Dear Reader Column 10-02-08

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

We passed the Consumer Report test! The book clubs got press in the September 2008 issue of Consumer Reports' SHOPSMART Magazine.

From the September issue: "Sites to See: Bookmark This! DearReader.com is a great way to find books to buy. All the sites below were screened by Consumer Reports WebWatch to make sure they have a good track record and comply with our customer service and disclosure guidelines." To see more, go to: http://tinyurl.com/5yto6o

Every single one of the six authors featured in this week's AuthorBuzz are giving away something to readers. Check out all the goodies, go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

AuthorBuzz is featured every Monday and Thursday right after my column.

Three weeks ago I was thrilled to meet one of my readers up-close-and-personal. What a treat! Book club reader Bonnie Rusch was visiting Sarasota and invited me out for a cup of Starbucks coffee. (You know me and Starbucks--how could I refuse?) Then we did a little shopping and walked along the beach. The bellman at Bonnie's hotel snapped a photo, take a peek, go to: http://tinyurl.com/3uvsdg

Thanks for writing. I'm not kidding when I confess that reading your emails is the delight of my day. Thank you so very much.

From my Email Bag:

"Suzanne, I read on your daily column about the readers who read your column everyday and thank you for the doing the bookclub. I always looked forward to your daily emails, but I haven't realized how much until this past week. I live in Houston, and for the past week, we haven't had power or internet. I'm sitting here in a coffee house near my apartment just minutes before curfew (midnight to 6 am), and I got your Monday morning email. Rather than look at the news or try to plow through Fema's website to see if I qualify for any sort of disaster relief, I immediately had to open the book club email. For a little bit, I had an enjoyable read. Thanks for the relief. :)"--Sara K.

"Dear Suzanne, I've always loved reading. A person of not many talents, however one thing I do well is reading out loud, which I do nearly every night to my nine-year old grandson Declan. He lives in New Jersey and I'm an ex-Jerseyite living in Pennsylvania for the last ten years. I've been reading on the phone to Declan since he was a little boy and it has really paid off--for both of us. He enjoys adventure books and I usually pick books above his age level. He likes the way Grandma does 'voices' and I have the fun of being as dramatic or as silly as I wish. We pause sometimes to define words; possibly to tell a relevant life story and to allow him to express his ideas. He always begs for an extra page or two when his bedtime arrives and my throat needs a rest. I must add that Declan also reads daily on his own. However, our telephone reading time provides extra enrichment and an opportunity for me to say, 'Grandma loves you' at the end of each conversation. I'm sure there are many grandparents in your readership who read to their grandchildren, but using the phone is yet one more way of answering the call--creatively."--Joan Rotondi

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win. Anna Kennedy, Not Stupid; M.J. Rose, The Reincarnationist; Michael Largo, Genius and Heroin: The Illustrated Catalogue of Creativity, Obsession, and Reckless Abandon Through the Ages; Debbie Macomber, A Cedar Cove Christmas; Linda Lael Miller, The Rustler--A Stone Creek Novel; and Laura Griffin, Thread of Fear. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Comments

[Anna Kennedy]

Hello there,
I am one of the authors on authorbuzz.com this week and am overwhelmed by everyone who has entered my free book give away. Not only am I overwhelmed by the amount of entrants but by the personal comments shared by families on their experiences on living with autism. It is going to be difficult to choose only 5 entrants.

Best wishes to you all

Anna Kennedy