April @ Books & Books

april

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS…

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Juanes: 4/1, 6pm @ Gables

The international music icon autographs his new memoir, available in English, Chasing the Sun or Spanish, Persiguiendo el sol (Celebra, $28.95). more»

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John Mackey: 4/3, 7:30pm @ Cgcchurch

Co-founder/Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market discusses a movement transforming business in Conscious Capitalism (Harvard, $27). more»

imageAN evening with Europa editions: 4/5, 8pm @ gables

Editor-in-chief Michael Reynolds introduces us to the best in world literature. more»

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Andy Cohen: 4/8, 7:30pm @ UM FIELD HOUSE

Bravo’s man behind the Real Housewives talks about his lifelong love affair with pop culture in Most Talkative (St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.99). more»

imagepeter De jonge & james patterson: 4/10, 7:30pm @ temple judea

The former co-authors reunite for a conversation about crime fiction and Buried on Avenue B (Harper, $25.99). more»

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Amy stewart: 4/12, 8pm @ gables

The Drunken Botanist (Algonquin, $19.95) explores the array of herbs, flowers, trees, fruits, and fungi that humans have contrived to transform into alcohol. more»

THE COMPLETE CALENDAR…

Monday, April 1, Gables

imageimagearrowCELEBRITY AUTOGRAPHING: In Chasing the Sun (Celebra, $28.95) buy, international music icon and humanitarian JUANES shares the incredible story of his life and how music and faith guided his path. En Persiguiendo el sol (Celebra, $28.95) buy JUANES, el ícono humanitario y estrella internacional de la música, comparte la increíble historia de su vida y de cómo la música y la fe lo han guiado en su camino. Signing guidelines: You must purchase a copy of the book at Books & Books, available in English or Spanish, in order to enter the signing line. Order today by calling 305-442-4408 or www.booksandbooks.com We’ll have a copy waiting for you when you arrive. You may also purchase your book on the night of the event. This signing is special and exclusive to Books & Books and is scheduled as a book launch on the eve of the book’s publication (4/2/13). If in attendance, you’ll have a chance to receive your copy of the book before anyone else, and you will join in the excitement of having it signed by Juanes in person! There is no limit to the number of books Juanes will sign, but he will not be able to personalize. He will only sign books, so please leave your memorabilia at home. Pictures will be allowed in passing, but not posed. Thanks for honoring our guidelines for a smooth experience. We look forward to seeing you! 6pm Presented in collaboration with The Center for Literature and Theatre at Miami Dade College.

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Monday, April 1, Bal Harbour Shops

imageimagearrowPacked with entertaining anecdotes and sprinkled with clever illustrations, Weekend Makeover (Rodale, $24.99) buy offers a collection of life-altering makeovers for body, mind, and spirit that can be accomplished in just 48 hours. Jill Martin and Dana Ravich argue that “me” time is essential to living a more balanced, stress-free life, and show readers how to do this without feeling guilty. Each makeover tackles not only the nitty gritty details (like how to stock one’s pantry with nutritious essential or the best ways to get rid of old paperwork), it also guides readers into the right mindset to make the changes stick so that all it takes is one weekend to make, execute, and apply a foolproof plan to get life on track by Monday morning. 6pm

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Tuesday, April 2, Gables

imageimageDon’t miss READING THE BEATS this evening, presented in honor of the upcoming film adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s classic novel “On the Road” (opening Friday, April 5 at the Coral Gables Art Cinema), “surprise guests” will read excerpts from some of their favorite Beat-era poetry and prose. After the literary fun, join us for a drink or a bite in the bookstore’s courtyard and listen to the jazz-inflected music from the movie’s soundtrack CD. In collaboration with Coral Gables Art Cinema, O, Miami Poetry Festival, and Dranoff International Piano Foundation. 6:30pm
imagearrowThe grandson of the legendary World War II general George S. Patton Jr., documentary filmmaker Benjamin Patton explores his family history and shares the inspirational wit and wisdom that his grandfather bestowed upon his only son and namesake. Growing Up Patton: Reflections on Heroes, History and Family Wisdom co-written with Jennifer Scruby (a former editor at Elle and Vogue) features some of the pivotal figures in Benjamin’s father’s life, including Creighton Abrams, the WWII hero who became his greatest mentor; Charley Watkins, a daredevil helicopter pilot in Vietnam; Manfred Rommel, the son of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel; Joanne Patton, the author’s mother and a resourceful fighter in her own right; and Benjamin’s mentally challenged brother, George. 8pm

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Wednesday, April 3, Gables

imageimagearrowPower is shifting—from large, stable armies to loose bands of insurgents, from corporate leviathans to nimble start-ups, and from presidential palaces to public squares. But power is also changing, becoming harder to use and easier to lose. As a result, argues award-winning columnist and former Foreign Policy editor Moisés Naím, all leaders have less power than their predecessors, and the potential for upheaval is unprecedented. In The End of Power (Basic Books, $27.99) buy, Naím illuminates the struggle between once-dominant mega-players and the new micro-powers challenging them in every field of human endeavor. Drawing on provocative, original research and a lifetime of experience in global affairs, Naím explains how the end of power is reconfiguring our world. Presented in collaboration with The Center for Literature and Theatre at Miami Dade College. 6:30pm
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In Raising Your Game (iUniverse, $16.95) buy, authors Ethan J. Skolnick and Dr. Andrea Corn present a guide adults can use to ensure the most enjoyable and enriching youth sports experience for a child. From LeBron James to Shannon Miller, Brandi Chastain to Jason Taylor, John Smoltz to Mary Joe Fernandez, Sanya Richards-Ross to Torii Hunter, athletes from across the sports spectrum discuss their setbacks and successes-what worked for them and what didn’t. Raising Your Game discusses the types of guidance that can ignite inspiration and foster participation, practice, and progress, and which methods can create frustration and dejection. It shows the difference a supportive parent can make by showing up, showing interest and, at times, showing restraint. Skolnick is a longtime sports columnist who covers the Miami Heat at home and on the road for the Palm Beach Post. Dr. Corn is a licensed psychologist, in private practice, where for many years she has helped children, adolescents, and families. 8pm

