Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 01-15-10

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 love to hear from readers. Please don't ever feel I'm too busy to reply. I'll get back to you, for sure.

"Suzanne, I really enjoy reading your column and having the window on your interesting life. Would you be so kind as to share some examples of what your 'writing music' might include? (You mentioned it in a column the other day.) I love many types of music and just got an iPod for Christmas and I'm busy filling it with everything from bluegrass to blues, Tom Waits and Shirley Horn, a little zydeco and so much more. Always excited to hear about someone else's music taste, especially someone as funny and charming as you."--Barb L.

(Suzanne replies:) The first thing that caught my eye in your email was the word bluegrass. Our three-year-old grandson Paul comes to visit at least twice a week. My husband is the one who drives Paul home at night, and I didn't realize it until the other day, but they listen to bluegrass on the satellite radio station. It's become their secret ritual.

When my husband and I vacationed in the Smokey Mountains we enjoyed a children's music contest and of course the music was bluegrass. Those kids were talented! Pickin', foot stomping, banjo pluckin', it's not the kind of music I can listen to while I'm writing, but I love listening for fun and now so does Paul. But I didn't have a clue, until the other night when I rode along on the ride home. After we were all buckled into our seats, Grandpa turned on the radio and the music started playing, but Paul was very troubled, "Bu gas, is this bu gas, Grandpa? Where's the bu gas?"

It was the bluegrass station, but the song that was playing, Paul didn't readily recognize as bluegrass. (I didn't either.) But as soon as the next song started, the familiar pickin' and strumming sounds filled the car and Paul's hands were swinging back and forth along with the music.

I guess I got carried away with the bluegrass story, and I didn't get around to answering your question. But don't worry, in Monday's column I will. Thanks for your patience.

*Today's weird giveaway is actually pretty cool--the game Trivial Pursuit--Book Lover's Edition. The original wrapper isn't on the box, but it hasn't been used. Susan, on my staff bought it, thinking her family would love to play with her. But she couldn't get any takers. "We're not playing with you Mom, you work with books all day long. We wouldn't have a chance of winning." So today's giveaway is one lonely game of Trivial Pursuit in need of a good home. Enter to win at: http://tinyurl.com/ybx8jxf

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
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 01-14-10

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,

A friend of mine started writing poetry accidentally. Her poetry takes my breath away. You'd think she'd been writing for years, but it was only a few months ago when a writing group invited her to join them. The writing group sits around an oval dining room table and they talk about books they've read or maybe a movie, but soon they get to writing.

"We write for five minutes. Often it's eight. We read aloud our writings--even if they're yucky. We comment on phrasing. Words we like, or a story line. There isn't any negative criticism. I like it; it's absorbing, provocative. And then it was my turn."

"Poetry. Poetry! You are writing poetry."

"I am?"

"You are!"

My friend experiences the power of words given not as a gift, but an awakening, from a writing group of six. "Five published authors, me in there for curiosity, for what the heck. A funny little thing happened inside my insides--a shy secret half smile. Am I writing poetry? My half sentences, innuendoes, reveries, a winking word. Playing with phrases, taking risks--I may be writing poetry!"

Ah, my dear friend Linda, you are writing poetry. And you have indeed found a new pal. Thank you for stepping out and taking a risk.

My New Pal
By Linda Bailey

Getting to know you
my new pal
peeling off the layers
thick and thin
transparent and secret
tasty and raw
crusty and soft
how far can we go
showing each other
our softness, our scars

Intimacy, sharing, caring
crying together
for one another
to one another
and
at a desperate hour
a need for the other

Now - sometimes friends
sometimes foes
A change of heart
on my part
I like you,
I don't
I do, I don't

Ah but I do, I do

Today's weird and wacky giveaway is a singing birthday greeting. If your name is drawn I'll call your friend or relative and sing Happy Birthday to them over the phone. I'm not a singing telegram professional, but I can carry a nice little tune. "A,E,I,O,U. . .me, me, me," I'm all warmed up and ready to sing. All you need to do is enter. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/y858xjt

