bit before you were born. I have been part of many startups, one very successful, another one on hold, a consulting firm that had a nice exit.

Very much in contrast what you have said in this post and in other posts that you have offered here, I find the demand for seasoned programmers, developers, architects at an all-time high. I have recently had to turn down two very lucrative engagements due to my apparent unclonability.

I have had low spots careerwise--a period of self-unemployment, but I was determined to not get into the negative thinking, as I am sensing in your posts.

My wife bought me a fiction book by Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain. One of the phrases in the book was "Your car goes where your eyes are." If your eyes are on the wall next to the race track, that is where the car will go.

To put it in non-racing terms, you are likely to fulfill your expectations.

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jerryrOct 2011

San Francisco, CA (25 Kearny St) - MindTribe Product Engineering, Inc.

Hi, I’m MindTribe’s director of Software Engineering. I’m searching for people who enjoy learning and making. We’re a small company, and I’m looking for people with whom I would personally like to work and who want to work with me. We're moving from Palo Alto to SF on Nov 1st. And now, besides experienced SENIOR embedded programmers, I am looking for INTERNs and JUNIOR engineers as well. If you enjoyed your microcontroller classes in school, come join us in SF for continuing education.

Here are the tools I use regularly: The C programming language (specifically ISO/IEC 9899:1990); Eclipse, Make, Subversion, Git, Python; Linux, Embedded Linux, Android, iOS; ARM processors (TI OMAP, TI Stellaris, NXP LPC); Atmel AVR/AVR32, Microchip PIC, TI MSP430, Cypress PSoC

Here is what I enjoy doing at work: Writing embedded software that runs on cool hardware; Figuring out how to apply agile techniques such as test-driven development to embedded product development; Reducing regressions and supporting customer development with agile techniques; Developing embedded libraries for things like USB, TCP/IP, graphics displays, sprites, fonts, encryption, etc.; Having long, dorky conversations with coworkers about programming languages, physics, estimating Facebook’s relative revenue distribution between advertising and games, etc.

Here is what I enjoy doing outside of work: Hiking, walking around San Francisco; Pseudonymous humor blogging; Cooking and baking; Photography; Reading. Recently: "Test Driven Development for Embedded C", "The Clean Coder", "The Four Steps to the Epiphany", "The Art of Racing in the Rain", "Norwegian Wood", "The Mind's Eye", and "Cutting for Stone".

You can see examples of how I’ve applied my tools and passion here: http://mindtribe.com/portfolio/

You don’t have to use the same tools and you don’t have to enjoy the same things. But if you’re excited about similar stuff, drop me a line at hn@mindtribe.com to let me know.

We're also hiring ELECTRICAL and MECHANICAL engineers!

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jerryrSep 2011

San Francisco, CA (25 Kearny St) - MindTribe Product Engineering, Inc.

Here is what I enjoy doing outside of work: Hiking, walking around San Francisco; Pseudonymous humor blogging; Cooking and baking; Photography; Reading. Recently: “Test Driven Development for Embedded C”, “The Clean Coder”, “The Four Steps to the Epiphany”, “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, “Norwegian Wood”, and "The Mind's Eye".

You can see examples of how I’ve applied my tools and passion here: http://mindtribe.com/portfolio/

You don’t have to use the same tools and you don’t have to enjoy the same things. But if you’re excited about similar stuff, drop me a line at hn@mindtribe.com to let me know.

We're also hiring Electrical and Mechanical engineers!

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