dailylit

Read books by email or RSS.
FAQ | Blog | Learn more »

Welcome, guest!
Log in | Register to join DailyLit.

avatar

Xena13 is currently reading Democracy in America, Book One and Many Thoughts of Many Minds (Quotations).

I’m 45 years old, female, from the United States. I’ve been a DailyLit member since April 23, 2009. My reading interests include sci-fi/fantasy, history, and biography.

177My
Books
41My Recent
Posts

Browse all forums

Question of the Week - Favorite Childhood Jokes

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana Who?
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana Who?
Knock knock.
Who's there??
Banana.
Banana Who!?!
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I quit saying banana?

I posted this topic last year. Replies (6)

Question of the Week - Painting Your Portrait

Boris Vallejo. I'd end up with an impossible figure and an unrealistic tan, but I would look great in a bronze bikini holding a sword!

I posted this topic last year. Replies (22)

Question of the Week - Mom-eries

Like most teens, I was at odd with my mom a lot over silly things like fashion, music, homework and independence (or my perceived lack of). She wasn't overprotective, but in hindsight I realize that all the times she forbid me to go somewhere or do something that "everyone else" was doing, she was really saving me from doing something that might ruin my life later. By contrast, she'd give me some freedoms that other kids wish their mothers gave them. For instance I could stay awake and outdoors as late as I wanted in summer...as long as I stayed on my own front porch. She always stayed up to make sure nobody bothered me, but discreetly stayed inside. Other kids had to be in bed by a certain time, no matter what. In this way I leared that staying up was no big whoop, but kept me from getting into trouble by keeping me away from troublemakers.

I posted this topic last year. Replies (3)

Question of the Week - Character Moms

I also thought of Molly Weasley first, followed by Caroline Ingalls and later Laura Ingalls Wilder from the "Little House" books. All three are strong women raising families in adverse and sometimes downright dangerous conditions.

I posted this topic last year. Replies (7)

Shoes, Bags, and Tiaras - Great read!

I've never been much of one to keep up with current fashions, but this is very interesting. There's at least one picture in every installment, and I find myself wanting to get involved in the fashion world because this is so well-written. Great read whether you are into fashion, history, or both!

I posted this topic last year. Replies (0)

Question of the Week - Great Movie Adaptations

The BBC did a mini-series of "The Life and Loves of A She-Devil" that was almost exactly like the book by Fay Weldon, which I read shortly after. Please don't confuse either of these with the movie "She-Devil" with Rosanne Barr; the only similarity is in the name.

I also liked the BBC's "All Creatures Great And Small," which I found to be very, very close to the book series by the real-life James Herriot.

I posted this topic last year. Replies (27)

War and Peace - How could you not love this book?

I loved this book too! Yes, it took me some time to get into it, and get used to the rhythm of the storytelling, but luckily I'm too stubborn to abandon a book just because it's a slow-mover. I fell in love with it about a third of the way in, and was sorry it ended.

Also, it's been my experience that the books the "starchy old shirts" insist kids read are great books that are pushed on kids that are too young to appreciate the story, the moral metaphors, or the historical background. Since I discovered this site, I've been reading all the classics I've hated as a kid when I was forced to read them, and realized most of them are delightful, now that I can understand them better.

I posted this topic last year. Reply (1)

Question of the Week - Closet Keepers

I have a pair of black, lace-up "Granny" boots that I have had for about 30 years now. I bought them when they first came in style in the early to mid-80's, and they are perfectly comfortable, not too narrow, toes not too pointy, and the heel is just the right height and width, not too low and not sky-high stiletto.

I've had them re-soled and re-heeled several times...at least eight to ten times over the years, and one spot where the leather started to split, I took to and old-school cobbler to have patched and re-stitched. He put decorative stitching around the patch, and matching stitches on the other one, so nobody can tell which one has the patch. I love them!

I posted this topic last year. Replies (15)

Question of the Week - What's Your Favorite Word?

Raxicoricofallipatorius! Yes, it's a made-up word from a science fiction show; (Doctor Who) but I've been able to use it in several forums to find new online friends who share the same love of the show.

Tattoo: the word is onomatopoeic for the way they were originally administered.

Expelliarmus and Jiggery-Pokery from Harry Potter, and from an old Bugs Bunny cartoon: Hocus-Kadabera, and Abraca-Pocus.

I posted this topic last year. Replies (148)

Question of the Week - Reading S'Mores and Vegetables

All of Charlaine Harris's works (Sookie Stackhouse et. al.),
"The Necronomicon." a collection of Chthulu mythos stories by H.P. Lovecraft,
"The Tale of Genji," by Murasaki Shikibu,
Several issues of National Geographic,
Back issues of Mad Magazine that I picked up on sale at the comic store
and a "surprise" bag of pulp detective and sci-fi picked up at a local fundraiser for a dollar.

You guys can decide which are the veggies and which are the s'mores. ;)

I posted this topic last year. Replies (3)

Reader Challenges - 10 Word Summer Memories

Romance...cute boy gave me comics, dinners, flowers, and kisses!

I posted this topic last year. Replies (135)

Book Requests - Wikipedia Tour: The Saints

I'd like to see this too. I doubt *all* the canonized saints can be included...there are hundreds from what my roommate tells me. A tour combining some of the better-known with some of the more fascinating ones (like the above mentioned St. Florian) or Elizabeth Ann Seton (first American-born saint), and Padre Pio, known for his stigmata and other supernatural phenomena.

I posted this topic last year. Replies (13)

Question of the Week - Off to Lilliput!

Discworld!!! Just for starters.

I'd also like to visit Munden's Bar from the GrimJack comics and graphic novels; 31st century Earth as experienced by the Legion of Super-Heroes; Xena, Warrior Princess' ancient Greece; Cicely, Alaska from the Northern Exposure TV show, The Sea of Stars with Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and anywhere The Doctor chooses to take me in the TARDIS.

Thanks to the magic of books (and the occasional DVD) I will get to visit all of them this summer. Yay!

I posted this topic last year. Replies (65)

Question of the Week - What gets you up in the morning?

The cats get me up so I can feed them, but what prevents me from flopping back into bed is the newest installment(s) of the books I'm reading here on DailyLit. I have time to read four or five installments on a weekday before I have to start getting breakfast for the rest of the humans in the house, and that half an hour of peace and quiet lets me pull myself together for the day.

On weekends, it's knowing that I can read a book, some of my National Geographics, or play one of my online games uninterrupted for about three hours generally gets me up before even the cats are ready to eat!

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (19)

Question of the Week - Snow Day!

It was during the Blizzard of '78 in the Northeastern United States. It was a terrible storm that destroyed homes along the coast, stranded people without heat or electricity and killed dozens. The Red Cross and the National Guard were called out to get people to heated shelter, deliver food and water, prevent looting of empty homes, and provide medical care.

But I was too young to know all that. All I knew was that school was canceled for an entire month!

I used blocks of snow to build a wall; then inspiration struck. I would build an igloo. I got the walls high enough to start curving in, but I couldn't get the roof on. I was about to give up, when a patrol of Guardsmen came by. Right away they could see what I wanted to do. While I'm sure they had more important things to worry about, they stopped to help me put the top on my igloo.

I'll never forget that!

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (4)

Question of the Week - Special Election Day Question

I second Zaphod Beeblebrox.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (69)

Question of the Week - Instilling the Joy of Reading

@susan: You haven't seen my house, LOL. It's full of books, both read and unread, and the majority of them were purchased at thrift stores, yard sales, used book stores, and library overstock sales. I end up spending only fifty cents to a dollar per book that way for classics and bestsellers that I know will be loved and re-read over and over again.

So when I said I "collected" the books for my daughter's reading list, I meant I collected what I already owned from where they were scattered on all different bookcases. Anything we don't already own is easily borrowed from the library (only three blocks away from home. Lucky us!).

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (5)

Question of the Week - Instilling the Joy of Reading

My daughter is 15, and has always resisted reading. I fixed things up a bit for her this year, by collecting all the books listed on her high school reading list, and putting them in one area. I've told her that she may choose among them for her "school" reading (30 minutes a day on weekdays) and allow her to choose her own from any other book in the house or library for her "home" reading (also 30 minutes, but on weekends, holidays and school vacations).

I've found that letting her have some choice in the matter helps her feel in control.

Another thing I've found helpful is getting friendly with the local bookseller and/or librarian. They often keep lists of books that other kids in a particular age group loved. Most of the kids in our neighborhood think this is great, because the recommendation is coming from someone their own age instead of a "stuffy," "old," or "out-of-touch" parent or teacher.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (5)

Question of the Week - Celebrating Banned Books

Thanks for the new category! I see many familiar titles there, because I make it a point to celebrate Banned Books Week by reading at least one of them every year. I also have a button badge that says "I read banned books." I think many banned books are/were challenged because they make people think, or take them outside of their comfort zone.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (6)

War and Peace - dude, it's long...

Yay! I finished reading War and Peace, too. I'm also glad I read it; and although it was jarring to switch from the "war" parts to the "peace" parts, I can understand why he (Tolstoy) did it that way. It also sent me reading up on that period in history, which also came in handy since that's exactly where my daughter's history class is now.

I read Anna Karenina recently (here on Daily Lit), and found I really liked it...more so than War and Peace...but not by much. Both are excellent books for anyone with the willpower and determination to finish.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (9)

Question of the Week - Back to School Books

It was my first year of high school, and I hated reading. I was good at it, but all the books available to me at school were too easy. At one point I had resorted to bringing in a volume from a childrens' encyclopedia from home for something more challenging to read after finishing my classwork, only to have several teachers blast me for choosing something that was "too hard."

Finally, a classmate suggested I borrow her copy of Michael Moorcock's "Swords Trilogy" (the first three Corum novels). I was hooked immediately. The story was captivating, the writing style was advanced enough to keep me from being bored but not so difficult that I couldn't figure out what was going on, and it awoke in me a lifelong love of fantasy and science fiction.

To this day, that book stands out in my mind as my very first "grown up" book.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (25)

Ideas - Category

That sounds like a really cool idea...but instead of separating them, I'd like to see them under both categories, for example "drama *and* made into a movie," or "fantasy *and* made into a movie."

I know quite a few of Shakespeare's plays have been adapted into film, and it would be nice to have the last installment show a list of titles and dates of adaptations.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (8)

War and Peace - dude, it's long...

Keep at it! I started reading it about three months ago, and while I'm not finished yet, the end is in sight. It really is worth it.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (9)

Reader Challenges - Drip, drip, drip...

I was desperately flailing for freedom with my head deep under the water as my little brother sat on my chest in the pool; but nobody believed I had nearly drowned, since he was too young to know what he was doing.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (27)

Question of the Week - Mini-Courses on DailyLit?

Mini-history courses would be a great idea, especially if they relate to the time period covered in some of the books offered. For example, I took a few weeks away from reading "War and Peace" to do some research on Russia and France during that time period. A short mini-course during that time would have been wonderfully helpful, especially since it would (presumably) boil things down to the most important points.

I'd also be interested in things like the tarot, reflexology, herbology, and perfume making, especially simpler things I can make with ingredients I can get at the supermarket or drug store.

Modern Lit sounds interesting, too...I might find new authors to read!

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (30)

Book Requests - Madeline Brandeis

The "Question of the Week" got me thinking about this. Is it possible to get any of her Children of All Lands books here? I know I'd be missing out on the photos that come with the stories but it would be something to hold me over until I can track down copies of them for my own.

I don't know if they are old enough, or if the current copyright holder would be willing to allow them to be put up here.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (0)

Question of the Week - Favorite "Travel" Books

The Children of All Lands Stories by Madeline Brandeis. She wrote stories about children living all over Europe and in several areas of the United States, interweaving information about the geography, history and other things you'd expect to find in a travel guide. Each book had several photographs showing points of interest, and children and friends posing as the characters from the stories.

My mother gave me the ones she had, which were:

Shaun O'Day of Ireland
Little Farmer of the Midwest
Little Rose of the Mesa
Little Dutch Tulip Girl
Little Spanish Dancer
Little Jeanne of France
The Wee Scotch Piper
Little Swiss Wood Carver

There are several others, all published in the early part of the Twentieth Century. I'd love to someday own the full set.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (16)

Question of the Week - Question of the Week: The Sexiest Classic Book

"Forever Amber" by Kathleen Winsor. It's a classic romance novel that was first published in 1944. It was considered so sexy that it was banned in fourteen US states as "pornography," even though there are no explicit sex scenes.

My mother remembers church leaders condemning it, and parents and teachers confiscating it. Despite the hoopla (or more probably BECAUSE of it) it was a best seller.

I read it not too long ago, and I found it to be very racy and sexy, but definitely NOT pornography...it's too clean for that. I think that may be why I like it so much; it's scandalous, but not "dirty."

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (5)

Ideas - audio books?

OOO...Audio books! Yes please! And I agree with hellohello above; it would be really helpful for those of us who struggle to understand Shakespeare or some forms of poetry to hear where the emphasis should be.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (14)

Question of the Week - Question of the Week #77: Favorite Fictional Characters

Arthur Dent from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Rincewind the Wizzard (sic) from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, and of course, Doctor Who, of TV and several novels.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (33)

Question of the Week - Question of the Week #75: Happy Bloomsday!

I'd love to follow in the path of Arthur Dent of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I'd love to visit other worlds, meet strange and exotic aliens and even do a bit of time travel. Celestial sights like nebulas, black holes and the "end of the universe" would look much different from space than stuck here on a planet.

I'd also like to be like Annie Jason Masmajean (Mamma Jason) of "Mirabile" by Janet Kagan. Sorting out the crazy, mixed-up DNA of the plants and animals brought from Earth, and discovering all the new species on a planet sounds wonderful.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (12)

Book Requests - Sci-fi and fantasy!

Have you already read the offerings by H.G. Wells and Jules Verne? I'm working my way through those myself, and they are great examples of early sci-fi. Also, try Eric Flint's 1632...the first sci-fi book I read here.

I've noticed that there isn't much of a selection myself, and I think that's mainly because it's hard for the site to get the rights to newer books. Either the publisher won't license it to distribute for free, or the author(s) won't.

I'm also mainly a sci-fi/fantasy reader, but I am greatly enjoying the classics I've found here. Try digging around in the book descriptions...some books that could be classified as either one are listed under another genre instead.

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (2)

Question of the Week - Influential Books

Elric of Melnibone
All Quiet On The Western Front
Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Shaun O'Day of Ireland
Little House On The Prarie, et.al.
Roots
Dragonsong/Dragonsinger/Dragondrums
Go Ask Alice

I posted this topic 2 years ago. Replies (33)

Book Requests - Asian Stoiries

@MaggieH, I'd love to see *anything* from the "Golden Age" of science fiction. Having to imagine alien life or traveling in space before computers were invented or the combustion engine was a common thing will feed my inner Steampunk. I'm currently working my way through the works by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells that you already have available.

For fantasy, I wonder if the "color fairy series" is available? "The Red Fairy Book," "The Green Fairy Book," "The Blue Fairy Book," and so on...I remember reading one or two of them as a kid, and that they were collections of fairy tales from all countries and cultures.

Anything by H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Robert Bloch, and August Derleth would be most welcome. :)

I posted this topic 3 years ago. Replies (15)

Question of the Week - Question of the Week #68: Autobiographies

"All Creatures Great and Small" and it's sequels, by James Herriot. My aunt gave me the set of them shortly after I had to have surgery, and while I was in recovery I couldn't run and play like everyone else my age. She know I loved animals, so she took a chance that I'd like these. She guessed right, I loved them.

I posted this topic 3 years ago. Replies (16)

Question of the Week - Question of the Week #28: For Adults Only

My fourth and fifth grade teachers made us read a lot of the Charles Dickens novels for class and I hated them. I don't think I was too young, so much as I think the teachers didn't know how to make things interesting for us.

In Eighth grade/middle school, I had a much better teacher. We re-read two of Dickens's works, "Dracula" and "All Quiet on the Western Front." I can't remember which one came first, but I do remember that our teacher would always bring in a new watercolor picture every Monday, painted by his wife the weekend before. She wasn't shy about painting out some of the uglier bits (like Lucy Westenra's death or the battlefield dead on the Western Front), and that kept all of us wondering what was coming up next, both in the story, and for the next painting.

I posted this topic 3 years ago. Replies (25)

Question of the Week - Question of the Week #71: Reading Together, Reading Alone

I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction, and I tend to read them alone. It's usually very difficult in my area to find enough people interested in the genre that can meet in person for a discussion on a regular basis.

With that in mind, I will often sprinkle pertinent key phrases or ideas from one or more into a conversation where it might be appropriate, in hopes of finding someone else who has read it and will respond with an answering quote. Thus, a new friendship is born.

For example I'll often call myself a Muggle (Harry Potter) if I don't understand much of how a certain department at work functions, or if I'm having a bad day at the job, I'll say that "It must be Thursday,...I could never get the hang of Thursdays." (from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and yes, I'll say it even if it's not Thursday.)

I might end up discussing the book with the other person over coffee, but both of us have already completed reading the book on our own.

I posted this topic 3 years ago. Replies (7)

Book Requests - Asian Stoiries

I would love to read *anything* set in Asia, from any time. Modern novels, historical classics, there are so many great choices, I'd be happy with anything the site could get the rights too.

I loved Pearl S. Buck's "The Good Earth," and I'm pretty sure she wrote a novel set in India as well. I'll second Murasaki's "Tale Of Genji" as well...I started reading it once, then lost my copy.

And please, please, please...is there any way to expand the science fiction/fantasy offerings??

I posted this topic 3 years ago. Replies (15)

Book Requests - HP Lovecraft

I'd love to see any and all of Lovecraft's works, as well as other, similar works by his friends and contemporaries. I hate it when it's time to give them back to my public library!

I posted this topic 3 years ago. Replies (5)

Question of the Week - Question of the Week #14: Books You Hate

When I was in middle school, we had to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and I hated it with an unholy passion. Not long ago, it up again to see if I could remember why I hated it, and fount myself actually liking it, now that I am older and can understand what is going on. I'm planning to pick up several works by Charles Dickens and Shakespeare that I hated in middle school...maybe I'll find my opinions on those changed too.

But I will never, ever be able to like Harlequin Romances. I picked up one when I was 11 or 12, and thought it was good. Then I picked up another, and another because my mother and her best friend were addicted. By the fourth one, I realized that it was all essentially the same story, with the names of the characters and the location changed around.

I posted this topic 3 years ago. Replies (52)

Question of the Week - Question of the Week #70: Day Jobs

Terry Pratchett writes so knowingly about University life and inter-office politics that until recently, I thought he had been a professor. I recently found out that he has been a journalist for most of his working life.

Douglas Adams had a series of odd jobs...hospital porter, bodyguard, and a cleaner of chicken sheds. In addition to his books, he also wrote for Monty Python's Flying Circus and Doctor Who (both favorite shows of mine).

Laura Ingalls Wilder worked as a schoolteacher, seamstress's assistant, and hatmaker's assistant for pay; although every day of her life she helped her family and later her husband run farms before she began writing.

I posted this topic 3 years ago. Replies (10)