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: Robbie Adkins, Voice of the Soul; Joss Ware, Beyond the Night; Kevin Quirk and Dorothy Firman, Brace for Impact; Suzanne Woods Fisher, The Choice: A Novel, Lancaster County Secrets, #1; and Virginia Smith, Third Time's a Charm. 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 01-13-10

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,

Sometimes I get brain freeze from eating ice cream too quickly, but lately I've been experiencing a different kind of bizarre brain freeze. Maybe it's a side effect of the frigid Florida temperatures, but my mind has been working overtime, thinking about weird stuff I could give away to readers--and the fun news is--I've decided to do it.

Weird, wacky, some people might consider the stuff I'll be giving away junk. But what's junk to one reader might be a real gem to another. Below is a little peek at just a few of the upcoming freebies you could win at the book club. Brace yourself, the list is pretty exciting!

A singing birthday greeting. If your name is drawn I'll call your friend or relative and sing Happy Birthday to them over the phone. I'm not a singing telegram professional, but I can carry a nice little tune and I'll throw in a joke or two, all free of charge. You'll save $4.00 on a card and 44 cents on postage, too. What a deal!

Inspired by Paul, my three-year-old grandson, who wants Grandma to make mac and cheese every time he comes to visit, you could win twelve boxes of macaroni and cheese shipped right to your door. Mac and cheese is on my brain, because I'm in the middle of searching for a homemade grownup version. (I've experimented with two recipes so far, more about that in an upcoming column.)

A 16-ounce King Arthur Buttermilk pancake mix, "flavored with a hint of malt for diner-style pancakes." Boy are they good, even though the middle of my pancakes turn out soggy. Somewhere along the way I've lost the knack of making pancakes, so every morning for the past week I've been giving myself an early morning pancake cooking lesson. I'm getting better--almost there--and I discovered this scrumptious mix in the process.

Flowers delivered to your desk at work. No funny business here. Enter to win, in the upcoming weeks, and if your name is drawn, I'll send you a beautiful bouquet.

Chocolate chip cookies delivered to you overnight--whoops, I already do that--okay, so I'll bake for your boss.

Hot water bottles with warm snuggly covers.

Grandma's remedy for the cold and flu season was to apply Vicks VapoRub and wrap an old sock around my neck. "Breathe in the vapors." (Personally I don't think it did a thing.) But you can test it for yourself when you win your very own bottle of Vicks VapoRub and one of my old mismatched socks.

Remember the days-of-the-week underwear? You'll have the chance to win days-of-the-week lip balm, each day a different flavor.

That's all for today. I'll keep thinking and be sure to tune in tomorrow for the first weird giveaway. Stay warm.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
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 01-12-10

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,

Who Would Have Thought It? is the title of this month's Classic Book Club feature and it's the sentiment that thousands of folks around the country are thinking this very minute. "Who would have thought it--could be this cold, for this long--even here in Florida?"

From my Email Bag:

"Hi Suzanne,

It's snowing in Cincinnati, so all three teenagers are home from school today. The suggestion of making your recipe for Chicken and Dumpling Stew for dinner has been greeted with a unanimous yes! I don't even have to ask my husband what he thinks, I'll just let him smell the aroma when he walks into the house after his snowy commute. So while the kids are trying to decide if they can make the snow blower work, or should just give up the effort and use shovels for the driveway, I took the time to search for your recipe. Your one pot Chicken and Dumpling Stew and your slow-cooker dressing are two of my families favorites. Thanks for posting them."

Nancy Worsham

You'll find this month's Classic Book Club feature, Who Would Have Thought It? by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton at: http://tinyurl.com/January10Classics

And you'll find all of my down home, family favorite recipes at: http://www.supportlibrary.com/nl/users/susandemo/mweb/path1-17.html

Finally, congratulations to Shellie Stodghill, the winner of Raining Cat Sitters and Dogs by Blaize Clement.

