Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column - October 10, 2023

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author Ocieanna Fleiss has written several books including her memoir, Love Like There's No Tomorrow and her new title Awaiting the Manger. She invites you to join her on her website, ocieanna.com, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. Ocieanna and her husband have four kids and make their home in the Pacific Northwest and are parents of four kids, two still at home.

About Ocieanna's new book, Awaiting the Manger: Whispers of Advent in the Old Testament: Celebrate the hope of Christmas! Ocieanna journeys with you through the Advent season, illuminating how God used the lives of ordinary people to foreshadow Christ's coming during the centuries and even millennia before his birth.

Ocieanna is giving away five copies of her new book to five lucky readers. Drop her a note to be entered in the drawing. Please be sure to include your shipping address in case you're a winner. Email: [email protected]

WHALES, B-52 BOMBERS, A NEW FRIEND, AND LETTING GO

"Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go." - Unknown

Last fall, my high school daughter began attending a new-to-us school, a half-hour drive away. I had homeschooled her until then, and the transition felt a step closer to the day that loomed in the not-too-distant future when she would fly away into adulthood. I planned to use my new-found free time to write while she pursued scholarly endeavors without me.

After I turned in a big project, I decided to take the day off. So instead of heading to my favorite coffee shop, I drove to a beach park overlooking the Puget Sound. Walking from my car, I took in the crisp blue sky, the deeper blue waves, and the islands in the distance.

Bright orange-, yellow-, and red-leaved trees were dotted between cedars, firs, and pines, creating a bouquet of color. My footsteps crunched on the pebbled beach as I ambled along, keeping my gaze on the water. A seal or two bobbed their black heads as they fished, and a few photographers were peppered along the shoreline, intently surveying the gentle waves.

One particular guy was sitting on a log with his camera perched on a tripod. I walked up to him. "What are you looking for?" I asked. Honestly, I had an inkling of what it might be, and my heart fluttered in hopeful anticipation. Orcas, humpbacks, and gray whales sometimes make appearances at that place, and everyone longs to catch a glimpse, including me! Sure enough, he said the humpback named Malachite (yes, we know their names) had been sighted.

I sat next to him on the log, and with our eyes still focused on the water, our conversation slowly deepened. He had been a successful sports photographer, but he wanted to let go of that world. He and his wife decided to move to Washington so he could photograph nature. Also, before he was a photographer, he had been a test pilot for the B-52 bomber and had also tested the fastest airplane in the world at the time. I was sitting next to a remarkable man who had chosen to let big accomplishments fall away like autumn leaves. 

After a while, somebody around us spotted the whale. And there, way out in the distance, Malachite arched his back then moved out of sight, as one day my daughter would too. And my heart would learn the beauty of letting go.

-- Ocieanna Fleiss

Ocieanna is giving away five copies of her new book, Awaiting the Manger, to five lucky readers. Drop her a note to be entered in the drawing. Please be sure to include your shipping address in case you're a winner. Email: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - April 4, 2022

Dear Reader,

It's a party!

We're celebrating National Library Week at the book club. This year's theme is "Connect with Your Library." Send me an email about your local library or if you're a librarian, how has the library changed in your community?

Every day, during National Library Week, I'll be giving away fun prizes to folks who work at libraries. Today's prize (carryover from Friday), is a "Bookmarks are for Quitters," 15 ounce enamel mug. To enter, click here.

"Suzanne, imagine my surprise when I opened up your email [last week] and it talked about the library in Bedford, NH. I worked there as well, albeit that was many moons ago. It got me reminiscing about some of the more memorable events on the job.

One evening when we were preparing to close up the library for the night, and I went out to the vestibule to check the book drop one last time. Now you never know what you might find dropped off in the book drop. Oftentimes someone would accidentally include their personal travel books along with their library books. Once in a while you might find some keys, or cash used as a bookmark. Periodically, some X-rated magazines were left in the drop. I'm not sure if that was accidental or intentional--perhaps in an effort to cause a stir among the normally calm and composed library staff?

