Page 14 April 2012 Paper’s Book Club offers view of veteran reviewer By Amanda Goossen Bookstores are becoming a thing of the past and online-reader reviews are rarely trustworthy. Enter this bookworm and trusty literature a fi cionado. As a longtime book reviewer for Publisher’s Weekly , I am thrilled to expose Arcadia News readers to some of the best books and authors in the world of literature this very moment. As an added bonus, starting this month Arcadia News will host a monthly book club. The book club will be open to men and women, young and old. The Arcadia News Book Club will be for those 16 and older. Books will be fi ction or non fi ction, depending on the best books we fi nd any given month. The book club selection will be featured at the top of our monthly list and readers will meet at the end of the month at an Arcadia coffee shop or restaurant. This month we meet 8 p.m., April 26 at The Black Cat Coffee House, 4730 E. Indian School Road. We will have g i v e a w a y s (books, gift baskets and gift cards), sip Black Cat coffee, and chat about the book, Being Lara by Lola Jaye. If you have any questions about the book club event, or would like to let us know you’re coming, please email amanda@arcadianews.com. Book Club Selection: Being Lara by Lola Jaye Following the lives of three very different women, all dealing with the impact of adoption, this heart-wrenching novel gets to the root of the emotions on a very tough topic. Lara Reid has always known she was different, but growing up as a Nigerian child to white parents only becomes more dif fi cult as she gets older. Loved dearly by her adoptive parents, Lara feels stuck between researching her roots and settling in to the life she has always known. Her birth mother and adoptive mother also are riddled with worry, painfully questioning: “What if?” I chose Being Lara as our fi rst book club selection because author Lola Jaye does a beautiful job with character development, bringing the readers into their lives and allowing them to feel the love, heartache and joy. Adult Fiction: Red, White and Blood (A Nathaniel Cade novel) by Christopher Farnsworth The third in a breathtaking series of novels, Christopher Farnsworth takes any paranormal expectations you might have and destroys them. In his fascinating and unrelenting series of novels, F a r n s w o r t h follows the life of a m y s t e r i o u s v a m p i r e , who just so happens to be the right- hand man to the president of the United States. U n l i k e many cliché vampire novels on bookstands today, Farnsworth’s books are smart, fast-paced and developed around some of the best characters in any work of fi ction today. Few books get me this excited, and I don’t even like vampires. Farnsworth will be signing books at Continued on page 25 Tim the Tool Man Quality Repair, Remodel & Building Performance Commercial ROC #271739 Residential ROC #271740 Reduce Energy Bills by as much as 30%, Improve Comfort & Air Quality in your Home by having a... • Duct Seal • Air Seal • Insulation • Shade Screens • Lighting • Variable Speed Pool Pumps • APS/SRP Energy Audits • Remodels Now only $99! ($400 Value) Call Today! (602) 759-0858 www.timthetoolman.biz | info@timthetoolman.biz I.S.A. CERTIFIED ARBORISTS ON STAFF & CREWS Fully Insured / Licensed / Bonded Contractor - ROC # 251150 Call us at 480.820.3939 or visit us at Bartlett.com 480-820-3939 Call for a Free Consultation Professional Pruning Root Zone Fertilization Insect & Disease Management Hazard Tree Evaluations & Removals Root – Rx Program Aerial Lift Technical Support by our Research Laboratories Cabling & Bracing Serving the Valley for over 25 years! New customers only. Expires 4-22-12. Coupon must be presented before work is completed. 10% OFF TREE PRUNING SDALE AND NORTH now in arcadia, scottsdale and north phoenix 5:30 am and 9:00 am women of all levels, shapes and sizes are welcome! Are You Worth 1-Hour A Day? • Just Get Here... The Rest Will Follow! • Yes! You Will Have Fun! • Yes! You Will Get in Great Shape! • No! We Won’t Yell at You! attention women! Call 888-949-7465 See Amazing Photos and REGISTER at: www.CodePinkBootCamp.com Hurry! Register Today! Space is Limited! Next Camp Starts April 23

Page 15 April 2012 Hopi garden means more than plants Photos and story by Amanda Goossen Garden boxes cover the campus of Hopi Elementary School, with fl owers in bloom and fresh herbs and vegetables threatening to take over the space. Cabbage, fresh mint and rosemary sprout from the soil, transforming a basic elementary school into a gardening wonderland. The mastermind behind it all is Barbara Halden, nutrition and gardening whiz who moved to Arcadia four years ago from Baltimore with her husband and three children. Halden, who originally hails from Germany where she earned her master’s in biology, worked at John Hopkins in Baltimore in the Center for a Livable Future. The center’s vision is to protect the environment, preserve biodiversity and conserve fi nite resources to improve human health, prevent disease, and meet the basic needs for food, water and shelter for all people. Halden, with her knowledge, shovel and bag of seeds spreads the center’s message of “farming, eating and living for our future.” When Halden’s children began attending Hopi four years ago, she said she saw an opportunity to capitalize on a large amount of space and she volunteered to plant a garden if students would help with the maintenance. What began as a large garden box with Continued on page 28 Barbara Halden wants Hopi students to learn “farming, eating and living for our future.”