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

Stay warm,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
http://www.DearReader.com

 

Dear Reader Column 01-11-10

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,

Brrr, it's been cold here in Florida. Am I expecting any sympathy? No. Just complaining about the weather and I'm not the only one. The tourists who came to Sarasota to escape the cold, the poor things are wearing parkas overtop their bathing suits, and instead of sand castles they're building igloos on Siesta Key Beach. No, the tourists are not happy campers, and neither are the local critters.

At least once a year when the temperature drops to freezing, the inside of my kitchen wall becomes a bed and breakfast. And apparently, from the noise coming from the wall this past weekend, I'm open for business. I've never been able to figure out who the mystery guest is, and I've never been able to stop him from crawling inside the wall, either. My husband and I have screened and sealed anything that resembles a welcome mat, but still that critter finds his way inside. And I bet after he wakes up in the morning, showers and shaves, he walks over to the side porch and helps himself to the cat food I put out for Mama, Papa and Goldie (the used-to-be abandoned cats) who've become part of our family.

Folks in other parts of the country aren't very sympathetic to Floridians moaning about the cold. But when you really think about it, the weather is relative, because any drastic changes in temperature are difficult to adjust to. Imagine you're living in Minnesota, it's the middle of January, and when you wake up in the morning and look out your window the ice and snow have disappeared, and have been replaced by sunshine, flowers blooming in the yard, and the gentle ocean tide washing up against the steps of your back deck--you wouldn't know how to handle it . . . . Well, okay, so maybe that's not a good example of what I'm trying to explain.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is, "Brrr, it's freezing cold here in Florida." Am I expecting any sympathy? No. But when you're cold, it helps to complain about the weather.

Bundle up, stay warm and 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: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Robbie Adkins, Voice of the Soul; Joss Ware, Beyond the Night; Kevin Quirk and Dorothy Firman, Brace for Impact; Suzanne Woods Fisher, The Choice: A Novel, Lancaster County Secrets, #1; and Virginia Smith, Third Time's a Charm. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 01-08-10

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'm hanging out at author Blaize Clement's house today. Poor Blaize is still under the weather, so I've moved in for the day. Blaize lives alone and after seven days of being sick, I've decided the best medicine for her might be company "full time" around the clock. Me, hanging out in her living room will either bring her so much comfort that she'll rest easier, and mend quicker, or I'll drive her nuts. I like to write in familiar surroundings, so I brought a lot of stuff along with me: my computer, notebooks, an iPod and the Bose speaker that pumps out my writing music. I hope Blaize enjoys my taste in music, but then again, if she doesn't it might inspire her to get better real fast.

It's a little strange camping out in someone's house. Can't help but notice all the neat stuff, which got me to thinking that maybe I should start a sort of visiting nurse service for famous authors. While I'm at their house, nursing them back to health, I could take photos of their home and include them in my column, and I could even conduct a famous author online garage sale. Heck, Blaize is so out of it in the other room, she wouldn't even realize for another week that half the stuff in her house was missing. Don't worry I'm just having a little fun with you. I wouldn't really auction off Blaize's belongings, but I did "borrow" another copy of Raining Cat Sitters and Dogs her latest book that won't be out until January 19th, and I'm giving it away today to a reader. To enter the book drawing--and it will be signed (sign this book Blaize or no more meds) I'm kidding, I'm kidding...to enter the drawing go to:
http://tinyurl.com/yf2dsxv

** Congratulations to Curtis Ossman, who won the copy of Blaize's book that I gave away this past Tuesday.

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 Lincoln and Elvis, a time machine and unsolicited advice, and choosing your own adventure from: Rosemary Wells, Lincoln and His Boys; Mark Alan Stamaty, Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me & Mom; Dr. Cuthbert Soup, A Whole Nother Story; Shannon Gilligan, Your Very Own Robot Goes Cuckoo Bananas; and R. A. Montgomery, U.N. Adventure: Mission To Molowa. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

Dear Reader Column 01-07-10

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. Reading emails from book club readers is the best part of my day. If your email is in today's column, send me your address and I'll put a free book in the mail to you.

From my Email Bag:

"Dear Suzanne, we are neighbors! I, too, spend much time in Mayberry. I am the mayor of our very small city (POP. 242) and often when trying to decide what to do, or am just in a trying situation, ask myself 'What would Andy do?' He always knew just the right way to go about business with fairness and decency--a far cry from many public figures in our day. Thanks for all you do!"--Kathy Brown

"Dear Suzanne--You're not the only one who loves to re-visit Mayberry. I find it so relaxing to watch movies and TV shows of a certain vintage because the life they portray was so much simpler and civilized than the reality we're blasted with as soon as we walk out the door or turn on the TV. We all know that life was never really like it was in Leave it to Beaver, but it sure was a lot more well-behaved and a lot less self-involved. (I guess you know you are getting old when you start to glorify 'the olden days' in an email.) Thanks for all the great books..."--Linda Kamphaus

"Dear Suzanne, We must be neighbors! We live in Mayberry too. Every night that Andy Griffith is on, my husband and I watch it. We have for years and probably know every episode by heart. Bailey's Bad Boy and Man in a Hurry are two of our very favorites. The world today needs a little refresher lesson on personal responsibility and Andy Griffith is just the one to give it! Have a great day! Your neighbor,"--Christi

"Hi Suzanne, I want to live in Mayberry, too! Two summers ago my husband, daughter and I drove to southwest North Carolina visit my husband's father. On the way back to RI, I wanted to stop in Mount Airy, NC, the actual childhood home of Andy Griffith and the basis for Mayberry. As we walked along the streets, the theme song for the show was piped in (the people who actually live and work there must not even hear it anymore!) and everyone was SO NICE! It was a short visit (maybe all of an hour), but it was so calming to live the Mayberry life if only for a brief moment!"--Sharon Ruthven

"Hi Suzanne! Yes, Mayberry IS a lovely place to live. I was born in Mt. Airy, NC (THE actual Mayberry of Andy Griffith). I have many relatives still living in Mt. Airy. It is the kind of town, still, where you 'porch set' and know and wave to your neighbors. It has changed some, of course, but the feel of the town (at least when I visit) is still the same--small, sweet and not rushed. I love my Southern heritage--and can't wait to retire there in ten years. It will be good to get back to a Mayberry life. Still love the book club!!"--Karla

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: Katharine Weber, True Confections; Sharon Gillenwater, Jenna's Cowboy: The Callahans of Texas series; Debbie Macomber, The Man You'll Marry; Jeffrey Deaver, Watchlist; and Jennifer Stanley, Stirring Up Strife. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 01-06-10

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 do my best writing when I'm living in Mayberry. Yes, I live in Sarasota, Florida, but in my mind I spend a lot of time sitting on the front porch of my house in Mayberry, three streets over from the courthouse where Andy and Barney are keeping the peace. I make different choices since I've taken up residence in Mayberry. Life is more fun in the slow lane and I rarely watch anything violent, which includes the evening news. Murders, children being abducted, cruelty to animals, folks just being downright nasty to each other, I realize these things go on every day, but watching them being replayed hundreds of times on television, or reading about them day after day, wouldn't help the victims or do anything good for my life either.

The folks in Mayberry have problems, but they try to find gracious ways of solving them and they're polite even when someone deserves less. Not being born and raised in Mayberry, I'm far from being a model citizen. I try my best, but sometimes I still lose my temper and have to chase nasty thoughts out of my mind. But I've discovered that spending time in Mayberry, surrounded by people who try their best to live a good life, it's rubbing off on me and I like how I feel.

