Los Angeles – November 7, 2023 – Celebrities and car enthusiasts are buzzing about the sensational new book “Tales From the Garage” by Rodney Kemerer, which is poised to become one of the hottest gifts this holiday season. Designed with the look and feel of an automotive owner’s manual, this beautifully illustrated book is a collection of funny and emotional essays, each with a personal perspective on pop culture told through the lens of the automobile. Part memoir, part the memories of others, it is a book bound to stir laughter but also deep and personal memories from anyone who reads it.

“Tales From the Garage” is now available through Amazon, arriving just in time for the holidays. And, as writer/performer Laraine Newman has said of the book, “It would be a really bitchen gift.”

“These tales are among the most popular pieces I’ve written for a number of publications, now entirely reformatted with unique new artwork,” said author Kemerer. “They chronicle every kind of experience, from finding just the right car for your wife (She wants a what? Really? What’s wrong with her?), to an ancient St. Christopher medal hiding at the back of a glove box, to a father’s deathbed pronouncement: ‘I should have bought Cadillacs.’ These are just a few of the ‘Tales From the Garage.’”

Car enthusiasts, including some with the highest profiles in the world, agree.

“I have said I bought some of my cars as much for the stories behind those cars as for the cars themselves,” said entertainer and automotive ambassador Jay Leno. “Rodney Kemerer’s ‘Tales From the Garage’ is full of those kinds of stories – funny ones, suspenseful ones, moving ones, even practical ones. If you’ve ever loved a car, or loved a person who loved a car, this book is for you. And it’s much cheaper than actually buying a car.”

Mr. Leno is not the only one to rave about “Tales From the Garage.” Wall Street Journal columnist Dan Neil, Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Founder Bill Warner, writer/performer Laraine Newman, LA Auto Show President Terry Toennies, Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry Karges and many others are expressing their enthusiasm for the book.

“Car enthusiasts love cars, sort of,” said Neil. “In many cases it’s not the machine but the people and stories behind them that we love. ‘Tales From the Garage’ chauffeurs us through American automotive culture, mile after charming mile.”

“I love that Rodney [Kemerer] knows how to bring life to inanimate objects that represent so much more than what the eye sees,” says LA Auto Show President Terri Toennies. “His ‘Tales From the Garage’ makes you think about how chance encounters, or a kind gesture, or a simple gift, or a tenacity to own what might seem out of your reach, can result in lifelong memories and experiences that will always be yours to share.”

Rodney Kemerer is a lifelong automotive enthusiast. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Garage Style Magazine, Hemmings Classic Car, Rolls-Royce Flying Lady, BMW Roundel, The Petersen Museum Finishline Magazine, Vintage Road and Racecar, Bentley Drivers Club Review and most recently, Old Cars Weekly. He still has all his childhood model cars as well as most of his adulthood actual cars.

“These tales might appear to be about cars, but they are also tales of an American life and the many objects that embody and reflect it,” said Kemerer. “Everyone has a car story to tell, even if the car is just a springboard for a memory of a certain person or a certain place or even a certain feeling. Ask anyone about the cars in their lives, and the stories come straight from the heart. These are those stories.”

Tales From the Garage Abbreviated Quotes*:

Jay Leno:
“If you’ve ever loved a car, or loved a person who loved a car, this book is for you. And it’s much cheaper than actually buying a car.”

Dan Neil, Wall Street Journal:
“Tales From the Garage” chauffeurs us through American automotive culture, mile after charming mile.”

Laraine Newman, writer/performer:
“[Rodney Kemerer] helps us recognize our emotional attachment to cars. They carry our experiences, our joys, our sorrows, and in many cases, our youth. You don’t have to be a car lover to enjoy this book. And it would be a really bitchen gift.”

Charles Fleming, former Los Angeles Times Automotive Writer:
“… that rare thing in the motoring world – an engaging, literate collection of car stories…”

Mark McCourt, Senior Editor, Hemmings Motor News:
“… written with a sunlit warmth and casual ease, making us want to keep turning pages…”

Terry Karges, Executive Director, Petersen Automotive Museum:
“Any reader… cannot help but walk away feeling privileged to have been invited into Rodney’s garage.”

Bill Warner, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance:
“…this is a must have book…”

Lance Lambert, Author, TV & Radio Personality:
“…left me with the feeling that I have just read the best automotive book of my life.”

Bruce Meyer, Automotive Enthusiast:
“…a vividly and uniquely illustrated collection of enjoyable, emotional, and enticing stories…”

Tom Holland, Writer-Director
“If you’re into cars, this is the book for you. If you’re not into cars, this is the book for you too.”

Angelo Van Bogart, Editor, Old Cars:
“…certain to delight and impress all who open its pages…”

Terry Toennies, President, LA Auto Show & Automobility LA:
“This is a book for people of all ages, not just about cars but about life, memories and the experiences that shape us. I love that Rodney knows how to bring life to inanimate objects that represent so much more than what the eye sees.”

Casey Annis, Editor-in-Chief, Sports Car Digest:
“…accurately and eloquently [captures] the zeitgeist of the automotive world.”

Jesse Mortensen, Founder of Barnfinds.com:
“The perfect read for any car guy or gal.”

Don Weberg, Editor and Publisher, Garage Style Magazine:
“…stunning and highly entertaining, humbling and heartwarming.”

*Full quotes available at talesfromthegarage.com 

About Tales from the Garage
Written by Californian Rodney Kemerer, a lifelong automotive enthusiast, this heartfelt book “Tales From the Garage” is a pop culture snapshot of modern society conveyed through the lens of the automobile. These thirty stories, reformatted with entirely new and colorful artwork over 136 pages, originated as essays in various publications including Vintage Road and Racecar, Bentley Drivers Club Review, The Petersen Museum Finishline Magazine, Old Cars Weekly, Rolls-Royce Flying Lady and Hemmings Classic Car. This softback book, designed with the look and feel of an automotive owner’s manual, is now available through Amazon. For more information, visit talesfromthegarage.com.