Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 05-27-2020

Dear Reader,

I don't know how you remembered, but a sincere "Thank You" to everyone who sent eCards, paper cards via USPS, and emails wishing me a "Happy Birthday," yesterday May 26th. I'm one of those people who keep track of birthdays (not requiring folks to remember mine--I do it because it's fun), and yesterday I was treated to the joy people must feel when they open one of my birthday cards.

A photo eCard: "Suzanne, I have it written down that today is your birthday, so I hope I'm right and I hope it's a happy one. Mine was a biggie in April, and I was supposed to be on a cruise from Portugal to Spain to celebrate. Instead, I got to pick which restaurant I wanted curbside pickup from. I hope that yours is more exciting. At least put some extra bubbles in the bubble machine! I consider the book club an everyday present, and thank you for providing something to look forward to each morning. Happy Birthday! -- Nancy B. in South Carolina

"Hi Suzanne,My calendar says that today is your birthday. Of course, my calendar could be wrong because the person making it out often is! But hope you have a good day if it isn't your birthday and an even more special day if it is.

Looking at my calendar, I see all the family birthdays and those birthdays for friends not related to us, but who seem like family to us. And you certainly feel like family to me. Hearing from you five days a week and knowing a little about your family and your life makes you seem family in my book! At any rate, I appreciate what you do, the many kindnesses you do for others with your calls, and baking and especially your daily book club. Have a special day for a special person--birthday or not! Sincerely, Friend," -- Dawn R.

Thanks for reading with me and for celebrating with me. You're the best!

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

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

EDEN (Fiction) by Jamie Lisa Forbes

My two previous books won awards for their portraits of Wyoming life. Now comes my new novel of Southern life in the 1950's. Young Rowen Hart's complacency is shattered by his father's suicide. While searching for a path forward for himself and a strange child with nowhere to go, every assumption of his upbringing will be cast into doubt.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on EDEN to read more and to email author Jamie Lisa Forbes, you'll get a reply.

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

Books for kids and tweens: First, LEAFY CRITTERS by Yvonne Lacet, a unique and practical art-and-craft book where inspiration comes from nature, perfect for fans of Eric Carle; and a funny and life-affirming middle-grade novel for kids 10 and up, MIDDLE SCHOOL'S A DRAG: YOU BETTER WERK! by Greg Howard. For a chance to win free copies, to talk with the authors, and more, see KIDSBUZZ.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-26-2020

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author, Tonya "T. I." Lowe, is a native of coastal South Carolina. She attended Coastal Carolina University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she majored in psychology but excelled in creative writing. In 2014, Tonya independently published her first novel, Lulu's Cafe, which quickly became a bestseller. Now the author of twelve published novels with hundreds of thousands of copies sold, she knows she's just getting started and has many more stories to tell. She resides near Myrtle Beach with her family. Her brand new book is Driftwood Dreams.

Please welcome Tonya to the book club: Email: ti.lowe@yahoo.com

Peeking inside a Crumpled Bag and Finding More than I Bargained For

Have you ever had an aha moment? So out of the blue, it makes you take a long pause to ponder it? I've had plenty of these moments over the years, but I'd like to share one in particular with you. A simple writing prompt in middle school turned into an aha moment for me.

'You find a paper bag on the side of the road. Describe what you find inside.'

Now keep in mind I'm an '80s kid from the South. We were still allowed outside to roam, usually barefoot, until the porch lights came on. So this writing prompt made sense at the time.

Once the papers were complete, all of the students had to share their stories. One student described finding a bag full of Sugar Babies candy, and the class thought that was the best thing ever. I agreed too, because those creamy caramel bites are so good! Another student found cold, hard cash in his bag--nothing wrong with that, either. Food, toys, and money were the fun yet practical route my classmates took. Everyone, that is, but me. My story in a nutshell:

The aroma of cotton candy and popcorn wafted from my bag at first, and that sounded similar enough to the others' stories, but that is where the similarities ended. I opened the bag, and jovial music escaped as I peeked inside. The lively scene before my eleven-year-old eyes unfolded and revealed a circus! Not a picture or plastic figurines, but a real-life circus filled with trapeze performances, clown parades led by giant elephants, and a ringleader directing it all.

