One day, Richard Greene says he noticed that a couple of the lines in one of his poems stood well on their own. He thinks the lines may have been, “The cannon is callous / in its choice of targets.” After he recognized that first aphorism, he began looking for others in his poems and soon thereafter began to write them independently.
If you don’t know what an aphorism is, look it up. Better yet, get Richard Greene’s book. It did not take more than a few pages to realize that I held a treasure in my hands. I am struck by how few words can express such profound thoughts like, “If you leave things in the same place long enough, they become invisible.” But beware Greene warns, "Words are the source of most human strife.”
This is unlike any book you may encounter. You will miss the entire purpose of its existence if you read it from cover to cover. You must take time to savor the thoughts, enjoy the laughs, and remember, “We are what we read.” ( )

I fondly remember a book from decades ago compiled by Jon Winokur called “The Portable Curmudgeon,” which gleaned pithy and often sarcastic quotes from various sources, so when I saw the title of “A Curmudgeon’s Guide to Postmodern Times: Aphorisms,” I assumed it would be similar, and similarly enjoyable. Alas, this is a vanity press project by Richard Greene in which he quotes himself from his old poetry or makes up new lines that he thinks clever. The “sayings” are divided into chapters such as “Human Nature,” “Economics,” “Materialism,” “Advice” and “Etcetera,” and while there may be an amusing line here or there, there’s really nothing much to this book. ( )

I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I have mixed feelings on this book. On the one side, I highlighted tons of sayings and gasped countless times at the incredible wisdom I found between the pages of this book. On the other side, I found this to have a negative, egotistical tone - almost as if the only opinions that matter (or exhibit truth) are those of the author. I understand that's to be expected when picking up a book like this. But at the end of the day, I simply wasn't expecting such an onslaught of putting people and concepts down. This is a good read for anyone wanting to evaluate the concepts of life, but not for those who have are sensitive or optimistic. ( )

I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. I have mixed feelings on this book. On the one side, I highlighted tons of sayings and gasped countless times at the incredible wisdom I found between the pages of this book. On the other side, I found this to have a negative, egotistical tone - almost as if the only opinions that matter (or exhibit truth) are those of the author. I understand that's to be expected when picking up a book like this. But at the end of the day, I simply wasn't expecting such an onslaught of putting people and concepts down. This is a good read for anyone wanting to evaluate the concepts of life, but not for those who have are sensitive or optimistic. ( )

Worth the read, with a caveat for political conservatives and Christians who may find the author's criticisms unfair. The best satirists, in my opinion, are those who are willing to also skewer the foibles of their own "side..." not only those with whom they disagree.

An extended review has been posted at amazon:https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1LCVOU26QM4Z5/ ( )