Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column -- April 23, 2021

Dear Reader,

In a recent column, I wrote: "Everyone has a calling on this earth, a unique gift to share with others. So every morning I quietly listen and follow my heart for the day's assignment. Over the years, sometimes my assignments have challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone, because it's not what everyone else is doing. But I've always been rewarded with a tremendous amount of joy. And who knows, maybe these assignments are the main ingredient for my own happiness."

Book club reader Eileen T. wrote...

"Suzanne, your column today struck a chord with me. After my son's unexpected death at age 20, I marveled at how uniquely people responded to our grief. Knowing many people would be arriving from out-of-state, some brought canisters of coffee, paper goods or various beverages. Many brought salads and casseroles, and my best friends served them between calling hours, jamming themselves into my hot kitchen and deciding which items to offer, and staying late to clean up. Some sent flowers to the funeral home and some to our home, beautiful planters we could enjoy the rest of the summer. There were callers, card senders and emailers. A surprise to me was how many sent money--something I would have never thought of--but much needed since I took a month off work. My neighbor had his lawn guy do our lawn too, for the next month. Someone who I barely knew saved the funeral program, and sent me a card on [my son's] birthday the next spring. For the two weeks following his death, my friend put a big Rubbermaid chest on our porch, so people could leave their food offerings in it, without having to ring our doorbell if we weren't up to visitors.

What if everyone sent flowers or a card? My experience would have been so different. I relished how each person, doing what felt natural to them, helped me through all the facets of that hard time. Being true to ourselves is 'the' way to bless others. Thanks for the reminder. It's good to read your words each morning!" -- Eileen T.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

P. S. There's still time to enter my Very Cool Shirt Giveaway. I'm not kidding, I'm giving the shirt off my back to a book club reader. To see a photo and enter the giveaway, click here.

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

KIDSBUZZ: Know kids 8-12 who are into science and adventure? Fans of Percy Jackson? Then ATLANTIS: THE ACCIDENTAL INVASION by Gregory Mone is a perfect next read. For a chance to win a free copy, talk with the author, and more, see KIDSBUZZ

Dear Reader Column -- April 20, 2021

Dear Reader,

A note from today's guest author, Angela Hur...

My husband and I take turns being immigrant and native, moving back and forth between countries. We met in Sweden, had two kids in California, and brought them back with us to Stockholm, where we live now between the city and a forest. My novel Folklorn is about family, history, generational trauma, particle physics, storytelling and Korean myth--all told through a genre-blending, fantastical, gothic lens.

I have 5 copies of Folklorn to give away to readers. Simply email me at: libraryteam@workman.com to enter the giveaway.

It's such a pleasure to visit the book club...

My kid's only precocious before bedtime. Stalling, she'll ask, "When people invented clocks, how'd they know what time it was?" and "Are zebras white or black?" Another night: "Hundred years ago, when girls couldn't be scientists or wear pants, how'd things change?" She pays attention when it's a personal injustice, hypothetical or historical, so this was her takeaway when I'd explained how people can be wrong now or in the past, how things can become fairer now and in the future.

"Tell me again, Mama"--I'm already tense--"how Harabeoji didn't want you to marry Papa."

Glossing over the details, I tell her how her harabeoji (grandfather, in Korean) had initially wanted me to marry a Korean American, like myself, who understood both cultures. At least, a fellow American, but definitely not a European from the other side of the world. I don't tell her how Harabeoji got his friend to explain in more fluent English how he feared I'd be far away in a foreign country, never come home again, just as he'd never returned to Korea. My mother had her doubts too, reminding me how difficult it was to be an immigrant. I already understood because I was living in Stockholm at the time, feeling alien to myself, lost and diminished.

Instead, I say: "Harabeoji thought it'd be easier to marry someone from the same country. But he met Papa and knew he was the best person ever. Then you came into our lives and Harabeoji couldn't imagine a world without you." This is all true. "So even stubborn people can change their minds, be happier afterward. If enough people change their minds together--"

"Then girls can become scientists and wear pants."

I never expected that my daughter would want to hear this story multiple times and hoped she hadn't told my mother-in-law. But recently I realized, it's her Origin Myth--how she entered the world, how she's the explanation for why things are and should be.

