To keep my niece entertained during long car rides, I tell her the story of Odysseus (also known as Ulysses). If you start with the Iliad, which I do because it was Odysseus’ idea to build the Trojan Horse after all, and then move onto the Odyssey, you can pleasurably fill quite a lot of time. So she’s 6 years old. Can you ever be too young for Homer?
Well, there’s another Ulysses I was hoping to conquer. This one was written by James Joyce. I have begun subscribing to an e-mail service that provides excerpts of books. It is from DailyLit. I tried it on a lark and am enjoying the brief but intense dose of literature in my inbox each weekday. That is, once I get over the dread and open the e-mail. I loved Dubliners so why the dread of Ulysses? It certainly has a reputation for being difficult but that is partly why the e-mails are perfect for me. I can savor the book in small doses and read them when I have the time and focus needed. Further, seeing them in my inbox each day encourages me to read them.
The e-mails from DailyLit are what e-mails should be — relevant, timely and meaningful to the recipient. In this case, I selected the book from a myriad of choices and set the frequency. My choices were daily, weekdays or Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Further, I was able to schedule the time of the e-mail or RSS feed. Other e-mail senders can learn from the customer preferences provided by DailyLit.
