A poignant tale about pushing limits and challenging destiny Humiliated by his hoofed legs, the flies on his haunches, and the grass in his mouth, a bull named Etre tells his tender story about the brutal insignificance of cow life at Gorwell Farm. In a world where the line between disgrace and dignity is drawn by a pasture fence, Etre finds himself alone in his awareness and utterly powerless to change his circumstances. Etre searches for understanding among the broads, bulls, and calves on the pasture, but finds none. On the best of days, Etre listens to the farmer's boy sing lullabies at the fence. He likes those songs and loves the boy. But the grasses thin as the seasons pass, the cows hunger, and Etre grows desperate. He is the only cow truly starving. (Health Communications, $11.95)

As neurologist Sean Kenniff explains, self-sabotagers perpetually fall victim to their internal enemy. Kenniff knows about outsmarting enemies: As one of the original cast members on the first season of the hit show, Survivor, he outwitted eleven castaways before being voted off during the finale. As he explains, on the show and in life, sometimes the biggest enemy is truly within. Drawing on cutting-edge research and contemporary examples, Kenniff shows anyone how to outsmart their subversive subconscious; the internal enemy that resists change, and fools us into making big blunders. Discovering the psychological underpinnings of self-sabotage and how it appears in everyday life, Kenniff explains, is key to breaking the cycle of self-defeat. By revealing the top *effing mistakes people make in health, love, money and career, and providing solutions, Kenniff gives readers the tools to get out of their own way. Overcoming self-sabotage is not a passive process. Positive actions are the most effective way to rewrite the self-sabotage script and Kenniff will show anyone how to begin. (Health Communications, $14.95)

Women of True Grit (John F. Blair Publisher, $24.95) relates the stories and secrets from the women who attained the pinnacles of success in their various fields. Forty profiles offer readers first-person narratives from women who have reached the top despite adversity and great personal suffering.

Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he's still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery. He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. At once psychologically piercing and magnificently absorbing, The Magicians (Viking Adult, $16) boldly moves into uncharted literary territory, imagining magic as practiced by real people, with their capricious desires and volatile emotions. Lev Grossman creates an utterly original world in which good and evil aren't black and white, love and sex aren't simple or innocent, and power comes at a terrible price.

Come to our Night for Newborns MIDNIGHT RELEASE PARTYfor Stephenie Meyer’s brand new book, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella (Little Brown, $13.99).

LIVE MUSIC from Courtesy of Paco

Bree Tanner got just 10 pages in Eclipse, but now she’s getting her due: Her own book in the Twilight family, and her own daylight-kickin’ party at Books & Books. Live music, Twilight trivia contests, costume contests, prizes and oh so much more!  It’s a Books & Books Midnight Release Party, where time flies with all the fun. And then – before you can say, “What the Cullen?!” – we’ll be counting down the final seconds before the midnight release of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. 10, 9, 8, 7 … At the stroke of midnight, you get your pre-paid copy of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. Pay for your copy of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner at any Books & Books bookshop in South Florida and get a voucher to pick it up at midnight at the Midnight Release Party.  And then you can be first among your friends to read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.  You won’t be able to put down this riveting story of Bree Tanner, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. It’s all the stuff that happened in Seattle that you were dying to know about. This will be Night for Newborns, full of new fun. Play the Twilight Quiz Show. Enter our Bree To Be You and Me Contest. And our What the Cullen?! Test. Dress the part for the night’s fun: Come as your favorite character. And while all you Bellas, Edwards and Jacobs are welcome, we’ll be giving prizes for the best of the lesser-knowns with our Supporting Character Costume Contest. (Bree much? Jane, anybody?)  So, start dressing as the New Moon rises that night. All the fun of our Night for Newborns Party will Eclipse your anxiety over the book’s impending release. And then starting at midnight, you can begin reading The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, turning the pages until the Breaking Dawn and reading on until Twilight… And we’ll see you there!...