Another oft-requested story: When she was a few days old, I'd cried on the phone because I was afraid my old car, after stalling a few times, wouldn't be safe for my new baby. My father told me not to cry, don't worry. Next day, he pooled money with my brother and bought a new Hyundai, driving it from L.A. to San Francisco. "Harabeoji put the keys in your baby hand."

My father died a couple of years ago in his office chair, with fresh print-out photos of his one-month-old grandson on his desk. I live in Stockholm again, as wife and mother. I tell my daughter that someday she can also tell stories of Harabeoji to her baby brother.

-- Angela Hur

Email libraryteam@workman.com to be entered in a drawing to win one of five copies of Folklorn.

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 END OF THE OCEAN (Fiction) by Maja Lunde

A captivating novel about a father, a daughter, and a journey that begins where the water ends. An evocative tale of the search for love and connection, this book is a profoundly moving father daughter story of survival. We're giving away FIVE copies of this incredible book, click here to enter.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on THE END OF THE OCEAN to read more and to email author Maja Lunde, you'll get a reply.

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

Dear Reader Column -- April 16, 2021

Dear Reader,

It's funny how things from your childhood stick with you throughout your life. Even little things like making sure the window blinds are hanging straight still haunt me to this day. Heaven forbid I pull on the cord to raise my window blind, and the left side ends up pointing toward the ceiling, while the right side tilts towards the floor. Even just a teeny, tiny bit of unevenness causes me distress, because for a number of years my parents and I lived in a trailer. Looking back, it was a matchbox compared to the luxury trailer homes that folks live in today. Not a lot of square footage, but clean and enough room for the three of us; Mom and Dad and me. I don't recall anyone teasing me about living in a trailer. But somewhere along the way, I picked up a clear message that living in a trailer might invite some people to refer to you as "trailer trash," and somehow in my little kid mind, I decided that from the outside looking in, I could fend off the trailer trash label if I made sure the bottoms of our window shades were always hanging perfectly straight.

Today I live in a historical home and the original 1926 windows are adorned with simple, white, wooden-slated shades. Twist the wooden dowel and the slats open to let the light in. Pull on the cord and the entire shade gently glides up the window, or to block the afternoon sun I can pull the shade down--and here's the tricky part--making absolutely sure the bottom of the shade is straight. Yes, uneven blinds are still a concern of mine--a secret concern--until the other day when my husband and I were heading out to do an errand. As I was opening the car door, I looked up and there staring at me, with a sly little smile, was a crooked shade. Horrified, I felt as if someone had seen me standing naked in the living room. Quickly I slammed the car door shut, and ran into the house to straighten the shade.

"What's up with you and the shades?" my husband asked when I came back to the car.

I'd never really thought about my obsession before, so I was surprised at my response, "I don't want people to think we're trailer trash..." and I told him my story.

Isn't it funny how things from your childhood stick with you. It's time for me to let go of "trailer trash," which means it's time to adjust all my shades--just a little bit crooked.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Congratulations to the winners of When Anxiety Strikes by guest author Dena Douglas Hobbs and her husband Jason Hobbs: Angie G., Lisa R., Patricia G., Sheri R. and Pam N.

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

KIDSBUZZ: It's National Poetry Month - check out A POEM IS A FIREFLY written by Charles Ghigna, a new picture book and "charming ode for beginning young bards" (Kirkus) that gets kids thinking about the wonder and magic of poetry. For a chance to win a free copy, to talk with the author, and more, click here.

Dear Reader Column -- April 15, 2021

Dear Reader,

When someone asks me in person or in an email, "So how are things?" of course my answer is, "Oh, everything is fine." Whether it is or isn't. Most people aren't really expecting a detailed answer, they're just being polite. So I'm only honest with good friends. I hope my truth-telling about, "How have things been?" is taken as a compliment by my friends--that I feel comfortable enough to confide in them--and I let them know they can reciprocate any time.

"So, how have you been?" A friend emailed me the other day.

And I replied...

"Well, for the past six weeks my grandkids have had one bad cold after another. And each time one has to stay home from school, they pass the "bug" on to my son or daughter-in-law. A few weeks ago, all five of them went down at once. So I provided dinner every day for a week, so at least it would be one thing off their to-do list.

The following week, it was my turn to "go down." I dealt with bouts of occipital neuralgia, then my IBS wanted its turn, and in the midst of that I had to get my monthly 13 Botox eye injections for my BEB, then one of our cats got sick so my husband and I had to go to the vet. Then our granddaughter came to visit for nine days, and the big Easter Hunt and dinner was at my house. Even though I loved having my granddaughter and hosting Easter for the family, I forgot to wear my Superwoman outfit, so I've been feeling a bit tired.

