Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 12-17-09

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,

How many ways can readers ask, "What is a fainting couch?"

Several hundred ways, but here's just a few.

(And yes, I've included a fainting couch photo, too.)

The fainting couch is still in my living room. I've thrown a sheet over top of it, so it won't get dirty, because I plan on selling it. But Abbey (my gray cat) and I have been spending a lot of time lounging on the fainting couch. It's become Abbey's favorite place to sleep. The darn couch (that's too big for my living room) is the most comfortable piece of furniture I've ever owned.

From my Email Bag:

"What is a fainting couch? Pictures please."--Lisa Steed

"I love when you include pictures. Do you think we could see your fainting couch? Thanks for all the joy you bring to so many people--including me!"--Olga Merela

"I have to ask, what exactly is a fainting couch? Is it a couch to catch you as you faint? Does the couch actually faint? My imagination is going in about 20 different directions ;) So, please ease my curiosity and tell me what a fainting couch is."--Jeannie

"Dear Suzanne, what is a fainting couch?"--Carol Murray

"Suzanne this must be a beautiful couch at a bargain basement price for you to have bought it despite bean pole man's rude behavior. I wish you would have attached a picture...as I would love to see it. Thanks for sharing your adventure."--Teneisha

"WHAT!!!!!!!??????? No picture of a white fainting couch? How could you, Suzanne?"--Melissa

"You need to post a picture of that couch!"--Lynda S.

"What a great story! However, I've never heard of a Fainting Couch? What type of couch is it?"--Mimi

"Awe, Suzanne you disappointed me! I loved your fainting couch story, but you didn't include a photo of said couch. I wanted to see what a fainting couch looks like. (I would have also liked photos of Beanpole Man and Muscular Man...although you did a great job of describing them ;-) Do you think you could take a photo and post it? I'm sure I'm not the only one curious about a couch with such an intriguing-sounding name. As a matter of fact, I'm ready to swoon right now....Your faithful daily reader"--Irene Korman Unger

(Suzanne replies)

Get ready to swoon, Irene. To see a photo of the fainting couch, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yd4wqsa

And P.S. It's still For Sale!

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

* Find recipes for the holidays: http://tinyurl.com/yuf6aq

Happy Holidays,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Marty Becker, D.V.M., Gina Spadafori, Mikkel Becker Shannon, The Ultimate Bird Lover; Misa Ramirez, Hasta la Vista, Lola; Steffan Postaer, The Happy Soul Industry; and Elizabeth Flock, Sleepwalking in Daylight. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 12-16-09

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,

I appreciate you taking the time to email, especially during these busy holiday times.

From my Email Bag:

"Suzanne, I want to come to your tea party!! I am, what my grandmother would call, a tea-granny!

My Nana gave my sister and I our first 'cup' of tea, in one of her China cups (she always used China cups, she didn't even own a mug). It was about 1/4 tea, the balance milk. We would dunk our cookies, and sometimes lose a big portion of them, in our tea. We were so thrilled, we were grown-up!

A few years ago, my sister gave me a tea assortment for Christmas. It was 10 tea bags of 16 different teas. It was one of the most wonderful, thoughtful presents I have ever received and I just loved it! I spent long minutes mulling over my choices and I thought about my sister with great affection every time.

The tea bags are long gone and unfortunately, my sister is gone also. She died a year ago last June and I miss her, so I only have the memories. I no longer use the box for tea, I keep pictures in it; but every time I see it, I think about one of the best presents I ever received and my sister that presented it to me.

Thank you for your column, it brought back some very happy memories."--Diane Hiddleson

"Dear Suzanne, Oh please do plan and have a special tea party. You will enjoy it so much.

