Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 01-11-08

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,

My email box has been overflowing this week with reader comments from my paper chain column and yesterday's column about Rudy. It just seemed a shame to only feature two or three reader replies. (In fact some of you should be sure to enter this summer's Write a Dear Reader Contest. You're good writers.)

You'll find reader replies and some photos, too, at:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/email.html

Congratulations to the four winners of the paper chain kits: Linda Poterek, Sharyn Otte, Sheri Carter and Jennifer Smith.

And if you missed the columns, you'll find them at:

Paper Chain Column: http://tinyurl.com/34vyws

Rudy Column: http://tinyurl.com/38dy82

Have a wonderful weekend.

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. I loved this week's book, Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, by author Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., and I have 10 copies to give away to readers. To enter the giveaway, email and tell me what you're grateful for. Send your email to:
enter-to-win5@emailbookclub.com Thanks!

READ THE CLASSICS: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/32qr54

Dear Reader Column 01-10-08

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,

It's a ritual. First thing every morning, after I make my coffee, I sit on the sofa and Rudy my 17-year-old white cat sits beside me. We drink coffee and watch a sitcom I've TIVO'd from the night before. I've been studying old sitcoms for the past year, trying to improve my humor writing. The first time through, Rudy and I watch the show for the laughs, the second time--we study the laughs.

But yesterday morning I changed my routine. I'd been reading a novel the night before and even though I was on the verge of finding out who "done it," it had been such a long day that I couldn't keep my mind focused on what I was reading any longer, and I fell asleep.

So first thing this morning instead of sitting on the sofa and watching sitcoms, I headed for my sun room. (It's where I do most of my reading.) Coffee and book in hand, I settled into my big comfy stuffed chair and turned on the reading light.

Ten minutes later Rudy came in the sun room, jumped up on the arm of the chair and sat there staring at me, 'What's up, why aren't we sitting on the sofa, in the living room, like we normally do every morning?'

I could clearly see the confusion in his eyes. And when I didn't immediately get up and follow him into the living room, he came back and did another stare-down. This time with even more determination, so I followed him into the living room.

I've got to hand it to Rudy. He knows what he wants and he asks for it. I really should be more like him. Sometimes I expect people to read my mind. I want them to say or do something because it's important to me. But I don't let them know what I need--not willing to give them a clue. 'Well, if I have to ask then it wouldn't be heartfelt on their part.' That's my justification for not saying anything--phooey. Rudy's request felt very heartfelt to me and I appreciated him letting me know what he wanted. In fact it felt pretty good knowing that our regular morning rendezvous was so important to him. A friend letting another friend know what he needs--Rudy's got the right idea.

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

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: Lesley Hazleton, Jezebel; Laila Halaby, Once in a Promised Land; Julie Lessman, A Passion Most Pure; A. J. Kiesling, Skizzer; and Joy Nash, Deep Magic. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

READ THE CLASSICS: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/32qr54

Dear Reader Column 01-04-08

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,

Thank you for all of the holiday emails, cards and gifts. They were very thoughtful. Thousands of readers entered the big book giveaway this past week. I hope you were one of the lucky recipients.

From my New Year Email Bag:

"Suzanne, I have so enjoyed reading with you. It has rekindled an old love. And I admire your candor. It is liberating."---y. lawrence

"Hi Suzanne, I've enjoyed reading with you this year. Though not all of the genres have been my cup of tea I've certainly grown as a reader and thoroughly enjoyed your daily 'chats.' I find that my days are better when I start them with your column and a cup of coffee. I no longer have a TV in my bedroom, but the stacks of books on my night table/floor are a great incentive to turn in early. Thanks for being such an important part of my life this past year."---Dawn

"Suzanne, thanks so much for the Book Clubs!...although I don't always get a chance to read them, I love the contact and the "chance" to read. I'm most likely to do so when I'm on the road--I travel a LOT--I flew 150,000 air miles this year and you have accompanied me on every one of them. You've even helped change the valence of Mondays! I look forward to your emails to check out whether I'm going to be keeping that week's emails to read, read later and/or buy, or not (if it's not something I'm so keen on.) Thanks so much for doing this and you're right,--it IS so good to read with friends!"---Susan D.

"Yours is the first email I read when I come into work because I can't wait to find out what's going on in your life and what book you have chosen for us to read this week. From your funny stories of your husband and your grandson, to your sadness in the loss of your mother, you still bring me a bright spot in my busy day when I can slow down for just a minute and drink a cup of tea while I do some reading that does not involve a detailed analysis after I read it. I can just enjoy. Thanks for your hard work and have a very prosperous New Year."---Wendy R.

