iRead iBooks

So, I recently downloaded the new software update for my iPhone, which graced me with the new iBookstore. And can I just say...I love it! They have a plethora of great books, classics even—and for free! Mind you, not everything is free. But already I've downloaded several great books at no cost to myself!

They are as follows.

Moby Dick, by Herman Melville.
White Fang and The Call of the Wild, by Jack London.
Common Sense, by Thomas Paine.
The Trial, by Franz Kafka.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Edgar Allan Poe's Complete Poetical Works, by Edgar Allan Poe.

                                        All for FREE!

And they're actually pretty pleasant to read on my iPhone. Some news reporter—who no doubt thought she was being ever so clever—made some sort of comment to the effect that iBooks are great, but reading them on a tiny screen is not. I beg to differ, Ms. Reporter Lady. I was skeptical at first, but I opened up The Call of the Wild, started reading, and was hooked. Mind you, I don't think you can ever do better than actually cracking open a book and giving it a read, but nevertheless I read through all of The Call of the Wild, all on my iPhone, and all in a couple of days.

And on that note, I'd read The Call of the Wild as a kid. I'd forgotten how sad it actually is! But I still enjoyed it thoroughly. I'm partial to anything involving dogs, especially when told from their point of view. I always find it interesting to see how an author breathes life and personality into a dog. Being a dog owner myself, trust me; I know dogs are full of personality. But I still love seeing that personality come out through writing. (Side-note: One of my favorite authors is Dean Koontz because he always writes the best dog characters!)

Anyway, if you have an iPhone, I recommend trying out iBooks and the iBookstore! Free classics! What could be better? And if you don't have an iPhone, that's fine. Because books are always out there, just begging to be read. What better time than the summer to kick back with some literature and soak it up?

Me, I'm tackling the big white whale now. Moby Dick. This will be my third attempt. So far, I've always fallen short. (Which didn't pan out well considering the first two times Moby Dick was required reading for my Literature courses...)

Maybe this time will be different. It would be fitting for me to finish and love Moby Dick, as my favorite coffee got its name from Captain Ahab's coffee-loving first mate, Starbuck. ;-)

Happy reading!

*Edit: I've been asked who did the artwork for this Moby Dick picture. His name is Tim Neely. 

I love this picture, too, so here's where you can find the artist! Here's a link to his blog!

Also, clicking on the picture itself will take you to his blog.