Thursday, March 26, 2009

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!

20 comments:

Jojo said...

The book club site sounds like a much more social way to find my next good read. On the Amazon site there is little to no chance to make friends or win cookies!!! What fun and they look delicious.

Don't laugh but I won an award once and my poor family had to listen to me gloat for weeks. My husband still teases me but it is true that winning an award from blog friends is such a compliment.

Sounds like you are having a great blog week. Congratulations!!

Kathy said...

Congrats on the awards and the book club sounds like a really great idea! I'm starving and the cookies look yummy!

Anonymous said...

Beside spending time with family and friends, what's better than a good book? Travelling for the mind....
Congratulations for the awards.

steviewren said...

Pat, I missed your previous post on the book club website. It sounds like something I would like so I'm off to check it out. Your idea of the widgit was a really good one. Congrats on being the cookie winner. And yes, they do look delicious. You look great in the picture. Spring must be agreeing with you...or maybe it's that red sweater.

Vee said...

Are you going to use an award free button on your sidebar? There are a few cute ones out there. I am so conflicted about that. I love to receive them; I just hate to give them away. Ha! And sometimes I enjoy being tagged. Sigh.

Congrats on the cookie win! It sounds as if Suzanne is providing a valuable service to readers.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Congrats on your awards, Pat, and on winning those yummy cookies! I would love to reach through the screen and help myself. I'm craving chocolate!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Just A Girl said...

Hi Pat,
The cookies look delicious and congratulations on your many wins!!!
I'm hoping that you're doing well. It seems like this year is flying right past and I don't know where it's going. Any signs of Spring today? We're having the most beautiful weather here...I'll send some of it your way.

xoxo Cori

aliceinparis said...

You deserve all the awards and cookies you get!!! You have an interesting and cheerful blog and are a lovely and faithful reader. It all takes a lot of time and you work hard! Congratulations:)

Anonymous said...

Lucky you, winning those gorgeous cookies!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for passing on the info about these reader blogs. Congrats on giving a good idea and getting cookies! I made choco-chip cookies yesterday, too. Yum! Your blog is fabulous.

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

Yay! Cookies! And look at you with the fancy widget advice. :-) I love the sounds of this book club...fun! I wish I had more time to read...I've started up again and it's taking me weeks and weeks to get through books. I'm reading like a 400 pager right now. What was I thinking?!

Speaking of cookies...and baking...I haven't done my DB yet. YIKES!

Arlene Delloro said...

Pat, I'm so glad you posted about this book club. Congratulations on winning those delicious looking cookies. I love to read, so I'm going to check it out. I've been participating in the Cook the Books blog and it's great fun, but this IS a great way to weed out books I won't want to finish. I know what you mean about the awards. I love getting them, but feel I'm intruding on people when I pass them on with conditions.

Unknown said...

Hi Pat,
Congratulations on the cookies and the award! You deserve both.

Now I'll have blog to check out...Mississippi girl at that!

And the book club site sounds interesting!

Thanks for sharing,
Diane :)

Willow said...

Congrats on all the awards! The book club sounds interesting. Wish I had time to read more.

Kathy said...

Hi Pat, I love your photo and those cookies look so delicious, what a great idea for sampling books, I will come back and take a look. big hugs, Kathy.

Nola said...

Books and cookies are two of my favorite things. The cake pedestal you are displaying them on is beautiful, and that's a good photo of you, too.

Kat Mortensen said...

I am heading right over there to sign up. I don't have any books on my shelves or my nightstand, or in the bathroom, or under the bed, or in the kitchen. I just don't have enough books. What's that bag on the table? Oh, that. That's just a couple of..."Look at that cardinal in the tree!"

Who cares if I have an addiction and I'll NEVER in a million years read them all? I'm still signing up. Besides, when Lent's over I've got me a big chocolate fix coming and those cookies would be perfect!

Kat

Claudia said...

The book club sounds wonderful. Coongrats on the award - just have fun. There are so many treasures out there. And - I want some of those cookies!

Rhonda Hartis Smith said...

Thos cookies look sooooo good and what a great idea--a blog book club. I do love to read--especially your blog!

Proud Italian Cook said...

Congrats to you Pat! Love the photo of you too. Look at that little Leo, hes a doll!