Cookies, Awards, and Rewards!

I have been a member of a very unique free online e-mail book club called "Dear Reader" for many years. I posted about it once before on this post.

To find more information about it and to join, go to the web site , sign up for one (or more) of the free book clubs from a choice of fiction, non-fiction, mystery, business, good news, science fiction, romance, thriller, audio, and pre-publication. Then every day Suzanne Beecher, the Dear Reader founder, will email you a 5-minute portion of a book to read along with her very personable letter for the day.

She sends a different book each week, Monday through Friday, and you can sample two to three chapters in total, enough to know whether you enjoy the book enough to look for it at your local library, or purchase it.

It's a great way to sample books before you buy them , discover new books and new authors , be the first to read new releases, and you can enter to win free books given away from time to time through the club, plus enter contests where Suzanne gives away fun little things and her famous chocolate chip cookies once a month!

When I posted before I ended my post with the hope that one day I'd win Suzanne's cookies. Recently I entered a suggestion in a contest as to how to help Suzanne promote her book club. I suggested that she have a "widget" created so that bloggers can put it on their sidebars, so that their readers could click through to read about her club and join it. You guessed it, I won her cookies for my suggestion! I was so excited to receive them in the mail recently. Suzanne, they were so delicious!

Suzanne hasn't developed the widget as yet, but hopefully soon, and in the meantime I'll place my own "Dear Reader" badge on my sidebar that will click through to her club.

Here is a photo of the cookies after I opened the box they were delivered in, and Suzanne's nice note:

A close up of all their soft and chewy goodness. You can find Suzanne's recipe on her "Dear Reader" website! Suzanne is a marvelous cook and often shares her recipes.

Please visit "Dear Reader" and try a book club or two. You'll find many wonderful books and you, too, will soon think of Suzanne as a wonderful friend. Who knows -- maybe you'll win her fabulous chocolate chips cookies one day too!

I have recently been awarded the "friendship Award" by two new blog friends, Rita of Tesoro Fino Fine Treasures blog, and Cynthia of the Oasis Writers Link blog. Thank you both so much! Rita owns an antique and design store on Long Island, New York and is very proud of her Italian heritage. Cynthia describes her blog as "a place for commentary about life and culture in Puerto Rico and beyond; experiences with yoga, and literature -spiced with a strong dash of appreciation for nature, art, film and music." Please visit both of their beautiful and interesting blogs.

Carol of The Writer's Porch blog presented me with the "Fabulous Blog" award last week. Carol lives on a ranch in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and is the daughter of a singer/songwriter of Country music. She is a devout reader ,and currently writing her first novel. I know you'll also find her blog very interesting, so please visit her soon!

Both these awards are to be distributed to five other bloggers, but I always struggle with that requirement, as I find it hard to choose just a few of the many wonderful blogs I read. Please know that you are all my friend and I find your blogs fabulous!


After enjoying blogging for a year I find my sidebar full of award badges, and although I treasure each and every one for the kind thoughts of friendship that was extended to me through them, I would like to announce that from now on I'm making my blog "award free."

My rewards are the kind and encouraging comments you leave on my blog posts and in e-mail. It may take me a few days, or more, at busy times for me to visit your blog if you have one, but I read all my comments every day and I thank you all very much for making blogging such an enjoyable hobby for me!