Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 04-16-2020

Dear Reader,

Don't miss the party next week! We'll be celebrating National Library Week every day at the book club!

This year's theme, "Find Your Place at the Library," was chosen months ago, before the global pandemic forced libraries to temporarily close their buildings. But the theme is still truer than ever today. Find Your Place at the Library--not to worry--your library's Online Book Club finds you every day, tucked away at your place, reading their daily email.

Celebrate with other book club readers and your library. Say "Thank You" to your library for providing their Online Book Club, and I'll be sure to get your messages to them!

What's a celebration without gifts? Librarians will receive your gift of a "Thank You" and I'll be giving fun gifts to readers, every day at the book club. The party starts Monday, but the early bird gets the worm, too. Send in your thank you this week, and you'll be entered in a bonus drawing for a Set of 6 Aromatherapy Shower Steamers with Organic Essential Oils.

Email your Thank You notes to: Suzanne@DearReader.com and be sure to incude the name of your library. When you do, I'll be sure to enter you in the drawing and I'll be publishing some of your Thank You's in next week's column, too.

Lost and Found. Remember Roxana, the book club reader, who was looking for the title of a book I featured years ago?

"Good News! Suzanne, I just wanted to write back and let you know...I FOUND THE BOOK!!!! I cannot thank you enough for helping me find my book! The book is called The Invisible, by Ginny L Yttrup. The sample read came to me through your book club, and I received it during a time when my life resembled the character's life. The book helped me through the hard time. I have been searching for it for years. Thank you! I really can't tell you how grateful I am." -- Roxana M.

Getting a little bored singing the same old Happy Birthday song when you're washing your hands? Book club reader Mary Anne B. (obviously an ambitious singer) writes...

"Hi, Suzanne, I know folks are washing their hands more often and humming Happy Birthday to time the process. But I got bored with the same old song and tried some new tunes to lighten the chore. For the kids we sing Old McDonald and Eensy, Weensy Spider twice, and all the verses of Six White Ducks. Then I switched to my school/college fight songs, The Doxology, Pennies from Heaven, and Maresy Dotes--remember that one? Wash your hands, sing loud and stay healthy and happy!" -- Mary Anne B.

If you want to get real fancy and add some accompaniment, I found some on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music. My husband and I are usually washing our hands together, but so far I haven't been able to talk him into singing harmony.

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

Stay safe,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

With so many new books out every week, we promise this title deserves your attention:

(Fiction) THE BISHOP by Skye Warren

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

KIDSBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader Column 04-15-2020

Dear Reader,

I could use a little "funny." How about you?

Today I'm featuring "stand-up" at the book club, compliments of jokes floating around the Internet.

The world has turned upside down. Old folks are sneaking out of the house, and their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors!

I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on "Wheel of Fortune."
Now I turn it like I'm cracking a safe.

I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.

I swear my fridge just said, "What, you again?"

I couldn't decide where to go for Easter--the living room or the bedroom

PSA: every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit.
Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.

(Actually I was thinking that very thing the other day and I put on some "real" clothes to check if I could still zip up. I'm okay, so as a reward, I dished up some of my favorite strawberry ice cream.)

Homeschooling is going well. 2 students suspended for fighting and 1 teacher fired for drinking on the job.

I don't think anyone expected when we changed the clocks we'd go from the Standard Time Zone to the Twilight Zone

This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, and told my dog...we laughed a lot.

So, after this quarantine...will the producers of "My 600 Pound Life" just find me or do I find them?

My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.

I'm so excited--it's time to take out the garbage. What should I wear?

Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.

Day 6 of Homeschooling: My child just said "I hope I don't have the same teacher next year"...I'm offended.

This virus has done what no woman has been able to do...cancel all sports, shut down all bars, and keep men at home!

Since we can't eat out, now's the perfect time to eat better, get fit, and stay healthy. We're quarantined! Who are we trying to impress? We have snacks, we have sweatpants--I say we use them!

Day 9 at home and the dog is looking at me like, "See? This is why I chew the furniture!"

Does anyone know if we can take showers yet, or should we just keep washing our hands???

