Page 48 May 2013 ‘The Best of Us’ chosen for May edition of Book Club By Amanda Goossen We are of fi cially knee-deep in my favorite part of the year. Not only does springtime mean great weather and baseball, it also means the very best time in publishing. Many years ago, when I began working with authors and publishers, I realized there was an interesting schedule when it came to new book releases. April and May means an abundance of beach reads, whether chick lit or fast-paced thrillers, and to me this is the time to read a ridiculous amount of fun, exciting and fascinating fi ction from some of the best authors we’ve ever seen. The Arcadia News Book Club is embarking on our second year. I never could have imagined the success of our little club and I’m thrilled to get to spend another year meeting with my friends. That’s the beauty of our group, we began as neighbors and have quickly become great friends. Feel free to join us anytime. The next Arcadia News Book Club meeting will be at Terra Java Coffee House, 3619 E. Indian School Road, at 6 p.m. May 23. We will enjoy coffee, tea and appetizers, as we discuss this month’s book, The Best Of Us by Sarah Pekkanen. We will also enjoy a 30-minute SKYPE session with Pekkanen during our meeting. If you’d like to attend, or have questions about our book club, email me at Amanda@ arcadianews.com. May Book Club Selection The Best of Us By Sarah Pekkanen Over the past four years, Sarah Pekkanen has grown to become one of my absolute favorite authors. A few years ago, she wrote one of the best books I’ve read in quite some time and I was forever a fan. Now, I wait on pins and needles for her books to be released each spring. Thank goodness she’s a writing machine, putting out excellent works of women fi ction each year just in time to feed my addiction. This year, Pekkanen writes of college friends who have now found themselves middle aged and unhappy. As the friends take off for a weeklong trip together to an exotic Jamaican Island, each are struggling with their circumstances. Women of all ages will enjoy The Best of Us as it poignantly portrays what we’ve all felt, experienced and found ourselves fl oundering in, today, yesterday or our entire life. On the Island By Tracey Garvis Graves Occasionally a novel comes along that you read and want to keep reading and never want to stop reading. And then, when it’s over, you wish you could call the author and ask what the characters are doing, or could be doing, or will be doing, because you absolutely cannot get them out of your head. On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves is that novel. Anna Emerson is a 30-year-old teacher, frustrated with the path her life is taking. Desperate to do something new, Anna takes on a summer job tutoring 16-year- old T.J. Callahan. T.J.’s family is going to spend the summer in the Maldives and tutoring on a tropical island feels like just the change of scenery Anna needs. When Anna and T.J. board a small private plane days after the rest of T.J.’s family, the pilot has a heart attack and the plane goes down in shark-infested waters. Somehow they survive, and learning to exist on a deserted island becomes their only hope. On the Island as a concept could have been a cliché novel with a contrived, unbelievable storyline. Yet, somehow, it avoids all of these things. Graves develops a fascinating story that I, for one, could not put down for even a second. And when it was over, I wanted to call the author and beg her to tell me more. Tea Rex By Molly Idle It’s time for tea! But look out for the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Cordelia is planning a fancy tea party and Tyrannosaurus Rex is the guest of honor. And as any little girl knows, there are speci fi c rules to abide by when putting on a big event, even if a T-Rex is the only one planning to attend. *Sage facials incorporate local raw honey & organic goats milk yogurt for a blissful and holistic experience! 4636 North 32nd Street | 480.336.0042 info@sageorganicskincare.com | www.sageorganicskincare.com Dermaplaning Facial $60 Pamper your Mom or YOURSELF 480-970-8232 • www.SpanishTime.com 480-970-8232 • www.SpanishTime.com 6722 E. Avalon Dr. Ste. 3, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 6722 E. Avalon Dr. Ste. 3, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 • Classes & Summer Camps • Toddler / Preschool • Kindergarten / Elementary Leap Into Summer Learning Full and Half Day Summer Programs! Mon-Fri – 7am to 7pm Preschool and Daycare Available Infant and 1 Year Old Programs To enroll or tour: 480-902-0771 1848 N. 52nd St. Phoenix, 85008 www.SEEKArizona.org Preschool Ages 2-6 Small Class Sizes T ll t P S FREE Summer Registration!

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