Last Valentine's Day I hosted our garden club to a tea party. I sent out fun invitations requesting the ladies wear hats and gloves, and I baked for days making special treats and little sandwiches. I served buffet style which isn't appropriate for a real tea but I only had the cups placed on the buffet table. The guests had to match their cup with the saucer at the dining table. It was fun to have people seated with people they may not have chosen to sit next to therefore sparking good conversations. And the hats oh, such fun. One was from a wedding in the '30's another from a wedding in the '60's and others just from a different era. One lady misread the invitation and showed up the next day in full costume disappointed to find out she missed all the fun so guess what? I am planning another tea party and really encourage you to have one also. An avid reader who enjoys reading with friends."--Elaine Salsbury

"Your note about Tea Party's came at a perfect morning! Just last night I read an article in our newspaper on Afternoon Tea's being offered this holiday season. It is on my 'To Do' list although since time is running short, I'm not sure I will make it to one this year, but I enjoyed that we are both on the same wave length of enjoying a Tea Party. I have been enjoying a cup of tea, also by myself, these last few days. Ummm, to savor the smell and ritual of boiling the water, picking out the favorite tea cup or mug and bag of tea. Enjoy the day...and a cup of tea!"--Sharon

* Tea cookies and other holiday recipes: http://tinyurl.com/y89fmut

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

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

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books for kids of all ages about discovering beauty, romance and humor, and wizards from: Cindy Martinusen-Coloma, Beautiful; Lindsay Eland, Scones and Sensibility; and Alexandra Bracken, Brightly Woven. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

Dear Reader Column 12-15-09

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,

There's a white fainting couch sitting in my living room. It was a mistake. My husband and I realize that now, but at the time, when we were answering the ad: "Fainting couch, priced to sell--today!" We felt like adventurers in search of an eclectic looking piece of furniture.

The address was a short drive away, and when we rang the front doorbell, instantly the garage door opened instead. A beanpole man and a muscular man--I mean muscles popping out all over the place--walked out of the garage. My husband jokingly commented, "Hey, did you know when you ring your doorbell it opens the garage door?"

But beanpole man breezed right past the joke, and sternly announced he had security cameras. "I don't trust anyone, I was kidnapped once." (A very strange greeting; too strange for me to pursue.)

The fainting couch was on display in the garage. "We're entertainers; illusionists, and we're moving to Las Vegas because we're going to be opening a show."

How intriguing, so of course I wanted to hear more. The muscle man, a very personable guy, said he used to be a trapeze artist. His family is circus folks. He grew up performing, flying high in the air, but when he injured a muscle in his arm, he had to leave the circus. Being in the "business" he'd had the opportunity to be introduced, and become friends with Siegfried and Roy, which I assumed had helped the two of them network their way into a show in Vegas.

The couch looked good, my husband gave me a nod, and I announced, "We'll take it. Can one of you help me carry it over to the trailer on the back of our car? My husband isn't supposed to lift something this heavy."

"That will cost you $25.00 more." Typical garage sale humor, I chuckled, but beanpole man's face looked unfriendly, no smile there, and no gesture on his part to lend a hand either.

"Well, how about if I give you a thank you and a smile?" I replied.

"I'm an entertainer, I see smiles all the time."

"Okay, how about if you pick up that end of the sofa, I'll pick up this end, then you can feel important, and we'll be on our way?" (I didn't actually say any of that, it's just one of the various thoughts that went through my mind.)

As we were loading the sofa on the trailer, other furniture buyers pulled up, so away we went. We'd driven almost a mile, when my husband started laughing hysterically. "Suzanne, I just realized we didn't pay those guys! The money is still in my front pocket. Now, that's some kind of illusion!"

But as we were turning the car around, I told my husband, "This is hilarious, but beanpole man isn't going to appreciate the ironic humor. In fact, I predict he'll probably be rude."

Unfortunately I could tell by the look on my husband's face as he was walking back to our car, that beanpole man hadn't found anything humorous about our "illusion." No "thank you," just a mumble that he had our phone number on his caller ID, so he would have tracked us down.

My husband looked a little sad, but I quickly reminded him, "It is funny and we don't have to let someone steal our joy." And we didn't--but we do have a fainting couch sitting in our living room. Yes, it was a mistake in judgment, but at least it turned out to be a humorous adventure, a fun story we'll be able to share with our friends.

In the meantime, "White Fainting Couch, priced to sell, and I'll help you load it in your car, with a smile--for free!"

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

* Find recipes for the holidays: http://tinyurl.com/yuf6aq

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

SEARCHING FOR YOUR NEXT BIG THRILL? Read the "Between the Lines" feature interview with Sandra Brown then read about great thrillers from: Vincent Zandri, Stephen Coonts, Gina Robinson, Bob Doerr, Al Roker & Dick Lochte, Deborah Shlian & Linda Reid, Patrick Woodrow, Linda O. Johnston, Richard Doetsch and Heather Graham. Go to: http://www.thrillerwriters.org

 

Dear Reader Column 12-14-09

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 in the morning when I get up I head into the bathroom to splash some water on my face, and then I look into the mirror to reacquaint myself with who I am. Just about this time I feel Billee, our Calico cat, rubbing up against my leg. Billee expects a morning greeting. I rub her head, scratch a little around her ears, and then she contently heads towards the kitchen. It's time to eat.

But this morning Billee had a little trouble crossing the bathroom threshold, because Abbey, my youngest gray cat, was hiding--a kitty waiting to pounce--on Billee. It's the cutest thing. There's an old wedding gown displayed on a dress form that sits in the corner of my bathroom, right next to the door. (I live in an historical home, so the oddness of a wedding dress in my bathroom fits right in.) When Abbey was just a kitten she discovered if she sat underneath the top layer of tulle on the long flowing wedding dress, the material was the perfect cover, yet thin enough to allow her to move with ease and pounce on Billee as she passed by. Child's play, kitten play, I guess. It used to be a morning ritual for Abbey, but then Abbey grew a little bigger, and somehow the playfulness was replaced by grown up cat concerns, like napping.

But not this morning. Sitting up straight, every so quietly underneath the wedding dress stealthily waiting for Billee--Abbey was in position to pounce. It had been a long time since Abbey had played the wedding dress game, and I didn't realize until I noticed the action, how much I missed her morning game. Instantly I was wide awake and amused, watching to see if Billee would make it out the bathroom door safely.

It sounds a bit trivial, but watching Abbey waiting to pounce on Billee not only brought a smile to my face, but revisiting the tradition brought a sense of comfort and warmth to my heart, and reminded me that traditions don't have to be anything fancy or formal.

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: Marty Becker, D.V.M., Gina Spadafori, Mikkel Becker Shannon, The Ultimate Bird Lover; Misa Ramirez, Hasta la Vista, Lola; Steffan Postaer, The Happy Soul Industry; and Elizabeth Flock, Sleepwalking in Daylight. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 12-11-09

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,

I'm going to have a tea party.

A Christmas box arrived from a friend yesterday and of course, you know me--I can't wait--so I opened it. And I'm so glad I did. Tore open the red wrapping and inside I found a fancy wooden box filled with an assortment of Bentley's Tea: Raspberry, Earl Grey, Peach, Green Tea, English Breakfast, and Orange Spice. Umm, wonderful aromas wafted from the box and instantly I pictured myself wearing my favorite dress and heels, a string of pearls clasped around my neck, my antique squirrel tea pot filled with hot water (a teapot my mother and father received for a wedding present 57 years ago), and my china tea cups--everything in place for a tea party.

The dainty china cups and saucers lined up on the shelf in my sunroom, none of them match. But that's what makes them so enchanting. Years ago, when my husband and I lived in Middleton, Wisconsin, frequently I'd host dinner parties--quite fancy affairs. It was a phase I went through, but don't take that wrong, I'm not knocking it. I adored every minute of it, especially when it was time for dessert and I let my guests choose one of my antique cups and saucers for their coffee or tea. Folks loved it! There's something refined and proper about drinking out of a delicate tea cup. I can't wait to host my tea party.

Truth is, it's probably a bit of fantasy to think I'll send out fancy invitations, and that everyone will get dressed up, and we'll sit down to tea cups filled with hot tea, and a tray of butter cookies. Truth is, I'll probably end up boiling water, grabbing a mug and brewing a Bentley tea bag all by myself. But it will still be a memorable tea party because I'll be thinking of my good friend Sully, who sent me the tea.

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

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

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books for kids of all ages about discovering beauty, romance and humor, and wizards from: Cindy Martinusen-Coloma, Beautiful; Lindsay Eland, Scones and Sensibility; and Alexandra Bracken, Brightly Woven. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

Dear Reader Column 12-10-09

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,

Doing a little holiday housekeeping today.

