Walking in Circles Before Lying Down
A Novel

I almost sent this audiobook back after listening to the first disk. The reader is too cutesy and the characters surrounding the heroine are all such selfish jerks that the story seemed to be both unoriginal and tiresome. Then the dogs start talking and it becomes a delight. I've read enough stories like this to wonder if people really live in a world where EVERYONE they know is selfish and self-absorbed or is this just an easy trick used by authors to create sympathy for their protagonists by surrounding them with jerks. If the former is true then I don't sympathize with heroes/doormats who allow themselves to be used by such obviously undeserving creeps and if the latter is true, then the novel should be ditched because the author is too lazy to construct a story where the hero is sympathetic without being made a victim. Despite this basic flaw, the audiobook is still worth a listen because the personalities of the dogs are absolutely delightful. They save this story from boring predictability and terminal cuteness.

This is a book that has been on my "To Read" list forever. It is a cute, quirky, quick-read book. Parts of this book were hilarious; however, the characters were a bit over-the-top for me; or maybe it was just that EVERY single character seemed to be particularly bizarre. I will certainly try anothe......more

As a dog owner, I found this book hilarious and strangely informative. Did you ever think you could understand what your dog is saying to you? My beagle is constantly saying things like, "Take me out now please!" or "I really would like some of that organic uncured turkey bacon you're eating." In this......more

I don't think that Merrill Markoe meant to write a work of great literature. This book is *fun*. If you have a good imagination and a sense of play, it's a very entertaining, wonderful book. Merill Markoe's dogs are much wittier and to the point than mine . Read it for fun. I laughed all the way thr......more

Ya know, I feel a bit let down after reading this book. The cover is literally squashed with reviewers talking about how witty and funny the doggy dialogue is, but I didn't think it was that great. Nothing was mind-blowingly funny, and several of the characters went beyond quirky and slipped slowly......more

This was a cute one. It's about a girl who has a horrible dysfunctional family and keeps making bad choices. She works at a doggy day care. One day, after her boyfriend walks out on her, her dog (and all the other dogs) start talking to her, giving her advice, telling her to follow her instincts. Th......more