INTRODUCING: DWARSLIGGERS

SQUEEZING IN TIME for reading for pleasure on a business trip can often seem impossible. With your smartphone offering a world of mobile entertainment options and books seemingly a cumbersome alternative, it can be tempting to ditch tree-based reading material altogether.

Introducing dwarsliggers: around the size of an iPhone, these mini-books are read by flipping the pages upwards, mimicking the experience of scrolling through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Masterminded by Dutch company Jongbloed, dwarsliggers have actually been around for nearly ten years, launching at Amsterdam’s national book fair in September 2009. The books’ small size (12 x 8cm) and light weight (on average less than 145 grams) mean you can even read the dwarsligger holding it in one hand.

Asked about dwarsligger availability in the Asia-Pacific region, a company spokesman tells Business Traveller AsiaPacific it has partnered with Chinese publisher Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press and more than 50 English titles are available. Not bad, but for a wider selection, for now you’ll still need to reach for your Kindle. dwarsligger.com