Unfortunately, Venus Williams has to postpone her visit to Grand Cayman. We hope to have word of her new event date soon. We'll let you know as soon as it is scheduled. Thank you for your understanding -- and support.

AUTOGRAPHING ONLY: Multiple grand slam tennis champion and entrepreneur, Venus Williams and 46 of her colleagues, friends, and mentors deliver a volume of invaluable wisdom, motivation, and inspiration. Come to Win (Amistad, $25.99)  demonstrates how the principles of competitive athletics translate into business success. With contributions from a wide range of men and women who reached the very top of their games —including former CEO and bestselling author Jack Welch, fashion designer Vera Wang, actor Denzel Washington, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice — Venus Williams’ Come to Win is a book every aspiring professional, coach, and sports enthusiast should read. You must purchase a copy of Come to Win from Books & Books to enter the signing line. 7pm

Join Miami native Susanna Daniel for the Stiltsville Soiree – a Book Club Mini Mixer event in honor of Daniel’s acclaimed debut novel, Stiltsville (Harper, $24.99). Daniel has written a rich story, full of vivid characters and those spot-on details that make people and places come alive, especially so here in Miami as her story charts the course of our town’s maturation, along with that of main characters Frances and Dennis and their marriage. There are the still waters of daily life and the ferocious winds of Hurricane Andrew. Stiltsville is the sort of book that book clubs really sink their teeth into – full of the small details that have huge impact. And along with great discussion with Susanna about the Stiltsville and writing and reading, there will be free Galley Giveaways of other worthy books, true book club literature, great reads. Plus tasty treats from The Newsstand by Books & Books – now INSIDE our Bal Harbour Shops bookstore. So, bring your book club or bring yourself to our Stiltsville Soiree. We’ll see you there. 7:30pm

What would you do if the love of your life, and all your memories, were lost – only to reappear – but with such shocking revelations that you wish you had never remembered? Mark Mustian has written a remarkable novel about the power of memory-and the ability of people, individually and collectively, to forget in The Gendarme (Putnam, $25.95) . Emmett Conn is an old man, near the end of his life. A World War I veteran, he's been affected by memory loss since being injured during the war. In Emmett's dreams he's a gendarme, escorting Armenians from Turkey. A young woman among them, Araxie, captivates and enthralls him. But then the trek ends, the war separates them. He is injured. Seven decades later, as his grasp on the boundaries between past and present begins to break down, Emmett sets out on a final journey, to find Araxie and beg her forgiveness. Depicting how love can transcend nationalities, politics, and religion, how racism creates divisions where none truly exist, and how the human spirit fights to survive even in the face of hopelessness, is a transcendent novel. Presented in collaboration with the Florida Psychoanalytic Society. 8pm

Has September 21 been declared an official Minion Holiday? Heather Brewer’s brand new book in her to-die-for Vladimir Tod series comes out on September 21. And her birthday (!) is September 21. So, Heather knew there was only one place she wanted to be on September 21: That’s right – Books & Books! Come one Minion, come Minion Hordes – celebrate all the fabulousness that is Heather with a Birthday(s) Bash for The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Twelfth Grade Kills (Dutton, $16.99) AND for Heather herself. Party up without LIVE MUSIC from Courtesy of Paco and yummy birthday cake and prizes, too. There’s no better way to sink your teeth into the blood-chilling, darkly humorous final book in the New York Times bestselling series. Vladimir Tod has spent the last four years trying to handle the pressures of high school while sidestepping a slayer out for his blood. Now he’s a senior, and it looks like things have gotten even suckier. The Elysian Council has given him weeks to live, and that’s if the Slayer Society doesn’t kill him and all the citizens of Bathory first. Then there’s the issue of Vlad’s father, who may (or may not) still be alive after all these years. And oh yeah, that tiny little detail in the Pravus prophecy about Vlad enslaving Vampirekind and the human race. Oh, that. Hear all about it on the book’s birthday from the birthday author herself. Sounds like a party even Vlad himself might enjoy! 6pm

In Patricia Engel's Vida (Grove Press, Black Cat, $14.00) Sabina navigates her shifting identity as a daughter of the Colombian diaspora and struggles to find her place within and beyond the net of her strong, protective, but embattled family.

