Page 4 April 2013 A year already? Book club grows up faster than kids By Dale Messmer If time really does fl y when you’re having fun, we can lay the quick passing of another year at the feet of the Arcadia News Book Club. The club is a year old this month. Shocking, really. It’s a feeling similar to the realization that the baby girl next door is now 13. It was brilliance when reporter Amanda Goossen came up with the idea of a neighborhood book club sponsored by the paper. No one could have expected it to be such a huge success, though. At least I didn’t. Oh, I fi gured there’d be a few people interested enough to meet once a month for coffee and cookies and discuss a book they had read. Had no inkling the group would grow so big so fast with such a loyal following. It’s all Amanda’s doing. She convinced the newspaper’s manage- ment and local businesses to put together a gift basket that’s raf fl ed off every month. She arranged for authors to SKYPE about their books at each meeting. This month, they’re meeting one of those authors at a book signing. Coffee and treats beforehand, obviously. That’s part of the appeal of the club, I think. A chance for folks to sit and become friends. The bonding usually happens at Terra Java on Indian School, the regular monthly meeting place. The management there has been quite generous, and instrumental in the club’s success. The cooperation of the local paper and a local business helps bring not just that sense of neighborhood but also a spirit of friendship. It’s a special accomplishment. Amanda’s labor of love is an example of how a newspaper can help build a community. How a local paper can become an integral part of its readers’ lives. So thanks, Amanda, for helping the Arcadia News connect with its readers. Too bad newspapers don’t write about other newspapers, because I think yours is an uncommon story worthy of more recognition than I can give in this modest space. The story about the celebration is on page 55. Plus the usual list of books you might fi nd interesting. Please check it out. And no matter what you’re currently reading, thank you for taking time to include the Arcadia News . Visit us and see the many ways we can care for your family. Dr. Rob Mirabelli and Dr. Jen Mirabelli Board Certified Pediatric Dentist Board Certified Orthodontist i PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY & OR THODONTICS www.camelbackpedoortho.com 44th Street & Camelback Road 602-595-3531 LEWIS AND POKORA PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS ROBERT K. LEWIS AMY M. POKORA (602) 899-6666 Exercise your rights with a FREE consultation YOUR JUSTICE IS OUR BUSINESS 2633 E. Indian School Rd, Suite 360, Phoenix 3300 N. Central, Suite 2500, Phoenix Meticulous quality throughout. Meticulous quality throughout. “We build the best, “We build the best, and remodel the rest!” and remodel the rest!” ROC# 163087 • ROC# 163087 • www.SRJConstructionandDesign • 3605 N. 44th St. www.SRJConstructionandDesign • 3605 N. 44th St. • SRJbuildsit@cox.net Scott R. Jung, General Contractor LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED SRJ SRJ Moving Forward! Moving Forward! F E A T U R E D B U I L D E R A R C A D I A H O M E call 602-224-9899 602-224-9899

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