Too busy to read a book?

There’s an app for that.

Plympton, a digital startup, unveiled Rooster on Monday, an iPhone app that will send short, timed installments to readers who are on the go, according to Mashable.

Rooster will divide books into 15-minute installments. Readers can decide when to get the update and how often.

One of the other settings is that Rooster will also recommend books to read.

“Like your trusted friend who always has great recommendations, we take the guesswork out of choosing your next read,” the company wrote on its website. “Each month, we pair our contemporary selection with a classic. Both are great on their own and together they’re even better, like a fine cheese with the perfectly selected wine.”

You can read more about Rooster in Jennifer 8. Lee’s own words, who recently wrote a post about it for Digital Book World.

The app will cost $4.99 a month and is currently available by invitation only. Readers can request an invite on the Rooster website.

Considering my commute lasts about 30 seconds, I’ll be sitting this one out. But if anyone takes part in this, let us know what you think of Rooster.

Editor’s Note: I have signed up for the 2 week free trial, and I’ll be reporting on it in a day or so.

4 COMMENTS

  1. Perhaps the best benefit Rooster can provide is ‘here’s where to stop’ points. I sometimes get frustrated reading because I know I need to stop but can’t see ahead to know where’s a good spot. Rooster might also consider added brief introductions to each 15-minute section to fill a reader in. That’d be something like, “When we last left off, James had decide to give up smoking when he’d finished the last of the cigarettes he had. But will he keep that promise?”

    Another useful feature would be to include with the app a constantly updated selection of short stories of various lengths. Only have five minutes free? Try that five-minute story about “The Cat Who Though She Was God.”

  2. 15 minutes based on what reading speed? I read about 60 pages an hour (for fiction), about twice the average US reading speed. I would probably finish the chunks in 7 minutes or so.

    Not that I need this program. I read no matter what.

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