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Wednesday, April 3, Coral Gables Congregational Church

imageimagearrowTRANSFORMING BUSINESS: JOHN MACKEY, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, has led the natural and organic grocer as it has grown from a single store in Austin, Texas, founded in 1978, to an $11 billion Fortune 300 company, and a top U.S. supermarket with more than 340 stores and 70,000 Team Members worldwide. While devoting his career to helping shoppers satisfy their lifestyle needs with high quality natural and organic foods, Mackey has also focused on building a more conscious way of doing business. In Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business (Harvard Business Review, $27) buy, Mackey presents the fundamental principles and practices of a bold new vision. When you think about the word “conscious,” what words come to mind? Aware? Mindful? Awake? What about “capitalism?” Selfish? Greedy? Unethical? Unfortunately there are plenty of people out there who don’t have a very positive perception of business in general. But what happens when you combine the concept of consciousness with capitalism? Mackey, along with Raj Sisodia, a business professor and co-founder of the Conscious Capitalism Institute, will lead you to think about and practice business differently—with purpose, multiple stakeholder alignment, conscious leadership, and with fully human, caring business cultures. Presented in collaboration with Florida International University School of Business, The Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce and Whole Foods. 7:30pm

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Thursday, April 4, Gables

arrowUkulele Night at Books & Books: Everyone is invited who plays – or who wants to learn to play- the ukulele. Bring your uke or just come and sing along. Featured performers include Bobby Ingram and Sam Sims. For more information, call Glenn Terry at 305-448-3775. 8pm

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Friday, April 5, Gables

imagearrowMeet Editor-in-Chief Michael Reynolds as he takes us on a journey from the founding – and into the future of – a remarkable publishing house – Join us for a glass of bubbly and an introduction to the fascinating world of Europa Editions. Since Europa’s founding in 2005, the house has published more works of international fiction than any other trade publisher in the United States. Europa’s list represents the best in world literature. Among Europa’s authors there are five Booker Prize nominees, two Pulitzer Prize winners, two winners of the Prix Goncourt, two winners of the Strega Prize, and one winner of the German Book Prize. Europa’s books have been named New York Times Editors Picks five times, and New York Times Notable Books of the Year twice; they have also appeared on the New York Times Bestseller list, the National Indiebound Bestsellers list, and countless regional bestseller lists. Presented in collaboration with THE BETSY HOTEL. 8pm RSVP here to let us know you are coming.
arrowCoral Gables Gallery Night Opening: MARGARITA CANO – Encounters: 20 Years, 7-10pm
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Live Music in the Courtyard: 7:30-11:30pm

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Saturday, April 6, Gables

imageimagearrowSticking to a Dream — The Trials and Tribulations of Getting a Book Published or Climbing Any Mountain with Jenny Milcham: Suspense writer Milcham is the Chair of the International Thriller Writers’ Debut Authors Program, and teaches writing and publishing for New York Writers Workshop and Arts By The People. Inspired in part by an experience she had as a child, Milchman shapes an intricate, exhilarating story in her literary thriller Cover of Snow (Ballantine, $26) buy. Milchman’s babysitter confessed to her one night that he was planning to kill himself. By telling her parents when they returned, the babysitter was found, and saved. “That experience was formative,” she remembers. “In years to come I felt terrified that the decision had been left in my eight year old hands.” Milchman eventually started a career as a psychotherapist, helping people professionally find a way out of their desperation. And while her expert background influences her writing, so does the work of literary greats such as Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and Nancy Pickard, who describes Milchman’s debut as “absorbing from start to finish.” Author Laura Lippman says Cover of Snow gets “the highest praise I can bestow.” And Lee Child raves that the book is “everything a great suspense novel should be—tense, emotional, mysterious and satisfying.” 3:30pm
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Beads on a String is the first book in a series that show the development of a group of souls as they move through various lifetimes. The first tells the story of Iza, high priestess of the Temple to the Mother Goddess. It reveals sacred rituals and may spark some ancient memories for you. Beads on a String by Rhea Powers has the potential to awaken within you the subconscious abilities that you carry in your soul from other lifetimes. 7pm
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Live Music in the Courtyard: ALEX WEITZ GROUP — 7:30-11:30pm

