Did any of those books end up on the shelves of juvenile mental hospitals? Because if so, you changed my life, too. That's where I read Harry Potter for the first time, and always thought it odd that such a great book had been donated to the crazy kids with behavioral disorders.

I've known quite a few ladies who dated men with LDS families, and almost every single one of them had a strange gift story to tell. Apparently it's common to give a single orange and make a big deal out of it because something something Joseph Smith oranges something.

Were you raised JW? Because your holiday-less childhood sounds remarkably like my own.

Worst Gift Ever: This.

Your bf got you high-end makeup and he chose right?! Like, marry that guy right now!

I don't really find it funny, either. I understand that people sometimes need to make a joke to deal with an uncomfortable reality, but sometimes that's a luxury that others don't have. I've known a lot of hoarders, and there's nothing funny about their situation. So many of them don't seek help because they are…

Wow. That is incredibly brave. What a strong young woman.

I do not deny that Jessica is pure Cheney evil, but is it bad that I always related to her more? Elizabeth was just so infuriatingly perfect.

Few things scare the shit out of me, but the possibility that I may become a hoarder is one of them. I force myself to go through my apartment annually and throw away clothes I will never wear again, supplies for art projects that I will never use, old notebooks from college, etc. The thought of literally constructing…

Right?! Last I heard, Elizabeth had totally gotten the lead in the ballet recital, even though Jessica was clearly the better dancer. Sounds like Jessica got her back for that one.

I really wish Whoopi had never agreed to be on the view. She is ruining 90's Guinan/Sister Act Whoopi for me. :(

I know I'm a morbid fuck, but that did not go nearly as bad as I thought it was going to.

Your description of your mother is frighteningly familiar to me, as a person who struggles with a lot of the same mental issues. As another commenter here so eloquently said, there is no gift you could give that will help her to snap out of it. I also do not think it would be a good idea to give her a gift that…

I'm sick of hearing about the hurt manfeels. Nothing pushes me to the radical fringes of Feminism faster than dudes whining about their hurt feelings.

I'm way on board with that. I've actually argued your same points with other Potter fans- and some of us, as you said, are rather defensive about it.

Around this same time, I was also discovering Tolstoy and Zora Nealy Hurtston. I enjoy the high brow stuff on occasion, too. To me, literature is like food; I can appreciate a good artisan cheese and still dig on Velveeta now and again.

It needed to be said. It's just an awful color. No one born after 1895 should wear that color.

I never really thought of it that way! I really struggle with liking James and Lily. They both kind of seem like they were douches.

I was about 16 when the first book came out, and I never outgrew them. I feel like they grew with me. Each one was a little darker than the last, until you get to the last book, where you are dealing with very adult themes. It's not for everyone, I grant you, but some people like to read books just for fun.