I never thought the comment, "I wouldn't touch him/her with a 6 foot pole" would become a national policy, but here we are!

Me: Alexa what's the weather this weekend?
Alexa: "It doesn't matter--you're not going anywhere."

Can everyone please just follow the government instructions, so we can knock out this coronavirus and be done? I feel like a kindergartner who keeps losing more recess time because one or two kids can't follow directions.

Reminder: better 6 feet apart than 6 feet under."

I hope you enjoyed yourself at the Book Club's Comedy Club--and don't forget to tip your server.

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

Keep washing your hands and singing "Happy Birthday."

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

KIDSBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.
You are not a number. THE PRETTIEST, an empowering novel by Brigit Young about fighting back against sexism and objectification. "This book is a hug and a high-five."--NYT Bestselling author Kate Milford. For a chance to win a free copy and find out for yourself, see KIDSBUZZ

Dear Reader Column 04-14-2020

Dear Reader,

Please email and welcome today's guest author Soraya Lane. Spending days thinking up characters for her books, Soraya says her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own real life hero, and two young sons on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals, and an office overlooking a field where their horses graze.

Please welcome to the book club, author Soraya Lane: soraya.lane@yahoo.com

My kids are begging for me a puppy. They want a little puppy this time, one that they can carry around and one who doesn't weigh almost 90 pounds on the bed (which, FYI, results in almost squashing a six year old). Oh, and speaking of beds, it's so unfair that we only have one giant dog, because it means they have to take turns being squashed on the bed each night.

I probably need to back up the story a little here... I'm one of the biggest animal lovers on the planet. As a little girl, I spent my entire life begging for a dog until I was 7 years old, and then as soon as my parents relented and got me a dog, I started begging for a horse. That took me another five years. I grew up in the most immaculate house, so clean I literally could have eaten off the floor, and so having a dog was my mother's idea of a nightmare. But my children have a very different mother. Just as loving, but a total push over when it comes to animals. And if I'm perfectly honest, I don't really care about housework like my own mother did either.

But the thing is, when you're a kid, having an animal is easy. As an adult with a full time job and children to look after, animals are a LOT of work. We already have the giant dog (a 90 pound, 2 year old Pointer who has the brain of a toddler and thinks he's the size of a Chihuahua), two cats who moved in a few years ago (they were strays and now they are very much our fur babies), not to mention the two horses and three ponies! But the small dog is apparently necessary, because we don't already have enough animals to cuddle, do we?!

And as I write this, I know it will happen, because nothing beats a house full of animals. My floor might not be clean enough to eat off, but it's home to a collection of fur friends I would genuinely hate to be without. Oh, and did I mention I was allergic to dogs, cats and horses? Daily anti-histamines are something I just have to live with!

If you want to see more of my animals, they feature regularly on my Instagram account - @sorayalaneauthor

-- Soraya Lane

For more information about Soraya and her books, head to sorayalane.com or drop her a line at soraya.lane@yahoo.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

KIDSBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader Column 04-13-2020

Dear Reader,

It was mid-March and I was all ready for the big egg hunt at my house in April. Baskets filled with colored grass, chocolate bunnies, giant colored plastic eggs that I had personally filled with candy for my grandchildren, were ready to go--and I had finally remembered, after searching for two days, where I stored the big Easter cutouts for the yard from last year.

It was going to be another Easter to remember, but the bunny didn't show at my house this year. Even though the prime minister of New Zealand declared the Easter Bunny was an 'essential worker,' still I thought I would lend a hand. So I put on my mask and disposable gloves, dropped off "Easter" on my grandchildren's porch, rang the doorbell and this bunny helper hurried back to her car and drove home. Yes indeed, it will always be an Easter to remember.

Book club reader Leslie R., lent the Bunny a hand this year, too. To see the photo, click here.

Odds and Ends...

I had my groceries delivered and I ordered two bags of all-purpose flour, but the shopper accidentally picked up one that was self-rising. So I'm looking for some proven, self-rising flour recipes, if you have a favorite, please send it to me at the email address at the end of today's column.

Last week, book club reader, Roxana, wrote asking for help remembering the name of a book she wants to read. Jen, who reads at the book club suggested a solution, click here.