Mary Magruder Katz is about to find herself in the eye of storm. Miami in June: it’s raining, it’s pouring, but her life as a criminal defense attorney is anything but boring—especially when she gets caught up in a whirlwind of three different cases in Barbara Levenson’s Justice in June (Oceanview Press, $24.95 ) . Judge Liz Maxwell’s job, sanity, and reputation are at stake, and she needs Mary to ferret out wrongdoing in Miami’s courts. Solving this case won’t just mean going out on a limb; it will mean risking life and limb. Luis Corona, a family friend of Mary’s boyfriend, Carlos, needs help with a legal matter that, to Mary’s horror, turns out to be a terrorism charge. And this case will leave some catastrophic damage—and unwelcome notoriety—in its wake. Just when Mary thought things couldn’t get worse, Carlos gets in his own nasty legal quandary—one that could cost him everything.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ADOPTING TALK: Experienced adoption professionals will discuss the current options available in adoption. It will cover topics including: preparing for adoption, the home study process, an overview of the differences between domestic and international adoption, costs of adoption, the risks associated with the process and the future of international adoption. Here are some titles we recommend on the subject: Adoption Answer Book by Brette McWhorter Sember; Adoption: The Essential Guide to Adopting Quickly and Safely by Randall Hicks; Adoption Wisdom by Marlou Russell; Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adopted Parents Knew by Sherrie Edlridge; The Family of Adoption by Joyce Maguire Pavao; The Whole Life Adoption Book by Jayne Shroder and Thomas Atwood; Life Books: Creating a Treasure for The Adopted Child by Beth O'Malley. 6:30pm

Is it possible that we live many lifetimes? How might those lives and relationships play out in the present? Do we carry burdens of responsibility, fear, or guilt, as well as love from lifetime to lifetime? The House of M. Lucretius (Archebooks, $29.99) is told from the perspective of a modern scientist, a woman who recovers memories of a past life as one of Pompeii's victims. answers these questions. Co-author Liz L. Alexander takes us on a journey across time to the Roman city of Pompeii, right before it was consumed by the fire and fury of Mr. Vesuvius.

Drawing on thousands of pages of recently discovered government documents, wiretap transcripts, and Al Capone’s handwritten personal letters, New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Eig tells the dramatic story of the rise and fall of the nation’s most notorious criminal in Get Capone! (Simon & Schuster, $28) . Eig explores every aspect of the man called “Scarface,” paying particular attention to the myths that have for so long surrounded and obscured him. Capone emerges as a worldly, emotionally complex man, doomed as much by his ego as by his vicious criminality. This is the real Al Capone.

Ivan Gabor’s epic story, Echoes of My Footsteps ($22.95) , spans fifty years, four continents, three wars, and the multiple identities of one man who had to adapt to survive. As a little boy he endured the holocaust, from shootings on the bloody banks of the Danube to a frustrated rescue attempt by Raoul Wallenberg. From unprecedented stardom in the theater to abandonment on the streets of a strange land, combat in the desert, unprecedented success in foreign lands, and a tender and profound love story, this an inspiring saga for all people.

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Thomas E. Lodge started a fascination with the Everglades in 1966, after choosing to spend a day in the heart of our National Park while awaiting housing to start graduate studies at the University of Miami’s Department of Biology. Through his studies, his strong interest in wildlife photography, and subsequent work as an ecological consultant, he developed a knack for explaining detailed science in lay terms – the hallmark of the three editions of The Everglades Handbooks (CRC Press, $59.95) . The current, 3rd edition continues the tradition started in 1994 as a text for South Florida ecology courses (advanced high school and introductory college) as well as a manual for those interested in Everglades natural history and restoration. What is new includes an added chapter, “Peripheral Ecosystems of the Everglades” that explores coastal ecosystems that have been altered by manipulation of Everglades’ waters: the Caloosahatchee/Charlotte Harbor system, the St. Lucie/Indian River Lagoon, the Loxahatchee River, Lake Worth, and close to home – Biscayne Bay.

