Advide from the SF Cognoscenti please

I'm about halfway through "Living Next Door To The God Of Love", and am rather enjoying bits of it, while being fairly baffled by other bits.

While googling about, I've discovered that it is, in fact, a follow-up to Natural History, a fact that is mentioned nowhere at all on the book itself.

So, those people who have read both, should I go read Natural History and then come back to Living Next Door..., or does that previous book not actually explain anything I need to know?

*sniffle*

Just watched King Kong again, was thrilled in the same places, scared in the same places, delighted in the same places, and cried again at the end.

Having spent the last couple of days walking, scratching, cuddling and chasing a mammal of my own for the last few days (who also knows exactly what she wants and what she wants you to do, and can be demanding about it) I particularly enjoyed Kong's throwing of a temper tantrum when he's first told "No."