Book excerpt: Life and the problems that plague it are best viewed not in relation to what has gone wrong, but what could go wrong. After all, life is about perspective, right? So, when you can't seem to escape Murphy's law, take solace with a few passages from humorist Jason Kaplan's Things that Suck. From getting dumped and having no one to kiss on New Year's Eve, to the nightly news, frivolous lawsuits, Jar Jar Binks, and, yes, even mosquitoes, Things that Suck flows with all the unpleasantries that rank high and low on the Kaplan scale of suckage. Lauded by New York Magazine as "surprisingly perceptive," Things that Suck calls attention to examples of suckitude such as: * The morning commute * Your driver's license photo * Overly perky people * People who think they're great at British accents * The kid kicking the back of your seat * That kid's parents Think of this book as company for your misery, or as an intriguing way to understand the complicated world we've created and the complex variety with which it screws us over each and every day. Whether you've experienced schadenfreude (deriving pleasure from another's misfortune), or you've simply had a no-good, very bad, terrible day, take comfort with Kaplan's compendium, Things that Suck, and realize things aren't so dreadful after all.