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Sunday, April 7, Gables

imageimagearrowThe five Kingdom Keepers and their core friends have uncovered a startling truth: Maleficent and the Overtakers (Disney villains) are plotting a catastrophic event that could have repercussions far beyond the world of Disney. Aboard the Disney Cruise Line’s inaugural passage through the new Panama Canal, the Keepers and their holograms uncover a puzzle hidden within the pages of a stolen journal. The point of that puzzle will reveal itself in the caves of Aruba, the zip lines of Costa Rica, and the jungles of Mexico. A destructive force, dormant for decades, is about to be unleashed. The five Kingdom Keepers are to be its first victims. Find our what happens in the newest Kingdom Keepers book – Dark Passage (Hyperion, $17.99) buy by Ridley Pearson. 2pm
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Joint Poetry Reading with Denise Duhamel, Maureen Seaton, and Julie Wade: In Blowout buy, Denise Duhamel asks the same question that Frankie Lyman & the Teenagers asked back in 1954—”Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” Duhamel’s poems readily admit that she is a love-struck fool. From a kindergarten crush to a failed marriage and beyond, Duhamel explores the nature of romantic love and her own limitations. She chronicles the perilous cruelties of love gone awry, but also reminds us of the compassion and transcendence in the aftermath.
imageimagearrowWith its striking new sequences of charmed mathematics and magical equations with their surreal violences and tragicomedic human predicaments, Fibonacci Batman: New & Selected Poems buy spans two decades and seven previous poetry collections (five award-winning) by two-time “Lammy” recipient, Maureen Seaton. Language is key in Seaton’s poetry, called “radiantly precise” by Publishers Weekly. Fibonacci Batman arrives on time and in style, giving hope in human imagination and evolution a healthy and engaging slap on the back.
imageimagearrowPostage Due buy by Julie Marie Wade is a sometimes-ekphrastic, often-epistolary scrapbook of poetic artifacts documenting an odd girl’s coming of age. Within, we find aubades, fugues, and nocturnes, rapturous ambivalence and apologies without regret. Interspersed with postcards to a lost past, fan letters to childhood heroes, and inhabited voices as varied as Hester Prynne, Mr. Clean, and Vanna White, this unconventional debut collection pulses with the kitsch and candor of a bold, postmodern künstlerroman. 4pm

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Monday, April 8, University of Miami

imageimagearrowMeet Andy Cohen discussing Most Talkative (St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.99) buy and featuring Q&A with Associate Professor of Communication John Soliday. In Most Talkative, Cohen takes readers behind the scenes of his life and work, truly one and the same, to tell the story of his rise from a TV-adoring kid who always had a copy of People magazine at his side while growing up, to an Emmy Award–winning executive and producer of Bravo’s top-rated shows—including Top Chef, The Real Housewives franchise, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Project Runway, Shear Genius and Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List.  Vouchers are available for this event at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Miami Beach and Bal Harbour Shops, and at the door that evening, while supplies last. This voucher entitles you to receive (1) one copy of Most Talkative ($14.99 + tax) and also serves as your entry for (1) person to Andy Cohen’s talk, Q&A and book signing. This event is presented in collaboration with The University of Miami School of Communication. 7:30pm

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Tuesday, April 9, Gables

imagearrowEvery day’s an adventure with Isabella. In Isabella: Star of the Story (Sourcebooks, $16.99) buy by Jennifer Fosberry, she checks out the library, and steals the spotlight from some of the most memorable children’s book characters. She’s Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole. No, now she’s Peter Pan, flying off to Never Never Land. And when it’s finally time to follow the yellow brick road home, she decides she’s happy just being Isabella, the little purple-haired girl with a lot of books and even more imagination. 4:30pm

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Tuesday, April 9, Coral Gables Congregational Church

imageimagearrowTHE BIG READ 2013: Keynote Lecture by Tim O’Brien: The Things They Carried buy follows a platoon of infantrymen through the jungles of Vietnam. We see them trudge through the muck of a constant downpour, get hit by sniper fire, pull body parts out of a tree, laugh while they tell their stories to each other, and fall silent when faced with making sense of it all—both in the moment and twenty years later. A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize, The Things They Carried is one of the finest books about the Vietnam War ever written. O’Brien makes a special appearance to discuss this contemporary American classic. This keynote is part of a month-long series of events and projects inspired by The Things They Carried, and recognizing the contributions of America’s servicemen and women. The Big Read is produced by the Center for Literature and Theatre @ Miami Dade College and presented in collaboration with Books & Books. 7:30pm Free and open to the public.

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Wednesday, April 10, Temple Judea

imageimageimagearrowIN CONVERSATION: PETER DE JONGE & JAMES PATTERSON: In the 1980’s, Peter de Jonge worked as a copywriter at J. Walter Thompson, a large advertising agency that was essentially run by James Patterson. During this time, Jonge wasn’t a particularly inspired copywriter, because most of his energy went into the work he was doing on the side, writing features he was starting to publish in The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, etc. Patterson, who was just starting to make a name for himself as a writer of thrillers, noticed these articles and one day he knocked on the door of de Jonge’s little office, stepped in and closed the door behind him. Jonge thought he was about to get fired. Instead, Patterson asked if he wanted to write a novel with him. The book, Miracle on the 17th Green, marked Patterson’s first attempt at using a co-author. The two went on to write Beach Road and Beach House together and over the years, have become good friends. Tonight, they reunite for a conversation about crime fiction. Darlene O’Hara—the brilliant, hard-living, obsessive, and somewhat self-destructive detective introduced in Peter de Jonge’s acclaimed crime fiction masterwork Shadows Still Remain—returns in Buried on Avenue B (Harper, $25.99) buy. An edgy and suspenseful noir thriller, Buried on Avenue B traverses the gritty landscape of New York’s Lower East Side and the more sordid corners of Sarasota, Florida, as a gruesome and unexpected discovery, in a makeshift Alphabet City grave, heats up a 17-year-old cold case. Patterson calls Darlene O’Hara “one of the freshest, hippest detective creations in many a year.” Signing Guidelines: The event will be followed by a book signing with Patterson and de Jonge. Purchase a copy of Buried on Avenue B and Patterson will sign (1) one copy of his newest book, either for adults: Alex Cross, Run or for children: MS: My Brother’s a Big Fat Liar plus (1) one copy of one of his backlist titles. Pictures may be taken in passing, but not posed. Event begins at 7:30pm. Free and open to the public.

