At twenty-five, Steve Benson loses his first professional teaching assignment in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Faced with an uncertain future, he puts his teaching career on hold and hits the road. The trip takes him to Ft. Lauderdale, where he discovers an ad asking for “men with mechanical ability to work on ship.” Although the Miami-based renovation process is fraught with conflict and deception, Steve and ten other crewmen survive the hostile work environment long enough to take on passengers for a visit to the Galapagos Islands, where iguanas spit, whales calve, and seals dance in one of the world’s most unique wildlife sanctuaries. Collision of Destinies (iUniverse.com, $25.15) traces this trip as Steve moves steps closer to being a man. 8pm

Coral Gables Gallery Night: Barbara O. Davis: When It Rains, 7-10pm
Barbara received her early training as a painter at Carnegie-Mellon University where she received a B.F.A. degree, followed by additional study at Miami-Dade College, Florida International University and the University of Miami. She taught art for many years in the Miami-Dade public school system. During that time she illustrated When It Rains, a children’s book written by her friend Susan Block, who was also a teacher. She continues her work with children and art at The Children’s Bereavement Center. Barbara is one of six artists, three sculptors and three painters from varied backgrounds who have banded together to form ARTsaiGHT GALLERY in order to share their art and to gain more control over its exhibition. The gallery is located at 1524 Ponce De Leon Blvd. Her current body of work is inspired by her favorite poetry where script from various poems has become inspiration for her paintings.

Live Music in the Courtyard: COREY HARVIN, 7:30-11:30pm

Kids’ Story & Craft Time, 10am

Live Music in the Courtyard: JAZZILLA, 7:30-11:30pm

Free Screening: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Every Harry Potter movie, every Sunday in July and August, 6pm. Wear your capes, bring your wands. Don’t forget something soft to sit on. Seating is limited, FREE tickets required, available at our Coral Gables location, only. 6pm

August Learning Opportunities:
THE CONSCIOUS CONSUMER: Going Green & Clean with Niki Castro
Two Mondays, August 6 & 13| 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE ART OF ART COLLECTING with Alfredo Triff
Three Wednesdays, August 7, 14 & 21 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $150
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

In Politics of Disaster (Univ Press of Fl, $89.94) , David Twigg uses newspaper stories, scholarly articles, and first person interviews to explore the impact of Hurricane Andrew on local and state political incumbents, revealing how elected officials adjusted their strategies and activities in the wake of the disaster. Not only did Andrew give politicians a legitimate and necessary opportunity to enhance their constituency service and associate themselves with the flow of external assistance, but it also allowed them to achieve significant personal visibility and media coverage while appearing to be non-political or above “normal” politics. This engrossing case study clearly demonstrates why natural disasters often privilege incumbents. Twigg not only sifts through the post-Andrew election results in Florida, but he also points out the possible effects of other past (and future) disaster events on political campaigns in this fascinating and prescient book. Presented in collaboration with Florida International University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
ESPIANDO LA CULTURA con Rosa Mary Lerner
Four Wednesdays, August 8, 15, 22 & 29 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Please Note: This class is in Spanish, for Spanish speakers only.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
BUDDHISM 101: FOR DUMMIES with Master Chufei Tsai
Two Thursdays, August 9 & 16| 6:30pm – 8:00 pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Julia Child would have been 100 this year, and to honor her culinary legacy and her birthday, 100 restaurants across America will feature special menus inspired by Julia, and The Café at Books & Books by Chef Allen Susser is one of them! Join us as we celebrate an amazing and inspiring woman with a 5-course meal she would love. For just $85 (plus tax and gratuity), you’ll dine on foods ranging from Wild Mushroom Cream Puffs to Beef Bourguignon to Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache. This is one dinner you don’t want to miss. Space is limited, so reserve your place today. RSVP: Irving@booksandbooks.com Should this dinner sell-out, you can still get a taste of Julia as envisioned by Chef Allen! During the week of August 7-15, we will be featuring a daily, Julia-inspired menu item at the Café at Books & Books in Coral Gables. A two-course meal and glass of wine are just $19.95 plus tax and gratuity. Get 25% off all Julia Child-themed books at Books & Books in Coral Gables all month. Viva Julia!

Are you a young adult who loves to read? Do you have a blog or other form of social media to promote your love of reading? We need your help! This fall, we’re really ramping up our YA events and would like to invite you to help us get the word out. Join us tonight for “insider” information on all of our upcoming YA events. Join us to discuss some of the various opportunities in which you can help us, and in turn we’ll promote your own blogs, and give you access to meet and interview some amazing authors.  We’ll be brainstorming ideas, discussing bestselling authors, and munching on some delicious snacks. Please RSVP to becky@booksandbooks.com if you’re interested in attending. 5pm

It is often difficult to describe beauty or even justify attempts to experience something beautiful. Yet if artists–whether painters or poets, actors or musicians, architects or sculptors–teach us anything, it is that the pursuit of beauty is a common feature among all humanity. As Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu contends, these varied experiences with artistic beauty are embedded with revelatory and prophetic power that not only affects a single individual but allows for communal formation. Named one of America magazine’s most promising young theologians, Gonzalez-Andrieu seeks to engage art in order to reveal its religious significance. Bridge to Wonder (Baylor Univ, $35.94) proposes a method of theological aesthetics allowing readers to mine the depths of creative beauty to discover variegated theological truths that enable greater communion with each other and the One source of all that is beautiful. 8pm

Live Music in the Courtyard: FEDERICO BRITOS, 7:30-11:30pm

FAMILY DAY ON ARAGON: Aragon Avenue is the place to be with your family every second Saturday of every month.  Together with the Coral Gables Art Cinema and the Coral Gables Museum we invite you to participate in some great, free offerings geared for the entire family to enjoy. This morning, at Books & Books, start with a 10am story time for kids ages 3-7, then follow with a film at 11am at the Coral Gables Cinema and activities at the Museum. Then, join us again at Books & Books for STAR WARS ORIGAMI at 1:30pm, for ages 7 and up. Come dressed up as your favorite character and have your photo taken for our FB page.

Live Music in the Courtyard: NEGRONI TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm

PJ Library Story Time: It’s great to find someone who loves books as much as we do. That’s why we proudly work with the PJ Library, who encourages Jewish families to cuddle up at night with their favorite stories.  Once a month, the PJ Library partners with local Jewish schools to hold a special story time at our stores to teach important values to Jewish families. Hands-on crafts follow.
Join us on today for stories and crafts dealing with going back to school and making new friends there. 10:30am in Coral Gables (together with Temple Judea) and 12 noon at Bal Harbour Shops.

Free Screening: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1
Every Harry Potter movie, every Sunday in July and August, 6pm. Wear your capes, bring your wands. Don’t forget something soft to sit on. Seating is limited, FREE tickets required, available at our Coral Gables location, only. 6pm

August Learning Opportunities:
THE CONSCIOUS CONSUMER: Going Green & Clean with Niki Castro
Two Mondays, August 6 & 13| 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE ART OF ART COLLECTING with Alfredo Triff
Three Wednesdays, August 7, 14 & 21 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $150
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

The only published work that treats the historical evolution of EPA enforcement, Enforcement at the EPA (Univ Press of Texas, $63.25) by Joel Mintz provides a candid inside glimpse of a crucial aspect of the work of an important federal agency. Based on 190 personal interviews with present and former enforcement officials at EPA, the U.S. Department of Justice, and key congressional staff members–along with extensive research among EPA documents and secondary sources–the book vividly recounts the often tumultuous history of EPA’s enforcement program. It also analyzes some important questions regarding EPA’s institutional relationships and the Agency’s working environment. Presented in collaboration with Florida International University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
ESPIANDO LA CULTURA con Rosa Mary Lerner
Four Wednesdays, August 8, 15, 22 & 29 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Please Note: This class is in Spanish, for Spanish speakers only.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
BUDDHISM 101: FOR DUMMIES with Master Chufei Tsai
Two Thursdays, August 9 & 16| 6:30pm – 8:00 pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
FINDING THE FILM WITHIN THE FILM with Jaie Laplante
Two Thursdays, August 16 & 23| 7:00pm – 8:30 pm | $100 | $75 for film society members, with proof of membership.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

In The Sweetness of Forgetting (Gallery, $15) by Kristin Harmel, a divorced mother of a  surly not-quite-teenage girl, runs her family bakery on Cape Cod, but is starting to wonder what might have been. What if she hadn’t abandoned her dreams of law school? What if she hadn’t quit her job to raise her daughter? What if she hadn’t caught her husband cheating on her with a clichéd blonde bimbo? When her aging grandmother, Rose, summons her to hear a long-held secret, Hope finally has the opportunity to stop thinking “what if?” and start thinking “what now?” Rose’s memory is ebbing rapidly due to the onset of Alzheimer’s, and she knows she doesn’t have much time left to tell Hope the truth about a secret she’s kept for seventy years. Giving Hope nothing but a list of names, Rose sends her on a journey of discovery that takes Hope to a synagogue and a mosque in Paris, to a history buried in the Holocaust, and the story of a love long thought buried. 8pm
Live Music in the Courtyard: DAN MCGOVERN TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm

Kids’ Story & Craft Time, 10am

August Learning Opportunities:
VISUALLY SPEAKING: A PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP with Kiko Ricote
Two Saturdays, August 18 & 25 | 11:00am -12:30pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE VEGAN LIFESTYLE: EASIER THAN YOU THINK! with LJ Steinig
Two Saturdays, August 18 & 25 | 2:00-3:30 | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Note: This event is in Spanish. Juan Abreu es un escritor cubano residente en Barcelona. Entre sus obras publicadas en España destacan las novelas Garbageland (Mondadori, 2001); Gimnasio (Poliedro, 2002); Orlán Veinticinco (Mondadori, 2003); Accidente (Debolsillo, 2004); Cinco cervezas (Poliedro 2005) y Diosa (Tusquets 2007). Desde hace cinco años, publica un blog, emanaciones (www.emanaciones.com). Su obra ha sido traducida al alemán, francés, italiano y catalán. La conversación de esta noche será una charla sobre su trabajo mas reciente, sus dos últimos libros publicados, Una educación sexual y El gen de Dios. 7pm

Live Music in the Courtyard: NANAMI MORIKAWA TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm

Free Screening: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Every Harry Potter movie, every Sunday in July and August, 6pm. Wear your capes, bring your wands. Don’t forget something soft to sit on. Seating is limited, FREE tickets required, available at our Coral Gables location, only. 6pm

August Learning Opportunities:
SUMMERTIME SHORT FICTION FIX with Lisa Rosen
Two Mondays, August 20 & 27 | 6:30pm -8:00pm | $50
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE ART OF ART COLLECTING with Alfredo Triff
Three Wednesdays, August 7, 14 & 21 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $150
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Note: This event is in Spanish. Volver a nacer: Mudandose de casa del astrologo Ruben Jungbluth, es producto de un estudio de más de 20 años en consultas a miles de personas de todos los niveles socioeconómicos, sobre qué les ha sucedido en los más diversos campos de la vida a partir del momento en que se mudaron de casa, oficina, ciudad o país; y explica la gran importancia que tienen los astros en la vida de todos los seres vivos, revelándonos que cada cuerpo del universo tiene una energía que nos afecta, para bien o para mal. Esta investigación – única en el mundo -, analiza las posiciones de los planetas y demás astros, los ángulos y el lugar que ocupaban en el preciso momento en que las personas cruzaron el umbral de la puerta de su nuevo hogar llevando consigo sus pertenencias, lo que les permitió modificar e incluso cambiar el destino con el que nacieron. Nosotros tenemos también la misma oportunidad de cambiar nuestro destino, sólo debemos saber la orientación geográfica de nuestro domicilio, la numeración del mismo y cuándo mudarnos. ¡Tú puedes cambiar tu destino; sólo tienes que saber dónde y cuándo mudarte de casa! 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
ESPIANDO LA CULTURA con Rosa Mary Lerner
Four Wednesdays, August 8, 15, 22 & 29 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Please Note: This class is in Spanish, for Spanish speakers only.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

The Miami Dolphins of the late 1960s were a laughingstock, an expansion team, and a franchise where careers went to die. Then came Coach Don Shula. In just a few short years–through hard work, long practices, and his no-nonsense attitude toward the game–Shula transformed the team into a championship franchise. The Dolphins were by and large unseasoned players or rejects from other teams. Even so, they made it to Super Bowl VI. They suffered a humiliating loss to the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the first team in Super Bowl history not to score a single touchdown. But Shula closed the 1971 season by telling his players to remember this loss and make sure nothing like it ever happened again. And they listened. Based on years of research and interviews, Undefeated (It Books, $25.99) , by award-winning journalist and author Mike Freeman, examines what is perhaps the single greatest accomplishment in team sports history: the unforgettable NFL season in which the Dolphins didn’t lose a single game. There has never been a football team like those Miami Dolphins, and there may never be again. 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
FINDING THE FILM WITHIN THE FILM with Jaie Laplante
Two Thursdays, August 16 & 23| 7:00pm – 8:30 pm | $100 | $75 for film society members, with proof of membership.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

In his no-holds-barred memoir, Sapp Attack! (Thomas Dunne, $25.99) Warren Sapp, one of the NFL’s most hilarious and candid personalities, reveals a side of football most fans have never before seen. Big Man. Big Talent. Big Star. Big Mouth. Big Heart. Big Personality. Big Smile. Big Headlines. Warren Sapp, one of pro football’s most dominating defensive players both on and off the field, has a reputation for being bold, brash, knowledgeable, and outspoken. During his All-American career at the University of Miami, 13 seasons as an NFL star, four years on the NFL Network and one very big season on Dancing with the Stars, Sapp has never held back. Now he brings that same fearless attitude to his memoir, a book that will create controversy and headlines; in other words, pure Warren Sapp. 8pm

Live Music in the Courtyard: STEVE KORNICKS & MARIANA MARTIN, 7:30-11:30pm

Kids’ Story & Craft Time, 10am

You may recognize the name Syd Hoff.  He is the creative genius behind the childhood classics, Danny & the Dinosaur and Sammy the Seal. But did you know that Syd used to call Miami Beach home? In honor of his 2012 centennial, local journalist Dina Weinstein has curated an exhibit of Hoff’s life work at the Miami Beach Regional Library. This exhibit is not to be missed. This morning, we’ll celebrate Syd Hoff in true Books & Books’ fashion with a birthday party featuring storytelling, treats, games, and much more. 11am

August Learning Opportunities:
VISUALLY SPEAKING: A PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP with Kiko Ricote
Two Saturdays, August 18 & 25 | 11:00am -12:30pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE VEGAN LIFESTYLE: EASIER THAN YOU THINK! with LJ Steinig
Two Saturdays, August 18 & 25 | 2:00-3:30 | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Live Music in the Courtyard: DION KERR TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm

Lionel Asbo: State of England (Knopf, $26.95) is a savage, funny, and mysteriously poignant saga by a renowned author – Martin Amis — at the height of his powers. Lionel Asbo, a terrifying yet weirdly loyal thug, has always looked out for his ward and nephew, the orphaned Desmond Pepperdine. He provides him with fatherly career advice (always carry a knife, for example) and is determined they should share the joys of pit bulls (fed with lots of Tabasco sauce), Internet porn, and all manner of more serious criminality. Des, on the other hand, desires nothing more than books to read and a girl to love (and to protect a family secret that could be the death of him). But just as he begins to lead a gentler, healthier life, his uncle—once again in a London prison—wins £140 million in the lottery and upon his release hires a public relations firm and begins dating a cannily ambitious topless model and “poet.” Strangely, however, Lionel’s true nature remains uncompromised while his problems, and therefore also Desmond’s, seem only to multiply. FREE tickets available at Coral Gables, Miami Beach and Bal Harbour Shops locations, while supplies last. 6pm

August Learning Opportunities:
SUMMERTIME SHORT FICTION FIX with Lisa Rosen
Two Mondays, August 20 & 27 | 6:30pm -8:00pm | $50
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
HOW TO READ A POEM: A WRITING WORKSHOP with P. Scott Cunningham
Two Sessions: Tuesday, August 28 & Thursday, August 30 | 6:30pm- 8:00pm | $75
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Note: This event is in Spanish. Encuentros Letra Urbana: Evento con la autora y con la presentación de la escritora Maricel Mayor Marsán. La vida de Ruth Glasberg Gold es un recorrido digno de conocerse y un testimonio único de lo ocurrido en un campo de concentración de Transnistria. Ruth es originaria de Rumania. A los 11 años fue deportada a un campo de concentración en Transnistria, Ucrania y a partir de allí, la supervivencia era lo único que importó durante años. Lágrimas secas (University Press of Florida) es el testimonio de lo vivido. “La historia comienza con una descripción de felices veranos en la granja de mi abuelo, en el campo. Su pastoril serenidad contrasta con el horror nazi en el que estábamos a punto de hundirnos. Cuando tenía once años me convertí en la impotente testigo de las horrendas muertes de mi familia: primero mi padre, luego mi único hermano y finalmente mi madre. Todo esto acaeció en tres cortas semanas. Mi propósito no es condenar, sino arrojar luz. Deseo mostrar que la libertad espiritual e intelectual pueden sobrevivir a traumas psicológicos y físicos que podrían parecer intolerables -y que incluso pueden proteger a una niña destrozada mientras se mueve desde la desesperación hacia la esperanza.” El libro fue editado por primera vez en 1997. Posteriormente, se reditó y se tradujo a varios idiomas. El testimonio de Ruth Glasberg Gold fue incluido en otras publicaciones, por autores que se interesaron en los niños del holocausto y también por quienes valoraron su declaración para explicar algunos momentos políticos y sociales de la historia de Occidente. 6:30pm

August Learning Opportunities:
ESPIANDO LA CULTURA con Rosa Mary Lerner
Four Wednesdays, August 8, 15, 22 & 29 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Please Note: This class is in Spanish, for Spanish speakers only.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Rodrigo is lying on the dirty floor of a police prison cell with a terrible hangover. As he awakens, he hears that the attempt to assassinate President Hugo Chávez has failed. Fearful and repentant, he recalls the events that led him and his friends to plan the attack. High Treason ($17.95) by Alberto Ambard and Amelia Mondragon, mixes the recent history of Venezuela with powerful fiction to tell the tales of Rodrigo, Manuel, Alfredo, Carmen and Maikel. In addition to representing different social classes, these characters are mobilized by the expectations, disappointments and terrible losses they experience. The result is an intimate image of the emotions felt by Venezuelan society in response to the radical changes the country has seen. 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
HOW TO READ A POEM: A WRITING WORKSHOP with P. Scott Cunningham
Two Sessions: Tuesday, August 28 & Thursday, August 30 | 6:30pm- 8:00pm | $75
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

The Guava Rugelach Festival kicks off Saturday night, September 1 at 9pm with the premiere of “Of Essence & Time/De la esencia & El tiempo” a collaborative performance by Sephardic singer Susana Behar, Flamenco guitarist Jose Luis Rodriguez and Nu Flamenco dancer Niurca Marquez. The piece explores the mutual Andalusian roots of Sephardic tradition and Flamenco music and how each has influenced the other in origins as well as in the artists’ collaborative fusions. Tonight, Susana Behar joins us to discuss the artistic process of the three collaborators and give you a taste of what you will experience at the Festival. Join us! Ole! 6:30pm

Join us for a welcome back poetry celebration hosted by Maureen Seaton (University of Miami) and Denise Duhamel (Florida International University), who will introduce MFA alums, Jen Bartman, Neil de la Flor, Jason McCall, and Jesse Millner. The four poets will read both old and new work, including poems from their original creative theses as well as recently published collections. 8pm

Live Music in the Courtyard: NANAMI MORIKAWA TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm

At twenty-five, Steve Benson loses his first professional teaching assignment in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Faced with an uncertain future, he puts his teaching career on hold and hits the road. The trip takes him to Ft. Lauderdale, where he discovers an ad asking for “men with mechanical ability to work on ship.” Although the Miami-based renovation process is fraught with conflict and deception, Steve and ten other crewmen survive the hostile work environment long enough to take on passengers for a visit to the Galapagos Islands, where iguanas spit, whales calve, and seals dance in one of the world’s most unique wildlife sanctuaries. Collision of Destinies (iUniverse.com, $25.15) traces this trip as Steve moves steps closer to being a man. 8pm

Coral Gables Gallery Night: Barbara O. Davis: When It Rains, 7-10pm
Barbara received her early training as a painter at Carnegie-Mellon University where she received a B.F.A. degree, followed by additional study at Miami-Dade College, Florida International University and the University of Miami. She taught art for many years in the Miami-Dade public school system. During that time she illustrated When It Rains, a children’s book written by her friend Susan Block, who was also a teacher. She continues her work with children and art at The Children’s Bereavement Center. Barbara is one of six artists, three sculptors and three painters from varied backgrounds who have banded together to form ARTsaiGHT GALLERY in order to share their art and to gain more control over its exhibition. The gallery is located at 1524 Ponce De Leon Blvd. Her current body of work is inspired by her favorite poetry where script from various poems has become inspiration for her paintings.

Live Music in the Courtyard: COREY HARVIN, 7:30-11:30pm

Kids’ Story & Craft Time, 10am

Live Music in the Courtyard: JAZZILLA, 7:30-11:30pm

Free Screening: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Every Harry Potter movie, every Sunday in July and August, 6pm. Wear your capes, bring your wands. Don’t forget something soft to sit on. Seating is limited, FREE tickets required, available at our Coral Gables location, only. 6pm

August Learning Opportunities:
THE CONSCIOUS CONSUMER: Going Green & Clean with Niki Castro
Two Mondays, August 6 & 13| 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE ART OF ART COLLECTING with Alfredo Triff
Three Wednesdays, August 7, 14 & 21 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $150
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

In Politics of Disaster (Univ Press of Fl, $89.94) , David Twigg uses newspaper stories, scholarly articles, and first person interviews to explore the impact of Hurricane Andrew on local and state political incumbents, revealing how elected officials adjusted their strategies and activities in the wake of the disaster. Not only did Andrew give politicians a legitimate and necessary opportunity to enhance their constituency service and associate themselves with the flow of external assistance, but it also allowed them to achieve significant personal visibility and media coverage while appearing to be non-political or above “normal” politics. This engrossing case study clearly demonstrates why natural disasters often privilege incumbents. Twigg not only sifts through the post-Andrew election results in Florida, but he also points out the possible effects of other past (and future) disaster events on political campaigns in this fascinating and prescient book. Presented in collaboration with Florida International University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
ESPIANDO LA CULTURA con Rosa Mary Lerner
Four Wednesdays, August 8, 15, 22 & 29 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Please Note: This class is in Spanish, for Spanish speakers only.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
BUDDHISM 101: FOR DUMMIES with Master Chufei Tsai
Two Thursdays, August 9 & 16| 6:30pm – 8:00 pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Julia Child would have been 100 this year, and to honor her culinary legacy and her birthday, 100 restaurants across America will feature special menus inspired by Julia, and The Café at Books & Books by Chef Allen Susser is one of them! Join us as we celebrate an amazing and inspiring woman with a 5-course meal she would love. For just $85 (plus tax and gratuity), you’ll dine on foods ranging from Wild Mushroom Cream Puffs to Beef Bourguignon to Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache. This is one dinner you don’t want to miss. Space is limited, so reserve your place today. RSVP: Irving@booksandbooks.com Should this dinner sell-out, you can still get a taste of Julia as envisioned by Chef Allen! During the week of August 7-15, we will be featuring a daily, Julia-inspired menu item at the Café at Books & Books in Coral Gables. A two-course meal and glass of wine are just $19.95 plus tax and gratuity. Get 25% off all Julia Child-themed books at Books & Books in Coral Gables all month. Viva Julia!

Are you a young adult who loves to read? Do you have a blog or other form of social media to promote your love of reading? We need your help! This fall, we’re really ramping up our YA events and would like to invite you to help us get the word out. Join us tonight for “insider” information on all of our upcoming YA events. Join us to discuss some of the various opportunities in which you can help us, and in turn we’ll promote your own blogs, and give you access to meet and interview some amazing authors.  We’ll be brainstorming ideas, discussing bestselling authors, and munching on some delicious snacks. Please RSVP to becky@booksandbooks.com if you’re interested in attending. 5pm

It is often difficult to describe beauty or even justify attempts to experience something beautiful. Yet if artists–whether painters or poets, actors or musicians, architects or sculptors–teach us anything, it is that the pursuit of beauty is a common feature among all humanity. As Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu contends, these varied experiences with artistic beauty are embedded with revelatory and prophetic power that not only affects a single individual but allows for communal formation. Named one of America magazine’s most promising young theologians, Gonzalez-Andrieu seeks to engage art in order to reveal its religious significance. Bridge to Wonder (Baylor Univ, $35.94) proposes a method of theological aesthetics allowing readers to mine the depths of creative beauty to discover variegated theological truths that enable greater communion with each other and the One source of all that is beautiful. 8pm

