Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column - July 23, 2024

Dear Reader,

Please welcome today's guest author Detective Kim Mager, a 30-year law enforcement officer, who retired from the Ashland City Police in 2022. Kim works for a prosecutor's office and still holds a law enforcement commission. She specializes in sex offenses, violent crime, and child abuse and has investigated over 2,000 cases. Kim has a BA from Ashland University and graduated Top Gun of her Police Academy. She is married to husband, Dan, and they have three children, Corbin, Macy, and Reed.

Kim's new true crime title (with Lisa Pulitzer) is, A Hunger to Kill: A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever. In this fascinating and profoundly chilling account, Detective Kim Mager, a real-life version of Clarice Starling, reveals how she closed in on-and broke-one of Ohio's most infamous serial killers.

You could win one of three copies of A Hunger to Kill. Send an email with your preferred shipping address (in case you're a winner) to: [email protected]

Finding Solitude

 As a detective, I've spent 30 years interviewing victims of sex offenses and violent crimes. I've sat across from countless suspects and relentlessly pursued their confessions. There have been many times when I have felt like I was suffocating upon entering a scene or when hearing a victim recount their trauma. There never seemed to be a right time to process what I had seen and heard because It wasn't about me, it was about the job I had to do. It was impacting me incrementally and it wasn't apparent to me for most of my career. I spent all of my time looking ahead and focusing on what I needed to do next. I mistakenly believed that because my cases were successful, that was the measure of whether I was okay. I was so wrong.

I reside back along a lane that is so far off the road, you can't hear traffic. I'm surrounded by rolling hills, trees, and a moving creek. For the majority of my career, I took it all for granted. A while back, after a particularly difficult case, I found myself walking my property. I didn't have a plan--I just felt a strong need to go. I walked until I found a small, grassy area between a pine grove and a hardwood forest. I sat down on the ground next to a century-old fallen tree with outgrown roots. I looked around and was taken by the natural beauty surrounding me. I became quiet and still. I felt so small and alone, almost apprehensive. I was afraid to even think because I feared losing control. I looked all around, with an unusual awareness. I could see the sun breaking through the trees, in glowing rays. I could smell the earthy decay of the forest floor, and I noticed the distinct scent of the walnut trees. Birds were rhythmically calling to each other and two squirrels were effortlessly jumping tree-to-tree. I could hear the water rippling over the river rock in the shallow creek. I had lived in the midst of all of that, but on that day, it was different. 

I sat in silence, in a state of repressive coping. After a long pause, I slowly submitted and allowed myself to cautiously reflect. I stayed there for hours, giving thought to my cases, my family, my faith, and my purpose. I began to consciously focus on connecting with myself. I started to feel less alone. It felt surreal. I then realized I had been missing something. I didn't know I was looking for it, but I had found it--solitude. I found a space where I could connect exclusively with myself. A place where I could breathe. 

I now recognize the importance of encouraging others to find solitude. It doesn't have to be in the middle of a forest; it can be anywhere. It's simple, yet profound. Solitude is a state of being alone without feeling lonely. Solitude allows us to stay grounded and reconnect with ourselves. It lets us find calmness and inner focus. It's so critical to our well-being.

Although it took many years, I'm so thankful for the ability to reflect.

I'm drawn to that peaceful spot.

-- Kim Mager

You could win one of three copies of A Hunger to Kill Send an email with your preferred shipping address (in case you're a winner) to: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - July 16, 2024

Dear Reader,

Today's guest, Laura Pritchett, is the author of seven novels. Known for championing the complex and contemporary West and giving voice to the working class, her books have garnered the PEN USA Award, the Milkweed National Fiction Prize, the WILLA, the High Plains Book Award, and others. She's also the author of two nonfiction books, one play, and edited three environmental-based anthologies. She directs the MFA in Nature Writing at Western Colorado University. When not writing or teaching, she's generally found exploring the mountains of her home state of Colorado.

Laura's new book is Three Keys...Newly widowed and unemployed, a woman in her mid-fifties sets off on a journey of trespassing and adventure through the American West and beyond in this witty, thought-provoking novel.

See the details below about how you could win one of five signed copies of Three Keys.

Welcome to the book club Laura...

