My Year of the Racehorse: Falling in Love with the Sport of Kings

A young Chinese-Canadian journalist and "all-around enthusiast" is drawn to a sport with a fading star in this quirky, entertaining memoir. Chong (Neil Young Nation: A Quest, an Obsession (and a True Story), nonfiction) is a commitment-phobe who has never been tied down%E2%80%94neither by "boy-girl relationships" nor a full-time job. At 33-years-old, he decides it's time for a big change, which leads to Chong becoming part-owner of Blackie, a low-tier racehorse with "the equine personality of a biker chick" and known professionally as Mocha Time. Chong details his many adventures with charming self-deprecation, and introduces readers to a diverse cast of characters%E2%80%94from Randi, Blackie's gruff trainer who reveals her "stripping song is AC/DC's %E2%80%98You Shook Me All Night Long;'" to his long suffering immigrant parents. But the true focus is the author himself. Arguably, this works in the book's favor, as Chong proves to be both fun and genuinely funny, and his numerous foibles (e.g., discussing horse masturbation at a wedding, enlisting the services of an animal psychic) make for a consistently entertaining and informative read. (May)