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Wednesday, April 10, Gables

imagearrowLawton Chiles was one of the most inspirational and influential politicians to come from Florida. His unique campaign style and passion for improving people s lives established a legacy that deserves recognition today. John Coggin conducted more than one hundred interviews with the friends, family, and co-workers of Lawton Chiles to create this definitive biography – Walkin’ Lawton (FL Historical Society, $24.95). Coggin’s insightful writing based on extensive research illuminates both the political career and personal life of the fascinating Lawton Chiles. 8pm

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Wednesday, April 10, Miami Beach

imagearrowA Short Jew in the Body of a Tall Wasp is a wonderful, honest, often funny and sometimes heartbreaking, account of the struggles of Mark Okun–how he finds himself and determines where he fits in life. As a tall blonde, blue-eyed gay man adopted and raised by loving, dark, small Jewish parents, he describes his genes being at war with his upbringing. The ‘can’t believe it’s true story’, which opens in Miami, reads like the movie “Almost Famous” meets “Tales of the City.”  At the age of forty-two, Okun meets his birth family for the first time on the nationally televised “Gordon Elliott Show” where as part of the show, he cuts and styles their hair. 6pm

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Wednesday, April 10, Bal Harbour Shops

imageimagearrowIn the Face of Evil (Friesen Press, $39.99) buy is the story of ten-year old Dina Frydman and her miraculous survival of the Holocaust. First-time author Tema N. Merback has written a gripping account of the daily life of Polish Jewry, their hopes and dreams of a better world prior to the Nazi invasion.  The destruction of that world and the ensuing years of ghetto, forced labor, concentration camps and death are portrayed through the eyes of a teenager who struggles to understand and survive.  Even in a world gone mad, love blooms and heroism abounds.  In the Face of Evil is a timeless story of the upheavals of war, the tenacious endurance of love and the resilience of the human spirit. It is the true story of the author’s mother, Dina, and her teenage years during the Holocaust—the single most defining moment in modern history. 6:30pm

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Thursday, April 11, Gables

imageimagearrowEvery day we are faced with choices that entail saying no–and frankly we’re not very good at it. Whether it’s the desire to please, get ahead, accumulate or impress, our lives have become so full and so busy that it is hard to determine what we really need and what’s really important to us. The purpose Saying No and Letting Go (Jewish Lights, $16.99) buy by Rabbi Edwin Goldberg is to help you regain control of the things that matter most in your life. It taps timeless Jewish wisdom that teaches how to “hold on tightly” to the things that matter most while learning to “let go lightly” of the demands, worries, activities and conflicts that do not ultimately matter. 6:30pm
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Reminiscent of Kaye Gibbons, Lee Smith, Anne Tyler, and Fannie Flagg, Heart of Palm (Grove, $25) buy introduces Laura Lee Smith as a captivating new voice in American fiction. The story opens on a sweltering July day, as Frank Bravo, dutiful middle son, is awakened by a distress call. Frank dreams of escaping to cool mountain rivers, but he’s only made it ten minutes from the family restaurant he manages every day and the decrepit, house he was raised in, and where his strong-willed mother and spitfire sister are fighting another battle royale. Little do any of them know that Utina is about to meet the tide of development that has already engulfed the rest of Northeast Florida. When opportunity knocks, tempers ignite, secrets are unearthed, and each of the Bravos is forced to confront the tragedies of their shared past. 8pm

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Friday, April 12, Gables

imageimagearrowWho knew that horticulture was such an intoxicating subject? In this follow-up to the New York Times bestsellers Wicked Bugs and Wicked Plants, Amy Stewart explores the odd, unusual, and surprisingly common plants that have produced the world’s greatest spirits. The Drunken Botanist (Algonquin, $19.95) buy uncovers the enlightening botanical history and the fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, fruits, and even a few fungi. With a delightful two-color vintage-style interior, over fifty drink recipes, growing tips for gardeners, and advice that carries Stewart’s trademark wit, this is the perfect gift for gardeners and cocktail aficionados alike. What’s Books & Books’ signature drink? Find out tonight as Amy Stewart unveils her own concoction created in honor of our very own bookstore! Botany, Books & Booze – what could be better? 8pm
arrowLive Music in the Courtyard: NUMBR 11 — 7:30-11:30pm

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Saturday, April 13, Bal Harbour Shops

arrowBaker’s Haulover, A Maritime Treasure of History and Pioneers by Martha Saconchik-Pytel tells the untold story of Baker’s Haulover at the north end of Miami Beach, Florida, and the adjoining lands of Bal Harbour and Sunny Isles. This book is a celebration of a forgotten era of maritime history and a tribute to the spirit of its pioneers. The author’s words are taken from more than 400 interviews. Many of the pioneers interviewed have since passed and if not for this author’s research, first-hand dialogues would be lost forever. 2pm