1. Remember to keep the book club fun, especially during this busy time of year. If a book isn't a good match for you, hit the delete key. You're not being a bad boy or girl and Santa will still leave a present for you.

2. If you'd like to make some holiday cookies, but cutouts are too big of an undertaking, try my Candy Cane Cookies. You'll find the recipe and a photo from a reader last year who made the cookies with her daughter. The photo shows a picture of the cookies, so you'll see what the final product should look like. No rolling pin needed, just two hands to roll two ropes of dough, then lay one on top of the other, turn the top corner down to form the head of the candy cane. You'll end up with not only impressive looking cookies, they taste fabulous, too! For the recipe and photo, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/candycanecookies

3. The week after Christmas I'll be featuring some of my staff's favorite Christmas memories. I'd love to hear yours, too. Please send an email and tell me about one of your holiday memories. I'll choose some book club reader memories to run in my column the week after Christmas. Your Christmas memory you send me could be as simple as the email I received from Jennie Webb this morning:

"Hey Suzanne! Your column today reminded me of baking with my nieces and nephews one time... I let each of them fill a tray with chocolate chip cookies to put in the oven. When it was time to put my youngest nephew's tray in, he got really upset and started crying. He did NOT want his cookies to go in the oven because it was so hot in there! Had to convince him that it wouldn't hurt the cookies, but they had to be baked to be eaten."

And as a thank you for taking the time to draft an email, I'll enter your name in a drawing for the boxed collection of American Christmas Classics by Ronald M. Clancy. A book and three CDs of holiday songs and carols. I want to get the prize in the mail so it can be enjoyed for Christmas, so I'll draw the winning name December 17th. If you want to be included in the drawing be sure to include your mailing address with your Christmas memory email.

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 four that deserve your attention: Nina Bruhns, If Looks Could Chill; Dora Machado, Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone; Laura Childs, Eggs Benedict Arnold; and Lisa Tucker, The Promised World. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 12-09-09

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,

If you'd like to see some really, really big smiles, click over and see the photos of my grandson, Paul, making cutout gingerbread men/women cookies. I'd been saving a small rolling pin and easy decorating kit for when he was old enough to help make cookies. Paul will be three years old in a couple of weeks, so I thought at least he would have fun helping, but he still wouldn't be old enough to roll the dough. I was wrong--big time! The boy took over in the kitchen. "Paul will roll Grandma!" and he waved me off to stand and watch.

Seeing a youngster's smile always brings joy to my heart and makes my day go better. I hope these photos do the same for you, and be sure to sign up for the children's cookie decorating kit I'm giving away. It's just like the one Paul and I used to decorate the gingerbread cookies.

Go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/gingerbread1209.html

*Be sure to check out our new KidsBuzz. The link runs after my column on Wednesday and Friday.

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

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

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books for kids of all ages about discovering beauty, romance and humor, and wizards from: Cindy Martinusen-Coloma, Beautiful; Lindsay Eland, Scones and Sensibility; and Alexandra Bracken, Brightly Woven. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

 

Dear Reader Column 12-08-09

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,

I just about talked myself out of the joy of sending someone a gift the other day. When I was walking by the health food store downtown, I thought about Dale, the man who used to run the satellite post office inside the store. He moved away last year. Dale was such a delightful guy that even if my husband and I didn't have anything to mail, we'd think of a reason to stop by just to say hello. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies were one of our excuses, "Dale, I baked today and thought of you."

The smile on Dale's face would give anyone motivation to bake for him, and it was his smile that I couldn't get out of my mind the other day. So I decided to send Dale some homemade chocolate chip cookies. Baking chocolate chip cookies and sending them to Dale, boy, won't he be surprised! The excitement stayed with me for a few blocks as I was walking back home, but before I reached my house, I'd almost talked myself out of sending cookies. Unfortunately, I can be very persuasive.

"Suzanne, you shouldn't send a holiday gift to such a casual acquaintance, he might feel obligated to send something back. But there's no need for him to send me a gift. I'm just sending cookies because my heart feels like giving. Do I need an explanation of the 'why'? You're analyzing this to death and you're almost on the verge of killing the fun of spontaneous gift giving. Give it a rest!"