This particular night it was a hamster. What a cute little guy he was sitting there in his little cage, with seemingly not a care in the world. But, with an animal shelter just five miles up the road, why would someone drop off a hamster at the library? And most importantly, what are we going to do with him? My coworkers 'oohed and aahed' when I brought the hamster in, but were lightning quick in declining to take him home for the night. I think I got the mother-of-the-year award that night when I showed up at home with that hamster cage in my arms."

-- Cheers, Andrea D.

Everyone has a feel-good story about their library or a special librarian, share it with readers who read at the book club.

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

Warmest regards,

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

Dear Reader Column - April 1, 2022

Dear Reader,

We're celebrating National Library Week at the book club next week. This year's theme is "Connect with Your Library." Send me an email about your local library or if you're a librarian, how has the library changed in your community? Everyone has a feel-good story about their library or a special librarian, share it with readers and librarians who read at the book club.

Every day, during National Library Week, I'll be giving away fun prizes to folks who work at libraries. But who wants to wait? Let's get the party started early. Enter my first drawing, today, and you might win a "Bookmarks are for Quitters," 15 ounce enamel mug. To enter, click here.

"Hello Suzanne, I want to share with you why I love the library. As a child and teenager, I loved to read all the time. I had an aunt who didn't drive, but loved to read. She didn't want to ask anyone to bring her to the library, so she made arrangements for the bookmobile to visit her. As a result, during the summer we would all run next door to get books. As a parent with young children, I took my children to the library for programs often. It was a great way to keep them entertained and not have to spend lots of money. Now for the last 12 years, I've worked at our local library. I am not a librarian. I am a circulation assistant, and I plan programs for adults (I started out in children's, which was fun, too).

I am so glad I applied for this job. It has been the most fulfilling and rewarding job. I love to connect with our patrons, share book recommendations, and help them find just what they need. And, I am around books all the time. The only drawback is that my 'Must Read' list is so long, I will have to live to be 1000 years old to read them all. I love reading your column every day. Thanks for letting me share." – Brenda G., East Regional Library, Destrehan, LA

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

Dear Reader Column - March 31, 2022

Dear Reader,

"Dear Suzanne, I enjoy your emails, and I love your writings. How would I prepare for your annual, Write a DearReader Contest? Do you have certain themes, topics and word limits? I'm very interested, as I am a newly retired educator who is enjoying writing."

-- Fondly, Jennifer S.

(Suzanne replies:) Congratulations on your retirement! The contest page from last year's Write a DearReader Contest won't be updated until August (launch date August 22nd), but the guidelines will be the same as previous years. The guidelines are below and to read previous winning entries, click here.

1. Maximum word count is 650 words.
2. Submit original entries that have not been previously published.
3. Feel free to submit more than one entry for us to consider.
4. You must be at least 18 years old to enter.
5. Your story will be judged on style and content.
6. Collaborative teams are limited to two people.
7. You must include the name and mailing address of your local library with your original entry in order for them to be eligible to receive the 50% matching, cash prize.

Jennifer, I would encourage you to get in the habit of writing something every day, even if it's only for 15 minutes. Don't worry about thinking ahead of time, 'What topic should I write about?' Instead ask yourself, 'What am I thinking about this very minute?' You could start by typing today's "to-do" list and if you keep your fingers moving on the keys, after that free flowing ideas will appear on the screen.

Your body is a quick study. After a couple of weeks of writing a few minutes every day, when you sit down in front of your computer and put your fingers on the keys, your mind will know exactly what it's supposed to do, because it's been in training every day.

I look forward to reading your entry this year.

Get ready to celebrate National Library Week at the book club, April 3-9. This year's theme is "Connect with Your Library." Send me an email about your local library or if you're a librarian, how has the library changed in your community? Everyone has a feel-good story about their library or a special librarian, share it with readers and librarians who read at the book club.

Every day, during National Library Week, I'll be giving away fun prizes. Celebrate!