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Saturday, April 13, Gables

imageimagearrowDeena Hoagland, LCSW, is director and founder of Island Dolphin Care, a not-for-profit organization in Key Largo, Florida. Breaths That Count buy shares her journey as the mother of a critically ill child who finds that the friendship of dolphins provides her with the answers to help her son while shaping her destiny to offer hope to countless others. This is a must-read story of tragedy, adventure, creativity and healing. Deena’s story is inspiring, empowering and informative as she navigates through the world of complex medical treatments and brings animal assisted therapy to new heights. 5pm
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The Clover House (Ballantine, $15) buy by Henriette Lazaridis Power is a stunning debut novel brings to life World War II-era and modern-day Greece—and tells the story of a vibrant family and the tragic secret kept hidden for generations. A moving novel of the search for identity, the challenges of love, and the shared history that defines a family, The Clover House is a powerful debut from a distinctive and talented new writer. 7pm
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Live Music in the Courtyard: 7:30-11:30pm


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Sunday, April 14, Gables

imageimagearrowIs everything really so beautiful at the ballet? For Miami City Ballet principal dancer Jennifer Carlynn Kronenberg it is; but it wasn’t always so. She shares hints, tips and professional advice for aspiring dancers and their parents, hoping to ease them through the hard years of study as well as through the abrupt and challenging transition from student to professional. So, You Want to be a Ballet Dancer (Univ Press of FL, $14.95) buy, covers everything from choosing a school and auditioning, to stage makeup and backstage basics. Young dancers are sure to find the answers needed to help them survive in today’s challenging ballet world. 6pm
imageimagearrowWRITING PERFORMANCE: A WORKSHOP: Vanessa Hidary, AKA The Hebrew Mamita, is a jewel of the national spoken word scene and the author of Last Kaiser Roll in the Bodega. Growing up a Sephardic Jew in the religiously and ethnically diverse communities of NYC had a profound impact on Hidary’s outlook on life, and shaped her into a daring “all people loving, pride-filled Jewish girl.” Although Hidary began her journey with the arts as an actress, over time she started writing plays for herself and others, and eventually found a way of combining both aspects of her art in spoken word performance. Her first one-person show, Culture Bandit, included her most famous poem: “Hebrew Mamita”. “I wrote ‘Hebrew Mamita’ as a breakout piece, to prove that I can be Jewish and proud and love other cultures,” said Hidary. This April, the Hebrew Mamita will bring her bold reflections on intercultural Jewish identity to Miami, as part of Next @ 19th’s schedule of poetry month events during the O, Miami Poetry Festival. The Center has partnered with Next @ 19th and Books & Books to offer the Writing Performance workshop. During the two-hour class, Hidary will perform her signature poems and short stories, then open a discussion about identity, race, gender, and more. The participants will then work on their own spoken word piece, and receive feedback and performance tips from Hidary. To register: nswift@mdc.edu or 305.237.3023. Cost is $25.

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Monday, April 15, Gables

imageimagearrowIn Maya Architecture: Temples in the Sky (Univ Press of Fl, $34.95) buy, acclaimed architect Kenneth Treister brings a unique perspective to the physical remains of the ancient Maya cities. Through his knowledgeable treatment of construction methods and materials, Treister discusses the ways in which Maya structures have influenced current forms of design and construction. By observing these ancient cities Treister seeks to unlock the secret of the Maya’s mysterious collapse. In their buildings, Treister finds not only the mortar that held their civilization together but the competitiveness that was the cause of its ruin as well. 8pm

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Tuesday, April 16, Gables

imageimagearrowBarbara Olschner believes in her party’s founding principles: lower taxes, less regulation, limited government, and individual accountability. But she also believes in governing through compromise, respectfully listening to opponents’ viewpoints, and the possibility that a Republican can be fiscally but not socially conservative. The Reluctant Republican (Univ Press of Fl, $24.95) buy traces Olschner’s failed campaign for Congress and her realization that the current leadership of her party demands strict adherence to its ideology. Not only are different viewpoints not tolerated, but those who espouse them are vilified for their disloyalty. 6:30pm
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Books & Books y la revista Letra Urbana…al borde del olvido, continúan explorando los estilos de vida contemporáneos con la serie Letra Urbana Encuentros @ Books and Books. Conjuntamente con el Centro Cultural Argentino presentarán la novela Chacana de Ana Guillot. Con un lenguaje poético la autora narra la vida de Don Cosme y sus dos hijas. Magdalena y Ada no conocen la verdadera historia de su madre y bajo las mentiras de su padre creen en un cuento de sirenas. Los hilos de una historia fuerte y sensible de pasiones y traición tejen la identidad de los personajes que se forja en una época y un lugar preciso del Perú. A la vez, la autora consigue extraer de los hechos más simples de una historia de familia, de amor y de engaños, las notas que revelan el abanico de posibilidades de la condición humana. 8pm

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Wednesday, April 17, Gables
imageimagearrowQUEEN OF Y/A: SARAH DESSEN tells the story of Mclean, a high school senior who has taken on a new persona in each of the four towns she’s lived in since her parents’ bitter divorce. Each new move has brought a fresh opportunity for Mclean to reinvent herself from perky cheerleader to drama diva to all-around joiner. But here in Lakeview, Mclean’s putting down roots for the first time, making friends, unpacking boxes, and discovering a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. With over 7.6 million copies in print, Sarah Dessen is beloved by teens and adults around the world for her effortlessly-written coming-of-ages novels which so perfectly capture the emotional life of adolescence. What Happened to Goodbye (Speak, $9.99) buy is classic Dessen, sure to resonate with readers of all ages and perfect for summer reading. Tickets are required for this event. Purchase a copy of What Happened to Goodbye at Books & Books and you will be admitted to her talk and Q&A, followed by a book signing. 7pm


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Miami Herald architecture critic and editor-in-chief of Miami Home magazine, Beth Dunlop, explores Coconut Grove in The Tropical Cottage (Rizzoli, $50) buy. Coconut Grove is a seaside hideaway filled with modest homes and charming cottages that have been nurtured, preserved, and artfully updated for today. Within these homes—small cracker cottages, stone bungalows, Mediterranean casitas, and Caribbean-styled ranches—light, bright colors and cool tile floors offer solace from the blazing afternoon rays of the sun. Here, for the first time in brilliant new photography specifically commissioned for the book, are the finest and most intriguing cottages of this special place.8pm

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Thursday, April 18, Gables

imageimagearrowDave Liniger had it all: four successful children, a lifetime filled with adventure, and a successful company, RE/MAX, one of the most prominent real estate brands.  And then everything changed. Doctors discovered he had a horrific staph infection along his spine that left him paralyzed from the neck down and in excruciating pain. My Next Step (Hay House, $19.95) buy chronicles how Dave found reserves of strength to fight through his pain. His mantra became, “Just 10 steps.” If he could take 10 steps, he could take 20. If he could take 20, he could walk a mile. After three critical surgeries and six grueling months in the hospital, Dave finally returned home. He continues to heal, but is back running the company he loves and getting stronger every day. 6:30pm
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The Forgetting River (Riverhead, $26.95) buy is the unexpected and moving story of an American journalist who works to uncover her family’s long-buried Jewish ancestry in Spain. Raised a Catholic, New York Times journalist Doreen Carvajal is shocked when she discovers that her background may actually be connected to conversos in Inquisition-era Spain, Jews who were forced to renounce their faith and convert to Christianity or face torture and death. Carvajal travels to the south of Spain to investigate her lineage and recover her family’s original religious heritage. As she strives to find proof that her family had been forced to convert to Christianity six-hundred years ago, Carvajal comes to understand that the past flows like a river through time –and that while the truth might be submerged, it is never truly lost. 8pm

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Friday, April 19, Gables

imageimagearrowAre vengeance and justice really so very different? No, answers legal scholar and novelist Thane Rosenbaum in Payback: The Case for Revenge (Univ of Chicago, $26) buy—revenge is, in fact, indistinguishable from justice. Revenge, Rosenbaum argues, is not the problem. The problem is the inadequacy of lawful outlets through which to express it. He mounts a case for legal systems to punish the guilty commensurate with their crimes as part of a societal moral duty to satisfy the needs of victims to feel avenged. Payback is a provocative and eye-opening cultural tour of revenge and its rewards. It liberates revenge from its social stigma and proves that vengeance is indeed ours, a perfectly human and acceptable response to moral injury. Rosenbaum deftly persuades us to reconsider a misunderstood subject and, along the way, reinvigorates the debate on the shape of justice in the modern world. 8pm
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Live Music in the Courtyard: Daniel Susnjar Afro-Peruvian Jazz Group — 7:30-11:30pm

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Saturday, April 20, Gables

imageimagearrowEmma Parks joins a monkey research project deep in the South American rainforest on a whim. She’s barely arrived when International Wildlife Conservation’s renowned director drowns during a party celebrating the group’s controversial takeover of the park. Tension mounts following the machete murder of a researcher, threatening Emma’s budding primatology career, her secret romance with an Australian zoologist, and more importantly — her life. Find out what happens to Emma in Monkey Love and Murder buy by Edith McClintock. 7pm
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Live Music in the Courtyard: ALEX WEITZ GROUP — 7:30-11:30pm

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Sunday, April 21, Gables

imageimagearrowBalance and moderation should be the guiding theme in any wellness and weight management program. Deconstructing the Food Pyramid (Outskirts Press, $$19.95) buy, by Dr. Frank Ferrin, addresses the valuation of the different food groups according to their nutritional and caloric contributions, and presents a serious consideration of physiologic, social and economic factors in connection with our present day concerns with obesity as a world-wide epidemic. Realization of goals and expectations, need to align with individual characteristics. There is always an alternative approach to achieve such balance and moderation by making the better choices. 4pm
imageimagearrowIn The Jada Agenda by Mark S. Goldberg Aubrey Carlisle is a first grade teacher. She’s also a masked, 6’2″, leather-wearing, motorcycle-riding, vengeance-driven killer of pedophiles. She finds them before the cops do. Then she calls and has them clean up after her. All of Miami thinks Aubrey is a man. That’s why the papers have labeled her Mr. Vengeance. But murder is still murder. Can Aubrey continue to evade the police, while carrying out her brand of justice? 6pm