"Suzanne, just wanted to say Happy New Year and thanks for another year of great reading."---Michele B.

I always appreciate hearing from you. Have a great weekend 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 Minister's Wooing by Harriet Beecher Stowe and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/2qp8yf

Dear Reader Column 12-13-07

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,

My husband and I were celebrating thirty years, so we thought we should do something special. He suggested a concert, "Suzanne, we don't go very often, but every time we do we always say, 'we should do this more often.'"

And he was right. So we checked concerts in the area and Keith Urban was playing Sunday night in Tampa. Don't know how--must have been fate--but we managed to get some great seats at the last minute. And after the concert we planned on staying overnight in a fancy hotel suite.

All Sunday afternoon I was working up a pretty good headache along with a queasy stomach. But I didn't want to ruin a romantic evening, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job of hiding how nauseous I was feeling. But after 30 years I guess it's hard to hide feelings from your best friend, because my husband tucked a plastic bag into his back pocket before we left--just-in-case.

And "just-in-case" came about 15 minutes into the opening act. Colored lights darting across the auditorium, strobe lights flashing, the crowd cheering and then when the guy sitting in front of me started eating a big French fried onion filled with dipping sauce and the sauce started dripping down from his fingers--that was it for me. I had to make a run for it.

Maybe if I sat down where it was quiet and regrouped, I could squelch the headache that had turned into a migraine and go back to my seat. But reality set in when a medic came over and diagnosed the obvious, "My Dear, you're sick"--and she was right.

So my husband drove us back to our room and I imagine just about the time Keith Urban was taking center stage, I was taking center stage, too, prone on the bathroom floor in my hotel room. It wasn't the romantic evening we'd envisioned. Things didn't turn out at all like we'd planned, but when we got home there was an unexpected anniversary gift waiting for us.

Our TIVO had recorded The Tonight Show while we were gone and the guest singer was--who else? Keith Urban. It wasn't quite as exciting as the real thing would have been, but I called my husband into the living room, put on the Keith Urban cap that he'd bought for me, cranked up the volume, snuggled in close to him on the sofa, (but kept the plastic bag close, too, because I still wasn't feeling great) and the two of us listened to our own personal 30th anniversary concert.

"You know, Dear, we really should do this more often."

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: Win free copies of books you'll read and never forget from these terrific authors: James Scott Bell, Try Dying; Jonathan Eig, Opening Day; Gerry Doyle, From the Depths; Beryl Singleton Bissell, The Scent of God: A Memoir; and Lynn Hoffman, Bang Bang. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

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 10-15-07

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,

Father Knows Less Or: Can I Cook My Sister? by Wendell Jamieson is the title of our bonus book this week. "Why is 'red' for stop and 'green' for go?"or "Do nose hairs turn gray?" and "How many hours of TV does it take to turn your brain into mush?"

Author Wendell Jamieson's son kept asking question after question. But Dad didn't always know the answers, so once-and-for-all he decided to find out. Father Knows Less is a delightful book that will tug at your childlike curiosity. At least that's what happened to me. Okay now, so tell me again, why all of a sudden are there long strands of hair growing on my big toe?

Enjoy the sample read and enter the drawing. Send me an email with your comments about the book and you're automatically entered in the free book giveaway. I have 20 books to give away to readers and I'll forward your comments on to the author.

To sample and enter, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/ysaumm

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

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

Dear Reader Column 09-25-07

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,

I'm on vacation for two weeks and I've asked some of my friends to fill in for me. Today's guest column is written by award-winning speaker and author Chellie Campbell.

Chellie's written two books, The Wealthy Spirit: Daily Affirmations for Financial Stress Reduction and her latest, Zero to Zillionaire: 8 Foolproof Steps to Financial Peace of Mind.

I met Chellie in Los Angeles when I was at Book Expo America. She's become a good long distance friend, someone I can always count on to help me get "grounded." But I really should ask her for a poker lesson sometime. This past January, at the LA Poker Classic, she came in 3rd Place and won $10,000.

If you'd like to contact Chellie, she'd love to hear from you. Every single reader who sends her an email will get a copy of Fabulous 50 Abundance Affirmations. You can reach her at: chellie@chellie.com

Thanks for covering for me, Chellie.--Suzanne Beecher

Dear Reader,

I love Suzanne and her book clubs, so I was delighted when she invited me to write a guest column for her while she's on vacation. We're both cat lovers, and when I shared with her about my big, orange love-cat, she said, "Write about him!" So welcome to my cat-loving world:

After marriages, divorces, loves, friendships, careers, volunteer activities, hobbies, and all of our life's adventures, my roommate, Shelley, and I have settled into a comfortable domestic routine. The conclusion is inescapable: we have devolved into two old ladies with cat.

We are a polygamous family; two working women and one big, fat orange cat, the sun around whom our moons revolve like the sister-wives around Bill Paxton in Big Love. We used to have another cat, also. Yoda was a scrawny little calico gal, feisty and territorial, who ran circles around Mr. Kitty. But her heart gave out one day when she was 15, probably frustrated from trying to get Mr. Kitty to jump around with her.

Mr. Kitty ("They call me 'Mister' Kitty!") doesn't jump much. He weighs 28 pounds. He used to weigh 30 pounds, but we put him on a diet. I couldn't make it work. He turned his nose up at the diet cat food and I crumpled when his big, sorrowful eyes looked at me accusingly. I could hear him thinking, "What's this dreck you've put in my food dish? Cat tofu?" When the veterinarian called to check in on how the diet was going, I had to sheepishly say I just couldn't feed him the diet food because he didn't like it. The vet was exasperated. "What do you think he's going to do about it? 'Leave home?'"

My introduction to Mr. Kitty came late one night when I arrived home to find a large, brown-paper note taped to the front door, upon which was scrawled "We have another cat. Otherwise, he is going to DIE!" I laughed and walked in to meet our new Lord and Master. Shelley had found him in a friend's backyard, where he was being attacked by a dog. Naturally, she rescued him and brought him home. He purred when I petted him, then reached for me when I stopped, so I pet him some more. The hook was in. I work for him. He controls the vertical, he controls the horizontal. He returns control to me on a limited basis when he is, for the moment, satiated.

I have had dogs before, and don't get me wrong, I love dogs. But they are all-love-all-the-time and it gets a bit exhausting, don't you think? Mr. Kitty is a master of the only thing that drives lab rats crazy: intermittent reinforcement. Sometimes he loves you--and sometimes he doesn't. It's your job to figure out what he wants and when he wants it.

As a speaker and author, I read a lot of self-help books. Mr. Kitty always has an opinion about them. When I was reading Who Moved My Cheese, Mr. Kitty stretched and sharpened his claws on the carpet, as if to say, If They Move Your Cheese, Claw Them to Ribbons. His advice from The Power of Food Now involves how to identify and control the primary food giver, and he makes it clear The Fat Cats Next Door will feed you, too, if you play your cards right. In his opinion, Cats are from Mars, Dogs are from Venus, and his hero is The Fattest Cat in Babylon. Babylon may be dried and dust, but Mr. Kitty, the fattest cat in Brentwood, lives to eat another day.

And only the finest, juiciest cat food will do, so I have to go back to work now. My life has purpose and meaning: I have to bring home the cat food. One day I'm going to write down Mr. Kitty's wisdom in a new book. I'm going to call it "The Fat Cat's Guide to Living Rich so You Don't Have to Work Like a Dog."

And who knows? Maybe you'll be reading it at Suzanne's book club one day.

Chellie Campbell

Chellie's website: http://www.chellie.com/ and her email address is: chellie@chellie.com

READ THE CLASSICS: The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/25vbsy

Dear Reader Column 05-07-07

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,

"My husband or wife (you fill in the blank, the sickness affects both men and women alike) cleans the house before the housekeeper comes." It's the classic joke and it's true.

In our house, it's my husband who's the brunt of the joke. Every other Wednesday, early in the morning, my considerate husband is scurrying around, trying to get things tidied up before the housekeeper comes. He empties wastebaskets, picks up the rugs, slides furniture out from the wall so it's easy access to vacuum, and if anything looks "too used" since the last time the housekeeper visited, my husband gets the bottle of cleaner and gives the filthy offender the once-over. After all we wouldn't want the housekeeper to think we got things dirty, would we?

But at 9 a.m., when the housekeeper walks through our door, my nutty husband instantly reverts back to his normal routine. And then I pick up the joke and take it a step further.

You see if someone is working in my house, cleaning, painting, fixing the air conditioner, it doesn't matter what the task is, I feel the need to be busy, too. Heaven forbid I'd be sitting on the sofa, watching television or reading a book when someone was vacuuming in the room next to me. Even if I could offer a perfectly good excuse for my idle behavior, "The reason I'm sitting on the sofa reading, is because I was up all night writing," it wouldn't be justification enough for me.