And readers are still wanting to try my delicious Chocolate Banana Recipe, here.

Congratulations to Jeffrey R., the winner of 1,000 Jokes for Kids of All Ages by Michael Kilgarriff.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

THE BISHOP (Fiction) by Skye Warren

Checkmate. Come play in a sensual and darkly glamorous world where secrets hide on every square inch of the board. A million-dollar chess piece goes missing hours before the auction. Anders Sorenson will do anything to get it back. His family name and fortune rests on finding two inches of medieval ivory. Instead he finds an injured woman with terrible secrets. This is a story of redemption, a story of revenge. A story of romance finding roots in the darkest places.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on THE BISHOP to read more and to email author Skye Warren, you'll get a reply.

KIDSBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

You are not a number. THE PRETTIEST, an empowering novel by Brigit Young about fighting back against sexism and objectification. "This book is a hug and a high-five."--NYT Bestselling author Kate Milford. For a chance to win a free copy and find out for yourself, see KIDSBUZZ.

Dear Reader Column 04-10-2020

Dear Reader,

Thanks for "writing" today's column by sharing your experiences. And I have a puzzling book question that reader Roxana M., has been trying to solve for years. Can you help her?

"Hello Suzanne, a few years ago you mentioned that you keep extra umbrellas in your car to give out as needed. Yesterday morning, on my way to work (I'm the CPA), I was stopped at a traffic light and saw a man waiting for the bus in the rain. Here I am, in my car and still gainfully employed, and who knows what this man's circumstances are. He was wearing a mask as we're all supposed to do when in public places. I reached into the back seat to find my umbrella, rolled down the window and gave it to him. He was very grateful, and I'm glad that your mention of this some time ago stuck with me, and I could make this small gesture to one in more need of an umbrella than me. Thank you for the inspiration to help our fellow man--COVID 19 or not." -- Christine B.

"Suzanne, I was hoping you could help me out. Several years ago (2013-2014) this email book club featured a book sample that I absolutely loved. I am trying to find that book, but with the COVID scare right now libraries are not open. Even more difficult I used to live in California and now reside in Utah, so I no longer have the California library card to my account, to even get the records for my book check out history.

The story is faith based (not religious doctrine), and it's about a doctor who falls in love with his patient, and she has a heart attack/heat stroke which then makes him realize that though he loves his deceased wife, he really wants to be with this new woman. The woman struggles with her self appearance and self worth. I don't know if that would help you but I'd appreciate any help you can give me. I have been searching for this book for months now. Can you or one of our readers help me out? Thank you in advance." -- Roxana M.

I've looked back in our book records, but I haven't been able to find the storyline Roxana's describing. (But I may have missed it, because I've sent out a lot of books.) If you have some ideas about the book Roxana is looking for, please send me an email.

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

Keep washing your hands and singing "Happy Birthday!"

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader Column 04-09-2020

Dear Reader,

The best "medicine" for me right now is to get up every morning and ask myself, first thing, "What can I do for someone else today?"

So when I read an article in the local newspaper about the Senior Friendship Center looking for volunteers to call folks in their homes, to make sure they were able to get groceries, and other essentials, I knew it was the perfect match for me.

After filling out a 12 page application, including current and past job descriptions, I got the job! So everyday I call a list of 50 people, checking in with seniors, most of them living alone, to make sure everything is okay and to let them know what services the Friendship Center offers. Thankfully most of the folks are doing just fine, they have grown children who look in on them and make sure they get groceries. But some people aren't that fortunate.

"How about if I have someone give you a call once a week to have a nice chat, and to make sure you're okay?" I asked an 83-year-old woman who lives alone.

"It does get lonely," she whispered, "even if you could just call and say a couple of sentences, that would make me feel like I'm not alone."

"What can I do for someone else today?" Book club readers share some of their experiences...

"Suzanne, who knew that I, as an award-winning quilter, would suddenly be in such demand? I've been sewing reusable face masks from supplies I have on hand. My fabric stash makes lovely masks! Elastic is unavailable everywhere, because of this volunteer effort nationwide, so clever sewers are using bias and twill tape, shoelaces and grosgrain ribbon for ties. I've donated over 50 so far to local medical personnel, and I feel very Rosie-the-Riveter-ish!" -- Sheila P.