Live Music in the Courtyard: FEDERICO BRITOS, 7:30-11:30pm

FAMILY DAY ON ARAGON: Aragon Avenue is the place to be with your family every second Saturday of every month.  Together with the Coral Gables Art Cinema and the Coral Gables Museum we invite you to participate in some great, free offerings geared for the entire family to enjoy. This morning, at Books & Books, start with a 10am story time for kids ages 3-7, then follow with a film at 11am at the Coral Gables Cinema and activities at the Museum. Then, join us again at Books & Books for STAR WARS ORIGAMI at 1:30pm, for ages 7 and up. Come dressed up as your favorite character and have your photo taken for our FB page.

Live Music in the Courtyard: NEGRONI TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm

PJ Library Story Time: It’s great to find someone who loves books as much as we do. That’s why we proudly work with the PJ Library, who encourages Jewish families to cuddle up at night with their favorite stories.  Once a month, the PJ Library partners with local Jewish schools to hold a special story time at our stores to teach important values to Jewish families. Hands-on crafts follow.
Join us on today for stories and crafts dealing with going back to school and making new friends there. 10:30am in Coral Gables (together with Temple Judea) and 12 noon at Bal Harbour Shops.

Free Screening: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1
Every Harry Potter movie, every Sunday in July and August, 6pm. Wear your capes, bring your wands. Don’t forget something soft to sit on. Seating is limited, FREE tickets required, available at our Coral Gables location, only. 6pm

August Learning Opportunities:
THE CONSCIOUS CONSUMER: Going Green & Clean with Niki Castro
Two Mondays, August 6 & 13| 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE ART OF ART COLLECTING with Alfredo Triff
Three Wednesdays, August 7, 14 & 21 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $150
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

The only published work that treats the historical evolution of EPA enforcement, Enforcement at the EPA (Univ Press of Texas, $63.25) by Joel Mintz provides a candid inside glimpse of a crucial aspect of the work of an important federal agency. Based on 190 personal interviews with present and former enforcement officials at EPA, the U.S. Department of Justice, and key congressional staff members–along with extensive research among EPA documents and secondary sources–the book vividly recounts the often tumultuous history of EPA’s enforcement program. It also analyzes some important questions regarding EPA’s institutional relationships and the Agency’s working environment. Presented in collaboration with Florida International University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
ESPIANDO LA CULTURA con Rosa Mary Lerner
Four Wednesdays, August 8, 15, 22 & 29 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Please Note: This class is in Spanish, for Spanish speakers only.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
BUDDHISM 101: FOR DUMMIES with Master Chufei Tsai
Two Thursdays, August 9 & 16| 6:30pm – 8:00 pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
FINDING THE FILM WITHIN THE FILM with Jaie Laplante
Two Thursdays, August 16 & 23| 7:00pm – 8:30 pm | $100 | $75 for film society members, with proof of membership.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

In The Sweetness of Forgetting (Gallery, $15) by Kristin Harmel, a divorced mother of a  surly not-quite-teenage girl, runs her family bakery on Cape Cod, but is starting to wonder what might have been. What if she hadn’t abandoned her dreams of law school? What if she hadn’t quit her job to raise her daughter? What if she hadn’t caught her husband cheating on her with a clichéd blonde bimbo? When her aging grandmother, Rose, summons her to hear a long-held secret, Hope finally has the opportunity to stop thinking “what if?” and start thinking “what now?” Rose’s memory is ebbing rapidly due to the onset of Alzheimer’s, and she knows she doesn’t have much time left to tell Hope the truth about a secret she’s kept for seventy years. Giving Hope nothing but a list of names, Rose sends her on a journey of discovery that takes Hope to a synagogue and a mosque in Paris, to a history buried in the Holocaust, and the story of a love long thought buried. 8pm
Live Music in the Courtyard: DAN MCGOVERN TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm

Kids’ Story & Craft Time, 10am

August Learning Opportunities:
VISUALLY SPEAKING: A PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP with Kiko Ricote
Two Saturdays, August 18 & 25 | 11:00am -12:30pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE VEGAN LIFESTYLE: EASIER THAN YOU THINK! with LJ Steinig
Two Saturdays, August 18 & 25 | 2:00-3:30 | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Note: This event is in Spanish. Juan Abreu es un escritor cubano residente en Barcelona. Entre sus obras publicadas en España destacan las novelas Garbageland (Mondadori, 2001); Gimnasio (Poliedro, 2002); Orlán Veinticinco (Mondadori, 2003); Accidente (Debolsillo, 2004); Cinco cervezas (Poliedro 2005) y Diosa (Tusquets 2007). Desde hace cinco años, publica un blog, emanaciones (www.emanaciones.com). Su obra ha sido traducida al alemán, francés, italiano y catalán. La conversación de esta noche será una charla sobre su trabajo mas reciente, sus dos últimos libros publicados, Una educación sexual y El gen de Dios. 7pm