You can imagine my embarrassment, thinking I'd really missed the mark on this. But then our teacher praised me for my creativity of thinking outside the "bag," and other students agreed it was pretty cool.

Their encouragement unleashed a dream that day, and that dream haunted me most of my life. See, I'm as country as corn bread and tend to talk in double negatives peppered with a good bit of Southern slang, so the idea of pursuing my dream of writing didn't seem attainable. Even with encouragement from most of my English teachers, the problem resided solely with me. Someone else could believe in me all day long, but it did me no good unless I believed in myself.

I was close to forty when I lost my mother after a difficult battle with cancer. This devastating event pushed me to hang up my insecurities and believe in myself, knowing full well I wasn't guaranteed a tomorrow to do it.

It's taken a lot of hard work to find my way into this epic book world, but I wouldn't give up the journey for anything and will continue to give it my all. Life is a gift, yet it has an expiration date. I've chosen not to waste any more time.

I encourage you to do the same--to find your own unique adventure in a "crumpled paper bag."

-- T. I. Lowe

Drop T.I. a note at ti.lowe@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.

QUEEN MOVE (Fiction) by Kennedy Ryan

The promise of romance is that, by the end, they'll live happily ever after. I'm profoundly interested in, not just how love ends, but how it's tried. I grew up in a rural community where everyone knew everyone and we looked out for each other. It was "found family" before I had a name for it. My novel weaves together the themes of love against all odds and found family into a tale that, I hope, will prove entirely unique and deeply familiar.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on QUEEN MOVE to read more and to email author Kennedy Ryan, you'll get a reply.

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column

Dear Reader,

"Hello, my name is Suzanne. I'm a volunteer for the Senior Friendship Center in Sarasota. The folks at the Friendship Center gave me your name and number, they wanted me to check and make sure you're able to safely get to the grocery store for food and other essentials."

Those words have been my opening lines day after day for the past two months. I know them by heart, because everyday I've been making phone calls checking in on seniors. "Would you like to receive the free frozen meal program the center offers?" And I continue on down the list of inquiries, leaving the question I dread asking the most for the end--because many times the answers bring me to tears."Would you like someone to give you a call once or twice a week to check in with you?"

And many times I hear such loneliness in their replies. "Well, if someone has the time to call. Yes I would like that. You see I'm 84 and I live alone in our house now, George, my husband, passed away two years ago. I miss him so much and I feel very lonesome sometimes."

Conversations like this one remind me of a woman I met years ago. I was attending a meeting and when it was finished, I had the feeling that an elderly woman sitting in my row needed a ride home. So I inquired and after one socially polite, "Oh, I wouldn't want to put you out" comment, she quickly accepted my offer.

The woman and I made casual, small talk conversation on the way to her house, which wasn't strange, after all we'd just met. But when we got to her house and it was time to say good-bye, for some reason I felt an overwhelming sense of urgency to get out of the car and give the woman a hug. I lightly put my arms around her and gave a quick squeeze, but when I dropped my arms, hers tightened around me in a firm, please-don't-stop embrace. We stood in her driveway for what seemed like a very long time, and when she released her grip, I could see tears in her eyes. "Thank you for the hug," she said, "my husband died eight months ago and I didn't realize until you hugged me just now, how much I miss the simple touch of another person."

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 LOST (Fantasy) by Donna Grant

I'm delighted to share the newest Dark King book with you. Join me on an emotional journey as the heroine, Annita, discovers that a prophecy about her meeting a dragon is real, and with the help of Royden, a Dragon King, changes the course of her life forever. And they find a love of a lifetime along the way.

Go to: AUTHORBUZZ click on DRAGON LOST 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.

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-22-2020

Dear Reader,

Memorial Day weekend is here, and normally our family is having a picnic at my house. But we're still playing it safe and staying in quarantine. So this year's traditional picnic will be a traveling dish picnic instead. I'm making my family favorite Skunk Beans recipe, putting on my mask, setting a covered dish of Skunk Beans on my son, daughter-in-law and grandkids front porch, ringing the bell and heading back out to my car. When my family comes out, I'll give a wave, a big "I love you!" and on to the next porch.

The recipe is easy to make, a guaranteed winner and it keeps in the refrigerator for one week--not that there's usually any leftovers.

If you've never read the story behind my Skunk Bean recipe, here you go. Enjoy!

For forty years Skunk Beans has been one of my go-to recipes, 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. When I found the recipe on an old folded piece of paper and read the heading, "Beans for Skunk Party" instantly I started 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'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--but it wasn't about the money--it was all about winning the game and trying to "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 around a predetermined route--naked!)

I was an only child who sat by herself in the living room watching The Wonderful World of Disney (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 none of my relatives ever did a bum run. Instead, whoever got skunked had to bring the Skunk Beans to the next Sunday evening Euchre party and I remember my mother bringing them almost every week!.

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

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-21-2020

Dear Reader,

My husband and I have been married 42 years. You'd think we'd know how to do it by now, wouldn't you? Stop and go, stop and go. We can't get the right rhythm going. Is it time yet? We're totally indecisive when we're trying to cross a street together.

My husband is a follow-the-rules kind of guy when it comes to crossing a street. We must wait for the little white pedestrian to appear in the signal box before crossing the road--that's his way of doing things.

My way is to look both ways, just like mother taught me, and then skedaddle across the road before that car, zooming straight for me, runs me down. No seriously, I'm careful, but for heaven's sake if there isn't a car in sight, why aren't we crossing the street? What are we waiting for? That's what I ask him every time we go for a walk.

I'm an aggressive pedestrian, but I'm a give-it-up driver. I gladly give up the right-of-way to anyone walking. Anybody out for a walk should be rewarded for exercising and experiencing the joys of nature during this pandemic.

Walking has always been popular here in Sarasota, the crosswalks are wide and there's a sign posted by them reminding drivers that if they don't stop for a pedestrian, they'll ante-up a steep fine. And that's as it should be. But my dear husband still insists on waving the cars on by, and he waits patiently until the light turns red and the traffic comes to a complete halt.

Q. Why is the chicken still standing on the side of the road?

A. Because he's standing next to my husband.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-20-2020

Dear Reader,

The night before, I told Alexa to set an alarm for 7 a.m. in the morning. It would be just enough time for me to down one cup of coffee, clean litter boxes, feed the cats, toss on some clothes, and clean out the trunk of the car. I was so excited. This is the time of year (I live in Sarasota), when I give the plants in my flower garden that have bloomed all winter, a haircut--a butch haircut. The plants will grow back stronger and they'll be gorgeous, but while I'm waiting for that to happen, the garden looks barren of any color. So every year, early in the month of May, I head for the nursery. But since we're in the midst of the pandemic, sadly I'd accepted the fact that I wouldn't be going to the nursery this year.

But as the adage goes: "Where there's a will, there's a way."

I called the nursery and explained to the man on the other end of the line, that I desperately wanted to buy some plants, but I didn't want to be around other people right now. (I'm staying in quarantine until I decide it's safer to go out.) "If you're here at 8 a.m. in the morning," he told me, "you'll probably be the only person in the nursery." And he was right. The next morning at 8 a.m. I put on my mask and gloves, got out of my car, grabbed a rolling flatbed cart, and headed into the open air rows and rows of plants, even though the overhead irrigation was still watering everything in the nursery and I was getting soaked--I didn't care.

When I'm surrounded by flowers at the nursery, I feel like I'm in a magical world. So normally, I spend a lot of time with the plants visualizing how the colors will look together and where I'm going to plant them when I get home. But not this time. When I saw something that made me smile, I grabbed it. Fifteen minutes later, the flatbed cart overflowed and I headed for the check out. The folks at the nursery had installed a counter extension with a plexiglass guard, so I was 6 feet away, and when it came time to pay, I inserted and retrieved my own credit card. I told the cashier I would load my own plants today, sprayed my receipt with sanitizer and away I went. Soaked, happy and smiling.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-19-2020

Dear Reader,

Please welcome today's guest author, Nancy Thayer back to the book club...

I'm going to confess to you all, for the first time ever, my new number one guilty secret.

I'm addicted to animal videos.

My favorite, which I play over and over again, is on YouTube. Just type "cockatoo dances to Elvis" and you'll see a two-minute video of me trying to get my husband's attention. The dancing cockatoo is just like me, flaunting my feathers and bobbing to the beat and trying to nuzzle, while the cockatoo husband (I'm pretty sure it's the husband) just wants to read his newspaper. Or that's how I interpret it. Each time I play it, I laugh so hard it hurts.

And guess what? Studies show that watching animal videos is good for your health! I'd watch them anyway, but it's great to know that they lower your blood pressure and relieve your stress. Also, I've read that laughter boosts the immune system and burns calories, although I'm not sure I believe the calorie-burning thing.

Of all the many gifts technology has brought us (even as we swear at our computer and phones for glitches), animal videos are one of the best. Who hasn't seen the video of a soldier coming home to a dog who races to him, his whole body wagging with joy? Dogs have no composure, no pretense, especially when it comes to love. And who knew how much love there is between species? I've seen videos of cats curled up with dogs, dogs playing with goats, a cow in a barn singing with a woman (I'm not making this up) and a cat riding around on the back of a horse, to name only a few.

In this spring of 2020, we're all especially emotional, but I think adults have become better at hiding their emotions (my mother-in-law would say having a little dignity) than we did as children. Of course there are times when we should. It would alarm my grandchildren if they saw me sobbing at a baby elephant stuck in a trench as the lions creep closer. (Don't worry. The elephant mother and friends take charge.)

The Greeks used the word "catharsis" to mean the release of emotions, allowing us to laugh and cry and take a deep breath and bravely go on. We all need that sometimes. Sometimes we need it a lot.

Therefore, I recommend to you: Facebook, Ladible: Goats Stumbling over Fence. Did you know that goats faint?

-- Nancy Thayer
You can reach out to Nancy, https://nancythayer.com/contact-nancy

Nancy is the New York Times best-selling author of 33 books, including Girls of Summer, out May 26. Born in Kansas, she has lived on Nantucket for 35 years with her husband Charley. They have two children, four grandchildren, and a fifth expected at the end of May. In 2015, she was awarded the Romantic Times 2015 Career Achievement Award in Mainstream Fiction.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-18-2020

Dear Reader,

What is making you smile these days?

"Dear Suzanne, I live next door to my neighborhood's community garden and, since we received the 'safer-at-home' rules from our government, I have been getting great joy watching one of the gardeners (and artist), come every day and bring out an easel and canvas and start painting one of the garden plots. It's been exciting to see the progress he makes on the paintings. We recently had a chat (while I was on my front porch), and he told me that he'd noticed me watching him and that he'd been purposefully positioning himself with his back to me, so I could see his work in progress. He stores his painting supplies in a shed on the property, so yesterday I baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies and left them in the shed for him along with a thank you note. It was fun to see his surprised smile this morning when he went to get his things from the shed to begin his day's work! Thanks for letting me share," -- Jenifer G.

(Suzanne responds:) Way to go baking cookies and giving them away! I agree, I have so much fun giving someone homemade chocolate chip cookies.

"I hung bird houses and feeders on my deck, so daily I see the most beautiful birds checking out the houses and feeders. One day I went to Lowe's Home Improvement to buy bird seed. I heard birds chirping up in the ceiling and then had several just walking along in front of me as I shopped. So cute. Also, my cat loves going outside now that the weather is warmer and the next door cat comes over to visit and for treats. Spring is my favorite season. Have a great day!" -- Beverly D.

"Hi Suzanne, I am so glad I am part of this book club! Every morning your column is the first thing I read. It's like having a cup of coffee with a good friend. It's been a comfort to me knowing people all over the country are feeling like me, scared and not sure how the crisis is going to turn out and what our new normal is going to look like. Thanks for sharing." -- Colleen M.

"Hi Suzanne! It's been such a comfort during quarantine to check my email every day for your column and the latest novel. I don't know how you have the energy to write a column every day and I love your stories. Thank you for being my lighthouse." -- Christine M.

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

Stay healthy,

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-15-2020

Dear Reader,

From my mailbox...

"Hi Suzanne! Book delivery day makes me (and my husband!) smile each week. One of the things we miss most these days is visiting our local library--what if we run out of books to read? We came up with what we think is a great solution. Every week we each order at least one book from our local bookstore since they're still open for orders. Then we wait for the call that our books have arrived. It's a little like Christmas when they appear at our door--dropped off by the delightful young couple who own the store. We read them carefully so we can donate them to the library when it is able to open again. We see it as a win, win, win." -- Karen C.

"Good afternoon Suzanne, I would be remiss if I didn't say your daily emails always make me smile! I'm with you about the baking...it brings me great joy. I was having a bad day last week and I just got out the flour (because I'm lucky to have some) and started baking...lemon loaf, almond joy cookies, bread, and granola. All that measuring, mixing and of course tasting, quickly brightened my mood. Sharing baked goods is also part of the fun! Because the gyms are closed, I really was looking for some exercise, so my husband and I bought bikes. I don't think I've ridden a bike this much since I was in elementary school. It's really been fun cruising around the neighborhood. Thanks for letting me read along with you. Be safe--and happy baking!" -- Maria (I'm going to make something pumpkin as well as I found a leftover can from the fall.)

Favorite comfort food recipes of mine. Let me know if you try them this weekend.

Mrs. Creswick's Meatloaf

Porcupine Meatballs

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.

Dear Reader Column 05-14-2020

Dear Reader,

We may be a virtual book club, but frequently readers tell me when they're reading the daily book club email, it feels like we're sitting at the kitchen table together, drinking a cup of coffee, talking about books and chatting about everyday life.

So today, pretend that hundreds of thousands of us are meeting together for an in-person book club meeting. We've discussed this week's book, dunked some of my homemade chocolate chip cookies into coffee or soda (yes, some readers report they dunk cookies in Dr. Pepper), and now our meeting is winding down to a little chit-chat.

I'm thinking about the theme for the first dinner after the pandemic party for friends. I think I'll have a Stack Party. I'll cook the main course and I'll ask everyone who comes to dinner to bring one round, unfrosted cake layer. Whatever flavor cake they like. I'll stack all the cake layers up high, with frosting in-between and we'll have Stack Cake for dessert.

Originally a stack cake was the traditional wedding cake for settlers in southern Appalachia. Wedding guests would each bring a layer of cake and the wedding cake would be assembled, layer by layer, usually with a dried, spiced apple compote in-between. The more popular the bride and groom, the taller the cake--thus the name Stack Cake.

Have a little chit-chat to share? Send it my way. I love to hear from readers. Email: Suzanne@DearReader.com

* Congratulations to the winners of The Earl Next Door by Guest Author Amelia Grey: Mari R., Carol M. and Sandi H.

The lucky winners of Eat. Pie. Love. by Guest Author Tara Royer Steele are: Elizabeth A., Carol M., Yvette F., Anne D. and Susan L.

And Annete R., the lucky winner of the potholder loom kit.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

* This month's Penguin Classics book is BLACK SHACK ALLEY, by Joseph Zobel. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.