Cheers—to a very happy birthday, DailyLit!

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
sdanziger [at] dailylit [dot] com

Bestselling Heroes For My Son by Brad Meltzer
When his first son was born bestselling author Brad Meltzer set out to create a list of people whose courage and achievements would inspire his son: Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Jim Henson, Mohammed Ali (52 heroes in all). You can discover and share the lives of those who have changed our world in this bestselling collection of stories. Thanks to our sponsor, HarperStudio, you can read them all here.

Reader Challenge: Your Own Hero
Inspired by the bestselling book, Heroes For My Son, this month’s Reader Challenge encourages you to share your own hero. In 50 words or fewer, tell us why this person means so much to you. We’ll select our three favorites, each of whom will receive a signed copy of Heroes For My Son. Be sure to post your hero in our Reader Challenge Forum by Sunday, June 6th at 11:59pm EST to be considered.

Big Read: Robin Hood
With a reimagined version of “Robin Hood” hitting theaters this month—and judging from the previews this Robin Hood will not be wearing tights—we decided to revisit Sherwood Forest for our Big Read. Check out Chapter One—”How Robin Hood Became an Outlaw”—here.

Crazy Busy Beautiful by Carmindy
On the hit show “What Not To Wear” makeup artist Carmindy gives makeover subjects the finishing touches that, as anyone who’s seen the show can attest, make all the difference. Her new book, Crazy Busy Beautiful, shares the beauty tips that make her clients look so good—and we’ve got a taste, courtesy of our sponsor HarperStudio. Find it here.

Finally, to get us all in the mood for summer, here’s a poem by Emily Dickinson:

A something in a summer’s Day

A something in a summer’s Day
As slow her flambeaux burn away
Which solemnizes me.

A something in a summer’s noon—
A depth—an Azure—a perfume—
Transcending ecstasy.

And still within a summer’s night
A something so transporting bright
I clap my hands to see—

Then veil my too inspecting face
Lets such a subtle—shimmering grace
Flutter too far for me—

The wizard fingers never rest—
The purple brook within the breast
Still chafes it narrow bed—

Still rears the East her amber Flag—
Guides still the sun along the Crag
His Caravan of Red—

So looking on—the night—the morn
Conclude the wonder gay—
And I meet, coming thro’ the dews
Another summer’s Day!

As always, I’d love to hear any suggestions you have. You can write them in our forums or feel free to write directly to me. In the meantime, cheers—to enjoying life to its fullest!

Susan Danziger
Founder/CEO, DailyLit
sdanziger[at]dailylit[dot]com

Countdown to Poetry Month with Updike, Oates and Sapphire
To celebrate April as poetry month (just around the corner), we’ve teamed up with Knopf to launch a Poem-A-Day collection featuring such bestselling authors as John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, and Sapphire. Sign up here and join the countdown now.

Essays by Lisa Kogan, Writer at Large for O, The Oprah Magazine
Someone Will Be With You Shortly: Author Lisa Kogan writes for O, The Oprah Magazine, and in her new book discusses everything from her life as a single mother in New York City to her quest for the perfect tomato. She’s nostalgic for that time when you had to walk across a room to change channels and for when there was no such thing as a spy satellite capable of spotting a pre-cancerous mole on your inner thigh. Check out her essays here, compliments of our sponsor, HarperStudio.

Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen
Discover hidden movie gems or throw around film trivia at your next dinner party. Here’s a taste from reviewer Leonard Maltin who dug up the best movies adapted from books: “The films I’ve chosen are ‘The Door in the Floor’ (from John Irving’s A Widow for One Year) starring Jeff Bridges; ‘Thumbsucker’ (from the novel by Walter Kirn, who also wrote Up in the Air); and ‘The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio’ (from the memoir by Terry Ryan).” You can read more about each of these films here. And get a daily series, compliments of HarperStudio, here.

Big Read: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
You may have heard of a little movie called “Alice in Wonderland” which was just released. Before you see it, read the original on DailyLit, which we’re making this month’s Big Read. Check out Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland here.