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 Lincoln and Elvis, a time machine and unsolicited advice, and choosing your own adventure from: Rosemary Wells, Lincoln and His Boys; Mark Alan Stamaty, Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me & Mom; Dr. Cuthbert Soup, A Whole Nother Story; Shannon Gilligan, Your Very Own Robot Goes Cuckoo Bananas; and R. A. Montgomery, U.N. Adventure: Mission To Molowa. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

Dear Reader Column 01-05-10

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,

Feeling a bit rattled from all of the holiday hoopla, I mentioned to my husband that I needed to find a way to get grounded, and he reminded me that my life seems to flow best when I'm spending time doing something for someone else. Thirty minutes later the phone rang.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm really sick. Can you come over? Thank heavens you have a key, because I'm so sick I think I'd have to crawl to open the front door." Author Blaize Clement, a good friend of mine, was on the other end of the line.

Stomach pain, feeling hot and cold at the same time, nausea that comes and goes in huge waves, and enough overall pain that made Blaize wonder if she should dial 911 or me. My husband and I decided it sounded like the flu. We don't claim to be doctors, but we've had a lot of personal experience lately. It's been a rough couple of months for contracting numerous "bugs," because our grandchildren, who go to daycare, visit us three times a week. And as one book club reader recently commented, "I dearly love them, but grandchildren who attend daycare are like little typhoid Michaels and Marys."

My husband and I packed a doctor's bag for our soon to be patient: tissues with aloe, a thermometer, hand sanitizer, Sprite, Jello, popsicles, Dove Bars, Tylenol and most important, two hot water bottles. And for the two of us: books, a notebook, an iPod, and I even brought along one of my favorite cookbooks. I realized I wouldn't be cooking broccoli crepes for Blaize, but we might be there a while, and cooking would help pass the time.

"I wonder how long it took her to make the call?" my husband was sympathetic to the fact that most people, including himself, would wait until they felt death approaching any minute before they'd call a friend and ask for help.

But I'm so glad Blaize made the call. My husband was right. Lending a hand to someone was just what I needed to get me out of my funk. And when Blaize gets to feeling better, I'll explain all of this to her. I'll thank her for coming down with the flu--taking one for the team, so to speak--and for helping a friend (that's me) get grounded again.

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

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

P.S. Blaize has a new book, Raining Cat Sitters and Dogs coming out on January 19th. I spotted an Advanced Reading Copy on her kitchen table, and I'm giving that copy away to a reader today. It's even signed! I tried to get Blaize to sit up long enough for a photo, but there's only so much you can talk a bed-ridden delirious author into. To enter the book drawing, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yf2dsxv

Dear Reader Column 01-04-10

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,

Since this is my first column of the New Year, I suppose I should be writing about New Year's resolutions--but I didn't make any. Instead, I spent some time looking back through the past year. What exactly did I accomplish? And more importantly, what sorts of memories did I create? Did I want to bring any of them along with me this year?

Fortunately strolling down memory lane made me realize it was a pretty good year. Not because nothing bad happened, hey, that's part of life. But through it all, I think I did a good job of listening to myself last year, and I've made up my mind to try for a repeat performance in 2010.

Learning how to really listen to your hearts' desires--it can be risky business--because I discovered I'm weird. Weirder than the average Suzanne, but that's okay, because one realization leads to another, and for me, it really took the pressure off. For instance, now I understand that just because something makes everybody else happy, and not me, it's okay, of course it wouldn't, I'm weird. Weird doesn't go with the flow, and that's why last year went smoother, because when I listened to my heart I discovered my place in life. Everyone has a job that adds to the scenery of life: kids with orange and purple hair, the teenage boy holding up his pants with one hand, even the guy who chews tobacco and then spits in the street (a habit I find completely disgusting, Yuck!). Yes, we all have our jobs in making this world a more interesting place. And my job, I've discovered is to allow myself to be a little strange, never knowing for sure what quirky idea will pop into my head next. People may roll their eyes on occasion, but I'm looking forward to another good year, because I've learned to listen to my heart and it tells me, "Suzanne, you're weird and that's okay, just roll with it in 2010."

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: Katharine Weber, True Confections; Sharon Gillenwater, Jenna's Cowboy: The Callahans of Texas series; Debbie Macomber, The Man You'll Marry; Jeffrey Deaver, Watchlist; and Jennifer Stanley, Stirring Up Strife. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader