Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 7-29-05

Join my email book club. Over 300,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

When I was just a kid, I used to play librarian. My parents weren't big on reading, but they bought me a lot of books, mainly the classics--because those were the ones that the grocery store offered every week in a special promotion. If your grocery bill totaled at least $15.00, then you could buy one of the classics for ninety-nine cents. So every week, when my mother came home from the market, I'd add another book to my "library collection."

I can't say that I ever really read any of the books, but I sure was impressed with how they looked. They were bound with a gray cover, and each book had a different brightly colored spine: solid pink, blue, green, red, and purple--they made a stunning collection when they were lined up side-by-side in a row on my bookshelf.

I made library card holder "pockets" out of thick construction paper, and taped one in the back of each book. Then, I slid one of my mother's recipe cards inside each "pocket," so people could write their name on it when they checked out a book from "Susan Tindell's Library." (Tindell was my maiden name and my mother always called me Susan.) I hung an "Open" sign with my hours written in big black letters at the bottom of the stairs that led up to my room, in the attic.

Unfortunately nobody ever checked out my books, because I was an only child. But that's certainly not a problem any longer, is it?

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. In September I'm going on vacation and I thought it would be fun to see if a couple of readers would like to fill in for me. Enter the "Write a Dear Reader Contest". For more information go to: http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/users/734/web/winbooks.html

Dear Reader Column 7-28-05

Join my email book club. Over 300,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

When I flew back home from my mother's funeral a couple of months ago, I brought a bunch of extra suitcases along with me. They were filled with her recipes, photos, letters, fancy hankies, crocheted pillow cases and other things that I wanted to sort through. It's going to take a long time to look through everything, because when I pick something up it makes me think, 'Oh, I remember when...' And then I sit back and enjoy the walk down memory lane.

I have a lot of "things" to remind me of my mother and my grandmother, but I've always thought that it would have been neat if there would've been some "secret" or "womanly ritual" that my grandmother had shared with my mother, and then my mother shared it with me, and I passed it on to my daughter and on and on--it could travel down through the generations.

It sounds so neat when I hear other women rendering one of those, "every year all the women in our family" sentiments. The women in the family get together and go on a trip to the Pyramids, they sew a quilt from keepsake material from their great-great grandmother's wedding dress, or they get out the family recipes and cook all day long, making dishes that have been handed down since the days when their ancestors crossed the Rocky Mountains in a covered wagon. (Okay, I may be exaggerating just a bit.)

My mother never revealed any such profound rituals to me. But there was something that I discovered amongst her mementos that I think was an unspoken, passed-down-from-mother-to-daughter tradition. Granted, it doesn't rank up there with the sacrosanct family recipes of years gone by, but I'm going to pick up the torch and carry on the tradition nevertheless. I'm typing up my copy this afternoon.

Tucked away in one of her recipe boxes, I found two well-worn, recipe cards with almost identical poems on them. The only difference was that one had Virginia Tindell--my mother's name inserted in it--and the other had Lillian Hale, my grandmother's name. My Grandma Hale appeared to be the original author of the "shame-on-you" poem, and both my mother and grandmother had each faithfully carried a copy in their purse.

And here's what I read:

"Steal not this purse, for fear of shame.
for Virginia Tindell is not your name.

And when you die, the Lord will say,
where is that purse you stole that day?

And if you say, I do not know.
The Lord will say, step down below."

Well, what can I say? That's my family legacy!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. In September I'm going on vacation and I thought it would be fun to see if a couple of readers would like to fill in for me. Enter the "Write a Dear Reader Contest". For more information go to: http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/users/734/web/winbooks.html

Dear Reader Column 7-27-05

Join my email book club. Over 300,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Remember, if a book isn't a good match for you, or if you go on vacation and get behind in your reading, hit the delete key. Every Monday we start a new book. Keep the book club fun and guilt-free.