In the modern Congress, one of the highest hurdles for major bills or nominations is gaining the sixty votes necessary to shut off a filibuster in the Senate. But this wasn’t always the case. Both citizens and scholars tend to think of the legislative process as a game played by the rules in which votes are the critical commodity—the side that has the most votes wins. In Filibustering (University of Chicago Press, $28.80) Gregory Koger shows, on the contrary, that filibustering is a game with slippery rules in which legislators who think fast and try hard can triumph over superior numbers.

More information to come...

The transition from despair to satisfaction is an emotional, and yet often hilarious road to bump along. Suzetta Perkins’ Ex-Terminator (Strebor Books, $15) brings a fresh view to life after divorce as four women and a man struggle to move beyond their feelings of loss, failure, and abandonment, in order to establish a sense of normalcy and discover who they really are again. Can new love be found, even while the old still lingers and haunts everyday thoughts and actions? As these brokenhearted people form a support group to shore each other up in the midst of their stormy lives, little do they know how much they will come to mean to one another, or how each one will be changed by the healing they discover.

Join us throughout the summer for a series of activity hours, contests, book clubs and other fun for kids. We’re calling it Camp Books & Books – but there’s no bug spray needed! Summer’s here – time to laugh. Start it off with our Joke’s On Us Joke Contest. Make the crowd laugh with your funniest belly-laugher of a joke. Try out the ha-ha-ha funny jokes from Jokelopedia (Workman, $11.95) and have giggly good time. Prizes for the best joke-tellers, kids up to 9 years old.

Lulu’s having a Tea Party at Books & Books! Her friends will take turns reading from her new book, Lulu Plays Pretend ($14) and you can play along, too. The author, Manny Alonso, will be on hand to sign books.

The Cooking from the Heart ($20) cookbook is dedicated to Julia Tirella, BA (Education) and Gul Moorjani MBA, BSEE, PE who came forth with the idea to produce a heart healthy cookbook. Julia has a personal passion to the Florida Heart Research Institute's mission to Stop Heart Disease! She explained "As a newlywed in Boston in the 60's, my husband had a massive heart attack. The doctor told me he wouldn't last six months! We decided to move to Florida, found Dr. Richard Elias (Now Chairman of FHRI Board) and I changed my way of cooking”. Tirella's husband lived another thirty years thanks to Julia's healthy-style of cooking and lifestyle changes. Alfred Tirella passed away on March 1st, 1997. "Cooking from the Heart" is Julia's way to "give back" to Florida Heart Research Institute. Enjoy heart healthy wonderful recipes ...many from Julia's native Italy and others from around the world.

How much do fathers love their children? Enough to fly them to school in a plane? Enough to dig for the biggest dinosaur the world has ever known? From exploring dark caves to leading a marching band to even being a space alien, a father’s love is unconditional, and he will do anything to make sure all of his child’s dreams come true. The dynamic duo of Sherry North and Marcellus Hall team up once again to treat parents and children to a story that celebrates affection with imagination. Because I Am Your Daddy (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $15.95) is a great read-aloud book at storytime or a soothing book at bedtime, and an ideal gift for new fathers on Father’s Day. Presented in collaboration with MiamiMunchkins.com

Most who have observed Christopher Hitchens over the years would agree that he possesses a ferocious intellect and is unafraid to tackle the most contentious subjects. Now 60, English-born and American by adoption; all atheist and partly Jewish; bohemian (even listing “drinking” along with “disputation” as “hobbies” in Who’s Who) he has held to a consistent thread of principle whether opposing war in Vietnam or supporting intervention in Iraq. As a foreign correspondent in some of the world’s nastiest places, a lecturer and teacher and an esteemed literary critic, Hitchens manifests a style that is at once ironic, witty, and tough-minded. A legendary bon vivant with an unquenchable thirst for literature, he has sometimes ridiculed those who claim that the personal is political, though he has often seemed to illustrate that very idea. Now, the #1 New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist –one of the most admired and controversial public intellectuals of our time—shares his personal life story in Hitch-22 (Twelve, $26.99) . TICKETS are required for this event and are available at all Books & Books locations, while supplies last. The $10 ticket can be used toward the purchase of Hitch-22 or any other book at Books & Books. Event begins at 7:30pm.

