Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 05-22-19

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,

It happened again...

I hate it when it happens. I'm in the checkout line, my groceries are bagged, the clerk tells me to insert my credit card into the machine and the clerk and I wait, and we wait. The line behind me is getting longer, the clerk is tapping her pen waiting for the "approved" response, but instead "DEADBEAT" flashes across the screen. Well, that's not really what the message says, but that's what I feel like it says.

"This card is declined." The clerk is looking at the long line behind me. "Do you have another credit card I could try?"

"No, I don't. But really," I tell her, "there is money on my card. Believe me--I pay it off every month. The credit card company has obviously made a mistake. They even sent me a letter last week wanting to increase my credit line. There's plenty of money. Really there is."

But I can tell from the look on the cashier's face, she's not sold. Reality sets in and I retreat a bit, "I bet that's what everyone says to you, don't they?" She nods.

By now everyone in line and within 10 feet of me has taken a shopping respite, quite entertained by my pleas of innocence, delivering a stellar performance, ratcheting each line up a notch, without going over the top. (Somehow I think that volume increases believability--it doesn't.)

My purchase is voided and I'm led away to the service desk, so I can contact my credit card company. Twenty minutes later--ten minutes of that time on hold--I'm proven innocent. All charges are dropped. But by this time the original "jurors" have all left the store, even the cashier went home for the day, so there are no witnesses to hear about being innocent.

So the "Not guilty" verdict is a bit of letdown, because I was really looking forward to making an official announcement to somebody, so maybe that's why I'm writing about it today, proclaiming...

"I am innocent. There is plenty of money available on my credit card."

Ah, that felt good...thanks for listening.

* Congratulations to Sarah J., the winner of Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages by Michael Popek.

And the winners of a signed copy of The King's Mercy by Guest Author Lori Benton are: Merrill H., Brenda B. and Dorine D. Your books will be in the mail soon.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

KIDSBUZZ: Two must-have reads for your kids and teens. NYT bestseller and Mathical Prize winner Robie H. Harris--and a puppy--help preschoolers problem-solve and discover math concepts in NOW WHAT?: A Math Tale; and THE BONE CHARMER, a YA novel by Breeana Shields, full of twists and turns, magic, and unimaginable choices. "I was absolutely swept away by the world of THE BONE CHARMER," Kendare Blake, #1 NYT Bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns. Maybe you will be too! For a chance to win a free copy and learn more, see KIDSBUZZ.

This month's Penguin Classics book is THE STONEWALL READER, by the New York Public Library, and including a foreword by Edmund White. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-21-19

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,

Anita Agers-Brooks motivates people to dynamic breakthroughs as an inspirational business/life coach, international speaker, and certified personality trainer.

Anita also hosts the globally popular podcast, Tending Your Dreams. As much as Anita loves traveling, speaking, coaching, and writing, her favorite pastime is dipping her toes in a Missouri lake and laughing with family. Anita doesn't mind a good latte either. An award-winning author, from the page and stage, she educates and inspires people to make a difference and influence well.

Anita's latest books are Getting Through What You Can't Get Over: Stories, Tips, and Inspiration to Help You Move Past Your Pain into Lasting Freedom and Exceedingly: Spiritual Strategies for Living on Purpose, with Purpose, and for an Abundant Purpose.

Five copies of Exceedingly are waiting to be sent to readers. To enter the drawing, simply email: anita@anitabrooks.com

Please welcome Anita Agers-Brooks to the book club...

My toes curled deep into the soft, green moss. I breathed in the perfume of honeysuckles, naked earth, and crisp summer air beneath my Thinking Tree, a massive oak standing guard behind my childhood home. I simultaneously reveled in the moment while I mentally traveled into the future. This was the place and time, where I first learned how to tend my dreams.

I looked toward the sapphire sky dotted with cotton balls and imagined an adult me. I wondered about the Maker of this amazing universe and asked a series of questions.

Why did you create me?
What am I supposed to do with my life?
Where will I live when I grow up?
Who will I marry, if I find a mate at all?
When will I make my mark on the world?
Why do I exist?

I listened for several long minutes, but only the birds responded right away, their bright chirps wafting from the trees, along with an occasional dropping. (I was grateful for the canopy protecting my head.) I did not receive instantaneous results, though through the years, the answers would eventually come.

