Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 08-14-07

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 month's Penguin Classic is posted for you to sample. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/2ory4c and be sure to enter the Classic drawing.

I overdo it every year. When I see Concord grapes in the grocer's aisle, I buy at least four huge containers, then I hurry home and start eating. There's an art to eating concord grapes and when I was a kid, I perfected it in my Grandma Hale's backyard. Grandma's grapevines grew alongside of her garage and in the fall when the vines exploded with big, purple Concord grapes, I could spend an entire afternoon reading a book and popping grape after grape into my mouth.

Pinch, splash, and swallow--three easy steps are the secret to my technique. If you're a grape-eating beginner, let me explain. You never eat more than one grape at a time and you never actually bite into the grape.

Here's the step-by-step: Pick up one single grape, open your mouth--get ready now--pinch the grape, the juice splashes into your mouth, the grape follows right behind, and then you swallow--seeds and all. Toss the skin aside, quickly grab another grape, pick up the pace now--speed is part of the artistry--pinch, splash and swallow, you've got to keep the grape beat going. No fine wine for me, just pop those grapes into my mouth one after another and I'm intoxicated.

Yes, it was my one and only way to eat grapes--until yesterday, when a friend of mine asked if I'd ever made a Concord grape pie. Grapes in a pie? It didn't sound too appetizing to me, but it did sound bizarre and I was intrigued, so I gave it a try.

Let me tell you, there's also an art to baking a Concord grape pie. I perfected it in my kitchen last night and I've got the purple-stained fingers to prove it. Surprisingly, the pie was delicious. The recipe, photos, and baking mishaps--the seeds were a little tricky--are at: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/grape.html

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

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

Dear Reader Column 08-13-07

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,

I love it when I find a fantastic book and it's from a small independent publisher. This week you can sample The All-American Industrial Motel by Doug Crandell, from Chicago Review Press--and the publisher is giving away 10 copies to readers. The book is a memoir (nonfiction has always been my favorite) and I sure hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Let's get right to it. You'll find the sample from The All-American Industrial Motel and info on how to enter the book giveaway when you go to:

http://tinyurl.com/2b6ynr

After you've sampled the book, please send an email and let me know what you thought of it. I'll share all of your emails with the author. I know Doug would love to hear from you.

*Tomorrow at midnight is the deadline for entering the Write a Dear Reader Contest. For details go to: http://tinyurl.com/349g6k

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: Tell an author your horror stories, read a book about a book, and discover all these terrific authors this week: Brenda Janowitz, Scot on the Rocks; Fan Wu, February Flowers; Marilynn Griffith, Turquoise; Matt Bronleewe, Illuminated; and Colleen Coble, Abomination. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 08-10-07

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,

Only four days left until the Write a Dear Reader Contest deadline!

Linda's almost ready to send in her entry, how about you?

"Hi, Suzanne, I'm almost ready to submit my entry to the contest and I have to tell you what an interesting exercise this has been for me. I write a lot, but only for myself, and being restricted by a word limit has been illuminating to say the least! I write, I count, then I edit. And then I do it again, and again...and again. It's been amazing to discover how wordy I am and how much I can omit without losing the essence of my thoughts.

Even if I don't win, I will have learned a valuable lesson in the art of writing. I'm glad I don't have to count commas, though, I'd never have a chance to win! (And I wish I had a computer program that would count the words for me) I laughed to myself while writing THIS little missive, because three times I deleted two words and substituted one!"--Linda Kalend

If you haven't entered yet, go on, give it a try. I'd love to hear from you. You could win 54 books, (most of them signed) a book bag, and the winning columns will run at the book clubs while I'm on vacation.

Have fun! Simply tell me a story, tell me what's on your mind. For more "how-to" information, deadline details and a list of prizes go to: http://tinyurl.com/349g6k

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: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/3x9eam

Dear Reader Column 08-09-07

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,

One of the discoveries I've made about writing the Dear Reader column is that sometimes when someone's reading my column, by the time they've finished, they're not thinking about my story any longer, they're reliving one of their own. And that's wonderful.

Thanks for taking the time to write and sharing your stories with me. I always love to hear from you.