Ready for summer to take off? Then launch in fun with Paper Airplane Contest. Design your own model or use one of the cool designs for The World Record Paper Airplane Book (Workman, $15.95) . Authentic notebook paper provided. The Wright Brothers might have gotten their start this way. Prizes for the plane-builders whose flying machines soar the farthest, kids up to 12 years old. Bal Harbour Beach Camp welcome!

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In the late 1880s, Frank Lenz of Pittsburgh, a renowned high-wheel racer and long-distance tourist, dreamed of cycling around the world. In the spring of 1892 he quit his accounting job and gamely set out west to cover twenty thousand miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine. Two years later, after having survived countless near disasters and unimaginable hardships, he approached Europe for the final leg. He never made it. His mysterious disappearance in eastern Turkey sparked an international outcry and compelled Outing to send William Sachtleben, another larger-than-life cyclist, on Lenz’s trail. Bringing to light a wealth of information, David Herlihy’s gripping narrative captures the soaring joys and constant dangers accompanying the bicycle adventurer in the days before paved roads and automobiles. The Lost Cyclist (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26) culminates with Sachtleben’s heroic effort to bring Lenz’s accused murderers to justice, even as troubled Turkey teetered on the edge of collapse.

Bloomsday was made famous by James Joyce’s novel Ulysses and is celebrated wherever you find the Irish. Now it’s your turn to don your turn-of-the 19th century apparel and celebrate in earnest. The evening starts at Books & Books where actors from the Actors’ Playhouse will read from Ulysses (the parts that were not banned). Then a piper and flag bearers will lead us on a short odyssey to John Martin’s Irish Restaurant for the Bloomsday Feast with a special menu and prices.

Settle in for a journey that will feel like your family’s own story, no matter where you come from, with local author Christina Gonzalez and her widely acclaimed debut YA book – The Red Umbrella (Knopf, $16.99) . In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution in Cuba, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched. As the revolution's impact becomes more oppressive, Lucía's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States—on their own as apart Operation Pedro Pan. Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl? The Red Umbrella is a moving story of country, culture, family, and the true meaning of home.

While most of America may know Helio Castroneves as the funny Season Five winner of Dancing with the Stars, in his heartfelt biography, Victory Road (Celebra, $24.95) , the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner tells us his story about determination, family, faith and beating all odds to win. (And he’s won the pole for the Indy 500 once again!)

In his breakout bestseller, The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger created “a wild ride that brilliantly captures the awesome power of the raging sea and the often futile attempts of humans to withstand it” (Los Angeles Times Book Review). Now, Junger turns his brilliant and empathetic eye to the reality of combat—the fear, the honor, and the trust among men in an extreme situation whose survival depends on their absolute commitment to one another. His on-the-ground account in War (Twelve, $26.99) follows a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. Through the experiences of these young men at war, he shows what it means to fight, to serve, and to face down mortal danger on a daily basis.

More information to come...

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love is a Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary American classic, a book that still captivates and inspires readers twenty years after its first publication. Now, in Beautiful Maria of My Soul (Hyperion, $25.99) , Oscar Hijuelos returns to this indelible story, to tell it from the point of view of its beloved heroine, Maria. She's the great Cuban beauty who stole musician Nestor Castillo's heart and broke it, inspiring him to write the Mambo Kings' biggest hit, ''Beautiful Maria of My Soul.'' Now in her sixties and living in Miami with her pediatrician daughter, Teresa, Maria remains a beauty, still capable of turning heads. But she has never forgotten Nestor, and as she thinks back to her days – and nights – in Havana, an entirely new perspective on the Mambo Kings story unfolds.

Ready for summer to take off? Then launch in fun with Paper Airplane Contest. Design your own model or use one of the cool designs for The World Record Paper Airplane Book (Workman, $15.95) . Authentic notebook paper provided. The Wright Brothers might have gotten their start this way. Prizes for the plane-builders whose flying machines soar the farthest, kids up to 12 years old.

