Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 10-31-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

This week is "Ask Suzanne." If you have a question you've always wanted to ask, now's the time. Email your question to me at: Suzanne@Emailbookclub.com

I won't be able to personally answer every question, but if I use yours in my column, I'll send you a free book as a thank you. I'd love to hear from you.

Ann and Patricia asked a question that a lot of readers were curious about.

"Hi Suzanne, in this age of cynicism, how do you get paid? The obvious answer--at least to me--is that publishers pay you. But if so, then there is a major conflict of interest. So how do you get paid in a way to maintain your integrity and be able to honestly present each book club selection?"--Ann Perkins

"Suzanne I know it's nosey, but I'd love to know how you get paid. Does a publisher pay you a fee, or do the individual authors pay you, or does a promotional firm, that is representing the book, pay you?"--Patricia from Brooklyn, NY

(Suzanne replies) Publishers do not pay me when I feature a book in one of the book clubs. You're right, Ann, if publishers paid me a "slotting fee" to feature their book, then it would be a conflict of interest. I choose a book because I think most readers will enjoy it.

So if the publishers, authors and publicists don't pay me, how do my staff and I pay our light bills and pay to send out the daily email?

The answer: libraries in the U.S. and Canada subscribe to my online book club service--so if you're reading at a library's club--be sure to thank and support them. I'd appreciate it and I know they would, too. I also produce book clubs for publishers: Read-it-First for St. Martin's Press, The Breakfast Club for Zondervan and Booked for Breakfast for Bantam Books. And if you visit the Books-A-Million website, you'll see my photo on the left-hand side of their home page--I'm the Book Preview Club Editor.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7

Dear Reader Column 10-30-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

This week is "Ask Suzanne." If you have a question you've always wanted to ask, now's the time. Email your question to me at: Suzanne@Emailbookclub.com

I won't be able to personally answer every question, but if I use your question in my column, I'll send you a free book as a thank you. I'd love to hear from you.

"What's up with those pearls?" Rebecca Shimming and Lori Estey wanted to know.

"Suzanne, I enjoy your columns very much, especially when there is a picture attached! It's so great to put a face to your name and I love that you let us into your life in this way.

Before I click over to see the picture, I think, 'Will Suzanne be wearing her string of pearls in these pictures? Surely not while hiking the waterfalls, surely not while baking cookies, surely not while spending time with her grandson, and lo and behold, every time, you've got your signature pearls on. So my question, is there a story to this necklace?"

(Suzanne replies)

You two women are very observant. Yes, my string of pearls and pearl earrings are my jewelry staples. And no, the pearls are not real. I'd worry way too much about wearing them if they were.

They may look like a simple string of pearls, but actually they're a feel good thing for me. A few years ago when I bought my first pearl necklace, eventually it dawned on me that I was wearing that necklace every single day--what would people think? But after some reflection I decided that people would think I must like wearing that pearl necklace--and I do. It's comforting and it's one less decision I have to make every day. Whatever I'm wearing, a T-shirt, shorts, or a business suit, pearls go with anything--even my nightgown.

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

Warmest regards,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7

Dear Reader Column 10-29-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

This week is "Ask Suzanne." If you have a question you've always wanted to ask, now is the time. Email your question to me at: Suzanne@Emailbookclub.com

I won't be able to personally answer everybody's questions, but if I use yours in my column, I'll send you a free book as a thank you. I'd love to hear from you.

"Hi Suzanne, I'm Carol Dirks and I have two questions. When did you start reading and what is the most unusual place where you read?"

Carol, when I was a kid, I used to play librarian. The plan was to either become a librarian or a missionary. My parents didn't read a lot, but they bought me a lot of books, mainly the classics--because those were the ones 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." I can't say that I ever really read any of the books, (because my mother also had a rule about reading: If you start a book you have to finish it and those books looked pretty thick to this kid) but I was sure impressed with how the books looked. They were bound with a gray cover and each one 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 on my bookshelf.

I made card holder pockets out of thick construction paper, and I taped one in the back of every book. And then I put one of my mother's recipe cards inside each "pocket" so someone could write their name on it when they checked out one of my books. But the problem was I was an only child, so nobody ever checked out my books.

My grandmother bought me reference-style books about the planets, dinosaurs, birds and bugs and those were the types of books that I spent most of my time reading. It's amazing how much I still remember from those books. Every now and then when my husband and I are out on a walk, we'll spot an unusual bird and I'll recall from way back, seeing the bird in the book and I even remember the name of it, too. (My husband's always so impressed.)