From my Email Bag:

"Dear Suzanne, my mom and I used to make ceramic stuff. When I looked at the picture of the garage sale 'treasure' bottle, I had to smile. My mom made what could be a twin to your bottle! She is no longer with us, but for some reason, I decided to keep that bottle. I remember how much fun we had while she was working on it, and so no matter how ugly it is, (and believe me, it's ugly!) I guess I'll hang on to it. I certainly don't need another one, but thought I'd share my bottle story with you..."--Toni H.

"Suzanne, I am probably one of thousands writing to comment on your column about your Mom and her husband and their 'hobby' of garage sales. Bud, my dear brother has frequented all the garage, yard, basement, church, you-name-it sales in Ohio...and in all the states he visits, for many years. I guess it truly gets in the blood! When my daughter was getting married and we were in the midst of the last minute chaos...yes, the afternoon of the 7 :00 p.m. wedding...brother, who had flown in from Ohio, had to check out the yard sales in Richmond before getting ready for the big event! He got back to the house about 5:00 p.m. and HAD to unpack all his finds...and like your mom's husband, tell me all the stories, where he had been, etc. I was tearing my hair out by this time, but somehow we all got to the church. Thanks for listening! I look forward to your daily column!"--Jan T.

"Suzanne: It's difficult not to reply to all your Dear Reader comments. I have to tell you about an incident that happened many years ago, in l963, when I went with my husband to visit his folks in Ohio. It seems it was a weekly jaunt to go to the garage sales in this town and the evening we were visiting, the men in the family had just returned from a sale with a truck full of 'stuff.' Well I made the trite remark that it seemed like they had everything but 'the kitchen sink'--and you guessed it--they pulled out a kitchen sink they had bought that evening. Your column today brought back those memories, thanks."--Shirley T.

Enter the book club Garage Sale Giveaway! Can you give this year's garage sale "treasure" a good home? Read all about it, take a look, send me an email, and you could be this year's lucky winner. All the info's at: http://tinyurl.com/3a36d3

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: This week explore books that explore the erotic, the mystery of twins, the power of movies and life in 19th century South Wales: Bonnie Leon, To Love Anew; Elizabeth Arnold, Pieces of My Sister's Life; Annette Blair, Sex and the Psychic Witch; Colette Gale, Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of the Phantom of the Opera; and Valerie Block, Don't Make a Scene. Go to:
http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

WRITE A "DEAR READER" COLUMN, get it published, win 54 books, (most of them signed) and a book bag. Can you help me out while I'm on vacation this year? For guidelines, deadline and prizes, go to: http://tinyurl.com/349g6k

READ THE CLASSICS: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/3x9eam

Dear Reader Column 08-08-07

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,

For a long time now, I've felt I was put here on earth to do the "little things." But I've always had a difficult time writing one or two sentences to explain exactly what I mean by "the little things."

When I experience someone else doing the little things for me, there's no mystery, instantly I recognize the feeling and I smile, because it feels so good.

Little things are nothing fancy, life would go on very nicely without them, but I do believe that "little things" make people feel special. At least that's how they make me feel. A little extra touch added to something--nothing that makes a big change in my life--but something that makes life a little softer, a little sweeter.

When my neighbor, my cooking buddy John, returns something he's borrowed, it always comes back to me with a little extra touch. A kind of Cinderella story, it was a plain old rolling pin when he borrowed it, but when it came back to me, it looked like a Williams-Sonoma window dressing--a delicate bow and long pink strands of raffia hanging down from one of the handles. And ever since then, whenever I need a rolling pin, I always reach for a different one, because I'm not quite ready to part with one of the "little things."

I was reminded of the "little things" just the other day when I sent cookies out to Brenda, a book club reader. When Brenda entered the Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway she sent an email that said she's the person who's always doing the "little things" for other people. Well Brenda didn't use those exact words, but she told me that she is the person who makes sure birthdays are recognized and she frequently bakes cookies "just because" and shares them with the people she works with--and to me, those are some of life's little things.

And Brenda did a little thing for me, too. When she emailed a photo of herself and her coworkers, eating the chocolate chip cookies I'd sent, Brenda also emailed a photo of the first things she saw when she opened my box of cookies--a letter I'd written to her, alongside of my business card.