“Between the pop culture and politics of our time, we have become accustomed to language that does not clarify, but clouds. This is why Patricia Engel’s work, with its taut focus, its pained illumination, is so important. In Vida, as much as we come to know her narrator, Sabina, we come to know more fully the inside of our own hearts.”—Asha Bandele, author of The Prisoner’s Wife

No one has done more to introduce the world to the authentic, flavorful cuisines of Mexico than Diana Kennedy. Acclaimed as the Julia Child of Mexican cooking, Kennedy has been an intrepid, indefatigable student of Mexican foodways for more than fifty years and has published several classic books on the subject, including The Cuisines of Mexico (now available in The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, a compilation of her first three books), The Art of Mexican Cooking, My Mexico, and From My Mexican Kitchen. Her uncompromising insistence on using the proper local ingredients and preparation techniques has taught generations of cooks how to prepare--and savor--the delicious, subtle, and varied tastes of Mexico.

In Oaxaca al Gusto, Kennedy takes us on an amazing journey into one of the most outstanding and colorful cuisines in the world. The state of Oaxaca is one of the most diverse in Mexico, with many different cultural and linguistic groups, often living in areas difficult to access. Each group has its own distinctive cuisine, and Diana Kennedy has spent many years traveling the length and breadth of Oaxaca to record in words and photographs "these little-known foods, both wild and cultivated, the way they were prepared, and the part they play in the daily or festive life of the communities I visited." Oaxaca al Gusto is the fruit of these labors--and the culmination of Diana Kennedy's life's work.

Organized by regions, Oaxaca al Gusto presents some three hundred recipes--most from home cooks--for traditional Oaxacan dishes. Kennedy accompanies each recipe with fascinating notes about the ingredients, cooking techniques, and the food's place in family and communal life. Lovely color photographs illustrate the food and its preparation. A special feature of the book is a chapter devoted to the three pillars of the Oaxacan regional cuisines--chocolate, corn, and chiles. Notes to the cook, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index complete the volume.

An irreplaceable record of the infinite world of Oaxacan gastronomy, Oaxaca al Gusto belongs on the shelf of everyone who treasures the world's traditional regional cuisines.

In HEADS: A Neurosurgeon's Memoir (Booksurge, $13.99), Doncha Freeman tells the story of several rather spectacular years in the life of world-class neurosurgeon, Bernard R. Lerner. An iconoclast to the core, a product of a liberal generation, Lerner’s surgical skills are in full bloom when his carefully constructed world crashes around him in the decade of decadence, the 1980s. Encouraged by the FBI, Lerner becomes involved in an undercover sting. Obsessed as he is with saving lives, the good doctor chooses to continue “cutting.” He is indicted on suspicious drug felony charges and then sentenced to three and a half years in a Federal Prison Camp. We get an in depth look at the daily life of those inside the federal prison system, housing white-collar felons, who become Lerner’s friends and patients. After more than a year of incarceration, Lerner is released because of an “error” in his legal papers. Running from the top of his game to the depths of despair, and through an atypical and passionate love story, comes Bernard Lerner’s tale. 6:30pm

Carolina Garcia-Aguilera is a unique figure in the mystery-writing world. In addition to being an award-winning author, Garcia-Aguilera has taken on the roles of private investigator, historical researcher, wife and mother, and invested each with her own indomitable spirit and infectious enthusiasm. She is the Cuban-born author of the popular Lupe Solano Series (three murders per book or your money back), featuring Lupe Solano, a wealthy, sultry and quick-witted Cuban-American private investigator who lives and works in Miami. Now, Garcia-Aguilera returns with Bloody Twist (Miramar Publishing, $12.95), her highly-anticipated new book in the series, the first since Bitter Sugar was published in 2001. Bloody Twist draws readers into a fast-paced race against time with Lupe, as she finds herself conducting two investigations: figuring out who murdered three men; and discovering the "real" Madeline Marie Meadows. Along the way, Lupe has to contend with Ms. Meadow’s killer Chihuahuas, Napoleon and Josephine, as well as the Loredo twins, Ms. Meadows’ pimps and marketing geniuses who thought up the hook of labeling her as "Miami’s highest paid call girl who is a virgin." Lupe enlists the help of her friend, Sweet Suzanne, the well-known Miami madam, and Nestor, the crack investigator, to achieve that goal. Bloody Twist's cast of colorful characters, exotic action and masterful story-telling is quintessential Garcia-Aguilera. It is an irresistible page-turner, teeming with unforgettable characters. Her loyal readers may have waited many years for this book, but surely they will agree that it was well worth the wait. 8pm