Reader challenge: Before I die…
Not to be grim or overly dramatic, but I thought this month we could focus on one of the more important questions in life—that is, what does each of us want to do before we die? Inspired by the same question I saw posted on 5th Avenue (related to the launch of an MTV show, “The Buried Life”—and no, it’s not a sponsor), I thought it was important enough to ask our readers. So, in no more than 10 words, tell us: what do you want to do before you die? Post your life wishes in our Reader Challenge Forum.

DailyLit on Tumblr
We’re excited to announce that we’re bringing DailyLit to Tumblr. In case you haven’t heard of it, Tumblr is an innovative blogging platform that allows readers to follow certain blogs (also called Tumblogs) and reblog posts to share with friends. We’re offering Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; The Art of War; Emily Dickinson’s Poems as our first, what should we call them? Tumblogbooks? Tumblooks? Well, anyway, the countdown begins now, and the books begin on Tuesday, March 30th.

New in our Book Channel
This month we’re welcoming a new guest curator to the Book Channel: Carl Lennertz. He’s a real star in the publishing industry, and I’ve been a big fan of his for years. We’ve also included The Help, featured on The Today Show’s list of “10 Must-Read Books for Spring;” a collection of new Sherlock Holmes adventures; a dazzling debut novel selected by DailyLit staffer Maggie; sensational novelist Joshua Ferris’s latest; and New York Times bestseller You Are Not a Gadget. To start receiving these recommendations sign up now for our Book Channel.

Susan Danziger
CEO/Founder, DailyLit
sdanziger@dailylit.com

Alice Munro: Our Big Read
Writer Alice Munro won the 2009 Man Booker Prize for her lifetime body of work, and people are over the moon about her latest short story collection, Too Much Happiness. We’re excited to feature one of her short stories (”Fiction”) as this month’s Big Read. Life, love and writing all intertwine in one woman’s life. Read it here.

New! Berlitz Essential French (and Spanish)
Given the amazing response we had from the launch of Berlitz Spanish Lessons, we’ve teamed up with Berlitz again to offer Berlitz Essential French. And while we’re at it, we’re offering Berlitz Essential Spanish too. Both series feature bite-sized lessons in vocabulary perfect for travelers (or at least arm-chair travelers), from culture to transportation and accommodations. Read Essential French here and Essential Spanish here. (And if you missed our exclusive Berlitz Spanish Lessons, you can find those here.)

Kaplan SAT Prep
Taking the SATs or have a friend who’s due? We’ve got a daily course for that extra little something—and it’s all on us! Read it here.

Reader Challenge: Love Bites
We heard about this challenge on Twitter and thought it would be a fun Reader Challenge for February. Tell a love story (your own or make one up) in 140 characters or fewer—that is, the length of a single tweet or short sentence. We’ll choose five winners who will each receive a copy of Us: Americans Talk About Love, a collection of folks talking about love. Post your love bites in our Reader Challenge Forum by 11:59pm EST on Sunday, March 7th to be included in the contest.

New Detective Story
We know from our recent survey that Laurel Dewey’s heroine, Detective Jane Perry, has become a reader favorite, so we’re excited to launch the fifth and final piece of original fiction featuring the detective, Promissory Payback. And if you missed the first four pieces, you can find them here.

Our Book Channel
Our Book Channel brings you excerpts from books hand-selected by DailyLit staff and those in the know in the book industry. We’ve recently featured the 2009 Man Book Prize winner for fiction; a new novel that O, the Oprah Magazine called “mesmerizing;” and the #1 New York Times bestselling Happiness Project. What’s up next? It’s a surprise, of course, but count on more bestsellers, award-winners, and buzzed-about titles—the ones everyone will be talking about. Sign up for our Book Channel here.

And, finally, thought you’d enjoy this love sonnet from Shakespeare (I’ve always heard the first line but never really read it myself):

XVIII
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimm’d:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

From Sonnets by William Shakespeare.

I’ve been thrilled by your enthusiastic response to DailyLit and how much you appreciate our making all our books and stories free. Now it’s time to share the love. Tell 5 friends about DailyLit—pass on the word at dinner, forward installments to your colleagues, or mention DailyLit to moms at pick up. You can also now use your address book to invite your friends to read along or publish to your Facebook page. Thanks for spreading the word!