Sorry to disappoint you with the second part of your question, but I can't really think of an unusual place where I read. Now, if you'd asked me where I find myself writing--that would make for an interesting answer. I've been known to jump out of the tub to jot down column notes and I carry a small tape recorder so I can record notes when it's not convenient to write. It doesn't matter where I'm at, when inspiration strikes, I have to stop and start writing. I don't have a choice. Once I wrote an entire column in the supermarket, but it was tough because I forgot my notebook. I didn't have anything to write on except the butcher paper that was wrapped around my thinly sliced baby Swiss. (In fact I still have the wrapper tucked away in my desk drawer.) I was leaning on my cart for 20 minutes while I was writing and I'm sure the other shoppers thought I was a bit strange, but I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I didn't even notice.

Thanks for asking Carol. Remember, all this week I'll be answering readers' questions. I hope to hear from you.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Win signed copies of books you'll read and never forget from these terrific authors Elizabeth McCracken, The Giant's House; Bill C. Hammond, A Matter of Honor; Kyle Mills, Darkness Falls; Marie Bostwick, On Wings of the Morning; and Chris Beakey, Double Abduction. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7

Dear Reader Column 10-26-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Today's column is at the LINK below. Click over and see what two readers in Wisconsin made for me, enter the October Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway and see pictures of some of the September cookie winners.

It's worth the click--go ahead...

http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookieapron.html

And don't forget, next week is "Ask Suzanne." If you have a question you've wanted to ask me, now's the time. Send your question to: Suzanne@Emailbookclub.com If I use your question in my column next week, I'll send you a free book as a thank you.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7

Dear Reader Column 10-25-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

If you've ever wondered and wanted to ask me, now's the time. Every day next week, in my column, you can "Ask Suzanne." Email your question today, because over the weekend I'll be working on "making up" answers. No, seriously I'm an open book. Well, at least I think I am. I guess I haven't heard your questions yet.

To get things started, today I'm answering Joanie's question.

"Good morning Suzanne, I wondered how you started this book club and what motivated you. It's always interesting to know why certain people end up doing special and unusual things. I understand your being in the literary world and writing, but have you given that up to do the daily. Or do you still write columns, and novels, etc.? You seem to be such a well rounded, happily married person that you're kind of inspirational, so to speak. Do you have children? If you don't choose to answer all or part, I understand."--Fondly, Joanie

(Suzanne responds:) Joanie, thanks for asking. I always love to hear from readers--I really do.

My husband and I used to own a software company and most of the people who worked for us were stay-at-home moms. They worked part time on their computers and frequently one of the moms would comment, "When my son or daughter gets older I want to go back to school and learn about..."

So one day, I suggested that instead of waiting for the kids to grow up, "Mom" should start reading right now, about whatever she was interested in studying. But I was quickly reprimanded, and rightly so, "Look Suzanne, I cook, clean, do school activities, take care of my children and work for you part time. And now you're suggesting I sit down and read a book? I can't even find time to shave my legs!"

So I started including, in our daily company email, a little portion of a book I was reading, and I kept continuing it the next day, like I do now. Four days later I heard back from the "no-time-to-shave-my-legs" mom, "I'm embarrassed to admit it," she said, "but I'm sneaking over to my computer late at night to see if company email came in early--because I'm hooked on the book you've been sending us."

And that's how the idea for the book clubs was born! (Don't try this at home--unless you're forwarding a friend our daily email. Let me clarify that books are copyrighted and you need permission to send samples. I have permission for all of the books we use.)

I used to write a monthly column for Working Mother magazine, and now I write my daily book club column and yes, I am working on a book. My husband and I raised four children. We had a "yours-mine-and-ours" family. Two were his, one was mine and the "ours" we had together. You're right, we are happily married. It will be thirty years this December. My husband is my best friend. He says he married me because he knew life would never be dull and I don't intend to let him down!

Thanks again for asking Joanie. And if anyone else has a question, remember, now's the time to ask--I'd love to answer. Send your questions to: Suzanne@emailbookclub.com I won't be able to personally answer all of my email next week, but if I use your question in my column, I'll send you a free book as a thank you.