CURIOSITY DAY: In honor of the birthday of H. A. Rey, the creator of the beloved children's book icon Curious George, Books & Books is having a Curiosity Day party. Meet Curious George himself! Come for the special Curious George Story Time. And join us as the Miami Children’s Museum leads games and activities designed to bring out the curious nature in your little ones. Free tickets required and available at our Coral Gables store. Each family needs just one ticket. There will be two sessions so we can accommodate all Curious Kids: Session I at 10am and Session II at 11am. (Activities are the same at both sessions.)

Lip Service is true stories out loud.  Every Quarter Books & Books in Coral Gables hosts the most popular literary event in Miami.  Eight people, eight stories, eight minutes each. The stories are hilarious, heartbreaking, poignant, embarrassing, inspiring, and all true.

Lip Service lets you become a voyeur. It's like reading a person's diary, or better, having that person read his or her diary to you.  Lip Service is a mix of theater and literature.  The stories are editied and rehearsed, but you never really know what you're going to get until you get it. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll cringe. And you are guaranteed to feel inspired to tell your own story. Come early- It's standing room only!

In Jon and Pam Voelkel's Middle World (EgmontUSA, $8.99), fourteen-year-old Max Murphy is looking forward to a family vacation. But his parents, both archaeologists and Maya experts, announce a change in plan. They must leave immediately for a dig in the tiny Central American country of San Xavier. Max will go to summer camp. Max is furious. When he's mysteriously summoned to San Xavier, he thinks they've had a change of heart.

Upon his arrival, Max's wild adventure in the tropical rainforests of San Xavier begins. During his journey, he will unlock ancient secrets and meet strangers who are connected to him in ways he could never have imagined. For fate has delivered a challenge of epic proportions to this pampered teenager. Can Max rescue his parents from the Maya Underworld and save the world from the Lords of Death, who now control the power of the Jaguar Stones in their villainous hands? The scene is set for a roller-coaster ride of suspense and terror, as the good guys and the bad guys face off against a background of haunted temples, zombie armies, and even human sacrifice!

A startling, seductive literary novel that entwines suspense,
science fiction, adventure, romance and history into an intoxicating new
genre.

1908: New Venice--"the pearl of the Arctic"--a place
of ice palaces and pneumatic tubes, of beautifully ornate carriage-sleds
and elegant victorian garb, of long nights and vistas of ice.

But as the city prepares for spring, it feels more like qaartsiluni,
"the time when something is about to explode in the dark." Local
"poletics" are wracked by tensions with the Eskimos circling the city,
with suffragette riots led by an underground music star, with drug
round-ups by the secret police force known as the Gentlemen of the
Night. An ominous black airship hovers over the city, and the Gentlemen
are hunting for the author of a radical pamphlet calling for revolt.

Their lead suspect is Brentford Orsini, one of the city's most
prominent figures. But as the Gentlemen of the Night tighten the net
around him, Orsini receives a mysterious message from a long-lost love
that compels him to act.

What transpires is a literary adventure novel unlike anything you've
ever read before. Brilliant in its conception, masterful in its prose,
thrilling in its plot twists, and laced with humor, suspense, and
intelligence, it marks the beginning of a great new series of books set
in New Venice-and the launch of an astonishing new writer. Jean-Christophe Valtat Aurorarama (Melville House, $25.95).

An enraged man abducts his estranged wife and child, holes up in a secluded mountain cabin, threatening to kill them both. A right wing survivalist amasses a cache of weapons and resists calls to surrender. A drug trafficker barricades himself and his family in a railroad car, and begins shooting. A cult leader in Waco, Texas faces the FBI in an armed stand-off that leaves many dead in a fiery blaze. A sniper, claiming to be God, terrorizes the DC metropolitan area. For most of us, these are events we hear about on the news. For Gary Noesner, head of the FBI’s groundbreaking Crisis Negotiation Unit, it was just another day on the job.

