Mostly harmless.
There’s a wealth of cheap e-readers out there, but we at Brokelyn are pretty sure they’re just a huge scam to get us to re-buy our entire libraries. That’s why we’re happy to report that Open Culture has put together a list of 375 FREE great works for your iProduct or Kindle. It includes a ton of public-domain classics from the likes of Austen, Proust and Tolstoy, but also a lot of interesting short stories and essays from modern writers like Orwell, Philip K. Dick and DFW.
What makes it better than Project Gutenberg, you ask? First, it’s more accessible and easier to start. Second, it’s a lot shorter than the St. John’s University required reading list, but just as impressive to that English major you met at the Amy Sohn reading last Monday.
And with Amazon’s announcement of a new $119 Kindle, you’ve got pretty much no excuse not to rise with the digital tide. “But, Brokelyn,” you opine, “isn’t it still cheaper to pick up books off the sidewalk?” Not if you factor in bed bug exterminator costs. Plus, nobody will know you’re reading 50 Shades of Grey on the subway.
Follow Conal as he jests infinitely: @ConalDarcy.
You can actually get Kindles for as little as $69 nowadays, and it’s also worth mentioning that you can borrow (new!) e-books for free from libraries.