No tests. No papers. No homework. Just fun reading for fun. Imagine! Welcome to unREQUIRED Reading Night with four awesome YA authors, their new books and live music: Daniel Waters brings the latest book in his series, Generation Dead: Passing Strange (Hyperion, $16.99) : Karen DeSonne always passed as a normal teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing—this time, as alive. Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of antizombie regulations that have forced them into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Elizabeth Rudnick with Tweet Heart (Hyperion, $7.99) : Claire is a #hopelessromantic. Lottie is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect. Will wants his #secretcrush to finally notice him. Bennett is a man with a plan. Told in an innovative format combining tweets, emails, and blogs, Tweet Heart is a contemporary romantic comedy that will set your heart atwitter. And Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin with The Half-life of Planets (Hyperion, $16.99) – Liana is an aspiring planetary scientist... and also a kissing addict. This summer, though, she plans to spend every kissworthy hour in the lab, studying stars. Hank has never been kissed. He’s smart and funny and very socially awkward because of his Asperger’s syndrome. Hear their story, told in alternating voices by alternating authors. Live Music in our Courtyard for Out of Three.

"The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love" is a Pulitzer Prize-winning contemporary American classic. Now, in his new novel, Beautiful Maria of My Soul (Hyperion, $25.99), Oscar Hijuelos returns to this indelible story, to tell it from the point of view of its beloved heroine, Maria.

Happy Father’s Day! How much do fathers love their children? Enough to fly them to school in a plane? Enough to dig for the biggest dinosaur the world has ever known? From exploring dark caves to leading a marching band to even being a space alien, a father’s love is unconditional, and he will do anything to make sure all of his child’s dreams come true. The dynamic duo of Sherry North and Marcellus Hall team up once again to treat parents and children to a story that celebrates affection with imagination. Because I Am Your Daddy (Abrams, $15.95) is a great read-aloud book at story time or a soothing book at bedtime, and an ideal gift for new fathers on Father’s Day. We’re making Father’s Day cards today, too.

Happy Father’s Day! World famous pop artist Romero Britto brings the alphabet to life in this bold and beautiful puzzle board book -- My Alphabet Playbook (Little Simon, $12.95). As children read the book they can guess which object is hiding under each press-out letter. One by one, with the help of the enclosed stands, little ones can stack the letters to make their own vibrant sculptures. In his first children's book, Britto uses his striking artwork to dazzle both children and parents. The 26 press-out pieces, each shaped like a letter of the alphabet, will encourage young readers to create their own Britto-esque sculptures! Presented in collaboration with MiamiMunchkins.com

Like Jeopardy! and Millionaire and Cash Cab all rolled into one – only way more fun – it’s Brain Quest Brain Fest! Join our quiz show with questions from the awesome Brain Quest series. Today’s contestants are kids in the 5-6 and 7-8 age groups. Prizes for the winners. Welcome City Trekker Summer Campers!

Mission Abandoned ($18.75) is Robert Ross’ compelling firsthand account of the rise and fall of the Adela Investment Company, the critically important but long-forgotten enterprise launched in the 1960s by a blue-chip group of multinational corporations for the expressed purpose of promoting private sector development in Latin America.

Camp Books & Books: Like Jeopardy! and Millionaire and Cash Cab all rolled into one – only way more fun --  it’s Brain Quest Brain Fest! Join our quiz show with questions from the awesome Brain Quest series (Workman, $10.95 each). Today’s contestants are kids in the 5-6 and 7-8 age groups. Prizes for the winners.  Welcome Bal Harbour Beach  Campers!

