Modern Phobias: A Litany of Contemporary Fears

by Tim Lihoreau

Drawing from the hugely popular weekly Daily Telegraph column, the ultimate book of modern phobias! Did you leave work yesterday and have a stab of fear that you€™d forgotten to press save before switching off your computer? Did you then go to the pub, get very drunk, then wake this morning unable to remember what awful things you might have said or done? You€™re not paranoid (most of the time) but suffering from modern phobias. Such as antefamaphobia€”the fear that people were talking about you, but stopped just before you entered the room. Or agmenophobia€”the fear that the line you join will end up being slower than the other one. The Book of Phobias will confirm every sneaking suspicion you have of a suffering from a weird and wonderful phobia, and highlight some you never knew you had!

Genres: Nonfiction

194 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Tim Lihoreau is the presenter of the biggest breakfast show on commercial radio: Classic FM's More Music Breakfast. Tim has won a multitude of awards for his radio writing and production on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as being the author of eleven books. His Modern Phobias has been translated into eleven languages. With a degree in music from the University of Leeds, he was a professional pianist before moving into radio. Along with his wife, he runs three amateur choirs in his home village in Cambridgeshire and regularly plays the organ at his local church.

Reviews

[Iluzija O. Istini · Rating 2 out of 5]

Iako sam zapocela ovu knjigu poprilicno optimisticno, smijuci se salama u kojima sam se mogla prepoznati, sama kolicina sadrzaja me natjerala da se predomislim. Ovakav tip humora mi je primjereniji straznjoj stranici kakvog magazina, nego u obliku knjige i iako sam je citala polako, fobiju ili dvije po otvaranju knjige, umorila me.
Poprilicno sam sigurna da je do mene, da imam granicu do koje mi je apsurdni humor uistinu humoristican.

Mislim da je ova knjiga jedna od onih koje je dobro posjedovati na polici, da je zainteresirani gosti mogu potegnuti dok cekaju da donesete caj, nasmijati se sali na koju se otvorila, da bi je po vasem dolasku s pladnjem vratili na policu i bez puno truda zaboravili.

[Ivan Marović]

The shortest review ever

Failed to be funny.

[Eena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dosadnjikavo.

[Filip · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book Modern Phobias to be unfunny, boring and apsurd. I think that there will be people who will apreciete the humor but sadly im not one of them.

[Jarosław Loretz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fobie na dowcipnie, czyli... no, tak sobie.

Gdyby poczytywać dwa-trzy opisy na raz, to jeszcze jakoś by uszło. W końcu humor brytyjski jest specyficzny i raz potrafi przygnieść zakalcem skondensowanej satyry społecznej, a raz doprowadzić do nieprzyzwoitego rechotu zdrowym spojrzeniem na dziwne sytuacje. Czytanie tego jednak ciurkiem jest drogą przez mękę. Tym bardziej, że nie do końca wiadomo, czy niektóre z fobii przypadkiem nie istnieją naprawdę, bo w ostatnich latach trochę się ich namnożyło. Czy więc śmiejemy się z absurdu, czy może jednak z czyjejś faktycznej przypadłości, skatalogowanej w którejś z medycznych instytucji?

Jak by nie było - zawartość bywa zabawna, tyle że należy ją czytać to tu, to tam, po malutkim kawałeczku. Żeby nie dostać niestrawności.

PS. Śmiesznie wyglądają podziękowania na końcu książki, gdy wśród różnych osób jest wymieniony autor rysunków. Bo w polskiej edycji żadnych rysunków nie ma...

[Suncan Stone]

One of those books to be left on the toilet, (no, it is not that bad that one should use it for toilet paper) but it is one of those that you do not want to read in a single sitting (so to speak). Basically it is one of those 'gag' books, like an encyclopedia, full of entries that can not be read one after the other... but I guess that even as a gag book I have read better ones... still beats reading the depressing newspapers on the toilet..

[Leticia Martín-Fuertes · Rating 3 out of 5]

It certainly makes you smile, but not laugh. I enjoyed it although I didn't understand all the references as it requires to know a lot about the United Kingdom culture, but I hope to re-read it in the future and know some more :)

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's funny for a while but I couldn't get myself to read it all.

[Dhyey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and relatable.

[Outmind · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5


One of those booklets you'd read while taking a dump. And if you aren't british you might as well forget about understanding the numerous cultural references, even with footnotes.

[Vesna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Traces of humor appear from time to time, but for the most part completely ridiculous!