Outside of a Dog, #51

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx.

This weekend marks the first of three annual NASCAR races to be held at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) in Brooklyn, Michigan. Next weekend is the 11^th Annual Cruisin’ Gratiot in Eastpointe, Michigan. Later this summer, we’ll be celebrating the 15^th Annual Woodward Dream Cruise.

In honor of these high-speed and classic car events, we’ve put together a list of great books, movies, and resources all about cars!

One Helluva Ride: How NASCAR swept the nation – Liz Clarke

While NASCAR is often parodied for being all brawn and no brains, sportswriter Clarke’s book has taken on the task of showing the world the history of the sport – from dirt tracks to national speedways. She interviews some iconic figures, as well as some new up and coming drivers, too.

796.72 C WCV

Metro Girl/ Motor Mouth (The Alex Barnaby Series) – Janet Evanovich

While Janet Evanovich’s Plum books are widely anticipated (Finger Lickin’ Fifteen is due out June 15), these two books featuring a brash mechanic’s daughter are comic misadventures very much like the Stephanie Plum novels. Here, in Metro Girl, Alex’s brother, a NASCAR driver, has disappeared, and she has to team up with another driver to find him. In the sequel, Motor Mouth, Alex and her on-again off-again boyfriend, driver Sam Hooker, have to discover why there’s a dead sponsor in another driver’s hauler.

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Mys Pbk Eva WAM

Tradin’ Paint: Raceway Rookies and Royalty – Terry Bisson

This kids’ book will introduce young readers to the brightly-colored world of NASCAR, with information about the drivers and cars you’ll find at the track. (The title refers to slang about what happens when two cars crash on the track – they ‘trade paint.’)

Juv 796.7902 B WCV WDB

Cars [DVD]

Cars features Pixar animation, comedy, and a host of famous actors and actresses lending their voices to the cartoon cars (main character Lightning McQueen is Owen Wilson, and tow-truck Tow Mater is voiced by country comedian Larry the Cable Guy.) Great fun for adults and kids alike, like all Pixar films to date.

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DVD Children’s C114 WAM

And don’t forget that if you’re a handyman looking to fix your own car, the Warren Public Libraries offer access to the Chilton Library database, and limited access to AllData database. Ask your reference librarian how to look up the parts and info you need to make your ride good as new.