Is it just me or is everything shit?: Insanely Annoying Modern Things    by Steve Lowe, Alan McArthur & Brendan Hay Order:  USA  Can Grand Central, 2008 (2008) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson In Is it just me or is everything shit?, Steve Lowe, Alan McArthur and Brendan Hay describe 'Insanely Annoying Modern Things' from A to Z (Abstinence Programs to Z-List Celebrities Saving the Planet). Though, not being up on the music scene, many of the entries eluded me, there's something for everyone - at least for everyone who enjoys an ironic look at modern life - in this biting volume. A typical entry on Adventurers/Mountaineers/Explorers begins, 'This is the news: Some bloke with more money than sense has got himself lost in a small dinghy in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.' It continues 'would it be unreasonable to suggest that when they do capsize, rather than expect a multithousand-dollar rescue operation and media furor, they could at least have the decency to drown, quietly?' There's a sarcastic comment on Body Art; a treatise on Books on CD that calls Finnegan's Wake 'a book that even people who really like reading get frightened of'; and depressingly valid entries on Calamity Porn, "Change Yourself Today!" Culture, Faith Schools, and Iraq War Euphemisms. I chuckled over 'what kind of person would want to stop anyone from seeing a film that "contains mild peril"?' in Film Warnings. And I groaned over Helpdesks, the notion that the IKEA store layout 'makes you feel like a lab rat', and Misery Memoirs. Is it just me or is everything shit? is a humorous book that I believe Alan Alda and Tom Lehrer would enjoy - which is an accolade in itself. I recommend it as a holiday gift for those on your list who enjoy satire. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews