Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 01-29-10

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,

Email solves problems, but it also creates them. It's ruining our social fiber and messing with my mind about when it's appropriate to say thank you to someone after they've given me a gift.

Here's the problem: My friend Sally mails a gift to me on Tuesday. She paid for Priority mail (guaranteed three day delivery), so on day four she's anxiously checking her email to see if I loved the gift. But my favorite way of saying thank you is still a handwritten note. (I hope the old fashioned way never dies.) So on day four, while Sally's waiting and wondering and checking her email, I'm writing a thank you note which is going to take at least another three days to reach her via snail mail, which translates into a seven day wait (not including the weekend days) since Sally first put the package in the mail to me. In this fast-paced, instant world, my friend is probably feeling anxious and maybe even a little hurt, wondering why she hasn't heard from me, and I totally understand.

Sending a handwritten thank you note these days takes a lot of courage and restraint. Sally's not the only one feeling anxious. I've been counting the days, too, worrying that Sally's been counting the days, and just when I'm about ready to fold and send an email, Sally emails me wondering if I got the gift, and now I'm really feeling stupid and the whole thing feels more than a little awkward. Maybe I should pretend that I haven't read her email yet? Or I could quickly send back a reply that looks like an "out of office" auto responder, which would buy a little more time for the thank you note to reach her.

But instead I send an email. A weird, awkward email...

"Sally, I did get your gift and I loved it, really I did. I didn't send an email, because I wrote you a thank you letter. You'll probably get it today, but now I feel bad and wish I would have sent an email or called, because you've obviously been wondering why the heck you hadn't heard from me, and now you're probably wishing you hadn't sent this email..."

I hate it when this happens.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

P.S. It's the last day to enter this month's Chocolate Chip Cookie contest. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/ya45wqj

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

Dear Reader Column 01-28-10

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 couldn't sleep last night, so I got out of bed and started answering some business emails. Five minutes after I hit SEND a reply showed up in my in box. Not an "I'm out of the office" auto responder, or a standard, "Thanks, I got your email." No, it was a personally drafted note, by a person who was obviously up at two in the morning, just like me.

"So, what are you doing up at two in the morning?" I sent another email to my fellow insomniac. The question I really should have asked is, "What is it that's keeping you from sleeping at two in the morning?" That would be the real story. I imagine most people aren't willing to talk about what keeps them up nights. Oh, I'm sure they'd share generalities: indigestion, worried, drank too much coffee, but those are just "How are you today? I'm fine," responses.

The tone of an email quickly changes at two in the morning. It may have started out as a business correspondence, but a couple of email replies flying back and forth, and pretty soon it's a pajama party. Two girls chatting in the middle of the night, who both obviously have troublesome issues on their minds, but the comfort of knowing that you're not alone, brings them relief. And soon they both signed off, "nighty-night" and they were sound asleep.

Maybe I should create an online book club discussion group for insomniacs?

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Jennifer Estep, Spider's Bite; Carla Neggers, On Fire; Robyn Carr, Angel's Peak; Linda Lael Miller, McKettricks of Texas: Tate; and Debbie Macomber, Midnight Sons Volume 3. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

Dear Reader Column 01-27-10

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 I dig deep enough there's something good waiting for me in the midst of life's mishaps, and some clever readers reminded me of that after they read this past Monday's column. If you missed the library book column or the opportunity to enter the wacky eraser giveaway, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ycvb6u6

From my Email Bag:

"Suzanne, I just finished reading today's bookclub email and had to laugh out loud. I can't believe how many times I have opened a book to find treasures left behind by the last reader. One treasure that stands out the most was an odor...the book smelled so horrible I couldn't read it. I was so upset I really wanted to read this book but I couldn't stand to be near it. I thought I could let it air out by leaving it open on my kitchen table for a couple of days but it didn't work. I even tried to pinch my nose while reading but that didn't work. Maybe an air freshener book mark would have helped? Thanks for sharing your story,"--Stacey Blashka

"Dear Suzanne, being a librarian, I felt your anger about the defacing of a library book. Actually it's amazing how little it happens when you consider the whole scheme of things at the library. More on the humorous side, is the lady that asked to renew her book and then pointed to the many tissue paper tabs hanging out of the book and said, 'I guess you can see where I do most of my reading.' Yikes. Ugh!"--Skeet Wolters

"Dear Suzanne, Monday's column made me smile. I work in a library and indeed we find many books with underlined passages and notes in the margins. And while those make me mad, at least they're proof that someone read the book and got something out of it (as well as putting something into it). Another problem is when people forget to remove their bookmarks before turning in a book. You'd be amazed at the things people use to mark their place--photos, receipts, prescriptions, etc. But the worst was the day I noticed a suspicious bulge in a book and opened it to find a cotton swab--used!"--Kelly Horn

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

 

Dear Reader Column 01-26-10

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 chocolate chip cookie time! In keeping with my theme of wacky giveaways, this month when you enter the cookie contest, if your name is picked I'll either bake for you or your boss. Your choice. Or since I send two dozen cookies, you could keep one dozen for yourself and give the other to your boss.

I'll be baking later this week, so don't hesitate, enter today. To see smiling, satisfied past cookie winners and to enter this month's drawing, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ya45wqj

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

Anxious to bake for you,
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

 

Dear Reader Column 01-25-10

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 was a first for me. I'd heard some amazing stories from librarians about things people do to books, but I'd never experienced any of them myself--until the other day. I picked up two books at the library and when I got home and opened, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron, I was shocked to see that someone had underlined sentences on nearly every other page, and left behind personal commentaries in the margins.

Furious, I wanted to call someone at the library and get a list of people who'd previously checked out the book, dust the book for fingerprints, conduct DNA testing--maybe the black marketeer ate a sandwich while they were defacing the book? Mustard, saliva--messy reader, messy eater--get the goods on 'em and then I'd testify at their trial. Ten to 25, in maximum security (no pencils, pens or books allowed) followed by five years probation working in a library erasing other people's book graffiti, sounded like a reasonable punishment to me. I realize my initial reaction was over the top, especially since I frequently write in books, but the difference is I own them.

Back to the real world, no one was confined to hard labor except my right arm. It got a real workout erasing lines and notations on 45 pages, and I experienced a good feeling knowing that I returned the book in better condition than when I found it.

All this talk about erasers leads me to today's wacky giveaway. Only they're really more cute than wacky. Ice cream sundaes, cupcakes, sea creatures, bowling pin sets, animals, and a dozen donuts that look enticing enough to eat, but they're erasers. To enter the eraser giveaway, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yatsbd2

Check out AuthorBuzz, the link is right after my column.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Jennifer Estep, Spider's Bite; Carla Neggers, On Fire; Robyn Carr, Angel's Peak; Linda Lael Miller, McKettricks of Texas: Tate; and Debbie Macomber, Midnight Sons Volume 3. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

 

Dear Reader Column 01-22-10

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,

When someone tells me no, it's ok, because the most important confirmation comes from within.

Twelve thousand people (including me) submitted their resume when the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper was looking for a replacement for Ann Landers in 1987. My rejection letter is framed and hangs on my wall.

Looking back, the powers to be were right in their decision to reject me, because I don't really like giving advice. I'm a complicated person who's busy 24/7 with issues of her own. At first, I admit I felt more than a little crushed when I read the letter. But a couple of months later I realized that my rejection wasn't a failure, but rather a stepping-stone. A yes or no from the people at the newspaper wasn't important. Either way, I still won the prize. Because believing in myself enough to even try, opened the door to a higher plateau of the possibilities I could accomplish.

Yes, the most important confirmation comes from within.

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

* Congratulations to Deb Christmas the winner of Wednesday's giveaway of a 2010 day planner.

Have a wonderful weekend,
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books about bravery, clothes that are just too much, animal alphabet and a collection of short stories from: Joyce Stengel, St. Patrick and the Three Brave Mice; Jean Reidy, Too Purpley!; Barbara deRubertis, Alexander Anteater's Amazing Act; and Holly Black, The Poison Eaters and other Stories. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

 

Dear Reader Column 01-21-10

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,

Congratulations to Joelle Wells, the winner of the Don Henley CD I gave away in Monday's column. There's a story behind everything, which means I'll never run out of things to write about. Here's Joelle's story...

"Dear Suzanne, I just recently started reading your column and I love it. I am on the waiting list at the library for several of the books that I started reading here at the book club.

