Bit by Bit

Alexander McCall Smith, author of the wildly popular No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series of novels, is taking a page from Charles Dickens: he's publishing his next novel in installments. The novel will appear each weekday for 20 weeks, starting September 15 and running through February 13, on the website of the UK's Telegraph newspaper. (It will also be available as a podcast, if you prefer listening to reading. Email and RSS feeds are available too. There's everything but a book.)

The series, entitled Corduroy Mansions, will follow the residents of an apartment building in southwest London. An interview with the author and a cast of characters have already been posted. The series itself will appear here.--David E