The New Yorker

If ever there was a time to do your summer reading on a digital format vs. print, it is right now. As a way of introducing their handsomely remodeled website, the people at The New Yorker are temporarily offering free access to their online archives (which go back to 2007) as well as a series of “Collections” of popular and obscure articles culled from the more than 4,000 issues from the magazine’s 90-year history. Once fall comes, the paywall goes back up, and only magazine subscribers will have full access. So, stash that summer paperback and dig into some of the best writing in the English-speaking world. But where to begin? I’m starting by gorging on film reviews by David Denby and Anthony Lane. Search online to find many commentators offering advice on must-reads. Slate.com’s staff has compiled a respectable and varied list of recommended entry points—including the riveting “Apostate,” Lawrence Wright’s 2011 story on the Church of Scientology. There are also the curated collections (new lists posted every Monday), with two featured so far: “profiles” and “love stories.” And still to come are hand-picked favorites of the magazine’s well-known writers.