"I'm a kindergarten teacher. I'm trying to stay connected with my students. I miss them as much as they miss me. They all received writing journals, and they were given prompts for each day. Today's prompt was 'What do you miss most about school?' My students know me as Ms. Post. This student's journal entry melted my heart and gave me hope. ("What is one thing I miss about school? I love Ms. Post!") Just wanted to share this. Do not give up. There is so much good in the world. Thank you Suzanne for keeping us connected. Stay safe." With much appreciation, Ms. Post

"Hi Suzanne! I work from home, and in the evening, as always, I read and write, and I still take walks. Everything is different. But people are kind. My son calls often, and I check up on friends, and friends check up on me. I read of the Bear-in-the Window outreach, where families put teddy bears in the window so little kids can count them on walks. I didn't have a bear, but I had a bunny, which is seasonably appropriate--don't you think? Wishing you health and happiness," Diane O.

**Please use this email to enter your name in the drawing for the book, 1,000 Jokes for Kids of All Ages by Michael Kilgarriff. Email: Suzanne@DearReader.com

* I think the virus has spread to the server that delivers the book club. (You've got to have a little humor these days.) Our apologies if any of your daily reads or links have been interrupted. We are working on it right now.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

With so many new books out every week, we promise these titles deserve your attention:

(Fiction) BEYOND THE GHETTO GATES by Michelle Cameron

(Fiction) THREADS A DEPRESSION ERA TALE by Charlotte Whitney

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 04-08-20

Dear Reader,

I'm wishin' for a little smile every day in the midst of everything going on around me, and Wisconsin book club reader Linda D.'s email gave me one..

"Suzanne, last week when my husband picked up three orders of fish fry at a local restaurant, guess what they gave us for ordering? A roll of toilet paper! Now I know in today's world TP's like money. But imagine before COVID-19 getting toilet paper with your meal, would it be like a commentary on the cooking? Or is toilet paper the new after dinner mint?"

"Dear Suzanne, I hope what I did makes people smile during this frightening time. I strung Christmas lights along my front porch rail. It looks beautiful!" -- Jean P.

A birthday party made book club reader Cedar D. smile...

"Hi Suzanne, my birthday (70! how did that happen?) was on March 31. Some of my friends had a Zoom party. My computer doesn't have a camera, but I called and we could hear each other. I could see them, and since they couldn't see me, I didn't have to brush my hair!

I made half a cake recipe, one pan, cut it in half so it would still be a layer cake. I couldn't fit 71 candles, so instead I used toothpicks. (I'm kidding, they were to hold the wax paper off the cake.) It was pretty good. I think I can finish it before it gets stale. I made extra icing to keep the cut edges covered. It's good to celebrate with friends--even from a distance."

In response to my suggestion of sorting container tops and bottoms for a stay-at-home activity, book club reader Liz wrote...

"Suzanne, I bet I won't be the only person who writes to let you know about the magic matching of Rubbermaid square food containers. All lids fit all bottoms with only three (incredibly visible) differences. Square tops are either small, medium or large. That's it! To get a wider variety of options, there are short, medium and tall containers that fit these lids. Even better, if you like, the lids also attach to the bottoms of the containers, making stacking and storing so much easier."

Liz, I think you should get a job writing marketing copy for Rubbermaid, I know you've sold me!

Book club reader Mari M. sent me a note "Thought you'd appreciate this" along with a photo of her son's latest homeschooling activity. It's sure to make you smile.

To see Mari M.'s photo, Cedar D.'s birthday party photo, and Noreen B.'s suggested use for your hanging shoe bags, and to enter today's giveaway for a book that will entertain your kids, grandkids and even you, "1,000 Jokes for Kids of All Ages" by Michael Kilgarriff, click here. 

What's makin' you smile these days? I'd love to hear from you.

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

Keep washing your hands and singing "Happy Birthday"!

