Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 11-28-14

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Dear Reader,

Turkey, turkey, gobble, gobble--if your Thanksgiving dinner guests didn't gobble down all of your turkey, I have the perfect recipe for your leftovers. It's become a tradition, the Friday after Thanksgiving is my day to make turkey pies.

My quick and easy recipe for Leftover Turkey Pies.

Line a pie pan with ready-made crust and fill it two-thirds of the way with cut-up leftover turkey. Dice a fresh onion, add vegetables (a package of frozen, or leftover fresh veggies from the relish tray). Pour any leftover gravy on top. If Uncle Fred polished off the gravy, open a can of turkey or chicken gravy. I prefer chicken because it has more flavor. Season with pepper. Add top crust.

Bake in a 400 degree oven until golden brown. You've got the perfect leftover turkey pie. It's as simple as that.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 11-27-14

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com


AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who live in the United States. My family and I are having a big turkey dinner today.

I live in Florida and it's warm here in November, so we usually go for a family walk after the big feast. And then, as soon as we've walked off a little bit of our dinner, we sit back down at the table and eat some more--homemade pumpkin and apple pies with whipped cream.

Thanks for reading with me. It is truly a blessing for me to be able to read with friends like you every day.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 11-26-14

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com


AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

I'm wearing an apron and I'm in the Thanksgiving groove today. A 23-pound turkey is thawing in the refrigerator and I'm making Skunk Beans, fresh cranberry sauce and shrimp salad. Skunk Beans and shrimp salad taste even better after sitting in the refrigerator overnight. My brother-in-law is flying in from New York this afternoon and my bubble machine is hooked up and ready to welcome him.

If you're cooking for a crowd, or if all of your stuffing never fits in the turkey and you have to find room for another casserole in your oven, consider making my Crock Pot Dressing this year.

Crock Pot Dressing

1 cup butter or margarine melted
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 cups mushrooms (if you use canned, drain them)
2 eggs, beaten
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups chicken broth, or enough to moisten well
13 cups dried bread, cubed
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp marjoram

Melt butter in fry pan and saute onion and celery until soft. Mix with remaining ingredients and toss well. Pack in large crock pot. Cover. Cook on high for 45 minutes, then turn to low and continue cooking for 6-8 hours.

Have a wonderful holiday and don't forget to tell all of your guests about the book club! Happy reading, cooking and eating!

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.

 

Dear Reader Column 11-25-14

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com


AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

Inviting friends and even strangers to Thanksgiving Dinner has been a long-standing tradition for me. When my father was alive, it irritated him to no end that people who weren't "family" were sitting at our Thanksgiving dinner table. But I actually went looking for folks who were going to be home alone on Thanksgiving and I'd invite them over for dinner. That tradition continues today. The same day I begin working on my Thanksgiving menu, is also the day I start keeping my eyes and ears open for the opportunity to ask, "What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?"

It's funny how things work out. I've always crossed paths with just the right number of people, so there's plenty of food and plenty of room to seat everyone. But I suppose one of these days things could get out of hand, maybe even a little comical. The idea of purposely looking for strangers to invite to Thanksgiving dinner, I think it would make a wonderful Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special, or maybe even a children's book.

Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and Snoopy have made plans to celebrate Thanksgiving together, but the week before the big day, Charlie Brown keeps meeting people who are going to be eating dinner alone. So of course he extends an invitation, and the dinner list keeps growing and growing. As the guest list grows, so does the need for more food. The gang has to keep making trips to the grocery store to buy more ingredients, and then they realize they'll need more chairs. When they start knocking on neighbors' doors asking to borrow chairs, they discover more people who'll be dining alone, so they invite them too. By the time the fourth Thursday in November rolls around sixty-eight people are coming to dinner.

Where do you seat sixty-eight people? It's eclectic table seating: dinner guests are perched on hat boxes, dining on the treadmill, eating dinner in bed (six people can comfortably dine on top of a queen size mattress), sitting on the front porch stoop, the upstairs hallway gives a nice view, dinner on top of Snoopy's dog house, three can fit in the claw foot bath tub, overturned dresser drawers make intimate tables for two, and the oversized chandelier seats four (but you have to eat quickly, because the bulbs start getting a little toasty by the time you're eating your pumpkin pie).

Yes, a house filled with family, friends and even a few strangers--that's what I'll be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.