And then this past Saturday, I went out to fill the bubble machine I run in front of my house every day, and when I bent over, my entire body was instantly engulfed with excruciating pain. I almost went down on the driveway pavement, but I managed to get back to our side porch door, and my husband helped me in. I couldn't lay down. It was too painful. At one point, I debated about calling 911. "Can you come and get me off the floor?" But finally my husband got me all set up in a chair that was bearable to sit in...and then 'OH NO' I had to pee.

I couldn't walk into the bathroom myself (I couldn't walk anywhere), so I hung onto the back of my husband's belt on his jeans, and since I had socks on, he was able to slide me over the tile floors toward the bathroom. But I bared down so hard on his belt while he was pulling me across the floor, that I pulled his jeans down to his knees. What a party, eh? You just gotta laugh!

"So how have you been?"

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read (and commiserate) with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

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

(Fantasy) DRAGON REVEALED by Donna Grant

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

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

Dear Reader Column -- April 14, 2021

Dear Reader,

Last week when I asked readers to share personal stories from their library, I noticed that several of the libraries mentioned were named, Carnegie. I have a vague recollection of learning in history class that Andrew Carnegie built libraries all over the US., but I decided I needed to know more, so thanks to several Google sites...

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the US steel industry in the late 19th century and is one of the richest Americans in history. His philanthropic interests centered around the goals of education and world peace. Carnegie believed the establishment of free public libraries would make available to everyone a means of self-education.

Carnegie built 2,509 libraries between 1883 and 1929. More than half, 1,689, were built in the US and 660 more were built in the UK and Ireland. He also built libraries for communities in eleven other countries. Nearly all of Carnegie's libraries were built according to "the Carnegie formula," which required financial commitments for maintenance and operation from the town that received the donation. Amazingly, there were only a few public libraries in the world when, in 1881, Carnegie began to promote his idea.

Thanks to Andrew Carnegie, our libraries are a staple of our communities, and I was happy to host a National Library Week party last week at the book club--compete with giveaways. Here are the winners:

Keep Calm and Read Books phone/tablet stand: Gabriele K., Hall County Library System

Shhh, I'm reading, Owl tote bag: Pat R., Jean Rhein Central Branch Library

Handmade Pure Essential Oil Bath Bombs: Alyson N., Harris County Public Library

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies:
Paula K., Scott County Public Library
Debbie M., Shorewood High School Library
Sharon C., St Petersburg Public Library, North Branch

Winners of my recent book giveaway: Anthony M., Becky Y., Nancy P., Trudy M., Barb W., Nikki G., Martha A., Phyllis S., Hilda L., Reina R. and Sathiya M.

Readers share their (Carnegie) library memories...

"Dear Suzanne, each Saturday my mother and I would walk up the hilly street to the Carnegie library in Easton PA. A family was allowed to check out five books on one card. At first my mother would get two books and I would get three. Soon I wanted more so my mother finally marched up to the children's librarian and asked if I could have my own card. It was an unheard of request, since I was not attending school yet. Mother held her ground, the librarian sputtered and finally checked with her supervisor. Finally she returned and told us that I could have a card if I could print my name. No problem. I printed my first and last name and was given my own card. Later she told me that I was the youngest person to have a library card. I was not four years old yet. We happily marched home with our 10 books." -- Maris S.

"I grew up as a child in the small, northern Ohio town of Bellevue. My mom loved to read and taught my brother and me to love to read also. Our dad died when we were very young, and there was very little extra money in our home at the end of every month. Therefore, the local Carnegie-Stahl Public Library's annual culling sale was a huge event to us. The library would sort out books that were getting too worn or had been damaged, or beautiful books that hadn't been circulating well. These would be put out for a sale on a yearly basis. AND, most importantly (to us, anyhow!), each book was sold for a nickel. A nickel! I still remember the thrill of getting a whole quarter for each of us to spend at each year's sale. FIVE books could be purchased! I still have one of those books from one of those sales with the five cent price on it. And, yes the circle has gone fully around: I now help with the library's semi-annual sale in my own current community." -- Barbara R.