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

Warm regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Win signed copies of books you'll read and never forget from these terrific authors: Jon Entine, Abraham's Children; Gabriella Herkert, Catnapped!; Tad Waddington, Lasting Contribution; Julia London, The Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount; and Kay Williams and Eileen Wyman, Butcher of Dreams. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7

Dear Reader Column 10-24-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

My grandson and I spent most of yesterday afternoon watching cars. It's become one of our favorite pastimes. Right now it's easy to snag Baby Paul for a few hours in the afternoon, because he only lives 10 minutes away. But at the end of the year, our son and daughter-in-law will be moving farther away and then it will be a 40 minute trip to get to their house, which worries my husband a lot.

My husband worries that we won't be able to see Paul as much, and be as spontaneous about our visits. And he also worries that when our grandson gets a little older, he'll be playing with the kids in his own neighborhood, and so it might seem boring when he comes to our house. (For the past week my husband has been lobbying for us to put a pool in our backyard.)

But I assured him that I used to love to go to my Grandma and Grandpa Hale's house, and from an outsider's view, there didn't appear to be anything spectacular going on there--yet I never wanted to leave.

My grandparents knew how to make simple, everyday things fun. Even helping my grandmother do the laundry was something I looked forward to, because there was an old wringer washer in the basement and you had to feed the clothes through the wringer with a wooden stick. Picking berries in Grandma's back yard, going to the junk store in Fennimore, baking cookies, running errands (we had a ritual about walking down Main Street past the shoe store) and watching my grandma journal every night, before she went to bed. Looking for walnuts in the woods with my grandpa, fishing, and watching cartoons with him at four o'clock every afternoon when he got home from his gasoline route and of course, visiting cemeteries on a Sunday afternoon to say "hi" to the relatives.

I'm sure there must have been at least one time when my grandparents paid admission for an "attraction," but I can't remember any. Yet the times I spent with them were some of the absolute best times of my life. I learned a lot from my grandparents and whatever we were doing, it always felt like fun.

So here we sit--my grandson Paul and I. We're sitting on the sidewalk in front of my house, watching cars. No admission, and I'm not sure what we're learning, but we sure are having a lot of fun!

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

*To see a photo, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2j9uxl

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com

P.S. Congratulations to Matt Meinholz, the Big Bag of candy winner.

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7

Dear Reader Column 10-23-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Wendy Fesmire faithfully reads at the book club every day and she's got a problem. She's got an empty Dutch oven that's waiting for a pot roast.

"Dear Suzanne, I got a Dutch oven a couple years ago and I have always wanted to cook a pot roast in it, but I don't have a recipe and cooking is not second nature to me. Do you have recipe? I'll need complete instructions in front of me to make it."--Wendy

(Suzanne replies) Wendy, I do have a scrumptious pot roast recipe for a Dutch oven, but it has a lot of steps and I think they might frighten you away from trying it. So how about if we start with a great Beef Stew recipe? It's easy to make and you'll get compliments--it tastes great!

Suzanne's Beef Stew

1 1/2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon shortening
1 1/2 cups water
1 can condensed beef broth (10 1/2 ounce size)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Dash of savory, thyme and garlic powder

2 large potatoes, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 medium onion cut into 1 inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cook beef in shortening in Dutch oven until brown, about 12-15 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, broth and pepper and other seasonings. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer until beef is tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, salt and bay leaf. Heat to boiling then reduce heat and cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Shake 1/2 cup water and the flour in tightly covered container, gradually stir into beef mixture. Heat to boiling stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute so mixture can thicken. Serve, get compliments and don't forget to tell your dinner guests about the book club!

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7

Dear Reader Column 10-22-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Last night my husband went to the wholesale club store and when he came back home he proudly showed me a "Value Bag of Child's Playtime Candy"--5 1/3 pounds of candy: Tootsie Roll Juniors, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Roll Midgees, Tootsie Fruit Rolls, Tootsie Snack Bars and Mini Dots (made by Tootsie Roll, who else?) There were 200 pieces of candy in the bag--I counted them. Well, 204 to be exact, minus the lollipop in my mouth and the three other pieces of candy I snuck out of the bag, before my husband suggested we make a pact, not to open the bag, until Halloween, so we wouldn't be tempted.

But I was--tempted. (Tootsie Rolls are just as good as I remember them.)