In Stalling for Time (Random House, $26.00), Noesner takes readers on a heart-pounding tour through many of the most famous hostage crises of the past thirty years. Specially trained in non-violent confrontation and communication techniques, Noesner’s unit successfully defused many potentially volatile standoffs, but perhaps their most hard-won victory was earning the recognition and respect of their law enforcement peers.

Noesner pursued his dream of joining the FBI all the way to Quantico, where he not only became a Special Agent, but also—in the course of a distinguished thirty-year career—the FBI’s Chief Negotiator. Gaining respect for the fledgling art of crisis negotiation in the hard-boiled culture of The Bureau, where the shadow of J. Edgar Hoover still loomed large, was an uphill battle, educating FBI and law enforcement leaders on the job at an incident, and advocating the use of  psychology rather than force whenever possible. Noesner’s many bloodless victories rarely garnered as much media attention as the notorious incident management blunders like the Branch Davidian disaster in Waco and the Ruby Ridge tragedy. 

Noesner offers a candid as well as fascinating look back at his years as a rebel in the ranks and a pioneer on the front lines. Whether vividly recounting showdowns with the radical Republic of Texas militia, the terrorist hijackers of the cruise ship Achille Lauro, and self-styled messiah David Koresh, or clashes with colleagues and superiors that expose the internal politics and power-plays of America’s premier law enforcement agency, Stalling for Time crackles with breathtaking suspense and insight in equal measure. Case by case, minute by minute, it’s a behind the scenes view of a visionary crime-fighter in action.

Jennifer Fosberry visits with her book My Name is Not Isabella: (Sourcebooks, $16.99) a colorful story about little Isabella’s exploration of the groundbreaking women who changed the world. Learn about strength and science, history and honor, and the importance of being yourself through the accomplishments of women such as Sally Ride, Annie Oakley, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, and Elizabeth Blackwell. Presented in collaboration with Arts for Learning and our Wonders of Teaching series. 6:30pm

Join us for the multimedia and bilingual evening with acclaimed Cuban photographers Jose Figueroa and Cristina Vives at our neighbors, Design Within Reach. Making his first visit to the United States in nine years, Jose Figueroa brings us Jose A. Figueroa: A Cuban Self-Portrait, edited by Cristina Vives. For more than four decades, Jose Figueroa (born 1946) has chronicled his nation's trials. Too young to have seen the Revolution, Figueroa belongs to a generation that was, nonetheless, old enough to witness this seismic shift in his nation's infrastructure. A Cuban Self-Portrait describes Cuba's singular character. Its 380 photographs provide an unique glimpse for Cubans inside and aboard. Cristina Vives' new work is Belkis Ayon: Nkame.  This catalogue raisonne provides a complete account of the life and work of Cuban artist Belkis Ayon (1967-1999). Working through the worst years of Cuba's post-Soviet economic crisis, Ayon developed her engraving and serigraph technique using collaged paper, and mined Afro-Cuban religious traditions to create an independent and powerful visual iconography. The Abakua religion and secret society were a source of great inspiration for Ayon, and "Nkame" -- a word of praise and salutation in the Abakua language, pays tribute to an artist whose death left behind a message of life.

This event is in Spanish: Rafael Cerrato es un escritor español, nacido en Córdoba, que vive actualmente en Barcelona. Cursó estudios universitarios para luego dedicarse al ensayo histórico y la literatura. Ediciones Dédalo le propuso editar su primer obra “Carta a Fernando Sánchez Dragó”, texto que tuvo el reconocimiento del propio Sánchez Dragó. A partir de entonces, ha publicado “Lepanto: la batalla inacabada,” donde aborda la famosa batalla y sus consecuencias. Mas tarde, “El imperio perdido de los Jázaros: De Córdoba a Jazaria pasando por Jerusalem”, relato novelado de la historia de este imperio judío. Esta noche, nos hablará sobre su nuevo libro, Desde el Corazón de Irán, que enfoca nuevamente el tema histórico-religioso, en relación con la Fe Bahai, los derechos humanos y la libertad de culto. También participarán los periodistas Adriana Bianco y Jorge José Rodríguez, y del vicepresidente del Comité Judío-Americano, Juan Dircie. Se expondrán distintos aspectos de la obra, de la Fe Bahaí y de los derechos humanos. El doctor iraní Jean Samimy dará su testimonio directo, traducido por el Prof. Gilberto Grasselly. 8pm