As children, many people allow themselves the wonder of purpose and dreams. Sadly, by the time they reach adulthood, most let the hurried and harried pace of "just getting by" smother their deepest desires. It's a travesty I hope to change by sharing a reminder. This is a message I believe every human being should consider and allow to resonate in their soul. If you are reading this now, this message is meant for you.

You, dear reader, were created on purpose, with purpose, and for an abundant purpose.

Regardless of how you were conceived, or what anyone else may have told you, you are not a cosmic accident and you are not a mistake. You have special abilities, giftings, and talents that the world needs you to discover, cultivate, and share. You have dreams you are made to tend. Don't worry if you haven't figured out what they are yet, that's part of the adventure of being alive. You will find your purpose--if you seek it.

If you don't know where to start, get outside, like I did as a girl sitting under my Thinking Tree. Go for a walk and get alone with your thoughts. Spread a blanket on the grass, lay down, and imagine. Take your shoes off and curl your toes into the soft soil, let your ideas run wild. Because, tending your dreams best happens in the creative arms of nature.

-- Anita Agers-Brooks
Email Anita at: anita@anitabrooks.com and you'll be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a copy of Exceedingly.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

WAISTED (Fiction) by Randy Susan Meyers

Did your mother hide the cookies? (Mine hid everything sweet and my aunt's scale lived in the kitchen entryway). Naturally, food ruled my life. Alice and Daphne harbor the same secret: obsession with their weight overshadows concerns about their children, husbands, work--and everything else of importance in their lives. Scales terrify them. But when they're chosen for a documentary about women and their bodies--an endeavor that promises healing--they instead find themselves in a terrifying lock-down.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on WAISTED to read more and to email author Susan Meyers, you'll get a reply.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE STONEWALL READER, by the New York Public Library, and including a foreword by Edmund White. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-16-19

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

Dear Reader,

Have you ever come across any interesting inscriptions inside old, used books? Last week I asked readers, and below are some of their replies...

"I found a copy of Mitch Albom's book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven at a used book store and someone had inscribed, 'Dear John, I do sincerely hope you're one of my five..." -- Toni R.

"Suzanne wait until you read this--it's true. My friend found a photo of an inscription found in an old book. 'Note to the new owner of this book: This is a really terrible book, but I paid a lot of money for it and so I thought it should be donated for a chance to make some money for the cancer charity--so some good will come of my ridiculous and foolish purchase. I am sorry to say you are the unlucky one, having spent money on this book. But when you discover how horrible this book is, please think of the good your purchase price may do for the charity.' Unfortunately, I don't know the title of the book that was so hated, but maybe that's a good thing! Love reading with you!" -- Margaret P.

"Before my weekly Star Base Andromeda science fiction club meeting, I swung by a used bookstore and found four free boxes of old SF paperbacks on the sidewalk outside of the store. I consolidated most of those into two boxes, and I brought them to the meeting. As a group, those of us in attendance that night we went through the books and selected those we each wanted to keep. Most of us had passed on The Survival of Freedom, an anthology edited by Jerry Pournelle, but my friend Mike took it, then afterwards discovered it was signed by three of the contributing authors--Jerry Pournelle, Poul Anderson and the late, great Robert Heinlein. Quite the find!!" -- Scott C., Lincoln City Libraries

"Hi Suzanne, I just read today's email concerning messages found in books by other people. Though I haven't found messages, I have found different things people have used for bookmarks. And there's a book written by Michael Popek, called Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages that I just discovered and asked my son to get it for me for Mother's Day." -- Marjorie A.

(Suzanne replies:) Marjorie, I hope your hint inspired your son to buy a copy of Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages for you for Mother's Day. Your email has inspired me to make today's giveaway for readers, a copy of Forgotten Bookmarks. To enter the drawing, click here.

Congratulations to the May Chocolate Chip Cookie winners, I'm baking over the weekend and your cookies will be boxed up and shipped on Monday. Lolita M., Robeson County Public Library; Gayle H., Tamaqua Public Library and Dorothy M., Hurst Library, get ready to dunk and munch!

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

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

(Fiction) LIES WE KEEP by Danielle Rose

(Fiction) NO IVORY TOWER by Stephen Davenport

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

* * *

* This month's Penguin Classics book is THE STONEWALL READER, by the New York Public Library, and including a foreword by Edmund White. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-15-19

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

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author, Mariah Fredericks, titles her column "The Books I'll Never Read and Never Give Away." Now that's a heading that draws you in. Born and raised in New York and still living with her family there, in addition to writing several YA novels, Mariah is the author of a new mystery series featuring ladies' maid Jane Prescott. Death of No Importance and Death of a New American, are the first two titles in the series.

Mariah loves to communicate with readers, contact her through her website

Please welcome to the book club, Mariah Fredericks...

The Books I'll Never Read and Never Give Away

I am a re-reader, a condition that dooms me to crowded shelves and a decorating style to accommodate them. The cherished re-reads sit beside books I've read and will not read again, like the Penguin Oliver Twist I bought in London as a teenager. The type is now too small and faded to be read comfortably, but I can't give it away. And of course, there are the major books I should read, but haven't quite got to yet. (One day, The Power Broker, one day!)

Then there are the books I haven't read, will never read, but will keep forever. Books like Harris On the Pig, a handsome little volume that offers "practical hints for the pig farmer." This "classic of American ingenuity" was first published in 1883 and repackaged in 1999 by Lyons Press. Illustrated with drawings of various breeds and types of piggeries, it is full of delightful information such as a table that shows "the average composition of different articles of food, together with the relative value of the manure made from the consumption of one ton of each food." (Linseed cake seems to give the best value.) Harris urges kindness to pigs; they are sensitive and their keepers must love them. I live in New York City. I will never keep pigs, sadly. But I will keep Harris On the Pig.

Another book I'll never give away is my mother's copy of The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Originally, I kept it because I knew she loved the book and I liked seeing her careful inscription claiming it as her own: Joan Bundy, 8-7-52. Only years later, when I was flipping through to see if it was worth a read, did I notice another inscription. "For Joan, with all the best wishes of a fellow Laurentian."--Thornton Wilder.

The last book that comes to mind is not beautiful or signed. It's a 75 cent paperback called Harry of Monmouth by A.M. Maughan. The cover announces that it is "a magnificent novel of war and conquest." Also "the unforgettable story of Henry V, soldier-king." A quick look at the prose suggests that it's actually pretty forgettable. My father bought this book for me when he and my mother were on vacation in Cape Cod. I was in college and too grown up for family holidays. But my dad knew I loved historical fiction and that the story of Henry V was one of my early favorites. I imagine he found it in a second hand shop and thought, Why not? I have to imagine, because I never got to ask him. A few days later, he died of a heart attack. Harry of Monmouth came back in his suitcase. And it has stayed on my shelf ever since.

-- Mariah Fredericks

Send Mariah a message welcoming her to the book club.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 05-14-19

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

Dear Reader,

I have a copy of this month's Penguin Classics book up for grabs for one lucky reader, so be sure to enter the drawing and click on the link to sample this month's title, The Stonewall Reader, by the New York Public Library (Editor), and Edmund White (Foreword). Start reading today and enter for your chance to win

Memorial Day is less than two weeks away, so if you're going to a potluck or need a dish for a summer picnic, I would like to suggest a guaranteed winner. There's never anything left in the casserole dish when I take it to a picnic. It's a family favorite.

My Skunk Bean recipe is one of my all-time favorites, but I never knew the story behind the beans until I was looking through some old recipes I'd found in my mother's kitchen cupboard after she passed away. I discovered a folded piece of paper with the heading, "Beans for Skunk Party." Instantly I was smiling, because I realized how the Skunk Beans got their name.

Almost every other Sunday evening the Tindell clan (including my dad, his four sisters, and Grandma and Grandpa Tindell) got together to play some serious Euchre. The kitchen in Grandma Tindell's house was so small that when the table was pulled open to seat everyone, you could barely walk around it. But that didn't matter. Get out the blue and red chips, which represented pennies--it wasn't about the money--it was all about winning the game and could you "skunk" your opponents in the process.

Euchre isn't a complicated game, but until you've played awhile, the table talk can sound like a foreign language. "Fishing out, dead-set legend, the ribbit, farm hand or no ace/no face, follow suit, trump, and skunked--which means that you and your partner lost the game without scoring one single point. Rumor has it that in some Euchre circles a team that gets skunked, also gets a "bum run." (If you and your partner get skunked you must run about a predetermined route--naked!)

I was just a kid, who sat by herself in the living room watching The Wonderful World of Disney alone, because none of my dad's sisters brought their children along, and there was a wall between the kitchen and me, so as far as I know no one ever did a bum run. But I do remember my mother frequently taking Skunk Beans to the Sunday evening Euchre party.

SKUNK BEANS

8 bacon strips - very crisp
1 onion, chopped & sauteed
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard Dash garlic salt
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 can lima beans (drained)
1 #2 can pork and beans (drained) (#2 can = 20 oz can or 2 1/2 cups)

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Uncover and bake for another 1/2 hour.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

NO IVORY TOWER by Stephen Davenport

Everything that can possibly happen to humans, happens in schools, usually in the compressed period of one academic year. Boarding schools are especially intense, hermetic, mission-driven communities. As a retired teacher and headmaster, I couldn't have asked for better writing material. In my second novel, Rachel Bickham, a young teacher, has just been appointed head and is confident of success. But when an enraged talk show broadcasts a sex scandal involving a student, Rachel has to come up with a daring, go-for-broke strategy, and the battle begins. For a chance to win one of five copies, email stevdav@comcast.net

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on NO IVORY TOWER to read more and to email author Stephen Davenport, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 05-07-19

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

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author, Lori Benton, recipient of three Christy Awards, transports readers to the 18th century in her many novels, including Burning Sky, Many Sparrows and soon to be released, The King's Mercy. Lori's books bring life to the colonial and early federal periods of American history.

Please welcome author Lori Benton...

I Blame Kipling (or Childhood Influences on Themes that Resonate)

After publishing six historical novels set mainly on the 18th century North American frontier, it's become apparent that certain literary themes strike a deep chord with me: cultural displacement, adoption, and assimilation; lost or orphaned children; fish-out-of-water experiences; the rebuilding of a fractured identity. You'll find these themes explored by at least one character, usually more, in each of my books.

About a year ago I was asked: why do these themes appeal to you? The question sparked a great deal of thought. I've never set out with the intention of writing a novel about cultural displacement, or a character with a fractured identity struggling to belong. Those themes, or so it always seemed, found me as I fleshed out a character and wrote their story--not the other way around.

It wasn't until I sat down last December to watch Hollywood's latest version of The Jungle Book (Andy Serkis's live-action version, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle) that the simplest, and truest, answer to that question became clear: It's Rudyard Kipling's fault.

Disney's 1967 animated version of The Jungle Book, my first exposure to Kipling's story of an orphaned Indian boy--raised in the jungle by a bear, a panther, and a wolf pack--forced to face his true identity and choose where he belongs, captured my imagination at a pivotal time in my childhood. I was ten years old, and the desire to be a writer, a storyteller, had recently bloomed.

What fascinated me initially about Mowgli's story, as Disney depicted it, were the wolves--sparking another lifelong interest. But unbeknownst to ten-year-old me, the deeper themes of identity, displacement, and belonging were sinking their roots into my soul. They would begin emerging about the time I turned twenty and became serious enough about novel-writing to start thinking, and dreaming, about publication.

No doubt more stories absorbed after The Jungle Book reinforced my fascination with these particular themes, but Kipling's story of the orphaned Mowgli laid that foundation. It just needed that question about the themes in my novels to still be banging about in my mind when I took in a fresh rendition of the story to connect the two.

What about you? Are there themes that never fail to draw you to certain types of books and films? What resonates most deeply in the stories you read and watch? I'd love to hear from you!

-- Lori Benton
Email Lori at lori_benton26@hotmail.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 05-06-19

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

Dear Reader,

Marvin Gaye's, "I heard it through the grapevine" seems to be the most popular way for readers to discover the book club. Almost every reader who sent 20th-year Birthday Wishes to me, learned about the book club from a friend. Or a friend of a friend.