In Your Matrix, Your Electric Body ($12.99), psychic investigator Frances Fox focuses her clairvoyant lens on the human energy bodies, while suggesting a new medical model. The book highlights the electric energy body, called your matrix. She offers information on how to take care of your electric energy body so you can have true health and vitality. She also reveals the effects of increased radiation from electromagnetic frequencies and offers steps to take to protect your home and family from this silent intruder. At the forefront of the field of energetics, Frances has introduced the new concepts of electrosmog, electrofog, electroaddiction and electrohaunted to describe what she is finding due to electrification and microwave exposure. Fox has made it her mission to find the cause of what is affecting people’s health. In this groundbreaking book, she reveals that you are more than your physical body, you are actually an assemblage of “energy bodies” that fit into one another like a set of Russian dolls...and their survival is being threatened.

CANCELLED Because of a scheduling conflict, Jennifer Lopez will be unable to make her scheduled appearance at Books & Books. At this time, we do not anticipate it will be rescheduled. We regret any inconvenience this may cause. If you have already purchased a ticket for the signing, you can redeem it for a copy of Amigas #1: Fifteen Candles with Jennifer Lopez’s autograph at our Coral Gables bookstore beginning June 25. Or you can receive a store credit or a refund at any of our South Florida stores. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your continued support of Books & Books.

Immortals Night Party in honor of Alyson Noel and her new YA pageturner, Dark Flame (St. Martin’s Griffin, $17.99) in the Immortals series. Rock the night with Out of Three -- an amazing teen band with the perfect soundtrack for the night -- beginning at 7:30pm in our Courtyard. And we'll be serving colorful "elixirs" too. See you there for this night for Dark Flame.

In the new book, Ever is trying to help Haven transition into life as an immortal. But with Haven drunk on her new powers and acting recklessly, she poses the ultimate threat—exposing their secret world to the outside. As Ever struggles to keep the Immortals hidden, it only propels Haven closer to the enemy—Roman and his evil companions At the same time, Ever delves deeper into dark magick to free Damen from Roman’s power. But when her spell backfires, it binds her to the one guy who’s hell-bent on her destruction. Now there’s a strange, foreign pulse coursing through her, and no matter what she does, she can’t stop thinking about Roman—and longing for his touch. As she struggles to resist the fiery attraction threatening to consume her, Roman is more than willing to take advantage of her weakened state...and Ever edges closer and closer to surrender. Frantic to break the spell before its too late, Ever turns to Jude for help, risking everything she knows and loves to save herself—and her future with Damen ...

Project Runway meets the book shelf with our Fits to a T T-Shirt Re-Design Contest. We’ll use Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt (Workman, $15.95) as our guide, and then let you strut your fashion creation down our runway. Bring your own T-Shirt (one you won’t mind cutting up). Prizes for the best runway-worthy looks, kids 10 and older.

Teresa Giudice is the beautiful, brassy star of Bravo’s hit television series The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The mother of four children under the age of nine, she is often asked for the secret to her fabulous figure. Teresa’s cookbook, Skinny Italian, reveals the answer: the surprisingly healthy family recipes that her mother brought to America from Italy. Packed with tips for choosing and preparing fresh ingredients—not to mention several helpings of juicy gossip—Skinny Italian shows home cooks the simplicity of the recipes that keep Teresa looking delizioso.

As Teresa writes, “The Americanization of Italian food has given it a bad rap for being unhealthy.” Real Italian recipes call for olive oil rather than vegetable oil, butter rather than heavy cream, vegetable-based rather than creamy sauces, and fresh rather than processed cheese. Along with dozens of flavorful recipes, Skinny Italian is bursting with Teresa’s feisty advice on matters ranging from which fiber sources are most gentle on your stomach to why you should worship the Blessed Virgin…olive oil, the most essential ingredient for “getting in and staying in your skin-tight jeans forever.” Nutritional information for each recipe is provided in an index.

The book is narrated in Teresa’s warm, tell-it-like-it-is style and illustrated with color photographs of her food, family, and friends. Fans of The Real Housewives of New Jersey will love this behind-the-scenes look at life in the Giudice household.

About the Author

Teresa Giudice is a star of Bravo’s hit television series The Real Housewives of New Jersey. She is married to “Juicy” Joe Giudice, with whom she has four beautiful daughters: Gia (age 9), Gabriella (age 5), Milania (age 3), and Audriana (7 months).