On 30 January 1933, Alfred Hugenberg's conservative German National People's Party (DNVP) formed a coalition government with the Nazi Party, thus enabling Hitler to accede to the chancellorship. Hermann Beck's The Fateful Alliance (Berghahn Books, $34.44) analyzes in detail the complicated relationship between Conservatives and Nazis and offers a re-interpretation of the Nazi seizure of power - the decisive months between 30 January and 14 July 1933. The Machtergreifung is characterized here as a period of all-pervasive violence and lawlessness with incessant conflicts between Nazis and German Nationals and Nazi attacks on the conservative Burgertum, a far cry from the traditional depiction of the takeover as a relatively bloodless, virtually sterile assumption of power by one vast impersonal apparatus wresting control from another. The author scrutinizes the revolutionary character of the Nazi seizure of power, the Nazis' attacks on the conservative Burgertum and its values, and National Socialism's co-optation of conservative symbols of state power to serve radically new goals, while addressing the issue of why the DNVP was complicit in this and paradoxically participated in eroding the foundations of its very own principles and bases of support.  

A story that garnered national attention, this is the harrowing tale of two men who suffered abuses at a reform school in Florida in the 1950s and 60s, and who banded together fifty years later to confront their attackers.

Michael O’McCarthy and Robert W. Straley were teens when they were termed “incorrigible youth” by authorities and ordered to attend the Florida School for Boys. They discovered in Marianna, the “City of Southern Charm,” an immaculately groomed campus that looked more like an idyllic university than a reform school. But hidden behind the gates of the Florida School for Boys was a hell unlike any they could have imagined. The school’s guards and administrators acted as their jailers and tormentors. The boys allegedly bore witness to assault, rape, and possibly even murder.

For fifty years, both men---and countless others like them---carried their torment in silence. But a series of unlikely events brought O’McCarthy, now a successful rights activist, and Straley together, and they became determined to expose the Florida School for Boys for what they believed it to be: a youth prison with a century-long history of abuse. They embarked upon a campaign that would change their lives and inspire others.

Robin Gaby Fisher, a Pulitzer Prize--winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestselling After the Fire, collaborates with Straley and O’McCarthy to offer a riveting account of their harrowing ordeal. The Boys of the Dark goes beyond the story of the two men to expose the truth about a century-old institution and a town that adopted a Nuremberg-like code of secrecy and a government that failed to address its own wrongdoing. What emerges is a tale of strength, resolve, and vindication in the face of the kinds of terror few can imagine.

Heidi Durrow's debut novel The Girl who Fell From the Sky tells the story of Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I., who becomes the sole survivor of a family tragedy.

With her strict African American grandmother as her new guardian, Rachel moves to a mostly black community, where her light brown skin, blue eyes, and beauty bring mixed attention her way. Growing up in the 1980s, she learns to swallow her overwhelming grief and confronts her identity as a biracial young woman in a world that wants to see her as either black or white.

Meanwhile, a mystery unfolds, revealing the terrible truth about Rachel's last morning on a Chicago rooftop. Interwoven are the voices of Jamie, a neighborhood boy who witnessed the events, and Laronne, a friend of Rachel's mother. Inspired by a true story of a mother's twisted love, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky reveals an unfathomable past and explores issues of identity at a time when many people are asking "Must race confine us and define us?"

In the tradition of Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John,Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and Sandra Cisneros' House on Mango Street, here is a portrait of a young girl—and society's ideas of race, class, and beauty.

For over three and a half decades, Ricardo Pau-Llosa has been a prominent figure in the literary and visual arts of South Florida. An internationally recognized authority on Latin American Modernist art, Pau-Llosa has attained equal prominence as a poet and essayist. And he has also been collecting art. The University of Notre Dame’s Snite Museum of Art is featuring a major exhibition this fall – Parallel Currents: Highlights of the Ricardo Pau-Llosa Collection of Latin American Art (Aug. 29-Nov. 14). Pau-Llosa will be signing copies of the superbly designed and printed, full-color book accompanying the exhibition, Parallel Currents which includes a penetrating essay, “Art and the Diasporic Imagination” (published with facing-page translation into Spanish), in which Pau-Llosa discusses the emergence of the Latin American art scene in Miami, the role art played in his exile family’s struggles to establish themselves in America, and the development of his original critical model for the interpretation of the region’s art. Also being presented this evening is the just released book, The Miami of the Poet (Maker’s Press), with a selection of Pau-Llosa’s South Florida-inspired works alongside photographs by James Gersing. 8pm

More information to come...

