Posts Tagged ‘special offers’

Winners of “Your Words That Matter” Reader Challenge

Thank you to everyone who participated in our April Reader Challenge Your Words That Matter–we loved reading all of your inspirational quotes and we hope all of you got some good feelings from them too. Congrats to our three winners, each of whom will receive a hard copy of Words That Matter: A Little Book of Life Lessons from the editors of O, the Oprah Magazine.

“Nobody looks at the bridesmaids’ feet.” In other words, don’t sweat the small stuff.
-by tin0002

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being.” –Goethe
-by lisbie

“He’s fine, and the car can be fixed.” My husband’s grandfather (the calmest person I ever met) said this to his daughter, who was about to scream at her son for backing his four-wheeler into her car. Now, whenever I feel myself getting angry over something small, I say to myself, “He’s fine, and the car can be fixed.” It’s a wonderful reminder of what’s really important in life.
-by JLS915

Last Chance for Berlitz Spanish Lessons and Reader Challenge

It’s the last day of April and a big Last Chance Friday at DailyLit.

Today’s the last day to sign up for our exclusive Berlitz Spanish Lessons. It covers the essentials–grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary–on key topics like conversation, traveling, and working. It’s great for beginners or those needing a refresher. And it says adios tomorrow, May 1. (As long as you sign up by tonight at 11:59pm you’ll receive the full course.)

Today is also the last day to enter April’s Reader Challenge, Your Words That Matter. Share the advice you’d like to pass on—to your children, your best friends, your family. We’ll choose three of our favorites to win a hard copy of Words That Matter. Post your entries in our Reader Challenge Forum by tonight at, you guessed it, 11:59pm to be considered.

Reader Challenge–Enter by Friday!

This month’s Reader Challenge is inspired by Words That Matter, a book of inspiration selected by the editors of O, the Oprah Magazine. We’re asking you to share the advice you’d like to pass on—to your children, your best friends, your family. We’ll choose three of our favorites to win a hard copy of Words That Matter. Make sure to post your inspirational quote in our Reader Challenge Forum no later than this Friday, April 30th at 11:59pm EST to be considered.

Last Chance for Free Berlitz Spanish Lessons

¿Hablas español? No? You’ve still got time to learn Spanish with our free Berlitz Spanish Lessons, available exclusively on DailyLit. This course provides a great overview for beginners (or those looking for a refresher) covering grammar, pronunciation, and culture on key topics like greetings, traveling, and working. Hurry, though–you have to sign up by this Friday, April 30 at 11:59pm to receive lessons for free.

Because remember: speaking English slowly and loudly is not the same as learning the language of the country you’re visiting. Don’t be those people: we’re here to help.

Read Poem-A-Day Collection for Poetry Month

It may be April Fool’s Day, but it’s also the first day of Poetry Month, and we’ve got a great collection to celebrate. We’ve teamed up with our friends at Knopf to offer a Poem-a-Day Collection, which features popular authors like John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, and Sapphire.

Each day in April you’ll receive a great poem from a contemporary writer–and it’s all for free. No foolin’. Get started here.

DailyLit and The Met Team Up to offer “Hamlet” Tickets to DailyLit Readers

We’re thrilled to announce a special offer for DailyLit readers: we’ve teamed up with the Metropolitan Opera here in New York, which is currently performing Hamlet. They’ve set aside 3 pairs of tickets for DailyLit readers for the performance on Friday, April 9.

To earn a chance to win, share your memories or favorite parts of Hamlet here: it could be from a version of the play you saw (in person or on film); a performance you participated in; a favorite passage or character–anything goes, really! You can refresh your memory about Shakespeare’s masterpiece by checking out Hamlet on DailyLit.

Please make sure to post your memories by 11:59pm on Monday, April 5. We’ll randomly select 3 winners first thing in the morning on Tuesday, April 6, whose tickets will be held at the Met’s box office for the performance on April 9.