Matanzas - the name means literally 'slaughters' - is the Cuban city nearest the United States. Known at the heyday of the nineteenth-century sugar boom as the “Athens of Cuba,” it is renowned for its art, its music, and its rich African heritage. It is also the place where Latin American baseball began. Yet most Americans have never heard of it. Miguel Bretos' fascinating history of his hometown, Matanzas: The Cuba Nobody Knows (University of Florida Press, $27.50) remedies this oversight. After forty years he returned to his homeland 'with the longing of an exile, the anticipation of a child, the curiosity of a visitor, the resentment of a victim, and - hopefully - the objectivity of a scholar'. Bretos unfolds the Matanzas story from the aboriginal Tainos to the coming of revolution with solid research, wit, clarity, and the kind of vivid detail that can come only from an insider. But he also deftly inserts Matanzas into a larger picture. More than local history, this original work is Cuban history from a local perspective.

On the wildly popular show Iron Chef America, Cat Cora uses her instincts to transform random ingredients into exciting creations on a moment's notice. In Cat Cora's Classics with a Twist (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30) , she turns her eye to some of our most popular dishes to make them faster, fresher, and lighter. These are the swift meals that Cat relies on when she comes home from work to cook for her own family: Greek-Style Nachos, Grilled Chili-Lime Flank Steak Soft Tacos, Crispy Baked Fish Stix with Mustard Dipping Sauce, Quick Chicken Curry with Peas, and Sour-Cherry-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes. In dishes like Baked "Fried" Calamari with Marinara Dipping Sauce and Tex-Mex Tuna Casserole, Cat puts a new spin on old favorites. She updates others, tossing chipotle-spiced croutons into a Caesar salad, or replacing the usual beef in stroganoff with chicken and adding fresh tarragon. Each recipe illustrates Cat's motto: Just because a dish is a classic, that doesn't mean it can't be improved upon.

Like Jeopardy! and Millionaire and Cash Cab all rolled into one – only way more fun – it’s Brain Quest Brain Fest! Join our quiz show with questions from the awesome Brain Quest series (Workman, $10.95 each) . Today’s contestants are kids in the 8-9 and 9-10 age groups. Prizes for the winners. Welcome Bal Harbour Beach Campers!

Like Jeopardy! and Millionaire and Cash Cab all rolled into one – only way more fun – it’s Brain Quest Brain Fest! Join our quiz show with questions from the awesome Brain Quest series (Workman, $10.95 each). Today’s contestants are kids in the 5-6 and 7-8 age groups. Prizes for the winners. Welcome City Trekker Summer Campers!

Brando Skyhorse's first novel gives voice to the Mexican-American community in Echo Park, California: “We slipped into this country like thieves, onto the land that once was ours.” With these words, spoken by an illegal Mexican day laborer, The Madonnas of Echo Park (Free Press, $23) takes us into the unseen world of Los Angeles, following the men and women who cook the meals, clean the homes, and struggle to lose their ethnic identity in the pursuit of the American dream. When a dozen or so girls and mothers gather on an Echo Park street corner to act out a scene from a Madonna music video, they find themselves caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. In the aftermath, Aurora Esperanza grows distant from her mother, Felicia, who as a housekeeper in the Hollywood Hills establishes a unique relationship with a detached housewife. Like the Academy Award–winning film Crash, The Madonnas of Echo Park follows the intersections of its characters and cultures in Los Angeles with an astonishing— and unforgettable—lyrical power.

Medium Raw (Ecco, $26.99) marks the return of the inimitable Anthony Bourdain, author of the blockbuster bestseller Kitchen Confidential and three-time Emmy Award-nominated host of Without Reservations on TV’s Travel Channel. Bourdain calls his book, “A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook,” and he is at his entertaining best as he takes aim at some of the biggest names in the foodie world, including David Chang, Alice Waters, the Top Chef winners and losers, and many more. If Hunter S. Thompson had written a book about the restaurant business, it could have been Medium Raw.