 

Dear Reader Column 11-24-14

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com


AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

Today's guest columnist, USA Today's Best-Selling Author and Pulitzer Prize nominee, Thomas Sullivan (Sully), describes himself this way:

"I've been gambler, a 'Rube Goldberg' innovator, a coach, teacher, city commissioner, and an All-American athlete. Having lived in a dozen countries by the time I was six, I feel at home in many cultures, and across the literary spectrum from mainstream to genre."

Thomas Sullivan's latest novel, Case White in e-book format, was just released and would make a wonderful holiday gift.

Be sure to send "Sully" a welcome to the book club email and wish him a Happy Birthday (He's celebrating another year!). You can reach Sully at: mn333mn@earthlink.net And his inspirational monthly newsletter (Sullygram) is available for free on request, too.

"Happy Birthday Sully! Welcome to the book club today..."

Trees are such elegant dressers here in Minnesota, but this time of year they UNdress with a honky-tonk flare that would make a stripper blush. If you shuffle through the rainbow rustle of leaves in a half-naked woods, the shedding trees will tap your shoulders flirtatiously with golden epaulets or consort with the wind to wrap a tawdry boa around your neck. Why are they so confident? In another month they will stand in abject drabness, creaking with winter's chill amid snowflakes that swirl like the ashes of summer.

It must be because of their faith that spring will come again. They wait patiently, as if they know that ice is just paralyzed water that will flow once more and snowflakes are only time-release raindrops that the earth will drink at winter's end. The seasons are a renewable promise, never broken. Trusting in this resurrection is SO necessary to survival. And it's the same with the seasons of life. Whatever strips away our triumphs and vanities, whatever our hurts, disappointments and regrets, there can always be another spring, another revaluing of what we are!

I believe in second chance dances but not in second rate fates. If life were wall-to-wall perfection, unrelenting and predictable, why bother to take the journey? No, the road is more exciting than that, more meaningful, more filled with newness, fresh hope, freedom, choice and redemption. Pssst!--I'll tell you a secret. Finding that newness is why I read Suzanne's columns--and why I write novels. Because both of those acts are adventures in creativity. Both offer understanding of the human condition and another chance to "get it right."

Doesn't matter how bad things are. You are somewhere at any given moment. You exist. And "somewhere" is always a starting point to move in a better direction. I remember standing in the mist of Jackson Square in New Orleans one chill Sunday morning and listening to a black street preacher pour out fiery inspiration on the defeated souls huddling there. One teary man in particular just kept shaking his head and murmuring that it was too late for him. The preacher, his voice dropping but somehow taking on energy, kept counterpointing with a simple "It's all right...it's all right" as he touched him on the shoulder. I saw the transformation, saw the energy and the hope take wing in those tormented eyes by the fountain.

Whatever the debris in your life--alienations, health, faltering relationships, career--allow me to pass that along: "It's all right." Do not permit disappointment, disillusionment, or loss of trust in the world to take away faith in yourself. You are new again in every meaningful way in which you've grown! If you hunker down in despair, you miss the whole point of living.

I don't know what happened to the broken man in Jackson Square, but I know he rose up in that moment of compassion a renewed human being, filled with resolve. Life isn't a single pinnacle of triumph, it is crests and troughs. Highs have no meaning without lows. So let go of your leaves whenever autumns come in your life. Dispense them in a blaze of having lived in good faith for whatever goals you grew them for, and do not lose your faith in another season. Now, that's something to celebrate. Happy Thanksgiving!

--Thomas Sullivan

You can reach Sully and find out more about Case White at:
mn333mn@earthlink.net

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.

 

Dear Reader Column 11-21-14

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com


AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

I'm a detailed person when it comes to planning events, right down to where the wastebaskets need to be placed. But when it comes to my life, which I guess is really the biggest event of all, I follow my heart.

It's funny because when I look at how I do things, I chastise myself for not doing them the way experts recommend. "Plan for your future, lay out goals so you know where you're going and put into place ways to measure your progress." It's sound advice, but apparently it's not for me, because I keep coming back to following my heart.

My days aren't planned, so my heart doesn't know where it's going until it gets there. I'm sure it's not the most efficient way of living a life, but even when something doesn't work out, when I've followed my heart, I can look back and feel good about my behavior and choices.

Following my heart has brought me many joyful returns. I didn't set out to be a writer, a woman who sews quilts, who bakes cookies for friends and strangers, who's known around town as the "the bubble lady," who's yard is filled with beautiful flowers, or a wife/mother/and grandmother whose family loves and supports her.