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: It's National Poetry Month - check out A POEM IS A FIREFLY written by Charles Ghigna, a new picture book and "charming ode for beginning young bards" (Kirkus) that gets kids thinking about the wonder and magic of poetry. For a chance to win a free copy, to talk with the author, and more, click here. 

Dear Reader Column -- April 13, 2021

Dear Reader,

If you work at a library, today's the last day to enter my Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway. If you're one of the three lucky winners, a batch of my homemade chocolate chip cookies will be delivered right to your front door. To see photos of past librarians and book club readers dunking and munching, and to enter, click here.

Please take a minute and email this week's guest author Marcia Talley. She has written Done Gone, and seventeen previous novels featuring Maryland sleuth, Hannah Ives. A winner of the Malice Domestic grant and an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel, Marcia won an Agatha and an Anthony Award for her short story Too Many Cooks and an Agatha for her short story Driven to Distraction. She is author/editor of two star-studded mystery collaborations, Naked Came the Phoenix and I'd Kill For That, and her short stories appear in more than a dozen magazines and anthologies. Marcia divides her time between Annapolis, Maryland and restoring a quaint Loyalist cottage in the Bahamas which was devastated by hurricane Dorian.

In Marcia's latest novel, Done Gone, Hannah Ives is worried when her long-time neighbors, Peter and Trish Young, are a surprising no-show at her Italian night. As she struggles to make sense of the Youngs' inexplicable disappearance, Hannah gets a call from Trish. But when she meets up with her heavily disguised friend, their reunion takes a devastating twist.

Marcia has two copies of "Done Gone" for two lucky book club winners. Say "Hello" and when you do, you'll be entered in the book giveaway. Email: marcia.talley@gmail.com

The Family Vault

It started simply, as addictions usually do. I spit into a test tube and sent it off for DNA testing. While awaiting results, I began constructing my family tree on a popular genealogy website and found myself sucked, head-first, down a rabbit hole as I began visiting my relatives...the dead ones, that is.

Fortunately, there's a lot I already knew. A great-great-uncle on my father's side was deep into genealogy and wrote a book about it. Then there's my Mormon cousin who provided a family tree that takes our family back--seriously--to Ragnhild "Hilda" Hrolfsdatter, born in 0836 in Maer, Norway.

Confession: their deaths fascinate me.

Sometimes tombstones tell the tale. In November 1910, baby Robert Culver, my second cousin once removed, lived only six hours. His mother, Helen, died a day later.

Or obituaries in local newspapers. "Papa Hise," a relative on my mother-in-law's side, fetched the shotgun from the attic, killed the family dog before the horrified eyes of his daughter, Odie Grace, then shot himself in the head. Then there was the Brelsford great-uncle who went West to seek his fortune. When prospecting didn't pan out, he shot his car before turning the gun on himself. Better the car than the dog, I say.

But the real treasure are the death certificates you discover online. My second great-grandmother Helen Drew lost four children, ages 15, 17, 20 and 25, in a single year during a typhoid epidemic. I. Can't. Even. My husband's step-grandfather, drop-dead handsome James, was caught between train cars and decapitated.

One relative was stabbed to death at age 21. What's that all about, I wonder? Another, a Rebel, died of smallpox in a Yankee prisoner of war camp. My great-grandmother, Marcia Jane Drew, for whom I was named, died at age 42 in Lowell, Massachusetts during dental surgery, or so my grandfather firmly believed. And yet there's her death certificate, staring me in the face: ovarian tumor. As a cancer survivor who confidently stated "no history of cancer in my family" that would have been good to know. My third great-grandmother, Sarah Drew, died of "suicide by hanging." Really? At age 84? I feel a novel coming on.

Genealogy is now a passion. After building my own family tree, I happily help friends research theirs. If the contents of friend and family closets ever peter out, what with the popularity of Scandinavian Noir these days, maybe I'll start writing under a family-inspired pseudonym--Hilda Hrolfsdatter has a nice ring to it, don't you agree?

-- Marcia Talley

Email: marcia.talley@gmail.com and when you do you'll be entered to win one of two copies of her new book, Done Gone.

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 04-12-2021

Dear Reader,

What fun to finally have a family get together for Easter. Eleven of us (adults, all vaccinated), eating at tables set up outdoors, an Easter Egg Hunt, games the grandkids loved--but took the grownups out of their comfort zones. We were finally able to have a real celebration!