My husband reminisces for the good old days when it comes to Halloween, and I admit so do I. It's fun when kids come to our door and we get to hand out candy. But the good old days are gone, because here's the reality of our Halloween statistics: five years ago 35 kids showed up, four years ago 27, the year after that 20, two years ago 11 and last year 6 kids knocked on our door and said, "Trick or treat." And if the trick or treat market continues its steady decline this year, we can expect two kids to holler "Trick or Treat!"

Okay, I'll be generous for my husband's sake and think positive--probably three tiny tots will show up at our door this year for Tootsie Treats. And if I don't want to be eating Halloween candy until July, that means in order to get rid of the 5 1/3 pounds of Tootsie treats, my dear husband bought, we'd need to give each of the three kids 66.6 pieces of candy--I hope they're each carrying a big sturdy bag.

But my husband is hopeful, insisting we could beat the odds this year, "Maybe a family with children will move into our neighborhood the week before Halloween."

"Yes dear, or we might get lucky and a dad who's driving his son's Boy Scout troop around to trick or treat might run out of gas in front of our house. You're right dear, anything's possible."

In the meantime, I think I'll find three Halloween Candy Bags that are strong enough to hold 66.6 pieces of candy!

* To see photos and to enter the drawing for a 5 1/3 pound bag of candy--you might get lucky and a lot of kids will show up at your door this Halloween--go to:

http://tinyurl.com/yukc2g

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Win signed copies of books you'll read and never forget from these terrific authors: Jon Entine, Abraham's Children; Gabriella Herkert, Catnapped!; Tad Waddington, Lasting Contribution; Julia London, The Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount; and Kay Williams and Eileen Wyman, Butcher of Dreams. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7

Dear Reader Column 10-19-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

When my mother died of lung cancer a couple of years ago, suddenly I became terrified that maybe I was next. I couldn't stand to listen to news reports about cancer, even if it was good news and I'd turn my head the other way when I drove by a cancer center--didn't even want to read the words. At first I rationalized it was perfectly normal to run the other way, after all my mother had just died from cancer. But then I got a little obsessed. Not only did I worry that the big "C" was coming to get me, but the minute I felt an ache or pain I was on the Internet typing in symptoms, trying to figure out what form of cancer I had and how much longer I could expect to live.

It's been a little over two years since my mother passed away and my fear has subsided for the most part, but every now and then the frightening "C" still catches me off guard. And that's what happened yesterday when I heard that an old friend of mine passed away from ovarian cancer. As soon as I finished reading the email, a tinge of fear showed up and my mind started racing, 'I've had a pain off-and-on in my side lately, maybe I should...' But then instead of running to the computer to self-diagnose my fate, I remembered what a friend of mine said to me a couple of months ago when I was obsessing, "Suzanne, don't die twice."

"Don't die twice"--words of wisdom that my friend's mother shared with her one day when she was obsessing about something that was out of her control. And yesterday they were the words that helped me feel grounded again--"Suzanne, don't die twice."

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

P. S. Were you a winner? Click to see if you're getting an apron in the mail and see one of the pottery winners, too! Go to: http://tinyurl.com/346hg3

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7

Dear Reader Column 10-18-07

Join my email book club. Over 330,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Over 1,000 people entered the apron giveaway! Now that I know that vintage aprons are so popular, I guess I'll just have to get back on eBay and look for some more. (I've been looking for a reason to shop for vintage aprons--it's a tough job but someone has to do it.) I'm sorry that I only had 24 aprons to give away this time--well, make that 25. I did find one more apron in my closet to send to Anagha.

"Hi Suzanne, I read at your online book club almost over two years now. In those two years, I have moved from US to India, back to US and back to India again, but one thing that has remained in the moves is the book club!

Currently I live in India and usually pass all those Chocolate chip cookie giveaways with a sad face. But an apron is different, it is light, unbreakable and you are offering the 'vintage' ones. So let me ask you to please, please, consider my name for the apron giveaway. I promise the first thing I will bake using that apron will be chocolate chip cookies! It is great to read at the book club."--Anagha

(Suzanne responds:) Okay Anagha, an apron is on the way to India, so get those chocolate chips ready to bake cookies. I'll post a list of all the apron winners tomorrow. And I promise I'll have more aprons soon.

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

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention: Sam Barone, Empire Rising; Angela Hunt, Doesn't She Look Natural; Mike Esposito, M.D., Locked In; Jerry Camery-Hoggatt, Giver of Gifts; and Laurie Perry, Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

READ THE CLASSICS: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yu9uk7