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
sdanziger@dailylit.com

Berlitz Spanish Lessons

Ever wanted to learn Spanish? Enjoy our daily, complimentary Spanish course created exclusively for DailyLit by Berlitz. Available only through May 1st. Read it here.

DailyLit’s Big Read

January is the month of Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday, so in his honor this month’s Big Read is his short story “Murders in the Rue Morgue.” It’s the world’s first-ever detective fiction—without Poe’s Auguste Dupin there might never have been a Sherlock Holmes. Read it here.

Reader Challenge

It’s a brand new decade, full of possibilities and hope. This month’s reader challenge taps into that optimism. Complete this sentence: “What I wish for the world in 2010 is….” And remember, one complete sentence only! Share your wishes for the world—literary, political, imaginary, whatever—in our Reader Challenge Forum.

New Feature: Invite a Friend

Don’t go it alone—invite your friends to join you. Now, when you start reading a book on DailyLit, you’ll be able to instantly publish what you’re reading to Facebook, Yahoo, and other sites. And if you open up your address book, you can invite any number of friends to join in one big read-along.

New Short Fiction from Laurel Dewey

Laurel Dewey’s compelling heroine Detective Jane Perry returns in this fourth original piece of short fiction. Here Jane investigates a suspicious death and uncovers secrets she could never have imagined. Read it here. (And find three other pieces by Laurel Dewey here.)

Make 2010 the Year of The Book

Always wanted to read Anna Karenina? Moby Dick? Pride and Prejudice? Make this the year that you finally tackle The Book—you know, one major classic you ought to have read at some point in your life. Take it one day and one installment at a time—you can do it! Check out our Classics for inspiration.

Your DailyLit Story

Thanks to everyone who took our reader survey last month—we loved reading your feedback (and your kind words about DailyLit). We’d like to feature stories about your experience with DailyLit and what you’ve been able to accomplish so if you have a story to share, please email us at support@dailylit.com.

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
sdanziger[at]dailylit[dot]com

DailyLit: Now 100% FREE
We’ve been listening to our readers, and it’s clear that you most appreciate the books we’ve made available for free. So starting now, every book, story and series featured on DailyLit will be 100% free. We’ll be relying on sponsors to help support DailyLit so let us know of any sponsors who may be interested at sponsor[at]dailylit[dot]com. And please pass it on—DailyLit books are now 100% FREE!

New! Book Channel
DailyLit Selects—our series of excerpts from new and noteworthy books—is becoming DailyLit’s Book Channel. We’ll be featuring pieces from special guest contributor Sara Nelson, author of the bestselling So Many Books, So Little Time (and former editor in chief of Publishers Weekly, currently the Books Director for O, the Oprah Magazine). And we’ve also got book recommendations from “Gotham Gal”, hailed as the “woman around town.” All free, of course. Read it.

DailyLit’s Big Read: A Christmas Carol
The choice for this month’s Big Read is a natural. Join us in celebrating the season by reading Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Need I say it? It’s FREE. Read it.

New Reads (All Free!)
—The Book of the Shepherd: Just in time for the holidays comes The Book of the Shepherd, a parable for modern minds that comes “highly recommended for anyone interested in personal spirituality.” Read it.
—New story by Laurel Dewey: In Anonymous, the third original Jane Perry story, the heroine encounters a woman with a harrowing story to tell—and a mystery that runs far deeper than Jane at first realizes. Read it. (Missed the first two Jane Perry stories? Find them here.)

Reader Challenge—Guest Judge Anne Rice
With the holidays upon us and angels getting their wings in re-runs of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” this month’s creative challenge centers around angels. In exactly 50 words, tell a story of an encounter with an angel. Anne Rice, whose book Angel Time recently debuted, will be our guest judge this month. She’ll select her three favorites, each of whom will win a signed copy of Angel Time. Post your encounters in our Reader Challenge Forum no later than 11:59pm EST on December 31st.