The photo she sent made me smile. It was such a nice thing for her to do, no doubt about it, Brenda's a woman who really understands what it means to do the "little things."

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

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

P.S. Write a Dear Reader column, get it published, win 54 books, (most of them signed) and a book bag. Can you help me out while I'm on vacation this year? For guidelines, deadline and prizes, go to: http://tinyurl.com/349g6k

CONGRATULATIONS to the winners of last week's giveaway for Deadly Appraisal by Jane Cleland: Bev Stevenson, Vivian Henriksen, Donald Smith, Joyce Cephas, Kerry Pharis, Rhoda Ebersole, Arthur Harriman, Dee Laswell, Ellen Dark, Tolly Roehm, Charissa Canfield, Sally Gerretsen, Pam Huckins, Eleanor Stalnaker, Sarah Thiele, Bob Pendell, Norma Vieweg, Lynn Sue Pierce, Diane Dininno and Kay Martinez.

READ THE CLASSICS: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/3x9eam

Dear Reader Column 08-07-07

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,

There's still 7 days left! August 14th is the deadline for the Write a Dear Reader Contest.

Tracy's busy working on her entry. Have you sent yours in yet?

"Dear Suzanne, I am having so much fun trying to put together a column to submit. I haven't written this much in years and right now I'm basically writing every night. I used to love to write and now your column gives me the inspiration to do just that. Don't let me fool you, it hasn't been easy. It's hard work. I write and write and then I rewrite some more to discover the next day, I don't really like what I wrote to begin with. Then I start all over again.

Truth be told, I'm a little obsessed with wanting to win the big prize. I send my husband glimpses of what I have written to see if it holds his interest or makes sense and I always preface with: 'Don't forget, I really want those books.' It's important he understands what's riding on this...hee, hee."--Tracy

If you haven't entered yet, go on, give it a try. I'd love to hear from you. You could win 54 books, (most of them signed) a book bag, and the winning columns will run at the book clubs when I'm gone.

Have fun! Simply tell me a story, tell me what's on your mind. For more "how-to" information, deadline details and a list of prizes go to:

http://tinyurl.com/349g6k

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

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

P.S. It's Garage Sale time! Can you give this year's garage sale "treasure" a good home? Read all about it, take a look, send me an email, and you could be this year's lucky winner. All the info's at: http://tinyurl.com/3a36d3

READ THE CLASSICS: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/3x9eam

Dear Reader Column 07-26-07

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,

It's become a tradition--every month I bake two dozen of my famous homemade chocolate chip cookies for one book club reader. But I always receive hundreds of entries, and since many readers know how to do some pretty good sweet-talking, I always end up baking for more than one person.

To enter this month's Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway and to read about some of the past winners and see their photos, go to:

http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie0707.html

I'd love to bake for you, but you have to enter the drawing.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: An author wants to hear your wedding horror stories! Win signed copies and discover books you'll read and never forget from these terrific authors: Brenda Janowitz, Scot on the Rocks; Raven Bower, Apparitions; Christina Askounis, The Dream of the Stone; Jude Deveraux, Someone to Love; and Deborah Davis, Not Like You. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

READ THE CLASSICS: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/3x9eam

Dear Reader Column 07-24-07

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,

I was an only child, so when I was growing up it was never an option for me to blame someone else. Whenever my mother would yell, "Who tipped over the shampoo bottle? Who forgot to put the mayonnaise back in the refrigerator? And who was jumping off of the kitchen wall and put her foot right through it?" The 'who' was always me and it was always me 'who' got in big trouble. (Except when I put my foot through the kitchen wall. My mother yelled for effect, but only scolded me with a "wink-wink" because she'd been after my dad to add-on to the kitchen anyway, and so he finally did.)

Nope, since I was the only 'who' in the house, I couldn't ever blame anyone else for anything. But I'm sure making up for it now. It's become my secret bad habit--blaming other people. Whenever I can't find something, well obviously it's because some other nincompoop forgot to put it away. How dare they? It's a 'secret' bad habit, because I never actually pronounce sentence on the guilty nincompoop face-to-face, I just think about it--a lot and sometimes for a long time.