Live Music in the Courtyard: NANAMI MORIKAWA TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm

Free Screening: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Every Harry Potter movie, every Sunday in July and August, 6pm. Wear your capes, bring your wands. Don’t forget something soft to sit on. Seating is limited, FREE tickets required, available at our Coral Gables location, only. 6pm

August Learning Opportunities:
SUMMERTIME SHORT FICTION FIX with Lisa Rosen
Two Mondays, August 20 & 27 | 6:30pm -8:00pm | $50
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE ART OF ART COLLECTING with Alfredo Triff
Three Wednesdays, August 7, 14 & 21 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $150
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Note: This event is in Spanish. Volver a nacer: Mudandose de casa del astrologo Ruben Jungbluth, es producto de un estudio de más de 20 años en consultas a miles de personas de todos los niveles socioeconómicos, sobre qué les ha sucedido en los más diversos campos de la vida a partir del momento en que se mudaron de casa, oficina, ciudad o país; y explica la gran importancia que tienen los astros en la vida de todos los seres vivos, revelándonos que cada cuerpo del universo tiene una energía que nos afecta, para bien o para mal. Esta investigación – única en el mundo -, analiza las posiciones de los planetas y demás astros, los ángulos y el lugar que ocupaban en el preciso momento en que las personas cruzaron el umbral de la puerta de su nuevo hogar llevando consigo sus pertenencias, lo que les permitió modificar e incluso cambiar el destino con el que nacieron. Nosotros tenemos también la misma oportunidad de cambiar nuestro destino, sólo debemos saber la orientación geográfica de nuestro domicilio, la numeración del mismo y cuándo mudarnos. ¡Tú puedes cambiar tu destino; sólo tienes que saber dónde y cuándo mudarte de casa! 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
ESPIANDO LA CULTURA con Rosa Mary Lerner
Four Wednesdays, August 8, 15, 22 & 29 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Please Note: This class is in Spanish, for Spanish speakers only.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

The Miami Dolphins of the late 1960s were a laughingstock, an expansion team, and a franchise where careers went to die. Then came Coach Don Shula. In just a few short years–through hard work, long practices, and his no-nonsense attitude toward the game–Shula transformed the team into a championship franchise. The Dolphins were by and large unseasoned players or rejects from other teams. Even so, they made it to Super Bowl VI. They suffered a humiliating loss to the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the first team in Super Bowl history not to score a single touchdown. But Shula closed the 1971 season by telling his players to remember this loss and make sure nothing like it ever happened again. And they listened. Based on years of research and interviews, Undefeated (It Books, $25.99) , by award-winning journalist and author Mike Freeman, examines what is perhaps the single greatest accomplishment in team sports history: the unforgettable NFL season in which the Dolphins didn’t lose a single game. There has never been a football team like those Miami Dolphins, and there may never be again. 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
FINDING THE FILM WITHIN THE FILM with Jaie Laplante
Two Thursdays, August 16 & 23| 7:00pm – 8:30 pm | $100 | $75 for film society members, with proof of membership.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

In his no-holds-barred memoir, Sapp Attack! (Thomas Dunne, $25.99) Warren Sapp, one of the NFL’s most hilarious and candid personalities, reveals a side of football most fans have never before seen. Big Man. Big Talent. Big Star. Big Mouth. Big Heart. Big Personality. Big Smile. Big Headlines. Warren Sapp, one of pro football’s most dominating defensive players both on and off the field, has a reputation for being bold, brash, knowledgeable, and outspoken. During his All-American career at the University of Miami, 13 seasons as an NFL star, four years on the NFL Network and one very big season on Dancing with the Stars, Sapp has never held back. Now he brings that same fearless attitude to his memoir, a book that will create controversy and headlines; in other words, pure Warren Sapp. 8pm

Live Music in the Courtyard: STEVE KORNICKS & MARIANA MARTIN, 7:30-11:30pm

Kids’ Story & Craft Time, 10am

You may recognize the name Syd Hoff.  He is the creative genius behind the childhood classics, Danny & the Dinosaur and Sammy the Seal. But did you know that Syd used to call Miami Beach home? In honor of his 2012 centennial, local journalist Dina Weinstein has curated an exhibit of Hoff’s life work at the Miami Beach Regional Library. This exhibit is not to be missed. This morning, we’ll celebrate Syd Hoff in true Books & Books’ fashion with a birthday party featuring storytelling, treats, games, and much more. 11am

August Learning Opportunities:
VISUALLY SPEAKING: A PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP with Kiko Ricote
Two Saturdays, August 18 & 25 | 11:00am -12:30pm | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
THE VEGAN LIFESTYLE: EASIER THAN YOU THINK! with LJ Steinig
Two Saturdays, August 18 & 25 | 2:00-3:30 | $100
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Live Music in the Courtyard: DION KERR TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm

Lionel Asbo: State of England (Knopf, $26.95) is a savage, funny, and mysteriously poignant saga by a renowned author – Martin Amis — at the height of his powers. Lionel Asbo, a terrifying yet weirdly loyal thug, has always looked out for his ward and nephew, the orphaned Desmond Pepperdine. He provides him with fatherly career advice (always carry a knife, for example) and is determined they should share the joys of pit bulls (fed with lots of Tabasco sauce), Internet porn, and all manner of more serious criminality. Des, on the other hand, desires nothing more than books to read and a girl to love (and to protect a family secret that could be the death of him). But just as he begins to lead a gentler, healthier life, his uncle—once again in a London prison—wins £140 million in the lottery and upon his release hires a public relations firm and begins dating a cannily ambitious topless model and “poet.” Strangely, however, Lionel’s true nature remains uncompromised while his problems, and therefore also Desmond’s, seem only to multiply. FREE tickets available at Coral Gables, Miami Beach and Bal Harbour Shops locations, while supplies last. 6pm

August Learning Opportunities:
SUMMERTIME SHORT FICTION FIX with Lisa Rosen
Two Mondays, August 20 & 27 | 6:30pm -8:00pm | $50
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

August Learning Opportunities:
HOW TO READ A POEM: A WRITING WORKSHOP with P. Scott Cunningham
Two Sessions: Tuesday, August 28 & Thursday, August 30 | 6:30pm- 8:00pm | $75
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Note: This event is in Spanish. Encuentros Letra Urbana: Evento con la autora y con la presentación de la escritora Maricel Mayor Marsán. La vida de Ruth Glasberg Gold es un recorrido digno de conocerse y un testimonio único de lo ocurrido en un campo de concentración de Transnistria. Ruth es originaria de Rumania. A los 11 años fue deportada a un campo de concentración en Transnistria, Ucrania y a partir de allí, la supervivencia era lo único que importó durante años. Lágrimas secas (University Press of Florida) es el testimonio de lo vivido. “La historia comienza con una descripción de felices veranos en la granja de mi abuelo, en el campo. Su pastoril serenidad contrasta con el horror nazi en el que estábamos a punto de hundirnos. Cuando tenía once años me convertí en la impotente testigo de las horrendas muertes de mi familia: primero mi padre, luego mi único hermano y finalmente mi madre. Todo esto acaeció en tres cortas semanas. Mi propósito no es condenar, sino arrojar luz. Deseo mostrar que la libertad espiritual e intelectual pueden sobrevivir a traumas psicológicos y físicos que podrían parecer intolerables -y que incluso pueden proteger a una niña destrozada mientras se mueve desde la desesperación hacia la esperanza.” El libro fue editado por primera vez en 1997. Posteriormente, se reditó y se tradujo a varios idiomas. El testimonio de Ruth Glasberg Gold fue incluido en otras publicaciones, por autores que se interesaron en los niños del holocausto y también por quienes valoraron su declaración para explicar algunos momentos políticos y sociales de la historia de Occidente. 6:30pm

August Learning Opportunities:
ESPIANDO LA CULTURA con Rosa Mary Lerner
Four Wednesdays, August 8, 15, 22 & 29 | 6:30 pm- 8:00 pm | $100
Please Note: This class is in Spanish, for Spanish speakers only.
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

Rodrigo is lying on the dirty floor of a police prison cell with a terrible hangover. As he awakens, he hears that the attempt to assassinate President Hugo Chávez has failed. Fearful and repentant, he recalls the events that led him and his friends to plan the attack. High Treason ($17.95) by Alberto Ambard and Amelia Mondragon, mixes the recent history of Venezuela with powerful fiction to tell the tales of Rodrigo, Manuel, Alfredo, Carmen and Maikel. In addition to representing different social classes, these characters are mobilized by the expectations, disappointments and terrible losses they experience. The result is an intimate image of the emotions felt by Venezuelan society in response to the radical changes the country has seen. 8pm

August Learning Opportunities:
HOW TO READ A POEM: A WRITING WORKSHOP with P. Scott Cunningham
Two Sessions: Tuesday, August 28 & Thursday, August 30 | 6:30pm- 8:00pm | $75
Details here. Register: Classes@booksandbooks.com

The Guava Rugelach Festival kicks off Saturday night, September 1 at 9pm with the premiere of “Of Essence & Time/De la esencia & El tiempo” a collaborative performance by Sephardic singer Susana Behar, Flamenco guitarist Jose Luis Rodriguez and Nu Flamenco dancer Niurca Marquez. The piece explores the mutual Andalusian roots of Sephardic tradition and Flamenco music and how each has influenced the other in origins as well as in the artists’ collaborative fusions. Tonight, Susana Behar joins us to discuss the artistic process of the three collaborators and give you a taste of what you will experience at the Festival. Join us! Ole! 6:30pm

Join us for a welcome back poetry celebration hosted by Maureen Seaton (University of Miami) and Denise Duhamel (Florida International University), who will introduce MFA alums, Jen Bartman, Neil de la Flor, Jason McCall, and Jesse Millner. The four poets will read both old and new work, including poems from their original creative theses as well as recently published collections. 8pm

Live Music in the Courtyard: NANAMI MORIKAWA TRIO, 7:30-11:30pm