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Monday, April 22, Gables

imageimagearrowEARTH DAY SPECIAL: For hundreds of years, the most popular books in the Western world next to the Bible were “bestiaries,” fanciful encyclopedias collecting all of human knowledge and mythology about the animal kingdom. Now, in The Big, Bad Book of Beasts (William Morrow, $18.99) buy, award-winning author Michael Largo has updated the medieval bestsellers for the twenty-first century, illuminating little-known facts, astonishing secrets, and bizarre superstitions about the beasts that inhabit our world—and haunt our imaginations. You’ll learn about the biggest bug ever, the smallest animal in the world, and the real creatures that inspired the fabled unicorns. You’ll discover how birds learned to fly, why cats rub against your legs, and a thousand other facts that will make you look at nature in a wonderfully new way. 6:30pm
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In The Famine Plot (Palgrave Macmillan, $28) buy, Ireland’s best-known historian, Tim Pat Coogan, gives a fresh and comprehensive account of one of the darkest chapters in Irish history, arguing that Britain was in large part responsible for the extent of the national tragedy, and in fact engineered the food shortage in one of the earliest cases of ethnic cleansing. Coogan delivers fresh insights into the famine’s causes, recounts its unspeakable events, and delves into the legacy of the “famine mentality” that followed immigrants across the Atlantic to the shores of the United States and had lasting effects on the population left behind. This is a broad, magisterial history of a tragedy that shook the nineteenth century and still impacts the worldwide Irish diaspora of nearly 80 million people today. 8pm

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Tuesday, April 23, GABLES

imagearrowRyan Blair has no formal business education. His middle-class childhood ended abruptly when his abusive father succumbed to drug addiction and abandoned the family. Blair and his mother moved to a rough neighborhood, and soon he was in and out of juvenile detention, joining a gang just to survive. Then his mother fell in love with a successful entrepreneur who took Ryan under his wing. With his mentor’s guidance, Blair started his first company, 24/7 Tech, at age twenty-one. He has since created and sold several companies for hundreds of millions of dollars. In Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain (Portfolio, $16) buy, Ryan provides an inspirational guide full of powerful stories and lessons and a road map for entrepreneurial success. 12pm
imageimagearrowWorld Book Night at Books & Books:
During this nationwide endeavor to encourage reading and book giving, every year, 30 books are chosen by an independent panel of librarians and booksellers. The authors of the books waive their royalties and the publishers agree to pay the costs of producing the specially-printed World Book Night U.S. editions. Bookstores and libraries all over the country sign up to be community host locations for the volunteer book givers (Books & Books is a host location.) After the book titles are announced, members of the public apply to personally hand out 20 copies of a particular title in their community. Givers pick up their books in the week before World Book Night. On April 23rd, they give their books to those who don’t regularly read and/or people who don’t normally have access to printed books, for reasons of means or access. Tonight, we honor those 30 books with a Spanish tradition, a la Miami, a celebration of the closing of World Book Night in conjunction with The Festival of St. Jordi. La Diada de Sant Jordi or Saint George’s Day is celebrated in Barcelona on the 23rd of April. Sometimes it is also called “el dia de la rosa” (The Day of the Rose) or “el dia del llibre” (The Day of the Book). Tonight, anyone who buys a copy of one of the 30 WBN titles at Books & Books in Coral Gables will receive a rose with their book. 7pm


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Wednesday, April 24, Gables

imageimagearrowThe Churchill Society of South Florida and Books & Books are pleased to present acclaimed journalist Paul Reid for a discussion of the most anticipated biography of the last two decades, The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965 buy. Spanning the years of 1940-1965, Defender of the Realm picks up shortly after Winston Churchill became Prime Minister, with his country on the brink of total defeat at the hands of Nazi Germany. More than twenty years in the making, Defender of the Realm presents a revelatory portrait of this brilliant, flawed, and dynamic leader. The Churchill Society of South Florida is dedicated to encouraging study of the life and thought of Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, advancing knowledge of his example as a statesman, developing and participating in student outreach programs, and engaging in other related charitable and educational endeavors. For more information, please contact churchillsocietyofsouthflorida@gmail.com or visit http://www.winstonchurchill.org. 6:30pm

 

Thursday, April 25, Gables

imagearrowThe short-lived cultural journal Quadrante transformed the practice of architecture in fascist Italy. Over the course of three years (1933–36), the magazine agitated for an “architecture of the state” that would represent the values and aspirations of the fascist regime, and in so doing it changed the language with which architects and their clientele addressed the built environment. Through a detailed study of Quadrante and its circle of architects, critics, artists, and patrons, The Battle for Modernism (Rizzoli, $45) by David Rifkind investigates the relationship between modern architecture and fascist political practices in Italy during Benito Mussolini’s regime. 8pm

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Thursday, April 25, Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale

imageimagearrowFrom Ben Katchor, one of the most original and imaginative American cartoonists at work today, comes a collection of graphic narratives on the subjects of urban planning, product design, and architecture—a surrealist handbook for the rebuilding of society in the twenty-first century. With cutting wit Katchor reveals a world similar to our own—lives are defined by possessions, consumerism is a kind of spirituality—but also slightly, fabulously askew. Frequently and brilliantly bizarre, and always mesmerizing, Hand-Drying in America (Pantheon, $29.95) buy ensures that you will never look at a building, a bar of soap, or an ATM the same way. 6pm