From my Email Bag:

"Dear Suzanne, I am so glad I happened upon your book club. It started me reading again. Recently, on a bus tour to Chicago, the guide on the trip recommended the book Devil in the White City and I was able to say I had read it, because of my book club."-- Lorraine Talpas

"Hi Suzanne, I've been reading with you about three years now, and have enjoyed every minute of it! Your writings evoke either a chuckle that brightens my day, or an 'I can sooooo relate to that' nod. I have cried with you, laughed with you, felt your embarrassment, and then you put it all back into perspective-we are all human, and life is a great adventure. You are truly a wise lady! Thanks for all you do."
--Sabine S.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. In September I'm going on vacation and I thought it would be fun to see if a couple of readers would like to fill in for me. Enter the "Write a Dear Reader Contest". For more information go to: http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/users/734/web/winbooks.html

Dear Reader Column 7-26-05

Join my email book club. Over 300,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

There are rooms in my mind, and every now and then they need a good house cleaning. Things get dusty up there. Junk gets piled high and I run out of places to store new experiences. And I think that's what my problem is right now.

I've been trying to learn how to do something new. But there doesn't seem to be any "room at the inn," and I keep reverting back to my old ways. So I grabbed my broom and dust cloth the other day and did some tidying up.

Dusting and rearranging things made me feel better, but it didn't really free up any extra space. So I started opening doors and visiting some rooms that I hadn't spent any time in for quite a while. I was a little nervous when I first turned the door handle and peeked inside, because I stumbled on experiences and feelings that I'd forgotten about long ago. Some of them made me feel good, and I couldn't understand why I'd packed them up and put them away. But other things weren't the least bit helpful to me any more. In fact, thinking about them again reminded me of just how destructive they had been.

I spent a lot of time rummaging around the rooms in my mind. I cried, I laughed, and I let go of some things that I just couldn't afford to take with me on the journey any more.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. In September I'm going on vacation and I thought it would be fun to see if a couple of readers would like to fill in for me. Enter the "Write a Dear Reader Contest". For more information go to: http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/users/734/web/winbooks.html

Dear Reader Column Contest

Join my email book club. Over 300,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

In September, my husband and I are heading to the Blue Ridge Mountains. I'll officially be on vacation for ten days. Usually I rerun old columns when I'm on vacation, but I thought it would be fun to see if a couple of readers would like to fill in for me. Can you help me out? Would you like to write a Dear Reader column?

Dust off your notebook and enter the "Write a Dear Reader Contest".

I'll choose two columns that will be published at the book clubs while I'm gone. And the winners will also receive a book bag filled with signed copies from best selling authors.

For more "how-to" information and deadline details go to:
http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/users/734/web/winbooks.html

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 7-22-05

Join my email book club. Over 300,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I do some of my best work when I'm fed up with myself. But before I can get down to business, sometimes I need to fret and worry a little bit: It won't be good enough, or I won't do it right; I should do more of this or more of that; What if I can't figure out all of the answers? I think everything through, and then I rethink it all over again. The tape keeps going around and around in my mind. Sometimes for so long that I'm paralyzed with worry and fear, and I need to lie down and regroup. But finally I get disgusted with myself--I decide that enough is enough--and I attend to the task at hand, and enjoy it.

Could I have done it without all the fret and misery? Probably. Would I have been able to do as good of a job, if I did it right away, without all the fuss? I don't think so.

I've recognized that part of what makes me able to accomplish the things I do, are the little rituals that I perform before I get started. Granted, some of the nuances might look like a big waste of time to someone looking over my shoulder, but they help me get grounded, and that's when I do my best work. When I get rid of all of the frill and pomp and circumstance in my mind, and I just sit down and tell it like it is.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. Croquet anyone? This week, I'm giving away a free croquet set, just like mine. All you have to do to enter the drawing is send me an email, tell me why you want a croquet set, and you're entered. Be sure to include your mailing address in case you're a winner.

To see me and my new croquet set, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/croquet.html

Dear Reader Column 7-21-05

Join my email book club. Over 280,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I always take the attitude that I can do anything I set my mind to. And most of the time, things work out pretty good--but not always. I used to try to sing. Actually stand up, and sing in front of people. Determined to be good, I'd practice and practice and I really wasn't all that bad. But I'd lose sleep for days before I was scheduled to sing somewhere, because I was scared to death at the thought of singing in front of people. So why did I even bother trying? I'm not really sure. I guess I just wanted so desperately for it to work out.

But I always sounded much better at my practice sessions than I did at the performance. Except for one occasion. It was Good Friday and I was going to sing at my mother's church service. It was a small town--all of the churches combined their Good Friday service--so it was a full house. I was nervous, but when the piano accompanist started playing, I stood up and the words flowed effortlessly out of my mouth. I was amazed. Why, I even "moved" myself. After the service, a friend of my mother's--someone who'd known me since I was a kid--came up to me and said, "Why Suzanne, I never knew you had that in you."