Yes, I nearly talked myself out of sending Dale cookies, but I didn't because I realized it's the unexpected that brings me the most joy in life. A package that was sent "just because," or a letter from a friend that I'd lost contact with years ago: "I saw your name Suzanne and started thinking about the time we did.... I just had to write. How have you been? Let me tell you what I've been up to...."

So I'm mixing up the cookie batter and listening to my heart this holiday season. No requirements, no explanations, my heart may not always lead me down a neat and tidy road. I might feel a little bit uncomfortable in the beginning, but if I follow my heart, I'm giving a gift to myself and I'm giving my best to others--because it's straight from my heart.

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 12-07-09

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,

Once I buy a gift for someone I can't wait to give it to them. So if I shop early, then the folks on my Christmas list receive their presents in the mail two days after Thanksgiving (if the post office does its job). I'm worse than a little kid when it comes to giving gifts, because I can't wait to hear if someone loved what I picked out for them. But in my defense, I put a lot of thought into what might bring a little-kid-smile to each person on my list, and I have fun shopping with that picture in mind. So when I find the "perfect" gift, the anticipation has built over days of searching and the concept of storing the present until the big day--I can't bear the thought.

So this year, in an attempt to follow gift-giving protocol, I came up with an idea inspired by the "Twelve Days of Christmas." My version: Twelve Days of Christmas Gift Hints. (Same melody as the original tune, but with a new twist.) My plan was to email a gift hint to each of my friends on the twelve days before Christmas. Not only would it be fun, it would satisfy my need to give their gifts early.

But things don't always go like I plan. Did you know that in the "Twelve Days of Christmas," they don't start giving those maids a-milking and geese a-laying until December 25th? Which means those 12 drummers drumming don't show up until January 6th? Who knew? It was news to me and certainly put a real wrench in my idea.

So next year I'm doing what I should have done years ago--hand the problem off to someone else. If I find a great gift for Aunt Alice at the big 4th of July sale, I'm wrapping it up in last year's holiday paper, and sending it to her early--way early. But I'm also pasting a "Do Not Open Until December 25th" sticker in plain view--so now it's her problem, not mine!

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 four that deserve your attention: Nina Bruhns, If Looks Could Chill; Dora Machado, Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone; Laura Childs, Eggs Benedict Arnold; and Lisa Tucker, The Promised World. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 12-04-09

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,

After reading my column this past Wednesday, Gayle, a book club reader, wrote:

"Suzanne, where do you get the courage to share such private information with your readers? Yes, you did it again; you just opened my heart up and gave me permission to join you in your mother-daughter story. So many of us are suffering with similar stories, but keeping them to ourselves."

Gayle, I don't know if I can take credit for any amount of courage on my part because speaking from my heart, wearing my emotions on my sleeve, or on the page, is almost a requirement for me to live a joyful life. I grew up in an alcoholic environment. My father was an alcoholic, an infliction that ran deep in his family. Growing up I knew my dad was an alcoholic, for certain my mother knew he was an alcoholic, our relatives had to know because they helped carry my father into bed on numerous occasions, neighbors must have known, everyone knew but no one would talk about it. So I questioned my feelings. How could something like this be going on yet everyone pretends not to notice? It was very unsettling for me as a child and even to this day, one of the things I cannot tolerate, is when it feels like something is being hidden under the table. People are keeping something from me, maybe not telling me about it to spare my feelings, but yet I know what's going on and it makes me feel anxious and afraid.

So the sad story might be that I grew up surrounded by alcohol, but the good side of the story (a gift I've been blessed with, to be able to seek and find some good in everything) is that now I can pretty much talk about anything. Talking about the things in life that scare me, when I say them out loud, or write them down, suddenly they're not so scary anymore.

You're so right Gayle, many people have similar stories, and they keep them to themselves. But when friends like you read my words and then reply, we realize we're no longer alone.

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

If you missed Wednesday's column, you'll find it at: http://tinyurl.com/yj7vmzq

Have a wonderful weekend,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books for middle grade and young adult readers about rules, the world inside paintings, conscience and taking on the world from: Naomi Zucker, Callie's Rules; Mike Wilks, Mirrorscape; Amy Efaw, After; and Glenn Dakin, Candle Man. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz