Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 9-16-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

If you are missing one of your daily book club reads, now you can instantly get another copy and it's easy! Simply go to:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/miss.

Shelley says the link works great: "Suzanne: I just was the happy recipient of my missing read. Thanks to the very easy, prompt and appreciated http://www.emailbookclub.com/miss. Thank you so much for this service!"
--Shelley Ockwell

Be sure to bookmark the link and you'll also find it in the TODAY'S BOOK section of each daily read.

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

Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. You Could WIN...Sample M.J. Rose's book, The Halo Effect.
Go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/alt/halo1.html.

Send me an email with your thoughts about the book, and you'll be entered in a special drawing. I have copies of the book to give away, and one lucky winner will receive a phone call from the author and she'll read to you from the book she is currently writing.

Dear Reader Column 9-15-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Sometimes when I'm working on a column, there's a single line that I'm just crazy about. But the farther along I get into writing it, the more I realize that my first born--my favorite line--just isn't working any more. It's disappointing. Sometimes it's more than I can bear. How can it not work? It was the original line that inspired the column in the first place.

Originals are tough to let go of. "The way things were" can make me feel melancholy, and a touch of sadness sets in. I guess that's why letting go is a process for me, beginning with defending: "It's always worked before. That's how I've always done it. I love how I do it now."

But finally I accept the reality: "My dear Suzanne, it's not working any more. It's time to let go." And that's when the magic begins.
New ideas--fun ideas--show up and I'm ready to entertain them.

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

Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. You Could WIN...Sample M.J. Rose's book, The Halo Effect.
Go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/alt/halo1.html.

Send me an email with your thoughts about the book, and you'll be entered in a special drawing. I have copies of the book to give away, and one lucky winner will receive a phone call from the author and she'll read to you from the book she is currently writing.

Dear Reader Column 9-14-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I'd heard the rumors about "the test" the doctor gives you when you reach the big 5-0. So I really wasn't all that surprised when the nurse handed me a sheet of paper and said, "We need to do a little housekeeping this year. Pick a doctor on the sheet and schedule a colonoscopy."

Now I didn't want to appear argumentative when I was scheduling the appointment, but I couldn't understand why the nurse insisted that I schedule two appointments. The first one was to consult with the doctor ahead of time, and the other was for the "big event".

A consultation? This is just a routine, "because-I'm-50" checkup, I kept reminding her. What could the doctor and I possibly have to talk about ahead of time? I'm no expert on this subject, mind you, but isn't there just one way of doing it? Do I get to choose a flavor or something? It's not like I'm scheduling plastic surgery and I get to pick what kind of nose I want to end up with. I'm perfectly happy to just leave the procedure with the same parts that I came in with.

"Oh, and while you're here," the nurse added, "you can watch a video of the procedure." No thanks. I'm not interested in watching somebody else's "home movie." I'm sure Ebert and Roeper have given it two thumbs up--way up--but I'll pass.

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

Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

P.S. You Could WIN...Sample M.J. Rose's book, The Halo Effect.
Go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/alt/halo1.html.

Send me an email with your thoughts about the book, and you'll be entered in a special drawing. I have copies of the book to give away, and one lucky winner will receive a phone call from the author and she'll read to you from the book she is currently writing.

Dear Reader Column 9-13-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I read the The Halo Effect when I was on vacation and I wasn't disppointed. It was a bit of deja vu because months before, when author M.J. Rose was writing the book, she called and read the opening paragraphs to me.

"What do you think Suzanne?"

What did I think? Well, I felt like I had just been serenaded and given yellow roses and chocolate-covered caramels, too! Enter this week's contest and you just might be lucky enough to be
"serenaded" by author M.J. Rose, too.

Go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/alt/halo1.html Read the sample from her book, send me an email with any clever thoughts that come to mind, and you'll be automatically entered in the drawing.

I have copies of The Halo Effect to give away and one lucky book club reader will get a telephone call from M.J. Rose and she'll "serenade" you from the book that she's currently working on.

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

Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 9-10-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Sometimes when I'm working on a column, there's a single line that I'm just crazy about. But the farther along I get into writing it, the more I realize that my first born--my favorite line--just isn't working any more. It's disappointing. Sometimes it's more than I can bear. How can it not work? It was the original line that inspired the column in the first place.

Originals are tough to let go of. "The way things were" can make me feel melancoholy, and a touch of sadness sets in. I guess that's why letting go is a process for me, beginning with defending: "It's always worked before. That's how I've always done it. I love how I do it now."

But finally I accept the reality: "My dear Suzanne, it's not working any more. It's time to let go." And that's when the magic begins.
New ideas--fun ideas--show up and I'm ready to entertain them.

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

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

P.S. If you like to cook, send us an email and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a copy of either "Great Old-Fashioned American Desserts" or "Mom's Secret Recipe File." And don't forget to try this Apple Cutout Sugar Cookie recipe:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie2.html

Dear Reader Column 9-09-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I really do read all of my email and I even send your comments on to authors.

