>From my reading of the documentation, the best way to read DMs is by email.
The direct messages come to you as an email with a particular header that you can identify and parse. I have been working with emails (not as direct messages, but when I get a new follower) and I'd have to recommend them. Working with these emails has been particularly helpful as I debug problems because I can save them as long as I need to. In fact, I don't think I have deleted them yet.