I somewhat shyly admit it: During the pandemic, I became a bit of a "prepper." At night, I occupied my brain by considering what to do if the water supply fritzed--fill bathtubs and pans at first opportunity! In the day, I added fruit trees to my little orchard in the foothills of Colorado's Rocky Mountains--peaches would feed my family! It doesn't take an expert to see what my brain and heart were doing--I was scared, I wanted some control and sense of safety in uncertain times.

As someone who grew up on a ranch, and with brothers who took me camping, I have some of that how-to knowledge. I know where wild asparagus grows, I can catch and cook a fish. But the pandemic had me contemplating all that I do not know, which is plenty, and take for granted, which is even more. Didn't we all ponder our access to electricity and water and fuel (and even toilet paper!)?

My nervous system has since calmed. But I don't regret this time of what some might call neurotic and loopy behavior. For me, it was clarifying. For one thing, I have a bigger orchard, and apricots and peaches are on their way! For another thing, I've sat with my mortality, the transience of things, and my fears. While I recognize I likely need cortisol-free calm more than I need fishing line and water purifiers, I now have both.

I know I'm not alone in this. Enrollment in survival courses has increased dramatically since covid--everything from urban survival, naturalist schools, and outdoor survival camps--and learning, or re-learning, some of this is not a totally bad idea. Self-sufficiency can lead to empowerment, even as we recognize that we are dependent upon our community. My new book, The "Three Keys" came out of this push-pull between independence and dependence.

And at the end of the day, who doesn't like a good survival story? Whether in real life or in fiction, it's one of the greatest human endeavors: To get scrappy, think our way out of unique scenarios, overcome the odds, and to feel like we are sturdy souls, capable of strengths we didn't know we had. And sometimes, we get some extra fruit to boot.

What makes you feel empowered? I love to hear from readers and you can find me at [email protected]. I'm giving away 5 signed copies of my book, Three Keys so drop me a line.

-- Laura Pritchett

www.laurapritchett.com

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - July 10, 2024

Dear Reader,

Please welcome today's guest author, Dr. Kathleen Sheppard. She is a Professor in the History and Political Science department at Missouri S&T in Rolla, Missouri. She has spent her whole career telling the life stories of women in Egyptology. Her most recent book, Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age is a grand retelling of the history of Egyptology through the work that women did.

Enter the drawing to win one of three copies of Women in the Valley of the Kings. Send an email with your preferred shipping address (in case you're a winner) to: [email protected]

Welcome to the book club, Kathleen...

She'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun...Or Will She?

For some, running is a type-2 kind of fun. You know the kind: you don't like it while you're doing it, but you have good memories once it's over. For me, running is a mix of type-2 and type-1 fun. It is the kind of activity that you enjoy in the moment (which makes you want to keep doing it), but it can also make you miserable. So, I keep running both for the pleasure of it and the stories to tell later.

One of my favorite running events is a four-day series of races, beginning with a 5K the first day, then a 10K, then a half marathon, then a full marathon on the last day, for a total of 48.6 miles run in four days. Called the Dopey Challenge, the event is associated with a major theme park in Florida (ahem) and their tagline is "Every Mile is Magic." Despite the completely 'accurate' moniker and the outright lies in the tagline, I've done this series twice, 10 years apart. I was far too tired after the first time to try it again too soon. Was it dopey to do? Twice? Yes, probably. Will I do it again? Yes, probably.

Where else would you find yourself slogging through a two-mile loop in a desolate parking lot with no cover during a torrential downpour, only to have the skies clear for your run up Main Street, USA, while a princess castle looks down on you? In what other race could you high-five an anthropomorphized mouse, only to cross the finish line carrying a pretzel shaped like said mouse's head while a church choir belts out songs from beloved children's films?

Toward the end of the marathon this year, I was at mile 45 out of 48.6 total for the weekend, and I saw a sign that asked, "Is every mile still magic?" I made eye contact with the person holding the sign, laughed, and said: "Absolutely not." The person nodded solemnly and replied: "I knew it."

But each mile really was magic, in its own way. True to type-2 fun, I've sort of forgotten about the misery and only remember the good times, and I hope to be that way about most things.

-- Kathleen Sheppard

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

Enter the drawing to win one of three copies of Women in the Valley of the Kings. Send an email with your preferred shipping address (in case you're a winner) to: [email protected]

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - July 9, 2024

Dear Reader,

It's a Classics day!

