---
source_url: "https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/reading/serial-reader-app-classic-literature"
title: "Want To Devour Some Classic Literature? The Serial Reader App Breaks Long Novels Up Into Easy-to-Read Chunks"
mirrored_at: 2026-08-04T15:03:15.580Z
host: www.mentalfloss.com
cited_in_42a: true
mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/www.mentalfloss.com/literature/reading/serial-reader-app-classic-literature"
---

> **Original source:** https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/reading/serial-reader-app-classic-literature

Some people who [struggle to finish a novel](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/649759/books-our-tbr-piles) may have no problem reading hundreds of Tweets in one sitting. If you can relate, you don't need to trade in your smartphone for an e-reader; an app called [Serial Reader](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/serial-reader/2016/02/18/e8592f54-d50a-11e5-b195-2e29a4e13425_story.html) encourages you to consume more fiction by presenting classic literature in easy-to-digest packages.

With Serial Reader, users have access to [more than 800 free books](https://www.serialreader.org/) in the public domain. Instead of linking to the full text, the app breaks up novels into bite-sized “issues” that can be read in 20-minute increments. Users receive a new chunk every day until the book is complete.

For readers who like to spend hours curled up with a book, the idea of stopping after 20 minutes may be frustrating. But according to the app's creator, Michael Schmitt, there are benefits to approaching reading as a sprint rather than a marathon.

"I built the app to improve my reading habits by slowing down: limiting myself to digest smaller parts of dense literature over many days helped me think more critically about the work and retain more of the story," he wrote on the [app's website](https://www.serialreader.org/serial-reader/faqs/). "Others find it's a great way to work through otherwise daunting books, or to luxuriously re-read old favorites." And if you're looking for a distraction on your phone that isn't news or social media, Serial Reader is a great alternative.

Classic tomes like [_War And Peace_](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/85834/18-novel-facts-about-war-and-peace)_,_ [_Moby-Dick_](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/72100/11-things-you-might-not-know-about-moby-dick)_,_ and [_Pride and Prejudice_](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/65922/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-pride-and-prejudice) are just a few of the titles in Serial Reader's extensive library. You can start reading them today by downloading the free app from the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1077180804) or [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.mschmitt.serialreader&referrer=utm_source%3Dserialreader).