New York, New York… I’ve never actually been to New York City. Something tells me if I did, it would go not unlike Homer Simpson’s visit. As an ex-girlfriend once pointed out to me, New Yorkers are blunt and up front–they’ll tell you exactly how they feel. She liked that about them. I am more of the classic reserved midwesterner, which perhaps explains why she is an ex-girlfriend.

Nevertheless, I can appreciate the New York City sense of humor, and I think that Twitter, as it was called at the time that this book was compiled, is an ideal venue for the wit of an NYC-er. And I can think of absolutely no other person from New York City who has leveraged the form to greater effect than Adam Bertocci, whose witty sayings from 2010-2012 are collected in this volume.

The book is divided into broad categories by subject, and each section is prefaced with an explanation that puts the tweets in context. Some are about specific news topics on a given day, others are more general observations. It put me in mind of some of Nietzsche and other philosopher’s books that are compendia of short aphorisms. For instance:

If at first you don’t succeed, blog about it at length.

This, I did.

Bertocci’s style really is emblematic of Twitter at its best. It should be a place to find short phrases that make you think, or smile, or both. It should emphatically not be used for conducting affairs of state or debating ideological issues. Not that anyone would ever use it for that, of course, but wouldn’t it be terrible if someone did?

Sadly, I think this form of Twitter is largely gone. I normally shy away from giving my views on current events, but in this case, I feel the need to expound extensively on the reasons for this. I have collected my voluminous thoughts here.

Just kidding. I wouldn’t do that to you, at least not this week. Rather than spend any more time on my pontificating, I invite you to revisit those halcyon days when the bird app was young, and what better way to do it than by reading one of the leading lights of the medium? So if you feel nostalgic for that Golden Epoch, I encourage you to pick up this little collection.