But that's what happened to this woman who followed her heart.

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

Blessings to you this holiday season,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 11-20-14

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com


AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

Who knew hot water bottles were more popular than pantyhose nowadays? Over the years I've offered readers an eclectic assortment of giveaways: hot water bottles (surprisingly a very popular giveaway), kitchen utensils, garage sale finds, aprons, heating pads for cats, new sheets, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and I've even personally shopped for socks for readers. There's always a fun, crazy giveaway in my column, and readers sign up to win in droves, but not to win a pair of pantyhose.

Earlier this week, inspired by a humorous column, written years ago by my friend Bill Duncan (pantyhose being the topic), I invited readers to sign up to win a pair of pantyhose. But the entries were few. In fact, I've been writing my daily column since 1999, and there has never been a less popular giveaway than pantyhose. Even Rozetta Bee, the reader who won the pantyhose confessed she hadn't purchased a pair in a long, long while and wasn't even sure of her size.

I was surprised readers weren't wild about pantyhose. But after thinking about it and looking through my dresser drawer and finding one single pair of pantyhose, still in the original package (purchased six years ago), I think any company that relies on pantyhose to make a profit, might be in trouble. I did find numerous colorful pairs of tights in my drawer, and now that we have a cold snap here in Florida, I'll start wearing them.

Researching on the Internet, the "fashion powers that be" seem to feel that wearing pantyhose is old school. Bare legs used to be a faux pas, but not anymore. Use self tanners, or airbrush your legs, they recommend, and if you still feel the need to wear pantyhose, their rule seems to be that only the nude color will do.

So what do book club readers say about wearing pantyhose?

Readers and pantyhose...

"Hi Suzanne, going thru drawers the other day to make room for more stuff, I discovered at least 50 pairs of pantyhose. Taupe, black, off black, nude... Does anyone wear pantyhose anymore? I haven't seen pantyhose or slips in years, even the First Lady doesn't wear them. Since I no longer work outside the home, I haven't dressed for work in years, and the accumulation is due to buying several pairs at a time during a sale. Remember when we panicked if we got a run in the last pair? So, many of mine are new. What do ya think I should do with them? Stuff a pillow?"--Love your column, Juanita

"Dear Suzanne, I'm retired. I don't wear pantyhose, EVER."--Marlene M.

"I so rarely wear pantyhose these days that I fear the hose in my drawer is suffering from dry rot. I donned a pair to wear with a dress last Sunday, for a music program we attended at a local church. All was well until I sat down in the pew, and felt lines popping up and down my left leg as the hose spontaneously ran, and ran, and ran some more."--Linda H.

Congratulations to Rozetta Bee H. the winner of the pantyhose drawing, who is going to toss pantyhose fashion out the window, and keep warm this year in the Wisconsin winter.

And congratulations to the winners of Finding Mercy by Guest Columnist Cindy Kelley and Michael Landon Jr.: Mary N., Debbie P., Carole F., Phillip K., Elaine C., Donna N., Dorothy P., Rick M., Diana L. and Nancy R.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.

 

Dear Reader Column 11-19-14

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com


AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

Today's guest columnist, author Jodie Bailey is convinced a camping trip to the beach with her family, a good cup of coffee, and a great book can cure all ills.

I can't supply the trip to the beach, or hand you a cup of coffee, but I do have five copies of Jodie Bailey's book Quilted by Christmas to give away today.

To enter email the author at: Jodie@jodiebailey.com

Welcome to the book club, Jodie Bailey...

There was a time, about eight years ago, when I decided to buy a Harley. It was a gorgeous black cherry Dyna Street Bob with mini apes and not a lot of chrome because, hey... Who needs to spend all of their time polishing chrome when they could be out riding? My husband was a bike guy who let me ride along and we decided it was time.

Then came Motorcycle Safety Class. No, it didn't scare me. I already knew the dangers of being on two wheels. Instead, it wrecked my pride and taught me to be a better person.

As a word nerd, I excelled in the classroom portion. Then we headed outside to ride. Here I was, in a class with my "baby" brother, piloting a motorcycle for the first time. And how did I do, you ask?