TICKETS are required for this event and are available at all Books & Books locations, while supplies last. Your purchase of Tony Bourdain’s Medium Raw ($26.99 + tax) entitles you to receive (1) one ticket for the event. You must purchase the book in order to receive your ticket: One book/one ticket. This will be a very popular event, so don’t delay. Tony is hot and so are the tickets! 7:30pm

Description

The Red Umbrella is the moving tale of a 14-year-old girl's journey from Cuba to America as part of Operation Pedro Pan—an organized exodus of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children, whose parents sent them away to escape Fidel Castro's revolution.
 
In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched.
 
As the revolution's impact becomes more oppressive, Lucía's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States—on their own.
 
Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl?
 
The Red Umbrella is a moving story of country, culture, family, and the true meaning of home.

About the Author

Christina Diaz Gonzalez based this powerful novel on the experiences of her parents, and of the more than 14,000 other unaccompanied minors who came to the United States through Operation Pedro Pan. This mass exodus of children is a little-known and fascinating piece of history, and Gonzalez has created a story that brings that history vibrantly to life.
 
Gonzalez practiced law for several years before returning to her childhood passion for stories and writing. The Red Umbrella is her first novel.
 
Christina Diaz Gonzalez lives in Miami, Florida, with her husband and two sons. You can visit her on the Web at www.christinagonzalez.com

If we are what we eat, Americans are hot dogs. We ate them on the way to the moon and served them to the king of England. We name a Hot Dog- Eating Champ! Garnished with hilarious illustrations and amazing "foodie" facts, this kid-friendly, globespanning history of our favorite fast-food meal offers unique insight into America's multicultural heritage. From a hobo's franks-and-beans to astronaut food, there's more to the wiener--and what's for dinner--than you think. (Dutton Juvenile, $16.99) 

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Jonathan Weiner comes a fast-paced and astonishing scientific adventure story: has the long-sought secret of eternal youth at last been found? In recent years, the dream of eternal youth has started to look like more than just a dream. In the twentieth century alone, life expectancy increased by more than thirty years—almost as much time as humans have gained in the whole span of human existence. Today a motley array of scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs believe that another, bigger leap is at hand—that human immortality is not only possible, but attainable in our own time. Is there genius or folly in the dreams of these charismatic but eccentric thinkers? In Long for This World (Ecco, $27.99), Weiner, a natural storyteller and an intrepid reporter with a gift for making cutting-edge science understandable, takes the reader on a whirlwind intellectual quest to find out. A rollicking scientific adventure story in the grand manner of Oliver Sacks, Long for This World is science writing of the highest order and with the highest stakes. Could we live forever? And if we could...would we want to? 6pm

Join us for a walk down memory lane with Lucie Arnaz as she celebrates her father, Desi Arnaz’ extraordinary musical legacy and the major role he played in planting the first seeds of the Latin music explosion in this country. Tonight, Lucie will share stories of her extraordinary family and their impact on popular American culture.  She will also sign copies of her latest CD recording, Latin Roots. One can almost imagine the pride that Desi Arnaz would feel upon hearing this music. From the Other Side, he could be saying: “That’s my daughter! She’s amazing, hey” Yes, Mr. Arnaz. Lucie Arnaz is just that amazing. Latin Roots tells why. The Emmy Award-winning actress is the creator, producer and director of BABALU, a new musical tribute to her father, which premieres at the Adrienne Arsht Center, Knight Concert Hall on Thursday, July 8 and runs through Sunday, July 11. The show features Desi Arnaz’s greatest hits, including the hip-swiveling “Cuban Pete,” his signature conga “Babalu,” and the beloved theme from “I Love Lucy,” plus some of the greatest Latin and Broadway hits in this one-of-a-kind tribute to the most glamorous music of the ‘40s and ‘50s. SPECIAL for Books & Books: At the event tonight, you can enter a drawing to win a FREE pair of tickets to BABALU at the Adrienne Arsht Center. You must be present to win. 7pm