If you’re not in the New York area please feel free to share this giveaway with your NYC friends and family. Or enter yourself and, if you win, you can give your tickets to friends you have here.

Check out the synopsis of the opera version below. Fun fact: when the opera debuted in 1868 the ending had been changed so that Hamlet didn’t die at the end. As you can imagine, that concept was not well received and the ending was revised a few years later.

Synopsis: HAMLET

Composer: Ambroise Thomas

Libretto by Michel Carré and Jules Barbier, based on the play by William Shakespeare

World premiere: Paris, Opéra, March 9, 1868

Act I
Elsinore Castle, Denmark. Two months after the death of King Hamlet, fanfares announce the marriage of his brother and successor Claudius to the widowed queen, Gertrude. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and son of the former king, remains apart from the celebration. He is consumed by remorse and self-doubt and vehemently disapproves of his mother’s new marriage so soon after his father’s death. His thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of Ophélie, the daughter of the Lord Chamberlain, Polonius. She is in love with Hamlet and upset by rumors that he intends to leave the court. He assures her that he still loves her (Duet: “Doute de la lumière”). Laërte, Ophélie’s brother, arrives. He is being sent on a mission to Norway and entrusts his sister to Hamlet’s care. The prince refuses to join the others for the wedding banquet. His friend Horatio appears to tell Hamlet that his father’s ghost has been seen.

At night, alone on the ramparts of the castle, Hamlet meets the ghost. He tells his son that he was poisoned by Claudius and demands vengeance for his murder. Hamlet swears to obey.

Act II
Ophélie is distressed by Hamlet’s indifference (“Sa main depuis hier”). She would like to leave the court, but Gertrude thinks she can help cure the prince’s melancholy. Claudius, who also has noticed Hamlet’s disturbing behavior, arrives. Gertrude wonders if her son suspects the real cause of the former king’s death but Claudius assures her that he is merely losing his mind. The prince enters, rebuffs Claudius for addressing him as his son, and announces that he has arranged for a play to be performed that evening. When the players arrive Hamlet instructs them to perform “The Murder of Gonzago.” He hopes that the story of a murder by poisoning will prompt a confession from the king and queen. In order not to arouse suspicion, he plays the fool and invites the actors to drink (“Ô vin, dissipe la tristesse”).

The court assembles to watch the play. It has the desired effect: Claudius erupts in anger as the murderer of the story gains the crown. Hamlet hides his true feelings by feigning madness, snatching the crown from the king’s head, to the horror of everyone present.

Act III
Hamlet reflects on life and death: he could have killed the king but did not (“Être ou ne pas être”). He hides as the king enters. Claudius is racked with remorse and calls on his dead brother to intercede for him with God (“Je t’implore, ô mon frère”). Polonius appears, calming the king, and the two leave. Hamlet is shocked to discover that Polonius was an accomplice in the murder. When Ophélie enters with Gertrude, he roughly rejects the girl’s advances and urges her to enter a convent, declaring that he no longer loves her and will not marry her. Gertrude wonders what really prompted Hamlet’s change of heart. Ophélie leaves in tears, and Hamlet confronts his mother with her crime. She begs for mercy (Duet: “Pardonne, hélas! ta voix m’accable”). At that moment the ghost reappears and reminds Hamlet that it is not up to him to judge his mother. Gertrude, who cannot see the apparition, believes that her fears Hamlet has gone mad are confirmed.

Act IV
Ophélie has lost her senses. She imagines herself to be married to Hamlet and recalls the tale of a water nymph who lures away wandering men (“Pâle et blonde dort sous l’eau profonde”). She kills herself.

Act V
In a cemetery, two gravediggers discuss the inevitably of death. Hamlet arrives. Unaware of Ophélie’s death, he reproaches himself for the way he treated her and the madness his behavior has provoked (“Comme une pâle fleur”). Laërte appears, demanding vengeance, and the two men are about to duel when the funeral cortège with Ophélie’s body approaches. Hamlet, distraught to discover she is dead, kneels by her bier. He then rushes at Claudius with his sword and kills him, before being stabbed by Laertes.

New on DailyLit: Berlitz Essential French and Berlitz Essential Spanish

We loved that so many of you jumped on our newly free Berlitz DailyLit Spanish Lessons–in fact, in response to their popularity we’ve worked with Berlitz again to make even more language learning books available on DailyLit. We’re delighted to offer Berlitz Essential Spanish and Berlitz Essential French, each of which offer key vocabulary words and tips for travelers–whether you’re planning a trip or just dreaming from your armchair. Enjoy!

Reader Challenge: Love Bites

Since it includes Valentine’s Day, February is the month of love. We heard about this love-themed challenge on Twitter and thought it would be perfect for this month’s challenge.

Tell a love story–your own or one you make up–in 140 characters or less: that is, the length of a single tweet or short sentence. We’ll select five winners, each of whom will receive a copy of Us: Americans Talk About Love (in more than 140 characters!). Post your love bites in our Reader Challenge Forum by 11:59pm on Sunday, March 7 to be included in the challenge. Good luck!

Kaplan SAT Prep Now Free on DailyLit

It’s been a while since I took a college entrance exam, but I remember exactly how stressful it could be. That’s why I’m so excited to announce that we’ve just launched a free Kaplan SAT Prep Program on DailyLit. The course is gives daily vocabulary words with weekly quizzes to check understanding.

Here’s a full description:

A DailyLit Exclusive!

Taking the SAT is hard enough. Make studying easier—and more successful—with the Kaplan SAT Prep Program, an innovative program from the leader in test prep that is available only on DailyLit.

With the Kaplan SAT Prep Program’s daily lessons, you’ll improve your vocabulary, usage, and grammar in just minutes a day—and through DailyLit’s unique subscription service, the lessons will be ready and waiting for you to study whenever and wherever you want. Each day you’ll receive via email (or RSS feed) one lesson that covers important vocabulary words by giving concise definitions, helpful synonyms, and sample sentences that show words in context. At the end of each week you’ll test your new knowledge with a short quiz, complete with answers and explanations. The program gives you the tools to learn, review, and master essential vocabulary and will make each day a step closer to success—and the college of your dreams.

The Kaplan SAT Prep Program on DailyLit is convenient test prep that’s perfect for today’s student: flexible, mobile, and sharp enough to tackle even the toughest test around.

Announcing the Winners of Anne Rice Creative Challenge

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Encounter with an Angel reader challenge. We’re delighted to announce the winners as selected by bestselling author. Each writer will receive a signed copy of Anne’s new book Angel Time. Congratulations!

Here, in no particular order, are the winners:

Elora, whose entry Anne thought was “delightfully original:”
Dancing together, we rise into the room. Looking down at motionless me, I am unafraid. “This is not your time but dance with me a moment longer.” Chords of sweet melody fill the air, my spirit intertwines with his until the crescendo. He leaves, and I live …again.

Alex.Allen, whose story Anne selected because of the “very touching description of the grandfather”
In response to my saying ‘tell me’, she turned. In her eyes, this glint flickered, like an aging ballerina, recalling her first dance steps at age six.

“When my grandfather died. He had said, simply: ‘light, so much light’. Then he…”

She turned away.

My work done, I smiled, disappearing.

laureqisaok2, whose story Anne thought “revisited the Angel of Christmas with great sensitivity.”
Mom cradles Baby Jesus, carved decades ago by Greatgrandpa in Holland. Tears drop on His broken body, sacrificed on the wrong holiday.

Nearby, Dad beerily snores into his Santa hat, passed out again.
Xmas morning, squabbling over presents, nobody notices Angel Gabriel lopsidedly watching Mary kneel before an empty manger.

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