Very British Problems: Making Life Awkward for Ourselves, One Rainy Day at a Time

Easy to read. Very good value for money. Arrived in Ireland on time and in perfect condition.

As a fan of the @soverybritish Twitter account I couldn't resist ordering a copy of Very British Problems and it's now one of my favourite ways to pass the time when I'm having a bad day. You can open this book at pretty much any page and find something that will at least make you giggle, if not completely howl with laughter so it's ideal for dipping in and out of whenever the mood strikes you.Of course you may pick it up only intending to read a couple of pages but before you know it you'll probably have read the entire book and you'll definitely have a stitch in your side from laughing so hard!Us Brits are an eccentric lot and this book points out many of our weird little quirky habits, it makes fun of our constant need to apologise and our obsession with queueing, it jokes about our addiction to tea and biscuits and it laughs at our preoccupation with the weather. I don't think a page went by where I wasn't furiously nodding my head at how true it all was and I spent a ridiculous amount of time reading sections to friends and family members or texting quotes to people further afield.I could probably pick a quote from nearly every page to share with you but here are just a few of my favourites from the section on "Repressing One's Rage" (which starts on pg 130 of the UK paperback):~Attempting to deal with a queue jumper by staring fiercely at the back of their head.~~Becoming so furious that you beg someone for their pardon.~~Thanking people under your breath as punishment for them not thanking you.~~Accidentally saying 'you're welcome' too loudly when someone hasn't thanked you, and smiling politely when they look straight at you.~~Occasionally folding your arms and activating a tiny head shake to indicate that the Post Office queue is thoroughly out of order and you'll only put up with it for another two hours. Three, maximum.~Any Brit that tells you they've not done at least three of those is lying and personally I'd have to admit to all five!Very British Problems is hilarious and well worth buying a copy of, I know I'll be dipping into this book for many years to come and I'm sure visitors to the house will be too. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy of Very British Problems Abroad as soon as the paperback is available so I can laugh at our desperate need to have access to a full English breakfast and how just a glimpse of the sun is enough to turn most of us into a giant lobster!

I have enjoyed the Twitter feed and the Facebook page for some time and so I decided to take a peek at what the book had to offer. I have to admit I'm in two minds about it.Positive:There's some real laugh-out-loud stuff here, particularly if you're British and can see yourself in a lot of the observations. Looking at your thought processes and habits from an outsider's point of view is very enlightening, hilarious, and can force you to see how the things you thought were 'normal' are actually rather ridiculous.Negative:If, like me, you've followed the social media outlets, then you'll find that there's probably not an awful lot that you haven't already read. It's basically just a reproduction of what has been published online. Of course, on social media it is drip fed whereas this book pulls it all into one place.In summary, this is an enjoyable book and something that is quite nice to dip into when you want a laugh. There's nothing very original if you've seen the social media but at least you don't have to trawl through a million tweets and Facebook posts to find something to tickle you. When I purchased this it was very cheap and therefore I don't feel it was bad value even though there wasn't a lot that was new.

Hilarious and absolutely true.Had to go have a cup of tea to compose myself after believing that for a short while this Rob Temple had been following me and writing down my life!! Realising I was out of teabags I had to venture out and purchase some (avoiding eye contact with every living thing of course)Chuckling to myself every now and then when I remember certain parts of the book and turning around and seeing the awkward stares of fellow tea buyers looking rather uncomfortable whilst I show some degree of happiness mistaking it for possible insanity.I did want to tell them about this book, but understanding that if I did speak to them I would be doing more harm than good as everybody knows that British people are better left on their own.I went home, closed the door, knowing I was safely in my own space. Popped the kettle on, Stubbed my toe on the old antique iron I have on the floor, after apologising to the iron in question(almost impossible to not say sorry after) an awful lot of incoherent British words came out.Eventually I sat down with my cup of tea, biscuits and this book and continued reading, chuckling away with merriment... Being in my humble abode meant that I could laugh away and show all kinds of happiness in the confinement of my own home. Because after all, I am British

I bought this after reading some of the examples as tweets ~ it began as a Twitter profile, but became so popular, so quickly, that Rob Temple put his witticisms into a book.I found it quite funny rather than hilarious; some of the sections are spot on (the train and office chapters, for instance, and the historical items are well thought out). Others are weaker; the drinking one should be entitled 'problems faced by serious drinkers',, though; indeed, the whole book does rather take the viewpoint that all English people are non-assertive, regular pub goers. Yes, yes, I get that it's funny snapshots rather than serious social comment! Then there were the observations that I loved but were repeated over and over in slightly different guises. The 'seeing someone you vaguely know and pretending to be absorbed in something on your phone' idea, for instance, must have been done at least 20 times.Generally, I think I'd have been a bit disappointed by the amount of content if I'd bought this not knowing it came from a Twitter profile; it's padded out with cartoons and repetition to make a whole book, and sometimes there was only one short paragraph on a page. But for £1.49 it won't break the bank, and the funny bits are very funny indeed.

Very funny book. Especially if you're English!

I bought this because I really enjoy the UK, and I wanted to learn more about the subtle differences in culture from my own. The book was very enjoyable to read, with lots of little information "nuggets" I didn't know prior to reading it! It was actually a lot of fun getting through this quirky book of British-isms, and I would totally recommend it to others with an interest in the UK, or those looking to travel there or move there. Lots of good information and it's laid out in a way that makes it easy to digest. A+

Had a good time reading this book. Laughed like a maniac on several occasions. I strongly recommend it as a starter book to anyone who likes to get to know these lovely island people who don't like drawing attention to themselves and avoid confrontation at all costs.After giving it its fully deserved five stars, I'm off to read Born to be mild.

Mi suegra es inglesa y me pareció una lectura divertida con la que recordaría sus raíces y su cultura.

Es ist ja per se schonmal eine "sportliche" Aussage, gewissen Nationen gewisse Charaktereigenschaften zuzuschreiben. Aber so wie "der Deutsche" eben gerne seine Liege am Pool reserviert, hat "der Brite" nicht minder wenige Eigenschaften, die andere zum Lachen bringen. Davon handelt dieses Buch - es beschreibt, mal länger, mal kürzer, Dinge, die Briten eben so tun, wie sie sie tun. Dabei denkt man oft genug "stimmt, das ist mir auch schon aufgefallen" oder ähnliches, weshalb das Buch sehr kurzweilig und v.a. amüsant zu lesen ist. Wer weder über sich noch über andere Lachen kann und den Stock eher da hat, wo man ihn nicht haben sollte, wird wahrscheinlich damit keinen Spaß haben, da würde ich dann doch eher Dostojewski empfehlen. Für alle jedoch, die die Insel und ihre Bewohner einfach nur lieben, weil sie sind wie sie sind, ist dieses Buch definitiv ein Kauf wert!! Achja, der Versand ist wie üblich bei Amazon hervorragend schnell!Viel Spaß beim Lesen, Amüsieren und sich freuen, dabei in guter britischer Manier einen "cup'a'tea" zu trinken :-)