Still in shock, I replied, "I didn't either."

I was so excited because I thought I'd finally broken through, but on Easter Sunday I was back to my usual not-too-good performance. I was so sure the music was in me, and it is. But now, instead of trying to sing, I listen to music when I write. Loud music. Really, really, loud music and I might hit the repeat button and listen to the same song, 20 or 30 times--however long it takes me to finish the piece I'm working on.

And of course this "One Hit Wonder" can even sing along, because nobody else is around.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. Croquet anyone? This week, I'm giving away a free croquet set, just like mine. All you have to do to enter the drawing is send me an email, tell me why you want a croquet set, and you're entered. Be sure to include your mailing address in case you're a winner.

To see me and my new croquet set, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/croquet.html

Dear Reader Column 7-20-05

Join my email book club. Over 280,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

From my Email Bag:

"Suzanne, I just finished Under and Alone, by William Queen (ISBN 1-4000-6084-2). It's about an undercover ATF agent who infiltrates a motorcycle gang. True story. You should consider it for your nonfiction club it was a great read! Love your book club!"--Melissa P.

Dear Suzanne, even as I start this mail I realized that I write to you quite a lot. And if I do, I imagine that many, many, other readers must do the same! But seeing your name up there each morning on my computer makes you seem like an old friend. But it's your fault I write so frequently. So many of your comments chime with me. I smile, or laugh, or nod wisely, and say, 'I must tell my friend Suzanne MY story!'"--Rose

Thanks for writing. I always love to hear from readers. I appreciate it. Hundreds of readers email me every day and it suits me just fine.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Warm regards,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. Croquet anyone? This week, I'm giving away a free croquet set, just like mine. All you have to do to enter the drawing is send me an email, tell me why you want a croquet set, and you're entered. Be sure to include your mailing address in case you're a winner.

To see me and my new croquet set, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/croquet.html

Dear Reader Column 7-19-05

Join my email book club. Over 280,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

My husband has been having terrible problems with his computer all day long. It's 9 p.m. and he's still battling the computer demons. I spent most of the day in the living room reading a book and doing some writing. But periodically, I'd peek into his office to check on the progress of things.

Whenever my husband has a problem, I want to try to help him. But when he's solving computer hardware or software problems, I'm usually not any help. My approach with computers is on a need-to-know basis. And I don't feel that I need to know too much, because there are plenty of other people around who seem to thrive on the challenge of fixing a computer. To me, it's really boring stuff.

But even though I can't be a troubleshooting buddy, I still lend my support: I make him dinner, keep his diet Dr. Pepper glass filled with crushed ice and soda, and I can commiserate, "Gee honey, what an awful thing to have happen." And I'm his cheerleader, too, "I know you're going to figure it out. You always come up with an idea." But at the moment, I've run out of "comfort things" to do for him, so I've decided to pull up a chair and just sit in the room with him.

I'm not sure if my just being there makes him feel better or not. But I know that when I'm distressed, or ill, my husband sits next to me in the room and it's comforting. If I'm worried and having trouble falling asleep, he promises not to drift off before me. Knowing that he's sitting right beside me, keeping watch, I quickly fall asleep.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. Croquet anyone? This week, I'm giving away a free croquet set, just like mine. All you have to do to enter the drawing is send me an email, tell me why you want a croquet set, and you're entered. Be sure to include your mailing address in case you're a winner.

To see me and my new croquet set, go to:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/croquet.html

Dear Reader Column 7-18-05

Join my email book club. Over 280,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Croquet anyone?

I don't know why, but the other day I started thinking about a croquet set we had when I was a kid. It was a set for 6 players and it was stored on a wooden stand that was on wheels. Nostalgia came over me and suddenly I felt like I couldn't live without a croquet set. So I went online and searched, and oh my, was I ever surprised. Serious croquet players pay anywhere from $350 to $900 for a set. So I felt pretty good about the one I bought for under $50. It doesn't have a stand on wheels, though--that would have added another $50 to the price tag--but I am having fun with my croquet set and I thought some lucky reader might enjoy one, too.

So this week, I'm giving away a free croquet set, just like mine. All you have to do to enter the drawing is send me an email, tell me why you want a croquet set, and you're entered. Be sure to include your mailing address in case you're a winner.

To see me and my new croquet set, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/croquet.html

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Warm regards,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com