The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Enzo is a dog. He is also the narrator of this engrossing tale, which depicts his life with his owner, Denny. His story is full of tragedy and triumph; many ups and downs and is at times amusing and tragic.

This has been on my reading list for a while and I just finally had time read it. It's extremely well-written and very powerful. The story opens on the eve of Enzo's life, so you already know where it's going to end, but that doesn't lessen the impact of the story or of Enzo's strength. The personality of the dog was so wonderfully written. This is probably one of the better books I've read this year.