Today you can sample this month's Penguin Classic and enter the drawing to win your own copy. This month's Penguin Classic is The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing 25th-Anniversary Edition (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Melissa Bank, Foreword by Nick Hornby.

Start reading (below) and enter for your chance to win. 

(From the Publisher:)

The New York Times bestselling classic of a young woman's journey in work, love, and life… 

Generous-hearted and wickedly insightful, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing maps the progress of Jane Rosenal as she sets out on a personal and spirited expedition through the perilous terrain of sex, love, relationships, and the treacherous waters of the workplace. Soon Jane is swept off her feet by an older man and into a Fitzgeraldesque whirl of cocktail parties, country houses, and rules that were made to be broken, but comes to realize that it's a world where the stakes are much too high for comfort. With an unforgettable comic touch, Bank skillfully teases out universal issues, puts a clever new spin on the mating dance, and captures in perfect pitch what it's like to come of age as a young woman.

Start reading this month’s Penguin Classic and enter to win your own copy.

 

Today I'm sharing one of my favorite columns…

Four years ago a hungry, tuckered-out, feral, orange tabby showed up on my porch. He was a feisty little guy but with good reason. Somewhere along the way folks had let him down. The pain and mistreatment he'd suffered, I could see it in his eyes. He kept his distance, but soon…

To read the rest of today's heartfelt Goldie column and to see photos, go to: https://www.dearreader.com/goldie/

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - June 18, 2024

Dear Reader,

Please welcome today's guest author, Bob Hostetler. He is an award-winning writer whose more than fifty books include the new children's book, I Dream a Dream for You. He lives in Nevada.

With its sweet bedtime rhymes, I Dream a Dream for You is a charming read-aloud bedtime book for toddlers. A family of red pandas make their home in the forest. When it's time for bed, Mom and Dad tuck in their three kiddos, and as they all drift to sleep, dreams come to life through the vibrant pictures and story.

Reach out to Bob for a chance to win one of five copies of I Dream a Dream for You. Email: [email protected]

The Beauty of (Physical) Books

Ebooks are great. I read, on average, twenty-five or more ebooks every year. They're convenient, especially when traveling. They don't take up precious shelf space. They don't have to be dusted.

I don't feel guilty when I read an ebook, but I purposefully choose physical books for the majority of my reading, for numerous reasons. Reading a physical book provides a more sensory experience. Touch, smell, weight, all contribute to the pleasure. Studies suggest that those who read a physical book recall and retain the material better. Some find that reading a physical book causes less eye strain and/or headaches than reading from a screen.

But here's something I've realized only recently, and it relates to the legacy I want to leave my kids and grandkids. We all know that children imitate their older family members--parents, especially, but also grandparents, aunts and uncles, and older siblings. They talk like them, walk like them, play "mommy and daddy," "mowing the lawn," and "doing the dishes."

However, when you use a tablet or an e-reader, your kids or grandkids can't see you reading. They don't necessarily know you're reading a book. From their perspective, unless they're looking over your shoulder, you may be reading Facebook or playing a game. You might be watching a movie or YouTube video. You could be checking a text or email message.

But when you hold a physical book in your hands, it says something to a child or young person who may--even casually--notice. When your youngsters see you curled up in your favorite chair with an absorbing book, laughing with James Thurber, pondering C. S. Lewis, and crying with Nicholas Sparks, it communicates, "This is something people do." It says, "Books are interesting," "Reading is fun," and "This is a great way to use your time." And reading a physical book to or with a child (or letting children read to you!) is one of the most pleasurable experiences our world has to offer, even (or especially) in the age of ebooks, video games, and the internet.

It may seem like a small thing, and maybe it is. And I have no plans to abandon ebooks, by any means. But children live the values they learn from parents and others. Maybe they will value books and reading more if they're given the opportunity to observe the appeal of a good book in the material world.

-- Bob Hostetler

Reach out to Bob for a chance to win one of five copies of I Dream a Dream for You. Email: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - May 14, 2024

Dear Reader,

It’s time for a Penguin Classic!

Today you can sample this month's Penguin Classic and enter the drawing to win your own copy. This month's Penguin Classic is, The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration edited by Frank Abe and Floyd Cheung. 

Start reading (below) and enter for your chance to win. 

(From the Publisher:)

The collective voice of Japanese Americans defined by a specific moment in time: the four years of World War II during which the US government expelled resident aliens and its own citizens from their homes and imprisoned 125,000 of them in American concentration camps, based solely upon the race they shared with a wartime enemy.

Today I'm sharing one of the recipes my daughter-in-law's mother used to make for her when she was growing up.

My Daughter-in-Law's Favorite Old Recipe--Chicken Salad

4 cups cubed, cooked boneless chicken meat
1 bunch celery, finely diced
10 ounces, weight package, carrot shreds
6 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup Miracle Whip, or just enough to moisten
1 tablespoon dill weed
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
7 ounces, French Fried Shoestring Potato Sticks

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Enjoy.

* Start reading this month’s Penguin Classic and enter to win your own copy, go to: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=drclassqqxqT1AFE3F33215&c=CLASSICS

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - April 30, 2024

Dear Reader,

Please welcome Diane Kelly today's guest author who writes funny mysteries featuring feisty female leads and furry, four-footed sidekicks. Diane has authored over three dozen novels and novellas, including the Death & Taxes white-collar crime series, the Paw Enforcement K9 series, the House Flipper cozy mystery series, the Busted female motorcycle cop series, the Southern Homebrew moonshine series, and the Mountain Lodge Mysteries series.

Her brand new book is Four-Alarm Homicide, in which carpenter Whitney Whitaker remodels an old fire station into a residence that will also serve as her wedding venue, is the sixth book in her popular House Flipper series.

When not writing, Diane enjoys walking her dog, playing with her cats, and hiking in the woods in her home state of North Carolina. Learn more about Diane and her books at https://www.dianekelly.com

You could win one of three copies of Four-Alarm Homicide. Send an email with your preferred shipping address (in case you're a winner) to: [email protected]

Reach out to Diane via: https://www.dianekelly.com/contact/

Welcome to the book club Diane...

Up on the Roof

I've always loved the song Up on the Roof, written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and made famous by the Drifters. The lyrics are lovely, sharing how a rooftop can be a peaceful escape from the rat race and the noise of the crowds. To paraphrase the song, a rooftop is a paradise, where one can look up at the sky and, for no charge, watch a show of stars.

Although I'm somewhat scared of heights, I nevertheless love rooftop spaces for the very reasons set forth in the song. Rooftops provide beautiful views of the sky and a refuge from the hustle and bustle happening at ground level. I'm willing to put aside my fears to enjoy these unusual vantage points.

From 2014-2016, I lived in Nashville, the city where my House Flipper series is set. Nashville is famous for country music, of course, and much of that music is enjoyed on rooftops along the South Broadway or "SoBro" honky-tonk row. One of my favorite rooftop patios is at the Acme Feed and Seed restaurant, which sits at the east end of Broadway directly across from the picturesque Cumberland River, pedestrian bridge, and Riverfront Park. The gorgeous view from the roof makes you realize why so many people choose Nashville as a vacation destination. Heading back west on Broadway, one will pass many a bar and music venue with bands playing atop their roofs, but the most legendary venue with a rooftop patio is Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. With its purple paint, the historic place is impossible to miss. I got my first taste of apple pie moonshine at Tootsie's and have been hooked on the stuff ever since.

Two of my favorite rooftops include the Fahrenheit Charlotte rooftop bar in Charlotte, North Carolina and the rooftop of the Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. The view of downtown Charlotte from Fahrenheit is spectacular, especially at night when the city is lit up. The roof of the Biltmore provides breathtaking long-range views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Pisgah National Forest. With my love of rooftops, it's no surprise that I included a rooftop patio in the fire station remodel in Four-Alarm Homicide.

Do you like rooftops? If so, what's your favorite rooftop space?

-- Diane Kelly

https://www.dianekelly.com/contact/

Enter-to-win one of three copies of Four-Alarm Homicide. Send an email with your preferred shipping address (in case you're a winner) to: [email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - April 23, 2024

Dear Reader,

Please welcome today's return guest, Nancy Thayer. Nancy is the New York Times author of 35 novels, including Summer Love, Family Reunion, A Nantucket Christmas, and The Hot Flash Club. Her novel Let It Snow was made into a Hallmark Christmas movie entitled Nantucket Noel in 2021.  Her new title, just in time for summer, is The Summer We Started Over.

Her books are about families, friendship, and the beautiful island of Nantucket where she's lived for 40 years with her husband Charley Walters and their spoiled cat Callie. Sometimes they invite their thousands of grandchildren to visit. She loves libraries, bookstores, and zoom parties.

Contact Nancy via her website: https://nancythayer.com/contact-nancy

Welcome back to the book club, Nancy...

I can't tell you how many times I've started over.

I'm certain you've started over many times, too.

For example, I started over when I went alone and shy into pre-school. I started over each time I dated a man. I started over when I came to Nantucket for the first time to see my good friend Dinah–and to meet the man I would marry and the island I would call home.

I start over when I start to write a new book. Often, I discover I've gone down a blind alley. For so many things in life, starting over isn't as easy as opening a door and entering a room where smiling people are waiting for you. Sometimes it takes work, editing, revision, and often, despair.

Sometimes, in both writing and in life, it can be magic.

It was a gray, gloomy November when I flew to Nantucket to visit Dinah. Nantucket wasn't at its most lovable. Heavy, clouded sky, cold wind, darkness. No fast ferries. Dinah had arranged for me to be interviewed about my third novel on the local television channel. The show was called ArtsView, and the host was Charley Walters, blue-eyed, six one, thirty-two, unattached.

When he walked in the door, I thought, "I could love him." Just like that. I could never have imagined someone like him. But there he was, and here we are, married for forty years.

I live on this island thirty miles out to sea with a population of billionaires and normal, attractive people who work here but can't afford to buy a house here. I don't go a day without discovering something--or someone--I want to write a novel about. I have piles of notes.

But one day I was chatting with my friend Dinah, yes, that Dinah. She now lives in Palm Beach, but visits the island often. Dinah is truly glamorous and generous and lovable, and her last name is not Lavender. She's also fascinating, but while we were talking, something in my mind whispered: Dinah Lavender. She writes romances.

I couldn't wait to get off the phone. I sat down at my computer and typed out pages about Dinah Lavender, who lived in New York and had written over a hundred best-selling romance novels, but who had no significant lover or friend in her life. She had long black hair and a voluptuous body and she needed an assistant...

I intended to write about a family that had suffered a terrible loss. I wanted to write about getting what you want only to find out you really want something entirely different. I wanted to write about sisters. I have a younger, blue-eyed blonde pretty baby sister, and believe me, our relationship continually supplies me with ideas.

So I wrote about two sisters in their twenties who move to Nantucket with their father to start over. And before long, Dinah Lavender arrives.

I hope you enjoy The Summer We Started Over. That will make me and Dinah Lavender very happy!

Have a wonderful summer!

xoxoNancy

-- Nancy Thayer

https://nancythayer.com/contact-nancy

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - April 16, 2024

Dear Reader,

Linda Stewart Henley, today's guest author writes:

I enjoy writing historical fiction, especially when I have a connection with the place or period where the story takes place. I grew up in England in the area South of London and my book Kate's War is set there. I find the year in Britain after the declaration of war but before the Blitz fascinating: people prepared for a war that didn't seem to be happening, and for a while, they called it the "phony war." My book is about ordinary people and how they adjusted to the reality of World War II.

Learn more about Linda at https://www.lindastewarthenleyauthor.com/

Email: [email protected]

How I learned to write fiction

When we moved to the Pacific Northwest after retirement, my husband Vince announced that he was going to write a novel. He is an avid reader and had written many technical and business documents, but never a long work of fiction, so I asked him how he would go about doing this. He replied that he would start by taking classes in creative writing.

And he did. We both did. But our teacher only expected students to write anecdotes or short memoirs, usually no longer than a page or so. There were no classes available locally on how to write a long work of fiction. So Vince decided to offer the class himself. He ordered dozens of books, read them all, wrote a murder mystery novella, and then advertised his class. The first time he taught it, about four students enrolled. He insisted that I take it, despite my protests that I was sure I couldn't write a book. 

He has now written two novellas and two novels, and he has taught the class ten more times. As his understanding about the craft of writing increased, he developed a comprehensive syllabus and class format. Now twelve attendees meet once a week, January to May, in a three-hour session for a total of eighteen weeks. Each class includes a lecture and peer critique session, and everyone writes between 2,000 and 3,500 words each week. By the end of the class, participants have completed either a novella (minimum of 30,000 words) or a novel (minimum of 50,000 words). During the last week of the Seminar, he reads everyone's entire manuscript and provides a final written evaluation.

To my surprise, and no small thanks to my husband's excellent teaching, I learned to write fiction. During the ten classes that I took over a ten-year period, I wrote first drafts of three novels, all of which have been or will be published. My third novel Kate's War will be released on April 9, 2024.

And his novels? He has no desire to go through the arduous process of editing, revising, and marketing, so his work remains unpublished, though he still writes and adds manuscripts to his pile on the shelf. Vince says he gets his greatest pleasure from helping other people achieve their literary objectives.

-- Linda Stewart Henley

[email protected]

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected] 

Dear Reader Column - April 9, 2024

Dear Reader,

Get out the hats and horns, bake a batch of cookies, patronize the Friends of the Library Bookstore, make a donation (time or money) to your local library, or send an email to the library thanking them for offering this online book club and for doing such a great job every day. Celebrate National Library Week!

To celebrate National Library Week, I have giveaways for librarians. If you work at (or retired from) a library please do enter-to-win this special gift: a There’s No Such Thing as Too Many Books tote bag. To enter, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/giveaway/

Today’s guest author, D. J. Green is a writer and geologist, a by-product of an upbringing in a house filled with books and her Earth Science teacher father talking endlessly about rocks. D. J. was lucky to grow up exploring the National Parks across the U.S. with her family. Her debut novel, No More Empty Spaces, weaves the love of the outdoors, and the science that shapes it, into the story of a geologist who takes his three children to a remote and rugged part of Turkey, where he's signed on to work on a troubled dam in 1973. While there, he wrestles for control--of his family, his work, and even the landscape.

D. J. is giving away five copies of No More Empty Spaces to book club readers. To enter, drop D. J. an email and be sure to include your mailing address in case you are a winner: [email protected]

Welcome to the book clubs, D. J. …

The Specifics of Wonder

Wonder seems non-specific to me, when I try to find words to describe how it feels, in my mind or my body, I struggle. That's a problem for a writer. But describing, specifically, what inspires wonder in me--that's easy. I am fortunate to spend time in nature nearly every day, and not a single one goes by when I don't see or hear or touch upon something that makes me sense wonder.

One January morning, it was Mountain bluebirds. A blustery day at the base of the Sandias (the mountains whose foothills I regularly hike), I ducked down into an arroyo seeking shelter from the winds howling higher on the ridge tops. The flock of Mountain bluebirds who winter here had the same idea. Lucky me!

Passing a juniper, I flushed the flock. They rose en masse, swirled overhead, their bright or light (depending on their gender) blue hues flashed in the sun. They hovered, wings beating as they danced on the brisk breeze. They chose another nearby tree and settled where I could watch them through my binoculars as many minutes ticked by--though for me, immersed in the joy of their presence, time seemed altered. I could simply be with them as they perched, or hopped from bough to bough, or fluttered in the air like a blue halo around the tree. Some quiet, so I could see the details of their slim beaks or the black wing feathers folded upon their backs in contrast to their brilliant blue. Some chittered, but their songs were hard to hear above the wind's insistent refrain. I don't know how long I lingered, I could've watched them, snug as they seemed in the shelter of the juniper, all day. But a Cooper's hawk had other plans. As it swooped in, the bluebirds were gone in a feathered flash. The flock flew well out of my sight to safety.

I stayed, observing the raptor, who bobbed on a high branch in the buffeting wind. When it rose and passed overhead, I could hear, and feel, its wingbeats. Yet more wonder.

It is true that I am a nerd about birds, but wouldn't anyone feel fascination among those winged beauties? Find wonder in their mastery of the air? If it isn't birds, I hope you discover something to wonder at today. Perhaps, Dear Reader, it will be in the pages of a book.

– D. J. Green

To enter the drawing for book club readers for one of five copies of No More Empty Spaces, email: [email protected] (and please include your mailing address in case you are a winner).

And if you work at (or retired from) a library please do enter-to-win this special gift: a There’s No Such Thing as Too Many Books tote bag. To enter, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/giveaway/

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]