Reviews

Bad Dogs Have More Fun: Selected Writings on Family, Animals, and Life from The Philadelphia Inquirer by John Grogan

celtic_oracle's review against another edition

2.0

I didn't realize when I borrowed this that John Grogan had nothing to do with the publication of this collection of his old columns (it was instead compiled by his former newspaper). I can't help but wonder what this book would have been with Grogan's input. The writing in the selected columns is terribly uneven, with excellent pieces interspersed between others that weren't much more than mediocre. I somehow think Grogan might have chosen different columns, if he had been involved.

I also questioned the editing, which on more than one occasion placed pieces of a narrative arc in reverse order. Since the articles aren't organized by date in any way, I can't figure this one out.

I did like Arte Johnson's reading of this book very much, though. It rather made me wish that Johnson had narrated the audio version of Grogan's [b:The Longest Trip Home CD: The Longest Trip Home CD|3564963|The Longest Trip Home CD The Longest Trip Home CD|John Grogan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348509409s/3564963.jpg|3607145].

beths0103's review against another edition

3.0

I was hoping this book would have more "tails" of animals, but the animal section was a very short part of this book. I enjoyed reading all of his articles, but what drew me to this book was the title and knowing that Grogan had already written a book about his own pet, I was hoping this would be more about other people's pets.

joshmorrey's review against another edition

4.0

I loved this collection of writings by John Grogan. Some are hilarious, others touching, and a few even brought a tear or two. Well worth the read.

luna_rondo's review against another edition

1.0

I will admit that I didn't look forward to reading this. It was a gift from a family member... and sad to say, but I don't usually trust her choices in books.

Mainly, I couldn't connect with the author himself. Forgive me, a 24 year old girl and a suburban dad (even if he does occasionally write about my home town) don't seem to have much in common . I don't like the style (newspaper writing essentially) and it just wan't for me; a few good stories pit in with what felt like a whole lot of preaching.

joannag101's review against another edition

1.0

This book is made up of John Grogan's ([b:Marley Me|12691|Marley & Me Love and Life with the World's Worst Dog|John Grogan|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21WJGBBGBYL._SL75_.jpg|14961])newspaper articles from The Philadelphia Inquirer. I didn't appreciate the short articles on what I felt were often forced topics to make a deadline. Read Marley and Me instead--it's wonderful.

tkittyshrimp's review against another edition

2.0

The stories might have been interesting if they happened to someone I know. Well maybe some of them.

sterrepennekamp's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.0

judyward's review against another edition

3.0

This book is a collection of newspaper columns published in the Philadelphia Inquirer by John Grogan, the author of Marley and Me. I read Marley and Me even though I knew the damn dog was going to die. Anyway, I like collections like these because you can really get a sense of what is important to the author and where his/her values lie. A quick read--perfect for by the bed or in the bathroom. Each column takes only a few minutes to read.

colstada's review against another edition

4.0

I listened to this on audio book and it was great! The reader was perfect for this book which made the experience even better! The collection of newspaper articles are very good. They are funny, thought provoking, sad, and endearing. it is a good book and a great listen!

atomicleda's review against another edition

1.0

As others have said, this was published without John Grogan’s input. It was just reprints of his articles, and very few were about dogs, making the title very misleading.