The Patterson Group sat down with local author Christine Gunderson to talk through her latest novel, Behind White Picket Fences, and the real conversations with Alexandria moms that inspired it. Discover the surprising question at the heart of her book — and why she thinks it's one every modern parent is quietly asking.

There is something uniquely empowering about your forties and fifties. Many of us have gained confidence, perspective, and a clearer understanding of who we are. Yet it is also the decade when we begin to notice changes in the mirror that seem to happen almost overnight. Skin feels thinner. Fine lines linger longer. The jawline softens. Makeup doesn't sit quite the way it used to.

Our items on the shelves are starting to dwindle and the Alexandria Sidewalk Sale is around the corner. Despite it being the end, we have more items than we would like to have at this point: over 600 to be exact. So in an effort to move a little more before we start the sidewalk sale in a few weeks, we are doing an extra 20 percent off sale for the weekend.

Summer is officially here, and we asked our Alexandria Stylebook contributors to share the books they can't put down this season — from poolside thrillers to memoirs worth texting your friends about, here's what's on their reading lists right now.

Bangkok is the right city to end a long trip on, and I say that having arrived there at the tail end of two weeks through Vietnam and Cambodia, slightly sun-worn and carrying more silk than I had planned to purchase. The city absorbed me immediately. It is large and loud and relentlessly interesting, and it has good hotels and a food scene that does not require any particular effort to find—that it is restorative in a way that more demanding cities are not.

In case you have not heard yet, I have big news: this is the year we are really changing up our shoe selection. I have been trying to figure out how to bring life back to the shoe section and hoping these new additions do the trick. I tend to pick up new brands based on the theory that if I am paying retail for them at another store for my personal collection, they must be good.

Summer style has a way of making us rethink everything in our closets. Heavy layers disappear, linen takes over, and suddenly the simplest outfits become our favorites. A white button-down, a breezy sundress, denim shorts, or a classic black tank are often all you need. The secret? It's the jewelry.

We just marked all sale shoes, clothing, and accessories to 60 percent off, and there are so many items that I have in my own closet. So I thought I would share my top 10 picks. They're my top picks because I own and wear them—in fact, I've worn all of them this spring and summer.