# I need book suggestions \[urinating dog\] \[urinating dog\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2002, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244 "2002-06-21T11:01:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Canyon\_Surfer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Canyon\_Surfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canyon_Surfer)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/21 "2002-06-21T17:25:31Z")
**Opal** , have you read any of the books by [Wilbur Smith](http://www.wilbursmithbooks.com/). Mainly historical novels and set in Southern Africa, but they are a good read. A favorite of mine by him is [Eagle in the Sky](http://www.wilbursmithbooks.com/books/eagle.html) ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/22 "2002-06-21T17:41:18Z")
I like some of Tom Holt’s books, Flying Dutch and Who’s Afraid of Beowulf are good, but some of them aren’t that great. Not as consistent as Pratchett by a long shot. Tom Robbins is good, I especially liked Skinny Legs and All and Jitterbug Perfume. I have a soft spot for Asimov if you like classic science fiction. Tolkein of course. Michael Palin’s book Hemingway’s Chair. ---
**Author:** ![bashere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bashere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bashere)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/23 "2002-06-21T17:52:52Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Welby_ > Niel Gaiman: > > American Gods > Stardust > Sand Man: Book of Dreams (edited by) I’d include **Neverwhere** in that list, too. A very amusing Gaiman book. ---
**Author:** ![A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_wizard_song_for_thee)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/24 "2002-06-21T18:30:03Z")
**Jonathan Carroll** is a god among men. Many of his books are out of print in the United States, but they’re gradually coming back, and, since you’re obviously a Pratchett fan, I would wholeheartedly recommend Carroll, even though he and Pterry don’t write similarly at all… ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/25 "2002-06-21T19:26:57Z")
Opalcat, You might want to see if you can dig up some copies of Gene Wolfe’s **Book of the New Sun** tetralogy. He’s an amazing writer. Patrick O’Brian has a whole series of historical novels – I’m sure you’ve heard of them – revolving around his two heroes, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. They are wonderful books, but you have to be willing to invest the time into learning nautical terminology. If you want a little light humor, try any of Dave Barry’s books. I gave a recently-divorced lady friend of mine a copy of _Dave Barry’s Guide to Guys_ and she laughed until she could hardly breathe. (She has since re-married, so no permanent harm was done.) There’s a fascinating book called _An Instance of the Fingerpost_, by a fellow whose name I can’t recall. It’s another historical novel that presents four different viewpoints of the same events. If you like straight-up whodunnits, go scarf all of Rex Stout’s **Nero Wolfe** novels you can find at the library. Stout had a marvelous way of laying out the story transparently through Archie Goodwin. For humor with a bite, nobody comes close to Pratchett, but P.J. O’Rourke has some terrific stuff. Be prepared for strong language and a pretty right-wing attitude. If you’re a Tolkien fan, see if you can rustle up an old copy of the **Harvard Lampoon** ’s _Bored of the Rings_. It is absolutely hysterical. If you have never read anything by James P. Blaylock or Tim Powers, you owe that to yourself, too, especially _The Anubis Gates_ and _The Thirteenth Coin_. Blaylock’s “Jonathan Bing” books are a lot of fun, also. RR ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/26 "2002-06-21T20:26:42Z")
I’m a rabid Pratchett fan too, but fantasy is normally something I stay away from. I’ll throw in my €0.02: Harlot’s Ghost - Norman Mailer. The first 80-odd pages are really terible, but it evolves into a fantastic description of the CIA in the 50’6 and 60’s. Being Mailer, it’s _not_ a suspense story. American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand - James Ellroy. His style of writing takes getting used to. The 2nd book is written without commas. A lot of his characters fade in and out in his books, but these are connected. Basically it’s the Kennedy Killing, but in a totally fresh way. Cider House Rules, Son of a Circus & Widow for One Year - John Irving. Everuthing by Irving is good, but these are excellent. Good as Gold - Joseph Heller. Most have read Catch 22. Good as Gold is very entertaining. I laughed out loud when I read it. The Right Stuff, Bonfire of Vanities and A Man in Full - Tom Wolfe. High Fidelity, About a Boy - Nick Hornby. The movies were kinda true to the books, but the books are - as always, better. I winced when I read HF, thinking: “Geez, we men are such suckers and I’m one of them.” One Pratchett, if you haven’t read it - **buy now** The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. Prolly my best read, all categories, this past winter. TP has outdone himself and gives us a truly thought provoking, funny, dark, mature book. Its language is powerfull, the storytelling flawless. And it’s labeled: “Discworld for younger readers.” ---
