So...what's everyone reading?

[Fellfrosch]

I just finished reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves, a book about punctuation that manages to be very funny, very prescriptivist, very descriptivist, and an international bestseller at the same time. It's worth reading just for the sentence examples.

[fuzzyoctopus]

I've seen that book and was curious; (we sell it on Overstock.com).

I'm also interested in checking out a book titled "Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay"

[JP Dogberry]

I saw it in the bookstore, noticed the title ommitted the crude (and therefore funny) word "roots" from the well-known joke, and so immediately dismissed it.

[fuzzyoctopus]

Um, the version of the joke I heard my whole life doesn't have that word in it.

You're missing out.

[stacer]

Yeah, I think there is the Australian version of the joke and the American version. The Australians on the childlit list I'm on had the same complaint, that it changed the word.

[Spriggan]

I have no idea what you people are talking about so it must not be that funney, if it was I would have heard it.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I'm not entirely sure what they're getting at either.

root can be a verb, but I'm nost sure what dirty meaning or wholistic perfection it would bring to the joke.

Unless you pronounce root more like "rut" and then it's a rhyming pun having to do with procreation. But that's pretty weak considering that all the others are direct puns without having to alter the spelling to get the other meaning. Sure "roots" fits, but JP said it was crude, and it isn't by itself, and it isn't as directly workable as the "shoots" and "leaves." What kind of animal roots without an object? If it's a plant, what kind of plant can shoot? (and the plant makes "leaves" less funny).

Have I ruined it for everyone yet?

[fuzzyoctopus]

I have heard 'root' used to mean 'rut' before so it seemed fairly self-evident to me.

[Spriggan]

ya, that is pretty lame SE.

[JP Dogberry]

To root is to have sexual intercourse. That simple. In the version of the joke I've heard, the bear takes an extra action before leaving the bar. It's more funny that way, because it's rude.

[fuzzyoctopus]

Not really. Dirty jokes are a dime a dozen. Clean jokes that are acutally funny are rare.  This one is funny without the sexual aspect.

Dirty aussies.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

actually, that's what "to rut" means.
after consulting three dictionaries I still can't find one that provides that meaning for "to root" so it must be a misuse thing.

[Fellfrosch]

Or a specifically Australian thing, since they're the only ones who a) expected to see the word, and b) thought it was dirty.

Anyway, as Fuzy pointed out, you're missing out if you pass off the book simply because it uses a different version of a bad joke as its title. The book itself is very good.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

I picked up 3 books friday (a little gift from authors to me). I got the Spider-Girl graphic novel (because well, it has to do with Spider-Man), Good Omens (because it was written by Gaiman, and that other guy), and The Color of Magic.

Now, I've read the first part of Color of Magic and I must say, Prachett is really rather good. Sure there are some grammatical areas I would have done a bit differently than he, but que sara. And the other thing I'm having a hard time with is his use of !'s and ?'s. Why does he just put "'?' said the stranger."? What is with that?

[Entsuropi]

I think he does that where the listener doesn't understand the language but can detect its a question. Or he just puts it in for the fun of it. It is prattchet after all.