(From my Email Bag:)

"Suzanne, I love the book club! Have read many of the books, but my all time favorites have been THE LAST NAZI and VISION OF DEATH.
Thanks,"--Norma

So...I sent Norma's email on to Stan Pottinger, author of THE LAST NAZI. Norma, here's Stan's reply:

"Dear Suzanne, Hey, thanks so much for the great email!! I love Norma. Ask her if she wants me to do her dishes for her or clean her closet. I'm in Rome for the month of September. Come over and we'll go to dinner. You're the best."--Stan

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

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

P.S. If you like to cook, send us an email and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a copy of either "Great Old-Fashioned American Desserts" or "Mom's Secret Recipe File." And don't forget to try this Apple Cutout Sugar Cookie recipe: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie2.html

Dear Reader Column 9-08-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I was taken in by the view, and apparently so was he. I blushed, he smiled and winked. He winked at me. I couldn't believe it. I was so embarrassed.

When I checked into my hotel room the night before, I noticed the ropes dangling down outside the window, but I had appointments to get to, so I hurried out the door. When I got back to my room late that evening, after a wonderful dinner with friends, I sat by my window and admired my own personal "only in New York" view from my room on the 18th floor. The lights of Broadway were directly below.

Had a great night's sleep, got up, went over to the window, threw open the curtains with that "Good Morning, World!" enthusiasm. And there he was, on the scaffolding directly outside of my window: the window washer. Apparently he got up earlier for work than I did. He was dressed. I was not. He smiled and winked at me. He winked at me.
I couldn't believe it. I was so embarrassed.

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

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

P.S. If you like to cook, send us an email and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a copy of either Great Old-Fashioned American Desserts or Mom's Secret Recipe File." And don't forget to try this Apple Cutout Sugar Cookie recipe:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie2.html

Dear Reader Column 9-07-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I used to be in charge of a cooking class for seniors in a nursing home. The ladies in the class were at all different levels. Some could do their own measuring and follow the directions on the recipe card and others required patience--theirs and mine. For those women, it might take five minutes to fill a one-cup measuring container with flour.

We usually baked cookies. They were easy to make, but more importantly they brought back memories for the women. I asked family members to bring in their mom's favorite recipes, so there was always a story to go along with the cookie recipe of the day. "I remember when I made these cookies..."

Our cookies were popular. Baking class started at 9:30 in the morning, so a little after 10:00 the nursing home employees would start showing up in our kitchen, wondering if we needed a "taste tester". Then we started getting requests, "What are you baking next week? Can I buy some to take home?" And before you knew it the ladies and I were in the cookie-baking business.

The simple, old favorites like peanut butter, snickerdoodles, chocolate chip, and oatmeal were good sellers, but so was our Apple Cutout Sugar Cookie. I made some the other day. They're the kind of cookie that looks like a lot of work--they look impressive--but they really take very little time to make.

They're a lot of fun to bake; give them a try.
Here's the recipe, go to:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/cookie2.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 9-06-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

Please do drop me a line. I love to hear from readers. Thanks for writing.

From my Email Bag:

"Dear Suzanne, you really hit a nerve when you mentioned standing on your head [in your column]. I've said for years that when I go to my eternal reward, my headstone will list three achievements:

She was a great dancer She made good potato salad She could stand on her head

What a glorious life she lived!!!

Thanks for the reminder."--June V.

"Suzanne, you make me laugh almost every morning. I'm a nubbie to your column--three months to be exact. I'm currently a stay home mom with my two children, ages eleven and two. Every morning I sneak out of bed to boot up the box, drink a cup of joe and read your column in that golden silence which always seems to be magically broken just as soon as I'm through reading it. Speak of the devil. How do they know? Take care and keep up the funny reads."--Deborah H.

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

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

Dear Reader Column 9-05-04

Join my email book club. Over 250,000 people read 5-mintues a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

It's not just a "sign-off" statement that I write every day in my column. People that read together at the book club do become friends. Thanks for your emails. I read and appreciate each and every one of them.

"Dear Suzanne, This is off the topic, but I know you live in Florida, is your home, family, etc. OK? My thoughts and prayers are with you."

--Dan in Ormond Beach, FL, currently in Michigan waiting for the hurricanes to end.

(Suzanne responds:) Dan, I must say that I'm getting a bit beaten down by the hurricanes, and I haven't even had any major damage. Just anxiety, boards on the windows, and a yard full of branches after the winds have blown through.

But it's a reality, so here we go again. My husband is out looking for extra lumber this morning--we didn't get enough to cover all of our windows when we got ready for the last hurricane.

I told him last night that if the lumber was all sold out, we could saw up a couple of dressers, take all of our inside doors off the hinges, and nail those suckers up over the windows. Now that would be a picture, wouldn't it? Doors and dressers hanging atop of my outside windows.

Laughter helps me at times like this.

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

Gratefully, Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com