**Author:** ![welby1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@welby1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby1)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/27 "2002-06-21T20:50:21Z")
Geek Love by Katherine Dunne. Not for the lighthearted squeamish type reader though. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/28 "2002-06-21T21:26:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by photopat \* > \*\*I like some of Tom Holt’s books, Flying Dutch and Who’s Afraid of Beowulf are good, but some of them aren’t that great. Not as consistent as Pratchett by a long shot. > > Tom Robbins is good, I especially liked Skinny Legs and All and Jitterbug Perfume. > > I have a soft spot for Asimov if you like classic science fiction. > > Tolkein of course. > > Michael Palin’s book Hemingway’s Chair. \*\* I love Asimov and I’ve read quite a bit of his stuff… I read Jitterbug Perfume and hated it, so I’ve been hesitant to read any more Tom Robbins… ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/29 "2002-06-21T22:02:30Z")
I’m going to suggest two entirely different books. I recommend both very highly. In keeping with the science-fiction tone, [_The Sparrow_](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0449912558/qid=1024695845/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-4672863-0982526) by Mary Doria Russell. It’s got a convoluted timeline, flashing back and forwards with abandon, and can be hard to keep track of. But the story, and the issues examined therein, are simply stunning. (In brief, signals from space indicating intelligence are received, and while the various nations argue about what to do, a Jesuit priest leverages the resources of the Catholic church to lead the first mission to the other world.) One of the finest science-fiction novels I’ve ever read, on a par with _A Canticle for Leibowitz_ – and it’s a **debut.** And now for something completely different. I just finished _[A Primate’s Memoir](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743202414/qid=1024696178/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-4672863-0982526)_ by Robert Sapolsky. It’s nonfiction, the sometimes rambling recollections of a naturalist/biologist who spent many years in Africa studying baboon behavior. The first three-quarters of the book are the strongest; the last couple of chapters read like Sapolsky was getting tired of writing and started dashing off imagery in rapid-fire fragments. Also, the ending is pretty depressing. Still, it’s very much a worthwhile read, focusing just as much on the absurdities of cultural clashes and third-world bureaucracy as on Sapolsky’s scientific work. Many of the anecdotes are fall-down hilarious, and all of them are compulsively readable, dragging you forward through the narrative. Sapolsky resists the temptation to idealize his baboon subjects, presenting them honestly as a ragtag band of often selfish and obnoxious creatures. Then, with a wicked glint, he draws subtle parallels with the various humans who obstruct his research, showing that people can be just as petty and mean-spirited. Highly recommended. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2002, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/30 "2002-06-21T23:01:35Z")
Ever consider picking up any comic book trade paperback collections? They’re not just for kids anymore. 🙂 Astro City pits a town full of superheroes against a more reality based universe Top 10…a police force in a city where EVERYone has super powers Powers…a noir-ish tale of two detectives who invesitgate superhero related crimes (of which murder seems to be popular) Rising Stars…113 children are mysteriously born with powers and the government tries to keep a tight leash on them. But if you read no other comic series for fear that they are still too childish, read **Watchmen**. Hard to explain, but it’s the most adult take on the genre I’ve ever seen and it’s got a story that will stay with you. ---
**Author:** ![bristlesage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@bristlesage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bristlesage)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/31 "2002-06-22T02:42:40Z")
\*\*Opal, my recommends aren’t scifi/fantasy, but it seems like you have some pretty diverse tastes considering what you say you’ve read: **Possession** by A.S. Byatt is a great book, a bit difficult to start but really catches fire after the first thirty pages or so. Maeve Binchy seems to use the same story-telling devices regularly, but she uses them well. Her stories contain excellently drawn characters, especially **Circle of Friends** and **Scarlet Feather**. Any collection of David Sedaris’ essays will provide a healthy dose of sardony (is that a word?) and irony without too much cynicism. **Me Talk Pretty One Day** is great as is **Holidays on Ice**. If you can get past his voice (it really annoys some people), he and his quasi-famous sister Amy do all the reading for the fantastic books-on-tape versions. In the kiddie lit department, Lemony Snicket’s **Series of Unfortunate Events** is a little smarmy but not without its merits. I’m not sure if they’re the kind of thing you’d like Dominic (that’s his name, right?) reading, but now you’ll know. As far as the women-who-kick-butt genre, I’ve recently been reading and enjoying Janet Evanovich’s “number” series, but it was really a natural for me as I also love Sue Grafton’s “alphabet” series. I wouldn’t call these books edifying, but they are fun. Non-fiction picks can be found in the non-fiction recommends thread. Good luck wading through all these books! ---
**Author:** ![Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook_of_the_North_Shore)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/32 "2002-06-22T03:20:20Z")
Could someone please explain to me the in-joke in the thread title? And if its from a good sci-fi/fantasy type novel(which I gather it is from the second post), point me in the right direction to find said novel. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/33 "2002-06-22T04:00:35Z")
> [@](#): > > **[urinating dog]** Band name! ---
**Author:** ![furr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ab992/32.png) [@furr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furr)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/34 "2002-06-22T04:16:58Z")
if you like sassy kinda female humour then Janet Evanovich’s stephanie plum series is great, starts with ‘one for the money’… so far there are 8 books in the series. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/35 "2002-06-22T06:03:29Z")
Well, you bashed Fred [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2207827#post2207827) so I don’t know how you’ll like my recommendations. 1. I’ll second **Gene Wolfe** ’s _Book of the New Sun_ 'ology and also _Soldiers in the Mist_ where the hero has a Memento-type memory affliction. 2. **Douglas Adams** anything. 3. If you like humor and fantasy, then **L. Sprague de Camp** _Enchanter_ books and **Fritz Lieber** _Swords of \_\_\_\_\__ series. Fafhrd and Grey Mouser rule! 4. Hi Fred! 5. **Mary Gentle** ’s _Grunts!_. What orcs are really like under the covers. I hear her _Book of Ash_ series is good as well. 6. **Peter F. Hamilton** _Night’s Dawn_ Trilogy. Outdoes Dune in scope and setting. 7. He’s an acquired taste, but **George Carlin** ’s _Brain Droppings_. I haven’t read his second book, _Napalm & silly Putty_. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/36 "2002-06-22T08:04:30Z")
Since you seem to like science fiction, **Ian McDonald** is one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/37 "2002-06-22T09:51:59Z")
**Nanook of the North Shore** > [@](#): > > Could someone please explain to me the in-joke in the thread title? And if its from a good sci-fi/fantasy type novel(which I gather it is from the second post), point me in the right direction to find said novel. The joke from the thread title is from Terry Pratchett’s _Interesting Times_, part of the Discworld series, which you can find a lot more about [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=118532), [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=118700), and [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=120869). All of Discworld is set in a mirror of our own world and lets TP have fun with a lot of familiar things. _Intersteing Times_ is set in what is easy recognisable as China, with a sprinkle of Japan, thrown in. [urinating dog] is making fun at pictographs and this one represents exclamation mark. TP often says _“The use of multiple exclamation marks is a clear sign of a sick mind”_ ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/38 "2002-06-22T11:35:08Z")
I’ve read the Stephanie Plum books through number 6; Seven Up wasn’t out in paperback when I finished and I haven’t gotten it yet now that it is. Thanks for reminding me 😃 I’ve got quite a good list going – keep it up! I trust the people on this board to have a better sense for good books than most people… I know that I won’t come here and have everyone say “ooooh I just read the latest Danielle Steele and it was great!” ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/39 "2002-06-22T11:48:11Z")
_An Instance of the Fingerpost_ is by Ian Pears. Very strange book, but I liked it. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2002, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244/40 "2002-06-22T18:25:38Z")
I would second the Barbara Kingsolver books. _The Poisonwood Bible_ was just incredible. _The Bean Trees_ and its follow-up, _Pigs In Heaven_ were both good, too. How about A. Manette Ansay? Her books are really good. _Vinegar Hill_ was an Oprah pick, but don’t let that throw you. They’re not sappy romance-fluff books. She also wrote _River Angel, Sister_ and _Midnight Champagne_. I just read _Girl With A Pearl Earring_ and _Falling Angels_ by Tracey Chevalier. Both excellent reads. Ever read Anita Shreve? _The Pilot’s Wife_ is really good. Also _Fortune’s Rocks, The Weight of Water, The Last Time They Met, Where or When, Strange Fits of Passion,_ and _Resistance._ She has a new one called _Sea Glass_, but I haven’t read it yet. Be warned…hers do not always end “happily ever after.” As for John Grisham, I would also recommend _The Painted House_. No lawyers…quite a change for Grisham. And _The Testament_. It had lawyers, but it wasn’t his usual idealistic-young-lawyer-bucks-the-system formula. I thought _The Testament_ was great. How about Ken Follett? I love him. _Night Over Water, Jackdaws,_ and _A Place Called Freedom_ are all great books. \*Pillars Of The Earth \* is one of my favorite books of all time. It’s long, but worth it. Nelson DeMille? _The Talbot Odyessy, The Gold Coast, Word Of Honor, Plum Island_ and _Spencerville_ are all good. _Plum Island_ is my personal favorite. How about _A Tree Grows In Brooklyn_ by Betty Smith? An oldie but a goodie. One of my favorites. _Hard Eight_ by Janet Evanovich is due out this month. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-book-suggestions-urinating-dog-urinating-dog/115244.md?page=3)