Total Sensory Reading

Have you heard of Booktrack? It's a new technology that synchronizes music with the copy in a book, allowing for music swells when the action heats up, quiet tunes for contemplative points, and romantic songs for the love scenes. It's a soundtrack for your favorite reads.

Booktrack launched last summer, and is available for iPad, iPhone, and Android. It's become a media darling, with Huffington Post declaring it "revolutionary," and many book publishers jumping in line to have books linked with music.

So far, the offerings are thin and include mostly classics like Alice in Wonderland and The Selfish Giant. Many well-known authors are also clamoring to be involved. A short story from Salman Rushdie is in the works, as well as a piece from Jay McInerney.

I'm fascinated by the whole idea of music synced to the action in a book. It works so well with movies. For example, if I heard The Immigrant Song while reading Girl with a Dragon Tattoo (as heard on a recent trailer for the movie), I know it would have put me right into the zone.

On the other hand, I've noticed that my "monkey brain" can be distracted by the lyrics in a song when I'm reading, as if there are only so many words I can take in at once.

That won't stop me from trying Booktrack. They just need to add more books before I jump on board.