The pictures tell the story, better than I ever could. Enjoy!

To see Easter party photos, click here.

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.

DRAGON REVEALED (Fantasy) by Donna Grant

Long ago I had a dream of writing dragons. I finally got that chance in 2012 with the Dark Kings series has spawned many books, and the new spin-off series, the Dragon Kings. There are new villains afoot. And a Dragon learns what it means when his fate is left in the hands of a beautiful, captivating woman who will do anything to destroy him.

Click on the link to Authorbuzz and the book jacket or email: 1001DarkNights@gmail.com to enter to win one of five copies.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on DRAGON REVEALED to read more and to email author Donna Grant, you'll get a reply.

***

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

Dear Reader Column 04-09-2021

Dear Reader,

The party isn't quite over. We've been celebrating National Library Week every day with a fun giveaway. Today, for the big finale, I'm ready to bake. If you work at a library, be sure to enter today's Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway. If you're one of the three lucky winners, a batch of my homemade chocolate chip cookies will be delivered right to your front door. To see photos of past librarians and book club readers dunking and munching, and to enter, click here.

"Hi Suzanne, my library memory actually spans a number of years, beginning with my mother taking me to story time at my hometown (Carnegie) library. Mrs. McPherson was the children's librarian and I thought she had the very best job in the whole world. My love of library books and reading continued as I got older. I went to the library almost every week with my father, who was always reading at least two books at a time. He instilled in me a deep love of books, and he certainly led by example. Even after I went away to college, I continued going to the library with him when I was home. It was precious father/daughter time. No one (especially my dad), seemed at all surprised when I decided to pursue a master's degree in library science--a decision I have never regretted! Both of my parents are gone now, but their encouragement and love of books will always be with me. Thank you, Suzanne, for prompting this walk down memory lane!" -- Jane R.

"Dear Suzanne, I remember my childhood library like it was yesterday, and it's been 50 plus years since I've been there. I lived in Baltimore and my library was the Northwood branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library. I would walk there sometimes by myself, sometimes with my younger brother... I could spend hours just looking and loving all the possibilities to explore and read. When I looked up the library to get the branch name, I saw that my walk was 1.1 miles each way, and my mother would let me just go by myself. Since we moved from that house when I was ten, I would have been pretty young making that trip. I'm sure it has been remodeled over the years, but I can still see the card catalog and the rows upon rows of shelving. Thanks for the prompt to bring back that memory. One of my great joys has always been to read with friends!" -- Sincerely, Mary S.

"Dear Suzanne, my hometown library in Cazenovia, NY had everything I needed as a young reader--a room full of children's books, plus a secret back corner where I could sit for hours and read books from the adult area, that the librarian wouldn't have let me check out yet. It even had a mummy upstairs! I lived close enough to walk there, and it was dark and cool inside during the long hot days of summer.

But I am even more appreciative of that same library now, which has grown to include an art gallery and special display area for the mummy. As my parents grew older they became avid patrons, bringing visiting grandchildren to select books, requesting interlibrary loans, and signing up for new releases. The staff of the Cazenovia Public Library have been unfailingly helpful. It's just my mom now, and I'm so thankful to the library for being supportive during her long year of pandemic isolation. When she called to ask about a poetry book that they didn't own, they bought it! She read from it nightly to her grandchildren in Miami and renewed it two or three times. Yesterday when I visited her, one of our errands was to return it.

I have so much admiration and respect for public library staff everywhere, who have stretched their services during this past year to continue to support their communities. Thank you to all of them." -- Jennifer G.

Thank you so much to everyone who shared library memories with me this week. I'll be posting the National Library Week winners next week in my column.

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

Celebrating National Library Week,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 04-08-2021

 
Dear Reader,

We're celebrating National Library Week this week with special giveaways for librarians and staff. If you work at a library, feel free to enter today's giveaway--perfect after a long day at the library--a tin of Handmade Pure Essential Oil Bath Bombs. To enter click here.

Readers share their library memories...

"I was a latch-key child from about age seven, since both my parents needed to work. I went to the library on my way home from school twice a week. The librarians kept me company, helped me with homework, and suggested wonderful stories for me. I truly think they saved me." -- Betty L.

"As a child I was a weekly visitor to our neighborhood library. It was a magical building which held the wonders of the world for me, presided over by a tiny woman, my librarian Mrs. Gillespie. Each Monday evening my whole family would walk down to the library where each of us would select the books for our week's reading. My two sisters and I would take our children's library cards and our chosen books to Mrs. Gillespie, who would check them out for us, generally talking to us about some of our choices. And when we returned them the next Monday, she would ask us about our experiences with those particular books.

On one Monday evening when I was ten years old, I chose a very different kind of book, one that had no pictures and was much longer than my regulars. It was He Went with Marco Polo and I had somewhere heard of an explorer named Marco Polo. Mrs. Gillespie commented that this didn't look like what I usually selected, and she hoped I would like it. Oh, but I did...I was entranced. The next week when I returned the book, she asked me if I had really read the whole book and I bubbled over. Leaning on top of her desk I explosively told her the whole story. She asked questions from time to time eliciting more and more details. When I finally ran out of words, Mrs. Gillespie asked me for my library card, then magic of magic, she handed me back my Adult library card. Now I could check out books from all parts of the library, not just the children's department. This wonderful lady led me into the truly magic land of reading everything. Thanks for bringing this back to my memory today." -- Judie H.

"Dear Suzanne, When I was in high school I decided I wanted to start making dinners at my house. My mom didn't have much interest in cooking, and she worked full time, so didn't have the time to cook either. I went to my very small neighborhood library and grabbed as many women's magazines as I could find. I wasn't allowed to check them out, so I brought lined paper and my sharp pencils and sat down to copy the recipes that sounded yummy. The nice library lady (which is what I called her back then), helped me find the magazines and showed a lot of interest in what I was up to. I did this once a week, for I can't remember how long. When I got home, my mom would add what I needed to the grocery list and I would try out the new recipes. I had great fun, my parents could relax a bit while I cooked, and we all enjoyed (mostly) my efforts. I don't have any of those recipes around, but I've always loved trying new dishes and now there are so many sources that I've given up using paper and pencil! Bon appetit," -- Linda F.

If you've had a memorable moment at the library, when you were a kid or all grown up, I'd love to hear about it. I bet the librarians who read at the book club would love to hear about it, too. Email your moments to: Suzanne@DearReader.com

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

Celebrating National Library Week,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 04-07-2021

Dear Reader,

We're celebrating National Library Week this week with special giveaways for librarians and staff. If you work at a library, be sure to enter today's giveaway, for your own "Shhh, I'm reading," tote bag with an adorable owl wearing huge eyeglasses. It's a small token of our appreciation for everything you do. To enter please click here.

This week I'm asking folks who work at a library to share memorable moments and the creative ideas they've been implementing this past year, to keep their library open. Today I'd like to thank Lee and Charlotte for sharing some of their experiences with me.

"Suzanne, thank you for the librarian shout out! In my small town we have been open, closed, open for curbside, reduced hours, closed to the public and fully open; all within less than a year. It's been challenging to continue to serve the public while keeping them AND our staff safe. We're doing it. Programming has gone virtual and is finding a new audience that we normally wouldn't be able to reach. Our staff have remained vigilant and healthy. We still encounter those who refuse to wear a mask or laugh at our plastic barriers. That I don't understand. While we aren't considered essential, we very much feel like we are and find ourselves on the front lines. We are still here but we are also tired, anxious and stressed. So thank you for the recognition. It is much appreciated." -- Lee M.

"Thank you for your column about National Library Week. It's nice to know that our hard work has been seen and appreciated. During lockdown, the administrative librarians including myself took turns answering phones for all seven branches and the bookmobile that we serve. We answered questions, provided various places to go to get the services we normally provided and more. I assisted a lady in the purchase of a Kindle as we had increased our total number of digital materials by double. The following months, we had curbside service. We are just returning to somewhat normal, and thankfully we have done away with late fees on all materials. This was something we had hoped to provide to our customers. It's hard not to get attached to them, and we missed them while we were on lockdown. In August, I left my branch work to take a job at the Service Center where I catalog all of the new items we received and assist in maintaining collections in all branches. I was a school librarian for 18 of my 24 years in education, and I've worked for the public library system for 8 years now."-- Charlotte Nance, MS, Western Plains Library System

To celebrate National Library Week please tell me what creative ideas your amazing library staff has been doing this year to keep your library open. Or share a memorable moment. I'd love to hear about it and I'll share it with our book club readers. Email me at: Suzanne@DearReader.com

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

Celebrating National Library Week,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com