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

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

(FICTION)
JUST ONE WISH by Carly Phillips

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

This month's Penguin Classics book is The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. 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 - March 29, 2022

Dear Reader,

Today's the last day you can enter to win the March Chocolate Chip Cookie Giveaway. Three lucky book club readers will receive some of my homemade chocolate chip cookies delivered right to their front doors. I'm ready to bake for you. To see last month's winners and to enter the drawing, click here.

Rabbi Toba Spitzer is today's guest at the book club. A popular teacher of courses on Judaism and economic justice, she has received the honor of being included in Newsweek's Top 50 Rabbis in America list and the 2010 Forward list of 50 Female Rabbis Who Are Making A Difference. Since 1997, she has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Dorshei Tzedek in Newton, MA. Her new book is, God Is Here: Reimagining the Divine.

Email Toba at: [email protected]

In 2007, I received an email at work that I almost deleted. It began, "Dear Rabbi," which sounded sort of anonymous. I thought it might be spam. But I read on, and it turned out the email was from a literary agent at a very large talent agency. He had found some of my sermons online, and thought I should write a book. I was busy being a congregational rabbi and wasn't really thinking about writing a book. We emailed a bit and had a phone conversation, and I told him I'd think about it. He was based in L.A. and I told him, if you're ever in Boston, give me a call. And that was that.

About a year and a half later, I got another email, from another literary agent at a talent agency. She had also found my sermons online, and thought I should write a book. When she mentioned me to her business partner, it turned out that he was the one who had emailed me first.

While I don't believe in a God that micromanages human lives, I had to admit that something mysterious was afoot here. The universe seemed to be telling me I needed to write a book. The duo of literary agents had moved to NYC, and I took the train down one day to have lunch with them. I couldn't quite figure out what kind of book they wanted me to write. "Like your sermons!" they said. But I give sermons on lots of topics, I replied. What exactly is it that you think I have to say in a book? After an hour or so of conversation, I realized: "I think you want me to write a book about God."

That conversation happened back in 2011. In the years since, I began and completed a journey that resulted in my book, God Is Here: Reimagining the Divine. I wrote the book because, after discovering metaphor theory and cognitive linguistics, I realized that helping spiritually-inclined people who aren't so sure about God delve into ancient, non-human metaphors for the divine could literally change lives. With my congregants, I explored how we might bring metaphors like Water and Place and Rock off of the pages of ancient texts and into daily life. The results of our exploration were powerful, but there were only so many people I could teach in person. A book, I hoped, would help me share with many more people of all backgrounds the texts and practices that I had found to be so transformative. Writing this book has been its own spiritual journey, and my sincere hope is that it brings some measure of insight and healing to our broken, beautiful world.

-- Toba Spitzer

Email Toba at, [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

This month's Penguin Classics book is The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. 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 - March 28, 2022

Dear Reader,

Get ready to celebrate National Library Week at the book club April 3-9. This year's theme is "Connect with Your Library." Send me an email about your local library or if you're a librarian, how has the library changed in your community? Everyone has a feel-good story about their library or a special librarian, share it with readers and librarians who read at the book club.

Every day, during National Library Week, I'll be giving away fun prizes. Celebrate!

"Suzanne, our library is located in Bedford, NH, a relatively small town. A patron came in to say their family had been vacationing in San Francisco and their rental car was broken into, his son's backpack was stolen and his library book was gone. Fast forward three days and we receive a phone call from a woman in California, who has found a book on the street, from our library and she would like to mail it back to us. Can you imagine? The dad was beside himself that someone would take the time to track us down. A tiny bubble of kindness! " -- Best wishes to you, Sue F., Circulation/Book Club Manager

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

AUTHORBUZZ: Discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.

JUST ONE WISH (FICTION) by Carly Phillips

I'm so excited to bring you Axel Forrester's story. A drummer with the rock band, The Original Kings, in my Kingston-Dare world, Axel has watched the people around him settle down and he's ready to find the one, too. When a scroll through social media shows him his first love is a veterinarian in the same town, he's determined to win her back for good.

I'm giving away five copies, to enter the drawing, click on the link to Authorbuzz and the book jacket to enter.

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on JUST ONE WISH to read more and to email author Carly Phillips, you'll get a reply.

This month's Penguin Classics book is The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. 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 - March 25, 2022

Dear Reader,

Once a month I bake chocolate chip cookies for readers and today's the day you can enter to win. Three lucky book club readers will receive some of my homemade chocolate chip cookies delivered right to their front doors. I'm ready to bake for you. To see last month's winners and to enter the drawing, click here.

It's coming up soon, National Library Week is April 3rd-9th. We'll be celebrating every day at the book club with special giveaways and stories from readers and librarians. So please do send an email telling me what you love about your local library. If you're a librarian, share with readers what you love about your job, or what inspired you to become a librarian.

You can reach me at: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. 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 - March 24, 2022

Dear Reader,

My monarch caterpillars and butterflies inspired book club readers. If you missed the photos, click here.

"Suzanne, I ordered a few milkweed plants, and I was wondering, do they propagate? This is all new to me, but I love the thought of watching butterflies go through their stages. I just wanted to know if I need a big area for the milkweed so they can re-seed?" -- Robin W.

(Suzanne replies:) You can propagate milkweed from cuttings, but I have never done it. I buy milkweed at the local nursery, here in Florida. Make sure when you buy milkweed, to ask if it has been sprayed. Because if it's been sprayed with chemicals while growing, to keep the bugs away, the chemical will kill the caterpillars. I always plant at least four milkweed plants together, because when a caterpillar starts eating, it's amazing how quickly it strips the leaves off the plant. Good thing the caterpillars are willing to eat the stems, too. When the milkweed is stripped, and there aren't any more caterpillars on the plant, you can cut the stems back about 7 inches and they will regrow.

The butterflies in my garden especially love penta and zinnia plants, too. Penta plants come in numerous colors. They're easy to grow and when they start looking stringy you can cut them back and they will regrow. Have fun!

"Dear Suzanne, your story about your monarch butterfly nursery brought back a memory I haven't thought about in many years. Twenty years ago, we were standing outside our condo in Stratford, CT, which was situated on the convergence of the Housatonic River and Long Island Sound. It was the beginning of fall and we were enjoying the cooler weather. Within a few minutes, we saw hundreds (thousands?) of monarch butterflies coming toward us from Long Island Sound, heading toward New York.They passed above us and around us until we had to sit on the ground in amazement at what we were witnessing. Thank you for sharing your story, and helping to bring back a wonderful memory. Your nursery is beautiful, and it makes me like you just that much more! Best wishes to you and your 'babies.'"-- Jenifer G.

"How lucky and cool this is and that you have it right in your own backyard. Just beautiful, thanks for sharing." -- Regards, Eileen M.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. 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 - March 23, 2022

Dear Reader,

When I shared my Stone Soup recipe with readers, several people shared one of their absolute favorite soup recipes with me.

"Suzanne, I made the Stuffed Green Pepper soup from book club reader Marcia G., that you posted last week. It was delicious and it's now my new favorite soup. Please pass my thanks along to Marcia." -- Amy B., Library Assistant/ILL Coordinator, Baker Free Library

So if you're looking for a new soup recipe, I highly recommend trying one of these favorites sent in by readers, click here.  

'Where is that recipe?' Sometimes it can be a real problem for me. The other day I made a new brownie recipe and everyone who ate a brownie raved about how good it was. I agree! It was the best, absolute best tasting brownie I've ever made. But what the heck did I do with the recipe? I was going to make them again today, but I can't remember where I found the recipe. I'm pretty sure it's in one of my old cookbooks, so I started thumbing through the first few pages of each book, because that's where I write down "winners" with the page number and the date I made it, of recipes I like, so they're easy to find.

Well, the frustrating news is I still haven't found the brownie recipe, but I did find this 'note-to-self' in one of my cookbooks: "Beef and Bean soup Page 48. Very good! Bob and I made it, November 2007." So instead of brownies, I made the soup. My "Very good" note didn't lie. In fact after tasting the soup again, I should have written, "Outstanding! Loved it, loved it, loved it!" I think you will, too. Let me know if you try it. (And if I ever find that brownie recipe again, I'll share that, too!)

Beef and Bean Soup
Serves 4, (big servings) I double it

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper (or orange), seeded and sliced
2 carrots, sliced
14 oz can black-eyed peas
1 cup fresh ground beef
1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, chili powder, paprika
1/4 head of cabbage, sliced
8 oz tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I buy the canned)
2-1/2 cups beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat (use a large Dutch oven or other good-sized soup pan). Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the bell pepper and carrots and cook for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the peas--reserving the liquid from the can. Place only 2/3 of the peas in a food processor or blender, with the pea liquid and process until smooth. (Keep the other 1/3 of the peas in a separate dish to use later.)

Add the ground beef to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, to break up any lumps, until well browned. Add the spices and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the cabbage, tomatoes, beef stock, pureed peas and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the remaining peas, cover and simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. The soup is ready...Enjoy!

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. 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 - March 22, 2022

Dear Reader,

Today's guest author, Priscilla Masters, was born in Halifax and adopted into a multi-racial family of seven. Brought up in South Wales she moved to Birmingham in the 1970's and trained as a registered nurse at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Birmingham.

She has produced more than thirty crime novels and one children's book. In addition to the series featuring Coroner Martha Gunn and a forensic psychologist Dr Claire Roget, Priscilla has written the DI Joanna Piercy series since 1995. The latest title in that series is the newly released, Almost a Whisper.

Priscilla has two sons, two grandsons and lives in a Victorian ex-laundry cottage on the Staffordshire/Shropshire border.

Please do contact Priscilla via her website and say "Hello." 

To enter Priscilla's book drawing (you could win one of three copies of Almost a Whisper), send an email with your mailing address to: [email protected]

Priscilla Masters on a First Date

As a first date it could have ended a lot better but not much worse, to be truthful.

I was a first-year student nurse in Birmingham 1970 when I was invited to a party by one of the medical students. So far so good. Except...

My date for the night had heard that the famous clock tower, Old Joe, was undergoing some restoration. A little earlier in the evening he'd recced the tower which was normally padlocked and found a small opening in one of the doors where a panel had been removed. He reckoned that I was just small enough to squeeze through and open the door from the inside.

Old Joe aka The Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Tower, is a clock tower and campanile, or bell tower, located in Chancellor's court at the University of Birmingham. According to Wikipedia it is the tallest free-standing clock tower in the world, although I didn't know that at the time. The university lists it as 361 feet tall. The clock dial measures 17 feet in diameter; the length of the clock's hands are 10 and 6 ft, and the bell weighs in at 5 tons.

A prominent landmark in Birmingham, the grade II listed tower can be seen for miles around the campus as well as from the surrounding roads, and has become synonymous with the University itself.

And my new boyfriend thought it would be a nice start to the evening to pop up to the top, ring the bells and maybe tinker with the hands before heading to the party.

I wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion in lime green hotpants, wedge heels and false eyelashes and I'm not over fond of heights. But luckily the heights thing wasn't a problem as we couldn't look down as we climbed and climbed and climbed, finally reaching a platform. A couple of hangers on had joined the pre-party party and had clanged the bells (I don't know if any of you have read Dorothy L Sayers The Nine Tailors?) Another mischief maker had 'played around' with the clock hands causing confusion to the commuters the next morning on their way to work!

It might not surprise you to know that we didn't get to the party. We were "arrested" by the University Police but released by the Selly Oak Force who between incredulity and guffaws cautioned us and let us go.

What might surprise you more is that I actually married the guy!

-- Priscilla Masters
Enter a drawing to win one of three copies of Almost a Whisper. Send an email with your mailing address to: [email protected]

You may contact Priscilla via her website: https://www.priscillamasters.co.uk/contact-priscilla-masters/

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

This month's Penguin Classics book is The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading and enter for your chance to win.