Napping, in the middle of the day, is another no-no that should only be done "undercover" and I'm not the only one who thinks it should be kept a secret. When my husband woke up from a nap yesterday afternoon and I told him a business associate had called while he was sleeping, my husband was horrified. "What did you tell him? You didn't say I was taking a nap, did you?"

"Of course not, dear, I'd never say that. I told him you were lying on the sofa in your underwear, eating bon-bons and watching your favorite soap opera--and since this is the day Annabelle finds out who her real mother is--you couldn't be disturbed."

No doubt about it, my husband and I both have the "fear-of-slacker-sickness" and I'd love to figure out why, but right now the plumber is knocking at my door, and so I need to go look busy.

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: Find out about new books you'll read and never forget from these terrific authors: Theresa Meyers, The Spellbound Bride; Toni McGee Causey, Bobbie Faye's Very (very, very, very) Bad Day; Susan Hubbard, The Society of S; Andrea Portes, Hick; and Judi McCoy, One Night With a Goddess. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 04-02-07

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,

Always thought I needed to be somebody. Who was I trying to impress? I guess I've forgotten and since it doesn't take much to impress me anymore, I'm easier on myself. "I am what I am and I like me."

It's my new daily motto, inspired by Popeye. I used to watch the cartoon show a lot when I was a kid. Popeye held a can of spinach in one hand, and a pipe in the other (The Surgeon General hadn't warned us yet) and the arm holding his pipe was swinging back and forth while he sang with great conviction, "I am what I am and that's all that I am." And it was enough. In the end he always seemed happy and he always got his girl--Olive Oyl.

Life is much more relaxing when I believe, "I am what I am and I like me." No need to check myself in mirrors when I pass by, I can order spaghetti at a business dinner and not worry if I'm puckering up and sucking in a couple of long noodles and when I stand up, I don't have to tug at the back of my shirt and cover up my behind, because "I am what I am and I like me."

Though I must admit, after trying on one of latest spandex tops the other day, the kind where the bottom of the shirt didn't quite meet the top of my pants, perhaps on some occasions I should consider singing, "I am what I am and I like me, as long as my tummy isn't hanging out."

Lots of books to give away today, be sure to check out AuthorBuzz, the link is right after my column. And I have 16 copies of Sara Davidson's new book, LEAP! What Will We do with the Rest of Our Lives? If you'd like to get a free copy simply send an email to:

enter-to-win4@emailbookclub.com

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

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

AUTHORBUZZ: Not just 5 or 10 winners, but some authors are offering prizes for 25 winners. Stop by and see what these wonderful authors have for you this week: Pamela Duncan, The Big Beautiful; Deidre Knight, Parallel Seduction; Angela Davis-Gardner, Plum Wine; Lesley Dormen, The Best Place to Be; and Stella Cameron, Target. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

READ THE CLASSICS: Main Street by Sinclair Lewis and enter the free Penguin Classic's Drawing. Go to:
http://tinyurl.com/2eutpk

Dear Reader Column 02-12-07

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 a little old-fashioned to admit, but "nesting" seems to be at the top of my agenda lately. I have a long list of business tasks every day and I get them done, but only in-between baking, sewing baby quilts and kicking back and doing absolutely nothing. But nesting does have its advantages, especially for book club readers who like chocolate chip cookies. I baked this past weekend and I'm looking for readers to send cookies to. If you've never sampled my famous chocolate chip cookies be sure to enter this month's Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway.

Debra Lipman was last month's winner, "Suzanne, your cookies were a welcome sight as another snowstorm blanketed the Denver area. Cookies and milk were just the thing to keep us warm!"

To see a photo of last month's cookie winner and to enter this month's drawing for two dozen of my chocolate chip cookies, go to:

http://emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie7.html

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

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

P.S. Get a teen to read! Give them a book and let them discover that reading is just as much fun as playing video games or watching TV. I have 20 teen books to give away to readers. Send me an email with your mailing address and you'll be entered in the drawing. Pass it along to your children, grandchildren, your neighbor, or any teen who could use a good book. Send your email, including your mailing address to: enter-to-win4@emailbookclub.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Read about terrific new books by these wonderful writers who have signed copies for you to win: Carolyn Haines, Fever Moon; Virginia Vitzthum, I Love You, Let's Meet: Adventures in Online Dating; Jack Getze, Big Numbers; Christine Conrad, Mademoiselle Benoir; and Jacquelin Thomas, Divine Confidential. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader