Giggles short and sweet: Book captures Twitter’s wittiest quips

Saying something witty in 140 characters or fewer can be a challenge, as many Twitter users know. Since you are what you tweet, measuring your words -- and making every character count -- is the challenge.

You'll find inspiration and tweet-sized chuckles when you read "Twitter Wit: Brilliance in 140 Characters or Less," edited by Nick Douglas, published by It Books and selling for $12.99. I suggest you park this 162-page paperback in the water-closet library, for reading in small increments.

The forward by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone talks about Twitter and other social network sites and their role as community gathering spots. He writes: "There are over a billion Internet users on this planet but there are 4 billion people with access to mobile texting. Twitter blends these networks with speed and simplicity and opens the combination to development. That means more opportunities for beauty -- and well-timed zingers."

Here are some of the sweetest tweets -- with their authors' usernames -- that kept the book fun from start to finish:

•"I fell victim to a Fonzie scheme. My financial adviser kept flashing me the thumbs-up and saying 'Aaaaay!' and calling me 'Richie.'" -- rsmallbone.

•"The word "goodnight" makes my 1-year-old cry, so I've had to rewrite some bedtime stories. 'Howdy Moon!'" -- irreverend.

•"Uggs: the onomatopoeia of footwear." -- poeks.

•"He regrets teaching me how to cook, because now when he cooks, he does everything wrong." -- CcSteff.

•"Sangria is like naughty Kool-Aid." -- photomatt.

•"I don't believe in holidays that Google doesn't change its logo for." - bengold.

•"Just deactivated my Facebook account. I suddenly feel 25 things lighter." -- hodgman.

•"I wish I had an evil twin. Take that back. I wish I were the evil twin." -- lydee.

•"Sometimes there's not much difference between 'manly man' and 'dumbly dumb.'" -- rongillmore.

•"The baggage carousel sounds a lot more fun than it actually is." -- ingridmusic.

•"Uncertain times call for uncertain leadership and thankfully Congress is contributing more than its share." -- willdurst.

•"A hangover is the wrath of grapes." -- Lilykily.

•"We've now been in our house for a week and love it. I'm going to cherish every moment between now and foreclosure." -- esdogg.

•"Just explained Twitter to my friend Bill. I don't think I did it right, as he's excited to sign up." -- ryanmumm.

Anyone with a Twitter account can register to have their tweets considered for inclusion in future editions by visiting www.twitterwit.net.

Share your Internet story with me at agibes@reviewjournal.com.