I went to see Don Henley in concert when I was eight months pregnant. It was a surprise from my husband. He told me he wanted to go out and get some air and asked me if I wanted to go for a drive. I had shorts and a tank top on (keep in mind I was eight months pregnant.) We drove all over town and ended up by the place they were having the concert. I reminded my husband that the concert was going on and that I really wished we had the extra money to go see it He got in the lane to turn into the parking lot and of course I had to tell him he is going the wrong way. When he paid for the parking I was excited. I couldn't believe it, then I remembered what I was wearing, but I saw the look in his eyes and that didn't matter any more. Don put on a great concert and we had a wonderful time.

Thanks for giving away his CD this week and thanks for reading my little memory. Keep up the good work."--Joelle

If you're in the mood to cook, visit my recipe blog: http://tinyurl.com/yuf6aq

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

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention: Sabrina Jeffries, The Truth About Lord Stoneville, Book 1, The Hellions of Halstead Hall; Mary Ellis, Never Far from Home, The Miller Family Series; Janice Thompson, Swinging on a Star; Taylor Lebaron (Mary Branson, Jack Branson), Cutting Myself in Half: 150 Pounds Lost, One Byte at a Time; and Barbara Delinsky, Not My Daughter. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

 

Dear Reader Column 01-20-10

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 know it's crazy thinking but I'm worried I've cheated myself out of at least 31 of the 365 days in 2010, because I bought the wrong day planner. My idea was to buy skinny this year--an entire week, presented on only two pages, (also I kind of felt I was buying "green," saving on paper you know), but the last couple of weeks have went by way too quickly, and now I'm panicking.

When I open my day planner to review the week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, (well, you know the rest of the days, no sense spelling them out and eating up more hours out of my year) since the days are laid out in front of me, an entire week on only two pages, I feel the need to speed up my daily activities, because the days are spinning by way too fast.

Looking at the weekly, two-page planner before me, if I simply turn the page another entire week has gone by. Two weeks shot in two minutes. Another seven days down the drain. Turn one page and it's another week closer to me turning 56, my book launching in June (and I'm not ready with promotional materials), summer vacation (I haven't bought airline tickets so our two grandchildren in Wisconsin can come and visit), Memorial Day, Labor Day, Easter's in there somewhere, I can see myself hanging Christmas lights again (why even bother taking them up to the storage shed this afternoon?) and suddenly I'm toasting another New Year. My life is flying by all too quickly looking through this measly, skinny day planner.

Instead of thinking thin, I should have bought the value bundled planner. The loose leaf one that allows me to add extra pages, (which means for sure I'd gain extra hours this year) and it even comes with future year calendars, time zones for the entire universe, reference pages in case I want to call Reader's Digest, 12 colored tabs to divide the year up so it's even farther away from being over, additional tabs to extend the hours in a day, organizers to file topics, refill components and a distressed leather binder to keep my life all zipped up, so it can't get away from me.

But instead my days are numbered, seven at a time, on two single pages and they're swiftly passing by. Today's weird giveaway is an original day planner I bought for myself, (before I found the one I'm using now). My unused original day planner still covers a week on two pages, but overall it's bigger in size, 5x8, mine is 5x7, so I think you'll probably get at least two more weeks out of 2010 than I will. To enter the wacky giveaway, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yam4mmd

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books about bravery, clothes that are just too much, animal alphabet and a collection of short stories from: Joyce Stengel, St. Patrick and the Three Brave Mice; Jean Reidy, Too Purpley!; Barbara deRubertis, Alexander Anteater's Amazing Act; and Holly Black, The Poison Eaters and other Stories. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

 

Dear Reader Column 01-19-10

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,

Thanks for taking the time to write. I love to hear from readers. If your email is below, send me your address and I'll mail you a free "just because" book.

From my Email Bag:

"Suzanne, I've been subscribing to your book club for years and always am thrilled when something shows up on the bestseller list or the bookstore shelves that I've been introduced to by you. I thought you might like to know that USA Today (just wrote about) The Postmistress, your Pre-Publication selection last week. It makes me feel like an 'insider' to read something like that and know that I've already read a sizable excerpt and already have my own opinion about it. Thanks for giving me the inside scoop!"--Donna

"Dear Suzanne, your book club has captured my interest. I have just placed a book request for [last week's] novel at my local library. I already devour books, but receiving your excerpts, I may be reading even more than I do now. There goes my quest to find the social life I am sorely lacking :) Thanks again for your club. I am so glad a friend recommended it me."--Pia

"Suzanne, I am new to your book club, so new that this has been my first full week of reading with you. I already feel as though I know you and this has given me something to look forward to each morning.