Well, I popped the clutch and rode that little out-of-control Buell straight into a bush. Before I could even register anything, I was flat on my back on the asphalt, a (thankfully small) motorcycle on my legs, staring at the sky. I wasn't hurt, but I knew the definition of bruised pride. (Make that 'shattered' pride.) For what felt like an hour, I lay there vainly hoping no one had noticed and deciding that a life lived prone on hot asphalt was probably not so bad a thing if it meant never having to look anyone in the eye ever, ever again. It's safe to say I've never in my life been more humiliated. Probably because the first vision I had was of my brother's face, a cross between horror his sister might be hurt and vindication for all of the things I'd done to him in his younger life.

The instructor finally showed up and lifted the motorcycle, and it's possible he was privileged to one of the rare times I've spoken in shades of blue. I hid in the bathroom for a while, trying to put the pieces of my pride back together. Thankfully, I never did. Something happened that day, something amazing and necessary and life changing. I looked in the mirror and realized how arrogant I'd always been, how I really did believe I could be the best at anything I decided to do. Wow. Talk about a blow to realize you've been that kind of person. When I shared that revelation with my brother at lunch, he gave me the greatest 'Duh' of his life and let me know I probably needed the tail whipping that motorcycle gave me. Yeah, I still squirm when I think about it, but I can promise you that pride thing is no longer an issue. I'm too afraid to be arrogant. There might be another rogue bush waiting to knock me on my back if I am!

--Jodie Bailey

To enter to win a copy of Quilted by Christmas, email: Jodie@jodiebailey.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.

 

Dear Reader Column 11-18-14

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com


AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

It was my own music fest on the front porch. Ear pods in place, Nano turned to my favorite playlist, arms waving back and forth, hips sliding side-to-side on the sofa (a tough thing to do without spilling your first morning cup of coffee). Soon I was singing every other phrase, yet trying to keep quiet. After all it was 5:30 in the morning.

Wishing I could have plugged the music into a booming speaker, I refrained. It might wake the neighbors. What they would think? Probably what the heck has happened to that nice woman next door who wears aprons, vintage hats, is constantly working in her flower gardens, bakes chocolate chip cookies three times a week, and turns on an electric bubble machine every other day? The bubble lady has finally went nuts.

My concert moves are picking up now. I'm up on my feet, dancing on the porch. Can't help myself. Good thing it's still dark out, or the early morning runners passing by would think I'm crazy, too.

Sadly the darkness is moving on. It's getting light outside. I cheer for an encore, one more tune, then it's time to take out the ear buds, smooth out my apron and settle back into that nice, quiet lady who wears vintage hats, bakes chocolate chip cookies, gardens and turns on a bubble machine in front of her house.

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

Dancing the early morning away in Sarasota,
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.

 

 

Dear Reader Column 11-17-14

Subscribe to one of Suzanne's online bookclubs and receive her daily column at: DearReader.com


AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win: Goto: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader,

The postman knocked, and I was thrilled when I opened the box. Book club reader Eileen Phillips baked some of her delicious Monster Cookies for me. Not only did Elieen pack cookies, she sent a spatula, lotion and tea. Thank you so very much. What a thoughtful thing to do. To see the Monster Cookie recipe Eileen used (which I can tell you first-hand tastes great), go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/show-photos.html

My Vintage Hat Show at a local vintage clothing show was a rousing success! And Janet, a book club reader from the state of New York showed up to say hello, too. What a treat for me.

One of the hats from the show, designed by Mr. John (who worked on the hats for Gone With the Wind), is on its way to England. The bride came to the show, fell in love with the hat, and she'll be wearing it on her wedding day. To see Janet's picture, the hat the bride chose and to see photos from the hat show, go to: http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/show-photos.html

Book club reader, Judi K., wrote:

"Hi Suzanne, I read where recently some toys were added to the Toy Hall of Fame, and the very last one mentioned were bubbles. I immediately thought of you and your wonderful bubble machines! (Your neighbors must be on the board of the Toy Hall, because they knew that bubble makers gave everyone such joy.) I think it's wonderful that people like you help keep the rest of the world young by simply blowing bubbles. Keep up the good work!"--Judi K.

(By the way, Judi, I was amazed at how many people at the Vintage Hat Show show knew me as "the Sarasota Bubble Lady.")

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is CHILDHOOD, by Jona Oberski. Start reading now and don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a Penguin Totebag: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqZ1AFE3FA7EF5&c=CLASSICS

AUTHORBUZZ: AuthorBuzz authors are on vacation for the next two weeks. Instead of writing, they'll be roasting turkeys and baking pies. They will return the week of December 1st.