"Suzanne, I've been so fortunate to have been 'introduced' to you about a year ago by my friend, Karylee. What a transformative year it has been, thanks to you and the book club! I've loved getting your daily letters, always full of hope, compassion and good will. Starting each weekday with your 'voice' sets such a positive...I've introduced at least ten friends to you and the book club and have received many thanks!" -- Laurie H.

Why not forward today's email and the sign-up link below to your friends and tell them how much you enjoy the book club? They can sign-up here.

"Dear Suzanne, I've been quietly following you and your book suggestions since you began! I've shared your site with others and everyone appreciates your format and all of the great new 'reads' that you offer. Congratulations on 20 years of sharing! I wish you 20 more years of success. Keep up the awesome work--I'll be here, watching and reading. All the best. (P. S. Every time I put on a kitchen apron, I think of you, especially when I bake chocolate chip cookies!)" -- Mary B.

"I am so happy that I've won a few times over the years...I always tell friends and acquaintances about the book club and how they can not only read a portion of the book (before they decide whether or not to buy or borrow it), but about your various 'giveaways' and your own daily comments and observations. Now if only I could win your cookies! Thank you for being you, bubbles and all!" -- Alice M.

"Dear Suzanne, I am not certain how long I have been reading with you. A friend, Sue, helped me sign up...and said what a great time she has at the book club. I have never won chocolate chip cookies, but once in a while I win something.." -- Barbara Z.

Invite your friends to join the great books and daily antics at our book club. Thanks so much for spreading the word. Friends can sign-up here.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

** AUTHORBUZZ **

ENSNARED by Elisabeth Naughton

If you've never read the Eternal Guardians series, don't worry, you can start right here with ENSNARED and not be lost. The Eternal Guardians are a paranormal romance series set in modern times, but based on the ancient Greek myths. Each book is sexy, witty, full of action and romance, danger and deception...oh, and of course, a little bit of mythology from those great old stories. My new book introduces Ryder, a new immortal to the Guardian. I don't want to give too much away about Ryder, but I will say this: he is a dream weaver. He can infiltrate the dreams of mortals.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on ENSNARED to read more and to email author Elisabeth Naughton, you'll get a reply.

Dear Reader Column 05-02-19

Dear Reader,

Today I'm featuring a reader's "book confession." I'd love to hear yours.

"Hello, Suzanne,

Books are my friends, my stay-cations, my escape from pre-dental visit anxiety (I know you can relate), the day to day worries of caring for five special needs cats, and mostly just plain fun!

I enjoyed today's column, (about breaking reading rules) as I always do, but sometimes a column really hits home.

I have struggled through books that I did not enjoy, too. Kind of a 'you made your bed, now lie in it.' To go a step further, I have held onto books that I received as gifts which I knew immediately I would never read. I felt guilty about donating them. The same for books which were an impulse buy. How long is too long to hold onto an unwanted book? A year, a decade? I have a few that have sat that long in the bookcase!

I have won books from your featured authors, and even emailed back and forth with a few after reading their books. A free book is a wonderful gift to receive and more than once, I have explored a new genre or a topic that I may have never realized I would enjoy. And if it doesn't suit me, I offer it to friends and family. If there are no takers, I donate it. A few books that I have won have helped raise money for animal rescues by listing them in an online auction!

Books are the gift that keeps on giving, if you let them!

Thank you for reading this, Suzanne, and thank you for your generous heart!" -- Happy Spring, Linda F.

* Congratulations to the most recent winners of a book from my bookshelf: Arlene M., Heidi K., Leeanna H., Kris T., Laura R., Tami G., Kathy C., Susan R., Mara T., Stephen B. and Christine L.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 04-12-19

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

Dear Reader,

Readers love their libraries--and their librarians!

Is there a limit to the number of emails your inbox can handle in an hour? Ping, ping, ping, ping, ping...in celebration of National Library Week my inbox has been flooded with emails from readers--and librarians. What a treat! And what a compliment for all of the talented and hardworking librarians everywhere..

Today's National Library Week giveaway for librarians is a 20-pack of notecards adorned with colorful stacks of books. To enter, click here.

Readers Sending Thanks to Librarians...

Hi Suzanne, I want to recommend The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne. It is a nonfiction book about a six foot seven young man with Tourette's, a librarian, who learned to keep his tics under control through weight lifting. The library staff loved him because he was good at 'lurking' near the computers when kids were using them, checking on them to see if they were behaving online. His height was enough to ensure their good behavior. This is one of my favorite books. Happy Library Week to all those dedicated people who help us every day!" -- Linda F.

"I'm not a librarian, just a very grateful patron of my little library. I don't have to own a computer or buy a book, cd, or DVD. I am offered book discussion groups (which I find interesting and educational), as well as many other enjoyable programs. It is also a rewarding place to volunteer (used book sales ,etc.). And last (but not least!), helpful and cheerful librarians! I appreciate this opportunity to say thank you. -- Mary B. (Cary Area Public Library)

Librarians share what they love about their job...

"I am an elementary school librarian and have worked for my district for the past 22 years. Wow! I have seen so many changes. One thing I am so excited to incorporate is Read and Ride! When my elementary students come back from April vacation, they will see two recumbent exercise bicycles set up in the library. With their teacher's permission, students can come down to the library, hop on a bike and read while they ride! Exercise for the mind and body! Wish I could say this was my great idea but alas, it is not. I got the idea from a colleague in another local district." -- Katrina W., Elementary School Librarian, Greenwich Central Schools

"I've been a school librarian for 30 yrs. I survey my entering freshman class every year about different things to gauge their library experience in elementary and middle school. When I get to the question about reading--print vs. electronic...Print Always Wins. So as much as we want to believe that teens love all things digital, their reading preference is still print." -- Maria M.

"I've been an Outreach librarian for 10 plus years. The eBook has not replaced books for us and I really don't see a total replacement happening. Although there is one change, in that occasionally on our home visits we have to assist with helping a 90-year-old woman download books onto her Nook. She can't see to read standard 10 pt. large print, but can read on her devise with 14 pt., with a little help from her librarian to get the book there." -- Sharon

What a celebration. I'll announce the April Chocolate Chip Cookie librarian winners and the winners of the daily drawings next week.

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

Have a great weekend.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Dear Reader Column 04-11-19

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

Dear Reader,

"When life gives you lemonade, read in the shade" is the caption on the beautiful canvas tote bags I'm giving away to librarians today in celebration of National Library Week.

To enter the giveaway, click here.

Readers ask, Librarians reply:

(Q.) Do librarians have any pet peeves that we, as patrons, might keep in mind when we visit the library?

(A.) It would help librarians if patrons would not apologize, or feel embarrassed to ask questions. We have heard it all, there are very few things left to shock us, and we are happy to help. Also, please be willing to try. So many people start with statements like 'I can't use a computer' or 'It never works right; I am hopeless.' If you start in a negative frame of mind, it will be harder for me to help you, and it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. No one starts off knowing everything. -- Erica H., Reference Librarian, Lee County Library System

(A.) The only library pet peeve I have is The Little Free Public Library. I love them, I use them regularly, and I hate to be a nit picker...but they are not libraries. Libraries are libraries because of librarians. Those beautiful boxes full of books are fabulous Little Free Book Boxes. A collection of books does not a Library make! But that's just my opinion. -- Arielle L.

(Q.) What do you love about your job as a librarian?

(A.) ...teaching a student how to do their own research and watching that 'Aha!' moment when it connects what they learn in the library, works at school, but also works in their everyday lives. -- Joey M., Merced College

(A.) Thanks for the shout-out to librarians! One of the things that I love about this job is that I get to see children grow up over the years. Children coming to story time, or trailing after their parents in the stacks, change right before our eyes. Those happy little faces mature into poised young adults studying for AP exams or doing research papers. It is a wonderful...to meet great families and watch them grow! -- Bridget B., Monmouth County Library

(A.) It makes me smile when a child walks into my library smiling, because they finished a book and loved it and they want another book just like that one! -- Lauralee F.

Thanks to all the librarians who are taking the time to email. Remember, if you're a librarian and you send me an email this week, you'll be entered in my Librarian Chocolate Chip Giveaway: Suzanne@DearReader.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

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

(Fiction)
DRAGON CLAIMED by Donna Grant

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