The Joy of Instapaper

Instapaper is a "read it later" web service. The idea is that in our daily Web surfing, RSS skimming, and Twiter trolling we come across interesting articles that are too long to read in the 5 minute window we have allotted for our hourly Web break from work. Using Instapaper you can save the article to read when you have the time and focus to read the article.
What separates Instapaper from a bookmarking service is that it is built around the idea that you will return to read interesting articles on a mobile device and not a full blown computer.
The saved articles are run through a robust "mobilizer" filter that strips out most of the adverts and other clutter that festoons typical Web sites. This makes it easier to read on a mobile device and makes it easier to focus on reading the actual content of the article.
Instapaper has mobile applications for iOS that allows you to sync your saved articles for reading offline. The applications run on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. They have a number of helpful features including the ability to switch to a white on black theme for bed time reading and syncing your place in an article across your devices.
Instapaper also works with e-readers. You can download articles in e-pub format to sync with many e-readers. Kindle users can get their saved articles sent to their Kindles.
Getting articles into Instapaper is easy and getting easier. On a desktop Web browser you can install a bookmarklet that saves a Wen page to Instapaper. A number of mobile apps and desktop applications use the Instapaper API to build Instapaper directly into their interfaces. For example the iOS Twitter app has a menu item to save articles to Instapaper.
One of the features a really like is the "Editors Pick" section. The editor's picks run the gamut. They are long form articles from all corners of the Web. Not all of them interest me, but having access to them helps expand my reading circle.
Instapaper is a mostly free service. You can get an account for free and use all of the features on the Web site. For free you also get a very functional iOS application. For a few dollars, you can get the Pro version of the Instapaper app that adds folder control, better control of syncing, and a few other features. The developer is also thinking about adding a subscription to the mix, but that idea has not been terribly fleshed out. He has, however, promised that most of the features will always be free.
For me paying the five bucks for the Pro app was a no brainer. I use the service all the time and could spare a latte to keep the developer in business. Try the service for free, and you will quickly agree.

The Fall

The Fall is the second book in the Strain trilogy. The plot follows directly on the heels of the first book. As with the first book, the writing is superb. The plot is tight and the characters are well drawn. I do have a few minor quips: there is too many instances of "something seemed off, but there was no time to process it." the grand arc of the narrative hews too closely to well worn archetypes. the authors occasionally resort to lazy plot devices.
Mostly, these quips result from my having high expectations of e authors. Del Toro is a master storyteller. For the most part, the story lives up to my high expectations. I'd be more happy if the story took some liberties with the narrative. The new take on vampire mythology is inventive and modern, and I was hoping for the same in the story arc.
I'm still eagerly awaiting the final installment of the trilogy. These books are excellent and I love a good vampire tale.

The Count of Monte Christo

Reading the Count of Monte Christo was an epic undertaking. My recollection of reading it in high school was that it was a pretty quick read. Either we read an abridged version, or I took way more drugs than I thought in high school. It is a long book, but it is mostly worth it.
I won't lie and say that it is gripping throughout or that Dumas' editor shouldn't have made him cut the length in half. It drags in places and the length allows the plot to get overly convoluted. For instance, the section of the book that takes place in Rome could have been cut by a third at least. The whole subplot about Villefort's wife could also have been cut as well as Calderous.
Of course, these are critiques based on modern sensibilities. When Dumas was writing, his book was in line with what the audience wanted. It was a soap opera for the time. The lush descriptions, the excess of characters, the purple prose were not meant for us over hurried, TVfied, post Hemingway readers.
Fortunately, the book is loaded with archetypes. There is the greedy banker, the ambitious public servant, the noble warrior who must be tested, the noble vengeance, the rebirth, and the hero journey. It moves from happiness to darkness and back to happiness just like a good movie.
Along the way the audience learns a lesson about the follies of greed, ambition, and revenge. Of course, revenge, when justified, is justice and the agent is an instrument of good.
Did I find the book good? Yes. Is it a masterpiece? No. It was entertainment for the masses of its day, and is still a serviceable distraction for today's masses.