I am a mother of two, a nine-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. Every morning it is the same routine to get them out of the house on time.'Do I HAVE to go to school today?' Then they finally drag themselves to the breakfast table, sleepy eyed, give me a glare or two as I try to keep the pace going. As the clock ticks, it is down now to the final stage of their ski pants, hat, scarf, and of course the whining continues because always one or the other has a missing mitten or glove. So I have to frantically go through the box of winter wear (I live in Winnipeg, Canada and it is presently minus 30 something), until the mitten or glove is found. The clock has continued and SCORE, they are ready on time once again. The kisses and hugs as I am pushing my children out the door for school.

This is where you have come into my life in a very special way. Now I don't turn around after the kids leave and wonder what now? I now turn excitedly to my kitchen where I fix myself a coffee, venture downstairs to my computer and open your email. I enjoy reading with you so much. I thank you for entering my life."--Debbie F.

Tomorrow I will be giving away another wacky prize. Congratulations to Pat Janssen, winner of the Singing Birthday Greeting and Stephanie Chiovaire, winner of the Trivial Pursuit Book Lovers Edition game.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

Dear Reader Column 01-18-10

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 the music doesn't feel good in my soul, there's trouble brewing, and writing problems up ahead. Some writers need absolute quiet, but whether I'm writing something serious or funny, I need to do a bit of winding up, and that's what music does for me. The kind of music I listen to depends on what I'm working on. This very minute, I'm boogying in my chair, writing and listening to Joking/Indigo Girls. It's a guaranteed wind-me-up song, because there's a driving, relentless beat. So even if I don't feel like writing, (it may take a while), but for certain when I hear the pause in the song and then a raspy voice counting, "One, two, three, four," that's it for me, the words are flowing on the page.

Music sets an emotional mood that's difficult for me to get in touch with on my own. Sometimes it rescues me. If I want to talk about something in a column, but it's going to be painful to get there, and I need some help to pry it out I might listen to, Never is a Long Time/Roxette, Collide/Howie Day, or On a Bus to St. Cloud/Trisha Yearwood. Lately I've been listening to Wild Horses/Susan Boyle. I listened to that song for one week straight, over and over again, because I was having trouble getting back in a writing groove after the holiday. Opening up and talking about what's on my mind takes a bit of encouragement and that's what music does for me. Invites me to just put it out there on the page and not worry about what anyone else thinks.

Writing humor demands feeling funky (in a good way). Something funny happened in my life and the story's clear in my mind. But if I don't want it to sound like a high school, "what I did over summer vacation" piece I need to get a party going in my mind, too.

My favorite commiserating songs are: Bad Day/Daniel Powter and Hit Me With Your Best Shot/Pat Benatar. And on days when I know exactly what I'm going to write about, but I'm worn out, kind of like turning the crank on a wind up toy, that's what the songs Galileo/Indigo Girls and Free Fallin'/Stevie Nicks do for me. When I was writing my book proposal I listened to those two songs for two weeks straight--I'm not kidding. If I'm in the middle of a 9-1-1 Writing Emergency, Taking You Home or most anything else that Don Henley sings comes to my rescue.

I could go on and on about writing and music, (probably because half way through this column I started listening to Fallin' For You by Colbie Caillat and the beat keeps me going, but instead, let's get to today's weird giveaway: a CD of The Very Best of Don Henley, (which includes Take Me Home, my emergency writing song ). To enter the drawing, go to: http://tinyurl.com/ygofsbn

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention: Sabrina Jeffries, The Truth About Lord Stoneville, Book 1, The Hellions of Halstead Hall; Mary Ellis, Never Far from Home, The Miller Family Series; Janice Thompson, Swinging on a Star; Taylor Lebaron (Mary Branson, Jack Branson), Cutting Myself in Half: 150 Pounds Lost, One Byte at a Time; and Barbara Delinsky, Not My Daughter. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

* This month's Penguin Classics book is Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton. To start reading and find out how you can save by purchasing this Classic from Penguin, go to: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics