Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column - March 29, 2023

Dear Reader,

“I’m getting old.” 

I’ve been saying that more lately and whenever I announce it someone is always quick to reply, “Oh, Suzanne, you’re not getting old.” But I am. I’ll be 69 in two months. My plan was to grow old gracefully. To be one of those ladies, who may moan and groan a little bit when she bends down to pick up something off the floor, but she’s still “cool.” Do people even use that word anymore? Maybe only old people do?

If you’re over 47, I suggest that you ‘not’ Google, “What age are you when you start feeling old?” Because if I believe everything I read on the internet, then I’ve been on the old person slide for 22 years.   

That old feeling crept in again the other day when I realized that I read the obits in the local paper every single day. It’s become a habit. Some of them are very well written, interesting little stories, but I’m scanning them looking for the deceased’s age and what disease got them in the end.

This feeling old thing is tricky. Thoughts of getting old enter my mind off and on for no particular reason, like the other night, when my husband and I were getting ready for bed, I casually asked him, “Oh, by the way, I was thinking today, “Do you want to be cremated or do you want ‘the works’ a viewing and a formal funeral with a casket and a headstone?”    

When I was having blood drawn the other day, after the tech wrapped a tight band around my arm, as he was tap, tap, taping looking for a place to stick the needle in, he stopped, “Whoa, your skin is really thin. I’m going to have to use a smaller needle.” And as he was checking my medical chart, he added, “Wow, you don’t look that old!” 

Maybe age is “just” a number? Maybe I really am still “cool.”  

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

This month's Penguin Classic is The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe, Introduction by Rachel Syme. Start Reading and enter for your chance to win a copy of your own.

Dear Reader Column - March 28, 2023

Dear Reader,

Today’s guest, Caroline Coleman, is the author of the novel Loving Soren and she recently released a children's picture book If I Were a Tiger. Caroline used to be a lawyer and she now teaches English literature as an adjunct at Hunter College in New York City. 

About: If I Were a Tiger...

Meet Tim Bone. He has a big imagination, and when it roams wild, he's afraid of a lot of things. Fed up with being frightened, Tim comes up with a bold solution: He's going to become a tiger so he can be fiercer than his fears! There's just one problem: If he's a tiger, he can't be Tim. Could there be a better solution?

Caroline is giving away five copies of If I Were a Tiger, to enter the drawing, send an email with your preferred shipping address to: carolinevcoleman@msn.com

ON...SMART READERS

One day as a child I put down a book that had transported me to another world and thought, 'I'd love to be able to do that for other people.' I didn't know it yet but I'd already begun my training. I was sending my brothers on elaborate scavenger hunts. 

I invented clues. Each clue was a puzzle to solve. To finish the hunt, my brothers had to be smart.

It's the same for writing novels. Readers want clues, puzzles and hunts. It makes them feel smart.

Here's a (dumb) example:

'”Darling." Violet stepped closer to the man with the snake tattoo. 

"I've hated you since the moment I first laid eyes on you." She kissed him passionately.

He pushed her away. "Mrs. Oakes. Please."

She flicked her cigarette ash in his eyes.

"I'd like to ask you again." He looked down at his clipboard. "Are you allergic to anything other than penicillin?"

"Cigarettes," Violet said. "Who are you?"

"I just told you. I'm Dr. Downer, your brain surgeon."

Why do I need a brain surgeon? Violet ran fingers through her hair. It was gone. Her bald scalp felt prickly.

"Just lie back," Dr. Downer said, snatching the cigarette out of her hand.

Terrified, she bit his snake tattoo and lunged for the curtain.'

The plot is thickening like cheap gravy. What would have happened if I'd just written this?

'Violet found herself in a hospital. A doctor said she needed brain surgery. She didn't know how she'd gotten there. She was scared, so she ran.'

Neither version is particularly good. But at least the first version has details that engage the reader's brain. In the second version, the reader is bored. There are no clues. The reader doesn't feel her intelligence is being honored. The reader expects to find out more about the snake tattoo, the doctor, why Violet smokes, why she kisses strangers and whether she needs brain surgery.

The important thing about clues in a story is that they should weave together in order to engage the smart reader.

Chekhov supposedly said that if there's a rifle on the mantelpiece in the first act, it should go off by the third act.

Or, as we say in the writing world, 'don't orphan your details.'

Once a reader feels that the details in a novel aren't being orphaned, that everything is there for a reason, they pay attention. When details return, readers understand that nothing is wasted. They get the satisfying sense that the details of their lives are similarly woven together, that they're greater than the sum of their parts, that they're valuable--and that they're loved.

And that, dear reader, is why it's smart to read.

-- Caroline Coleman

To enter the drawing for one of five copies of If I Were a Tiger, send an email with your preferred shipping address to: carolinevcoleman@msn.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

This month's Penguin Classic is The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe, Introduction by Rachel Syme. Start Reading and enter for your chance to win a copy of your own.

Dear Reader Column - March 27, 2023

Dear Reader,

When I decide to start a new project, I want to jump right in and get to it. I'm excited because it's easy for me to envision what it will look like when I'm done. But the thing that always interrupts my fun and brings my dream to a temporary standstill is the prep work--the preparation that I should do before I begin the project. I don't know why, but I've always found the preparation part of a project a little boring, and I desperately try to find a way to skip over it, or hurry-it-up. I've had this problem since I was a kid.

When I was in junior high school, I asked my parents if I could paint and fix up my room. (The painting part was a big concession on their part, because I wanted to paint the walls blue and green, framed with a purplish-colored trim.) The attic was my bedroom. The ceiling was flat, but the side walls slanted down to the floor and there was a cubby section with a built-in ledge, where I wanted to put cushions and matching pillows. Mom even offered to help me do the sewing, but then my dad reminded me that I had to prepare the walls before I could start painting.

Prepare the walls for painting? I argued with my dad that a good two coats of paint would cover up any rough spots on the walls, even the nail holes, but I quickly found out that it didn't. And I ignored his suggestion to tape around the framework--I discovered that I wasn't a neat painter--so the job ended up taking me twice as long as it should have. I spent a lot of time cleaning up those, “Oops, I dripped a little paint there” spots. And somehow the paint just kept going in those nail holes that never filled up, like I thought they would. But in the end the room looked perfect when I looked at it through my 12-year-old eyes. (But I bet there's probably some blue and green paint drips still visible in that room today.)

I think every kid should paint some walls when they're growing up. Parents should offer their suggestions about preparing for the job--most kids will probably ignore them like I did--but the "clean-up" will be a life lesson they'll never forget.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Start reading this month's Penguin Classic, "The Best of Everything” by Rona Jaffe and enter to win your own copy.  Go to: 

http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqB1AFE3F373F3&c=CLASSICS

Dear Reader Column - March 24, 2023

Dear Reader,

Today’s the last day to enter this month’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway. I’ll be baking my homemade cookies for three lucky readers. To see a photo from a recent winner and to enter, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/cookiegiveaway-2/

I don't always know where I'm headed in life, but I think that’s okay. Life coaches are pretty much in agreement, that folks should have a detailed business plan and stick to it. 

They say, "You should know where you're going, Suzanne, otherwise how will you know when you get there? How will you keep your business on track? Your company deserves the best from you.”

I can see their logic, but I'm just not comfortable running my company that way. I may regret it and wish I'd written it all out, pre-planning every step I take, but I don't think so. It feels much more like I'm living a life when I'm free to go with the moment. How can I possibly anticipate every opportunity that comes my way?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not irresponsible. I have people working for me and I owe it to them to give it my best. I owe it to you, the readers, to give it my best, too. After all, we're all in this together. We read, we have fun, and our mission is to get other people reading too, because reading really does change people's lives.

I agree that my business does deserve the best that I can give it, but I know from experience that I do my best work when I go with whatever the day offers me.

I think today's going to be a great day.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Start reading this month's Penguin Classic, "The Best of Everything” by Rona Jaffe and enter to win your own copy.  Go to: 

http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqB1AFE3F373F3&c=CLASSICS

Dear Reader Column - March 23, 2023

Dear Reader,

Be sure to enter this month’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway. I’ll be baking my homemade cookies for three lucky readers. If you like to dunk and munch (and even if you don’t), you still need to enter to win. To see a photo from a recent winner and to enter, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/cookiegiveaway-2/

I played hooky today. Instead of writing, I did some cooking and I made an old recipe, Tummy-warming Meatball Casserole. It's one of those dishes that keeps in the refrigerator and gets even better with age. This recipe is sure to please.

Tummy-warming Meatball Casserole

2 - 10 oz packages of mixed frozen vegetables

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4  to 1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1- 10.75 oz can of cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or to taste

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook frozen vegetables according to the directions on the package.

In a separate bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, salt, garlic salt, pepper, milk and egg. Then shape mixture into meatballs.

Brown meatballs, cook until almost done. Arrange meatballs in a 12 x 8 baking dish.

Combine vegetables, 1 cup cheese and soup. Pour over meatballs. Sprinkle top of casserole with remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Enjoy with friends, and please tell them about the book club, too!

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Start reading this month's Penguin Classic, "The Best of Everything” by Rona Jaffe and enter to win your own copy.  Go to: 

http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqB1AFE3F373F3&c=CLASSICS

Dear Reader Column - March 22, 2023

Dear Reader,

Book club reader, Tess, sent me an email that made me smile…

“Suzanne, You must be rubbing off on me because we got our groceries delivered today by Instacart, and I happened to have some fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. I was the crazy lady with two cookies in a Ziploc bag, running out and giving them to our Instacart delivery lady.  It made me feel good to do it and I think she enjoyed the special tip.” – Tess C.

Tess experienced some of the magic of giving away homemade chocolate chip cookies, “just because.” Frequently I put the red flag up on my mailbox and I leave a bag of cookies inside for the mailman. Almost every Tuesday at 6:50 a.m., I’m standing by the curb waiting for the trash and recycle trucks to pull up, so I can share bags of cookies. The folks I give cookies to are always thrilled and baking and giving away cookies never fails to make my day joyful.

I’d love to bake for you. Be sure to enter this month’s Chocolate Chip Cookie giveaway. Three lucky readers will be munching and dunking my cookies soon. To enter, and see photos from recent winners, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/cookiegiveaway-2/

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Start reading this month's Penguin Classic, "The Best of Everything” by Rona Jaffe and enter to win your own copy.  Go to: 

http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqB1AFE3F373F3&c=CLASSICS

 

Dear Reader Column - March 21, 2023

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author, Krystle Zara Appiah is a British Ghanaian writer and screenwriter, born and raised in London. She has a degree in literature and creative writing from the University of Kent. She was one of forty writers selected for the London Library's Emerging Writers Programme. She also works as a children's book editor. Krystle’s debut novel, Rootless, is a love story about a marriage in crisis that ultimately asks: can you ever be rooted in a home that's on the brink of collapse?

You could win a copy of Rootless. To enter the drawing, send an email with your preferred shipping address to: ethomasch@penguinrandomhouse.com

New Beginnings and Choosing Colour

A few weeks ago I moved home. After several years of living at one address, suddenly packing up my belongings and picking up a new set of keys was filled with far more nerves and anticipation than I'd expected. For months, I'd dithered over my decision, not sure if I should move and worried something would go majorly wrong at the last moment and I wouldn't be able to.

But that very first day, surrounded by bursting Ikea bags and crumpled boxes that contained all of my possessions, I just knew I'd made the right choice.

And now I'm here, what comes next? The apartment I now find myself in has white walls and gray floors. The space is somehow homely and sterile, bland but welcoming. For someone whose last home was decorated in multicoloured prints and rainbow-coloured bunting, this new space seems bleak in comparison.

Admittedly, that thought is coming from someone who would happily live in a pink house, full to the brim with houseplants and flowers even if I can't seem to keep either alive.

Before moving, when the idea of decorating my new home was still a vague possibility, I envisioned a magenta sofa, giant murals on the wall, plush carpets and pastel-coloured silverware. But weeks have passed and I've done none of those things. The boxes are (mostly) unpacked, but the apartment is still as bland as it was the day I moved in. While I find myself regularly scrolling through Pinterest and filling my online basket with colourful items, I can't seem to press purchase. Something about a house filled with colour seems immature and overdone. I'm supposedly a grown-up now, shouldn't I be leaning towards beige, cream and other neutral colours?

But the truth is, that just isn't me. Despite knowing that's what some people would do, I'm slowly coming around to the idea that where I live should be a reflection of me and my personality. Home is where I should be most comfortable and happy as I'm surrounded by things I like, things I chose. And that is just what I intend to do. Small pieces of colour are beginning to creep in. The silverware is pastel-coloured. The rainbow bunting and fairy lights are out. The pink sofa arrives this week. And yes, there are flowers in every room.

You could win a copy of "Rootless," to enter the drawing, send an email with your preferred shipping address to: ethomasch@penguinrandomhouse.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

Start reading this month's Penguin Classic, "The Best of Everything” by Rona Jaffe and enter to win your own copy.  Go to: 

http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqB1AFE3F373F3&c=CLASSICS

Dear Reader Column - March 20, 2023

Dear Reader,

When you feel comfortable and you believe in yourself, you can do anything. But sometimes if you're not able to reach down inside of yourself and really BELIEVE, you might need to pretend for a while and you might even need some props to help you do it. I did.

I'm going to ramble a little--so hang on.

Years ago, I used to publish a business magazine. When I started the magazine I didn't really know anything about publishing, so for a while, I felt like I was a "pretender" in my business.

My husband and I worked together in the same office and one of the problems that I faced daily was whenever someone would come in and want to talk to the person in charge, they would always insist on speaking to him instead of me. After a lot of discussion, my husband and I decided  maybe I was sending out the wrong cues to visitors. We had a small office, I sat at a desk out in the open, and I dressed casually. We concluded that people probably assumed that I was a receptionist, and that's why they passed me by. (Which was really interesting, because my husband always wore jeans to work.)

Nevertheless, my solution was to start wearing a suit to work and cut my hair short. This was when the corporate hair "bob" was in. My new look worked. Nobody walked in anymore and assumed that my husband was the one in charge.

I'm not sure how long the suits and I were buddies, maybe a little over a year--until I started to itch. It was bizarre. When I would wake up in the morning, I would start to feel an itching sensation all over my body. The itching went on for four days until I finally realized what was going on--I didn't want to wear a suit to work anymore. The first day that I dressed down, I was concerned my old problem would reoccur--but it never did.

When I thought about it, I realized that it's true, clothes do help make the person, and people do treat you differently depending on how you're dressed. But clothes hadn't really been my problem. I was the one who had changed. I finally didn't feel like I was "pretending" anymore.

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

* Congratulations to the winners of Bert and Mamie Take a Cruise by Guest Author John Keyse-Walker: Mary Beth T., Thea G., Joyce R., Nancy R. and Susan G.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com 

   This month's Penguin Classic is The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe, Introduction by Rachel Syme. Start Reading and enter for your chance to win a copy of your own.

Dear Reader Column - March 17, 2023

Dear Reader,

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I was lucky enough to be in New York City on St. Patrick's Day years ago, and I got to see the big parade. No floats or automobiles are permitted, yet it's one of the most exciting parades I've ever seen. Bands and more bands and over 150,000 marchers passed by while the crowd, including me, went wild.

For this year’s St. Patrick’s Day dinner I'll be wearing my Shamrock apron and cooking a tummy-warming Irish Stew. While looking through the stew recipes I've saved on my computer, I came across this gem from several years ago...

"Hi Suzanne, eleven years ago, my husband and I were lucky enough to go visit Ireland. After a cool, rainy (well, it was probably Irish sunshine) day exploring, my husband and I went to a pub for dinner. We ate one of the best stews that we have ever eaten. In the center of this bowl of Guinness gravy, lamb and vegetables was a rounded scoop of creamy, mashed potatoes. It was delicious, and we practically licked the bowls.

When our waitress came back, she asked if she could get us anything else. We both said, "The Recipe!" She thought that we
were kidding, but went back to the kitchen to ask anyway. The photo is the recipe she brought us. I have made some version of this recipe yearly since we went to Ireland, and think of this story every time." -- Emily

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

   This month's Penguin Classic is The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe, Introduction by Rachel Syme. Start Reading and enter for your chance to win a copy of your own.

Dear Reader Column - March 16, 2023

Dear Reader,

The weather is a big deal in Florida. People are always talking about it. Almost every phone conversation that I have includes the, "What's the temp there today?" question. This time of year, I'm usually talking to someone who's knee-deep in snow, so I minimize my response and quickly try to change the subject. But lately, we've been in a freeze of our own. Well, that may be a tad bit of an exaggeration--considering the temperatures in the rest of the country--but ask anyone here and they will tell you that the past few days have been way too cold. In fact, the only people who aren't complaining about the weather are the tourists....

Now there's a true Florida tourist. It's freezing here this morning by our standards (58 degrees), but he's coming out of the Quick Mart wearing a light summer jacket, shorts--with bare legs and sandals--a newspaper under his arm, and sauntering along like he doesn't have a care in the world, including the temperature.

I, on the other hand, am wearing boots, long pants, a long-sleeved sweater, a leather jacket--zipped up tight--and I'm holding a cup of coffee to warm my hands. I thought about breaking out my wool coat, the one I wear when I visit New York City. But I didn't want to get too radical, because by this afternoon the sun will have taken the bite out of the air, and I'll have to start peeling off some of the layered clothing I applied to my frost-bitten body this morning.

The bare-legged Florida vacationer is a happy camper, and I suppose that I should be as well--in spite of the weather--because it's really all in how you look at it. And later today when I'm in New York, that 56 degrees will be looking pretty darn warm.

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

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com

   This month's Penguin Classic is The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe, Introduction by Rachel Syme. Start Reading and enter for your chance to win a copy of your own.