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader Column 04-07-2020

Dear Reader,

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, today's guest author, is also an award-winning Louisiana humorist, a popular blogger and speaker, and host of the All Things Southern podcast. Shellie's titles include Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On and Heart Wide Open. Her latest work Finding Deep & Wide helps us step away from the exhaustion we feel when living under a spiritual to-do list.

Email: tomtom@allthingssouthern.com to say "Hello." Shellie would love to hear from you, and she's also giving away five copies of her book Finding Deep and Wide.

Kayaking Gone Wrong

While I've always been a dog person, my current canines make a practice of testing my affection. Joking. Mostly.

By way of introduction, Beaux and Hank are yellow labs. They're also inseparable, brothers by biology and brothers in crime. They had a record as long as my arm before their first birthdays. I've always said labs make the best pets, if you and your homestead can make it through their first two or three live-to-chew years. Two and half years in with these sweethearts and I now say, 'if I let them make it that long.' Joking. Totally.

I love these crazy dogs. Oh, sure they tried to drown me last year, but that was an accident. My home sits on a beautiful lake here in northeast Louisiana and I enjoy kayaking during the warm months. How could I have known they would launch a stealthy "fetch the owner" swim once I was out of sight?

I was a mile or more from the dock when I glanced over my shoulder to locate the source of some strange noises. It was Beaux and Hank, dog paddling furiously toward me, and snorting water in every direction! They were clearly under duress, having vastly underestimated their long-distance swimming skills.

By the time I got to them, the situation was growing dire. Both dogs were going under! Have I mentioned they are Honey I Enlarged the Dogs Huge? They were weighing in around a hundred pounds each at the time. I suppose it was adrenalin. Somehow, I was able to grab their collars and hoist them into the kayak, while praying furiously for those collars not to slip off their furry necks. Had that happened, this story would not have ended well.

And it did end well. Eventually.

After they tried to turn the kayak over in their excitement to be on board with me.

After they kept sitting on the 'sides' of the kayak every time I hollered, "Sit!"

We'd tilt dangerously to one side and I'd yell "Not there!" Bless 'em. Not having a grasp on English in the best of times, the boys would swap sides, each assuming I meant the other kayak wall! Lord, have mercy on us all.

Somehow, we managed not to capsize and make it safely back to the dock. And other than the flesh wounds I was sporting from their panicked paws, our near-death experience was a great bonding moment we lived to tell about another day. For a storyteller like yours truly, that goes down as a win!

You may be a dog person, or a cat person, or hey--perhaps you have a pet pig? Who knows? One thing I'm sure of, you're a reader or you wouldn't be part of this community, right? That's great because I just happen to have a giveaway for you! I'm giving away 5 copies of my new book, Finding Deep and Wide.

Send me an email and you'll be entered in the drawing! Email tomtom@allthingssouthern.com.

-- Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

THREADS: A DEPRESSION ERA TALE (Fiction) by Charlotte Whitney

Ready for a heart-warming tale of three sisters coming of age on a Midwestern farm during the throes of the Great Depression? One that will end on a note of hope? Opening with young Nellie digging for pirate treasure in the woods, and instead, discovering a dead baby, this novel promises to captivate your imagination with mystery, romance, and the sheer struggle to survive.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on THREADS to read more and to email author Charlotte Whitney, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-06-2020

Dear Reader,

After reading one of the headlines in today's newspaper, here in Sarasota, "New forecast says brace for major hurricanes to strike the US in 2020," instead of mentally piling-on this new anxiety-ridden information, adding it to the COVID-19 virus, my husband tripping and injuring his leg, my occipital neuralgia flaring (a bang-your-head-against-the-wall pain), and one of our cats being sick--I've decided this is almost getting laughable, so I'm announcing, "bring it on," and I'm taking Pat Benatar's advice in her song, "Hit me with your best shot!"

I'm ready. Now, instead of worrying, I've decided to give my full attention and concentrate on what I can do--in the moment--writing, dishes, gardening, calling a friend, turning on the bubble machine I run in front of my house. These things bring some "normal" into my day and they are where I can find peace.

Baking is another way for me to let down and relax. So when I saw a simple recipe for Pantry Peach Cobbler in the newspaper I decided to try something new. This recipe is really so good, it's unbelievable.

