Monday, December 7, 2009

It's hard to cuddle with a laptop

I've recently discovered DailyLit.com a glorious website for people who love to read books, but hate to borrow books from the library, and can't afford to buy any other books then the ones found in their law school bookstore. DailyLit offers a collection of over 1,000 books. Simply sign up, choose a book, and DailyLit will email you installments of the book on the days and time you specify. DailyLit has tons of classics and contemporary books, as well as a respectable collection of books in French, German, Italian, or Spanish. The books are FREE to read thanks to sponsorships. For example, thanks to Diane Von Furstenberg I'm reading Madame de Staƫl: The First Modern Woan by Francine du Plessix Gray in 67 installments. Every morning at 9am I receive 4 installments of this book via email, which I usually end up reading on my iPhone. Each installment takes less than 5 minutes to read and none of the emails with 4 installments have taken more than 10-15 minutes to devour. If you want to read more than what was emailed to you just click on get the next installment right now to get another email or log into their website and keep reading. You can also subscribe to multiple books. I'm also receiving one Emily Dickinson poem each evening at 8pm from the Poems by Emily Dickson. This site is a great way to read books that you've avoided over the years, because they're too cumbersome or you didn't think you had the time (for me this will be Anna Karenina which was originally published in series form).
BUT...
It's hard to cuddle with a laptop

I love books and the experience of holding a book in my hands and reading it. I love the feel of the paper between my fingers when I turn the page, the smell of the book, the creases that gradually appear in the binding. There is nothing that can replace that experience but when you have to stick to a budget you have to be willing to forgo the sensory experiences of reading a book.

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