Take Our Survey (you could win advance copy of major novel)
We need your help in supporting our move to be 100% free. Please take our short reader survey, which will help us attract new books and sponsors to our site. To sweeten the deal, we’ll be giving advance reader copies of internationally best-selling author Henning Mankell’s new book, The Man from Beijing, to five people who complete the survey. Take the survey.

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
susan [at] dailylit [dot] com

Diane von Furstenberg Brings Favorite Book to DailyLit for Free
Iconic designer Diane von Furstenberg has a holiday gift for you: one of her favorite reads this year is now available on DailyLit for free.  Madame de Stael: The First Modern Woman is a fast-paced biography that tells the glamorous, dramatic story of a woman who was a true force to be reckoned with. Vogue Magazine called it “a timely mediation on female power and an inspiring profile of one woman’s courage.” Thanks to Diane and the publisher, it’s free through the end of January. Read it.

New! DailyLit Kicks off “Big Ideas”
“Big Ideas” is designed to inspire you with new ideas for both work and play.  Kicking off this new channel is inspiration from Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book Crush It! Cash In on your Passion.  He grew his family’s wine business and became a national industry leader, landing him at #18 on AskMen.com’s list of 50 most influential Men of 2009. Read it–FREE.

DailyLit’s Big Read: Short Story by John Grisham
Bestselling author John Grisham just released his first ever collection of short stories, Ford County–and we’ve selected one as this month’s Big Read. “Fetching Raymond” is a simple, powerful story about a day one family knew was coming but still can’t face. Read it–FREE.

Reader Challenge
As bestselling author Daniel Pink wrote, exercising your creativity leads to personal and professional success.  With that in mind, and holiday dinners fast approaching, this month’s reader challenge asks you to imagine a fictional holiday gathering and describe–in no more than 50 words–a character, conversation or event at your holiday meal. Share your mini-stories in our Reader Challenge forum. And to sweeten the pot, we’ll select three winners, each of whom will receive a copy of Mollie Katzen’s new book, Get Cooking.

New reads
–Grammar Girl: She’s on the scene to make grammar easy and fun with her “quick and dirty” tips.  We’ve got a selection from her new book that will make you a better writer. Read it–FREE.
–Jane Perry Returns: In a second piece of original writing, Laurel Dewey’s inimitible heroine Detective Jane Perry returns to DailyLit. Get into her head with “You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover,” a blog entry by the detective. Read it–FREE. (And if you missed the first installment, “An Unfinished Death,” read it here–FREE.)

Pause Your Books for the Holidays
You’ve always been able to suspend and resume delivery of your books using the links at the end of any installment. Now, with the holidays coming up, when you want to suspend your book, you can set a date for it to automatically resume.  Just click on the “suspend” link at the bottom of any installment to set it up.

Upload Your Picture Now–You May Win a Grisham Book
To make our community a little friendlier, join us for some facetime here at DailyLit.  Help us out by uploading a personalized profile picture. Your face, your cat, your favorite painting–doesn’t matter what you choose. And everyone with a personalized picture uploaded by 11:59pm EST on Sunday, November 22nd will be automatically entered to win one of five copies of John Grisham’s new book Ford County.

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
susan [at] dailylit [dot] com

New! DailyLit Style Kicks off with Shoes, Bags, and Tiaras
We’ve created DailyLit Style to bring you fashion, art and style of all kinds. Kicking off this line is Shoes, Bags, and Tiaras featuring objects from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London sent directly to your inbox one gorgeous object at a time. Read it—FREE.

New Reads: Recipes, A Rocker, and More
—Get Cooking by Mollie Katzen: The author of the best-selling “Moosewood Cookbook” has just released a brand new collection of recipes, from Genuine Mac & Cheese to Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crunchy Things; we’ve got a taste for you. Read it—FREE.
—Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland: He’s the drummer for The Police, one of the most successful rock bands of all time. Find out what happened backstage, pictures and all. Read it—FREE.
—Unfinished Death by Laurel Dewey: In anticipation of the paperback release of Dewey’s detective novel, “Redemption,” each month we’re releasing one original, never before published story featuring her inimitable character, Jane Perry. Read this month’s story—FREE.

DailyLit’s Big Read: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
With Halloween approaching, we’ve made the classic short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow our next Big Read. Join us in following our hero Ichabod Crane into the dark, misty woods. Read it—FREE:

Reader Challenge: Tea with the Queen
As a tribute to the launch of “Shoes, Bags, and Tiaras” from the Victoria & Albert Museum collection, this month’s Reader Challenge will challenge you to invite an unlikely character for tea with the queen.  Describe this encounter in one sentence and post your royal responses in our Reader Challenge Forum. (For those of you who took part in last month’s challenge, winners will be announced shortly.)

Fresh Voices, Fresh Tastes
We’re proud to announce the launch of two series from our very own DailyLit Externs: Authors in the Kitchen by Megan Halpern features bestselling authors, including Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveler’s Wife), talking about cooking and the stories that spice it up. The Ghost in the Pantry by Erin Ferretti-Slattery features recipes and stories that highlight’s her own family’s rich history. Read Authors in the Kitchen or The Ghost in the Pantry—FREE.

DailyLit Selects (This Week: Malcolm Gladwell)
DailyLit Selects is our on-going series of excerpts from new and noteworthy authors. This week we’re featuring an excerpt from Malcolm Gladwell’s new book What the Dog Saw. You can also check out excerpts from Dan Brown’s new book and Oprah’s latest book club pick. Read DailyLit Selects—FREE.

Susan Danziger
Founder and CEO, DailyLit
susan@dailylit.com

New: DailyLit Selects: Excerpt Program–Dan Brown Kicks it Off
You asked for excerpts from noteworthy books, and we’re making them available. To kick off this new program, we’re launching an excerpt from Dan Brown’s new book, The Lost Symbol. We’ll periodically send you excerpts from books we think you’ll enjoy. FREE for you.

DailyLit’s Big Read: Darwin’s On the Origin of Species
Join the world-wide celebration of the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species and find out for yourself what all the controversy was about. We’ve taken the first four chapters and made them this month’s Big Read (but don’t worry, you can go on to read the rest of the chapters–or go for it all at once with the full version). Join the Big Read–FREE.

New Reads: 30 Stories in 30 Days; Momlogic; The 50th Law; Defining Twilight

• 30 Stories in 30 Days: A first for DailyLit. We’re joining in the countdown to the publication of author David Wellington’s Frostbite–a tale of werewolves in the frozen north–by releasing one of his short stories each day for 30 days, all for free. But no cheating! One story is released per day–you won’t be able to skip ahead. Read them—FREE.

• Momlogic Recession Survival Guide: Times are tough. The experts at Momlogic have created this guide to help you and your family get through the downturn. And it’s completely FREE–a price any budget can handle. Read it–FREE.

• The 50th Law: Robert Greene’s book The 48 Laws of Power was aimed at business types, but it deeply moved one fellow you might not expect: rapper 50 Cent. Greene and 50 teamed up to write The 50th Law, a book for everyone who believes that if you fear nothing, you will succeed. The publisher has made the entire book available to our readers. Read it–FREE.

• Defining Twilight: Studying for the SAT or ACT or know someone who is? Defining Twilight uses the blockbuster novel to teach vocabulary words and test-taking skills. We’ve got four weeks’ worth of words. Read it–FREE.

Reader Challenge: Crime-Noir in 50 Words with Guest Judge James Ellroy
Best-selling author James Ellroy is known for his intense crime-noir novels. He’s even been called the Demon Dog of American crime fiction. Venture into the world of hard-boiled cops and criminals and come up with your own 50 word mini-crime-noir. Don’t forget to create an intriguing title. James Ellroy himself will judge the entries and select three winners, each of whom will receive a signed copy of Ellroy’s new book (to be released on Sept. 22nd), Blood’s A Rover. Post your mini-crime-noir no later than October 4th at 11:59 p.m. in our Reader Challenge Forum.

Classics by Request–The Brothers Karamazov
Thanks to requests from “jogrebe,” “wsimpson,” “psycheinaboat,” and others, we’ve just launched The Brothers Karamazov on DailyLit. Experience the intense story of love, death, betrayal, and faith that makes this Dostoyevsky work–his last–a true classic. Read it–FREE.