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Friday, April 26, Gables

imageimagearrowFrom Ben Katchor, one of the most original and imaginative American cartoonists at work today, comes a collection of graphic narratives on the subjects of urban planning, product design, and architecture—a surrealist handbook for the rebuilding of society in the twenty-first century. With cutting wit Katchor reveals a world similar to our own—lives are defined by possessions, consumerism is a kind of spirituality—but also slightly, fabulously askew. Frequently and brilliantly bizarre, and always mesmerizing, Hand-Drying in America (Pantheon, $29.95) buy ensures that you will never look at a building, a bar of soap, or an ATM the same way. 8pm
arrowLive Music in the Courtyard: MATT SCHAEFFER QUARTET — 7:30-11:30pm

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Saturday, April 27, Gables

imageimagearrowVictoria Stilwell is one of the most well-loved and trusted names in America’s pet media, winning over audiences with her television show — It’s Me or the Dog which airs in more than 40 countries. By using positive reinforcement training methods, Victoria helps owners change the way their dog thinks, feels, and learns. In Train Your Dog Positively (Ten Speed, $14.99) buy, this upbeat, proven guide, Victoria will address the main problem behaviors that have dog owners wringing their hands in desperation, from submissive urination to separation anxiety to leash aggression to jumping up on visitor. 2pm
imagearrowMiami – Visually Speaking
by Kiko Ricote is a lavish coffee table book that contains 200 pages of full-color photographs that convey the visual richness of Miami, Florida, and its tropical urban surroundings. “This book is my love letter to Miami,” says Venezuelan-born photographer Kiko Ricote. “The city and surrounding areas contain immense visual richness that I take pleasure in sharing with others.” Text is nonexistent in this wittily-organized collection of photographs that reveal the many facets of Miami’s natural and built environments as they appeared at the close of 2011. “My goal with the book is to show that this beautiful city is worthy of admiration from all,” says Kiko. 5pm
imageimagearrowA single, tragic choice and a middle-of-the-night phone call will bring three  women together and set them on a poignant, powerful journey of redemption. Each has lost her way, and they will need each one another—and maybe a miracle—to transform their lives. An emotionally complex, heart-wrenching novel about love, motherhood, loss, and new beginnings, Fly Away (St. Martin’s, $27.99) buy reminds us that where there is life, there is hope, and where there is love, there is forgiveness. Told with her trademark powerful storytelling and illuminating prose, Kristin Hannah reveals why she is one of the most beloved writers of our day.  7pm
arrowLive Music in the Courtyard: NICK TANNURA TRIO — 7:30-11:30pm

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Sunday, April 28, Gables
imagearrowFOR TEENS: Spring into Future Tour: Don’t miss four amazing authors in one night! Tahereh Mafi is a girl. She was born in a small city somewhere in Connecticut and currently resides in Orange County, California, where the weather is just a little too perfect for her taste. When unable to find a book, she can be found reading candy wrappers, coupons, and old receipts. Shatter Me and Unravel Me buy are the first two novels in a trilogy about Juliette.imagearrowVeronica Rossi graduated from UCLA and studied fine art at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She began writing fiction for teens and received first-place awards in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association and SouthWest Writers annual contests before completing Under the Never Sky. It’s since been embraced by publishers in more than twenty-six countries worldwide and optioned for film by Warner Bros. In Through the Ever Night buy, the second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure—and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

imagearrowAnna Carey is the author of The Eve Trilogy. The first two titles (Eve, Once) are now available wherever books are sold, and the series finale, Rise buy, hits shelves April 2, 2013. She likes miniatures, bacon, subway generated wind, flea markets, chalkboard silhouettes, dance-offs, arnold palmers, bacon, Chinese finger traps, top-of-your-lungs car singing, and bacon. She dislikes pennies, aromatherapy, paper receipts, commercials, and tunafish.

imagearrowCynthia Hand is the New York Times bestselling author of the Unearthly trilogy. A native of southeastern Idaho, she has graduate degrees in creative writing from Boise State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She currently lives with her husband and two small children in Southern California, where she teaches writing at Pepperdine University. Boundless buy is the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, and Clara must choose her fate once and for all.

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Monday, April 29, Gables

imagearrowLife After Life (Shannon Ravenel, $24.95) buy, Jill McCorkle’s first novel in seventeen years, is alive with the daily triumphs and challenges of the residents and staff of Pine Haven Estates, a retirement facility, which is now home to a good many of Fulton, North Carolina’s older citizens. McCorkle puts her finger on the pulse of every character’s strengths, weaknesses, and secrets. And, as she connects their lives through their present circumstances, their pasts, and, in some cases, through their deaths, she celebrates the blessings and wisdom of later life and infuses this remarkable novel with hope and laughter. 8pm

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Tuesday, April 30, Soho Beach House

imageimagearrowSpend an evening with a British Master Crime Novelist inside Soho Beach House, a British-born private club – open to Books & Books customers by RSVP in honor of our partnership — Meet the “only bonafide heir to Raymond Chandler” Philip Kerr, discussing and signing his newest Bernie Gunther novel, A Man Without Breath (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $26.95) buy. The national bestselling author of Prague Fatale delivers a powerful new thriller that returns the sardonic Berlin cop, to the Eastern Front, where he must uncover the perpetrators of a terrible war crime. As Malcolm Forbes enthused in The Daily Beast, “The Bernie Gunther novels are, by a long chalk, the best crime novels around today.” Exclusive: This event is presented in collaboration with Soho Beach House, founded in London in 1995 as a private members’ club for those in film, media and creative industries. The club will open its doors to Books & Books customers for this special event by RSVP only, with limited availability. If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP HERE. Author talk and cocktails begin at 7pm.

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