Pantry Peach Cobbler
(Yesterday's newspaper)
Recipe by Southern Kitchen

serves 6 to 8

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 29-ounce canned peaches, in juice (I only had peaches in heavy syrup so I didn't add as much sugar)
1 cup sugar, plus more if you want to sprinkle after baking
3/4 all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the butter in an 8-inch square baking dish. Place in the oven to melt while the oven is heating.

Meanwhile, drain the peaches through a strainer set over a medium bowl. Discard half of the juice from the can, reserving the peaches and the remaining juice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in the milk to form a smooth batter.

Carefully remove the hot baking dish from the oven. Pour the batter into the butter in the dish, allowing the butter to lop over the sides of the batter. Pour the peaches and their remaining juices evenly over the batter; do not stir. Bake until deeply golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and sprinkle a little sugar over the top of the cobbler (if you desire). Let cool for at least 10 minutes and serve.

Tomorrow I will share more emails from readers. Let me know how the COVID-19 virus has changed your daily life. Email:

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

BEYOND THE GHETTO GATES (Fiction) by Michelle Cameron

Did you know that Napoleon had a Jewish nickname? He earned it during his 1796-7 campaign through Italy, when he liberated the Jews from their centuries-old incarceration in the ghettos. Based on this little-known slice of Italian Jewish history, this novel tells the story of two women--Jewish Mirelle, torn between love for a dashing French soldier and duty to her faith and family--and Francesca, tied by her Catholic belief to an abusive, murderous husband.

Napoleon's Jewish nickname? It plays on his last name: Helek Tov, a Good Part (Bonaparte).

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on BEYOND THE GHETTO GATES to read more and to email author Michelle Cameron, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 04-03-2020

Dear Reader,

Staying close to home for me, means staying closer to my kitchen, so I've been doing some extra baking, and it sounds like book club reader Mary B., is going to be baking today, too.

"Suzanne, I'd love your chocolate buttermilk frosting, if you don't mind sharing!" -- Mary B.

Mary, I think you're asking for the frosting recipe I mentioned in my column the other day? I misspoke when I said it was a chocolate buttermilk frosting, actually it's buttercream. You're going to love it!

DARK CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted
3-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder (or you can use non-dark, if you prefer)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk

Cream butter for a few minutes in the mixer. In separate bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa. Turn mixer on to the lowest speed and add sifted ingredients. (Make sure you add slowly, or ingredients will blow everywhere.) Mix until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium, add vanilla, salt and milk. Beat for three minutes. If the frosting needs a stiffer consistency, add a little more powdered sugar, if it needs to be thinned out, add additional milk, one tablespoon at a time.

Today I plan on trying a new Custardy Peach recipe. I'll let you know if it's a winner. Please do stay in touch with how your daily routine has changed. I enjoy reading your emails and readers do, too.

From my inbox:

"Dear Suzanne, In my area (Atlanta), some grocery stores have designated an early morning shopping hour for older folks, one hour before the store opens to regular traffic. Last week, on the first day of such specialness, I approached the open door of a Kroger for the early morning shopping hour. Just ahead of me was a younger man.

As he got to the door, a masked Kroger employee said, 'Excuse me, sir. Are you over 65? This shopping time is just for those over 65.' The younger man said no he wasn't and then he asked when the store would open 'for real'! As he turned to leave, I was entering. So the young man stopped and asked the employee, 'Why didn't you ask her how old she is?'

And I quickly replied, 'She's being kind, sir.' And I think we all smiled. (I couldn't quite tell about the employee because of the mask; but, her eyes crinkled at the corners.) -- Barb R.

Dear Suzanne, Working at home is harder than I thought it would be. I do love staying in my jammies, barefoot, lounging on my bed, but I miss our patrons terribly! My cat Max is not much of a conversationalist...he thinks my lap is his domain, not the laptop's. I am still able to get a good bit done, but it is challenging. Right now our big concern is our Summer Reading Program. We were counting on local businesses in our small town for prizes, but we can't ask them now, as they are struggling. Any ideas?" -- Lynne S.

What are you doing? How has your daily routine changed? You can reach me at: Suzanne@DearReader.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.