In Best Wishes, Australian journalist and radio presenter, Richard Glover lists, explains and expands on, his wishes for making the world a better, less annoying place. There are 365 of them, one for each day of the year.

Many of his wishes are quite general such as “1. I wish rich people would pay more tax”, while others are more personal, but will, nonetheless, strike a chord with many readers.

His wishes involve self-service checkouts, management consultants, shrinkflation, trendy kitchen appliances, odd socks, the pleasure of high-pressure hosing, and flat pack furniture. He muses on packaging woes, product placement and kale: “the most recent arrival… Surely, dear future, you can do better.”

Glover wishes for dads, birth and stand-in, to be appreciated, and for the love they are expressing in Fatherlish to be understood. Boating, skiing, golf, skydiving and camping are all examined. The overabundance of choice, travel breaks, use of the pedestrian traffic light button, the demand for apologies, and ringtones all attract comment.

Glover opines on work emails, fast fashion and seasonal availability of clothing, online ordering and product reviews, handwriting, school excursions, swearing, the vagaries of the English language, the nuances involved in speaking Australian, fad words and expressions, increased credit limits, and the scarcity of face-to-face banking.

Many wishes are devoted to advertising: honesty; children targeted; the ubiquitous presence of it. The revival of cassette tapes, technology in general, and smart appliances all get a serve. He touches on our wonderful Australian voting system, packing the car boot, BMI, and gender stereotypes. The pronunciation police and the overuse of perfume come under scrutiny.

Many of Glover’s wishes will have readers nodding their heads, exclaiming “Yes!” and at least one and likely many more will resonate with readers of diverse backgrounds. In the weaknesses he reveals in certain personal wishes some readers will fondly recognise themselves. There’s something here for everyone.

Glover might have included a warning about reading this work in public where chuckles, snickers, mad grins and laughing out loud may draw attention. This especially applies to the pieces on camping, bin night, getting enough sleep, and solar power, pieces which those with continence issues, and those eating or drinking, may want to read with caution. Glover never fails to entertain!