Three years ago I went on a business trip and when I returned and was unpacking my suitcase, I couldn't find my watch. I've never loved a watch more. It was a gorgeous watch--a square silver face with a big wide orange band. Usually big watches look ridiculous on my arm, because my wrist is so small, but this watch looked stunning. I knew for sure I'd taken it on my trip, because I remembered wearing it to dinner, but the watch didn't come home with me.

What happened to it? Obviously the housekeeper, at the hotel, must have stolen it.

No doubt about it. I was sure that's what happened, and it's the story I stuck with until yesterday...when I unzipped a "hidden" pocket in my suitcase, (a pocket that I couldn't ever remember using and didn't even know existed) but there it was--my missing watch.

I was thrilled to be reunited after three long years, couldn't believe my good fortune, but then instantly I felt like a louse. Because for the past three years, whenever I thought about my orange watch, I was also thinking nasty thoughts about the faceless, nameless, no-good housekeeper who'd stolen it.

It's weird. I wish I could blame it on human nature, or on my parents, because they didn't have any more children, and I was blamed so many times as a child, that now I have a "who-dun-it?-you-did-it" disorder. So I need to transfer those feelings to someone else--and blaming other people is part of my therapy, but unfortunately--I'm still the one and only 'who'--who did it.

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

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

P.S. Write a Dear Reader column, get it published, win 54 books, (most of them signed) and a book bag. Can you help me out while I'm on vacation this year? For guidelines, deadline and prizes, go to: http://tinyurl.com/349g6k

READ THE CLASSICS: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/3x9eam

Dear Reader Column 07-23-07

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,

It's that time of year again! Time to enter the Write a Dear Reader contest.

For the past two years I've invited readers to "fill-in" for me while I'm on vacation. This year my husband and I will be heading back to the Blue Ridge Mountains, but before I leave I'll choose two winning columns. The columns will be published at the book clubs and the winners will each receive 54 books (most of them signed) and a book bag from Vanguard Press.

If you love to write, or if you've never written anything, but thought about it--give it a try. Hundreds of readers enter the contest every year and it's interesting, because at the end of almost every entry there's a note--"Even if I don't win, I had fun and it felt good to write this column. Thanks for the opportunity."

Can you help me out? I'd love to hear from you. Write a Dear Reader column and send it my way. To see the prizes and read the guidelines go to: http://tinyurl.com/349g6k

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

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

P.S. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has arrived!If you'd like to win a copy of the (unabridged) audio version--17 compact discs--approximately 21 hours of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling, send an email to: Suzanne@DearReader.com (you won't receive a response, but not to worry, your name will be entered in the drawing.)

AUTHORBUZZ: An author wants to hear your wedding horror stories! Win signed copies and discover books you'll read and never forget from these terrific authors: Brenda Janowitz, Scot on the Rocks; Raven Bower, Apparitions; Christina Askounis, The Dream of the Stone; Jude Deveraux, Someone to Love; and Deborah Davis, Not Like You. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

READ THE CLASSICS: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/3x9eam

Dear Reader Column 07-20-07

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,

Thanks for taking the time to write. Congratulations to Rachel Feld, the turtle winner. If you missed the turtle column, go to:

http://tinyurl.com/2dfgcw

"Suzanne,

My younger sister is married (I am not) has her masters (I'm getting there) and has a child (I do not).

I constantly have to remind myself that life is not a race and even if it was, there is no reason why we cannot all be winners. After several false starts as a Social Worker, a Youth Group Director, and a Starbucks Barista, I discovered I am meant to be a teacher. I started graduate school this past May, and will graduate in June of '09 with my Masters in Special Education.

Slow and steady (especially the steady part!) has become my motto when balancing work with school with life. Reading your article today reinforced that it is okay, and even good, to take things slow and to have fun along the way. Thank you!"

Best, Rachel Feld

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

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

P.S. Write a Dear Reader column, get it published, win 54 books, (most of them signed) and a book bag. Can you help me out while I'm on vacation this year? For guidelines, deadline and prizes, go to: http://tinyurl.com/349g6k

READ THE CLASSICS: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/3x9eam