Citizen Reader

How, I don't know about you, but when I see a title like Is It Just Me or Is Everything Shit? Insanely Annoying Modern Things, I just have to get that book.

I've been reading a lot of humor books this spring (are there more available right now or are they just appealing to me more right now?) and this has been one of my favorites. It is, quite simply, a collection of essays about very annoying modern things (or things the authors consider annoying, anyway, and handily enough, I agree with them on nearly all their entries), alphabetically organized.

Now, something leads me to believe that at least one of the authors involved (it's got three authors: Steve Lowe, Alan McArthur, and Brendan Hay) has had some less-than-enjoyable encounters with modern healthcare. I LOVED this entry, on "Doctors":

"In June 2005, a UK documentary offered a compelling reason why so many general practitioners manage that trademark double whammy of talking in slow, patronizing tones while also being utterly hopeless in the actual 'helping people' department: They are either drunk or high on drugs. Or rather, one in fifteen of them is, anyway. The others are just pricks." (p. 60-61.)

Now, I realize that is about doctors in the UK,* but it made me laugh anyway. I don't like doctors.** So give it a try; there's a little something here for everyone: "Bad Boys," "Bratz," "Creative Industries, the Phrase," "Hedge-Fund Boys," "Mac Junkies," "Networking," etc.

*The first two authors are British, and this book was first published in the UK; it's been adapted for the U.S. by the third author, Brendan Hay.

**I know we need them, and I know I should be grateful to them for services rendered. Doesn't make me like them.