More information to come...

More information to come...

If you run into trouble in Santa Fe, Ed Eagle is the man to see.

In Stuart Woods' Santa Fe Edge (Putnam, $25.95), Ed Eagle, the six-feet-six, take-no-prisoners Santa Fe attorney, has recovered from his encounters with Mexican organized crime and-more treacherously-his ex-wife, Barbara. Now a mysterious new client has come his way, one who may shed light into some dark corners of Ed's past...and put him in danger once more.

AS A LITTLE GIRL, Sydnee Price was left in the care of a couple in Jamaica by her mother, just “for a little while.” Molested by her guardian, betrayed by the church, and reviled by the women in the district, she flees to America, buries her secrets and keeps her heart sealed tight.

But she discovers that freedom does not give her the peace she sought because ghosts continue to resurface. To reclaim her true self and silence the ghosts of the past, Sydnee must return to Jamaica, where it all began, admit her deepest shame, and face the child she abandoned. She was not prepared for what was to come.

Sunshine Brown, Sydnee’s hidden daughter, believes that there are no mistakes in life; so when Sydnee arrives in Jamaica searching for her, she confronts her own dark feelings and draws upon her faith for strength—a faith of which her mother wants no part. Sunshine is the one person who can help Sydnee find redemption. In order to do so, though, Sydnee must confront the ghost of her past and be willing to love again. She has to learn to believe once more in the only One who can give her true peace—God.

Written with fresh, powerful language, Eunice Tate's When God Wasn’t Looking tells a story of brokenness, of the baggage of the human heart, and of finding the way to redemption and healing.

Fred M. Frohock is the author of eleven books and numerous articles in scholarly journals. His latest book, Beyond: On Life After Death (University Press of Kansas, 2010), critically scans the evidence for life after death, a study that supports a variation on the thesis that evidence underdetermines theory, or, roughly put, that rival theories can be consistent with the same data set and rank ordered only by relying on background considerations.

Professor Frohock's work often combines theory and field work. Special Care (1986) is an ethnographic account of decision-making in an intensive care neonatal nursery, while Healing Powers (1992) studies alternative medicine and spiritual healing. Both were published by the U. of Chicago Press, as was Lives of the Psychics (2000), an examination of anomalous and mystical experiences. Public Reason: Mediated Authority in the Liberal State (Cornell U. Press, 1999) delineates public reasoning on post-Wittgenstein theories of language. Bounded Divinities: Sacred Discourses in Pluralist Democracies (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) is a treatment of religion and politics that uses Santería as a case study in a theoretical examination of the two practices.

Prof. Frohock earned his Ph.D. in Political Science and Philosophy at the U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Twice a Social Science Research Council Fellow, he is currently professor and chair of political science at the University of Miami, with academic concentrations in political philosophy, law, and bioethics.

Intimate Encounters (by Sierra Michaels) is a humorous and occasionally serious account of the inner workings of the sensual massage business and the unique and sometimes pathological characters that work at and visit the apartment, as well as Cali’s life and struggles as a graduate student in doubt about her chosen field and her future.

Many people see the Talmud as nothing more than a dry compendium of
legal opinions, but in fact the Talmud represents a rich repository of
literature encompassing all aspects of the world of the great Rabbinic
Sages. Rabbi Edwin Goldberg, author of Swords and Plowshares: Jewish
Views of War and Peace and Heads and Tales: Stories of the Sages to
Enlighten Our Minds, presents a window into this world in Love Tales
from the Talmud. Featuring original texts, translations, commentary, and
study questions, this accessible introduction to the study of Rabbinic
literature explores classic Jewish wisdom on love and relationships.

The Hurricane Murders (Eloquent Books, $14.50) written by David Holmberg.

A reporter in Florida, Jake Arnett, covers the baffling murder of a mother and daughter seeking a new life - a story that requires every ounce of investigative skill, commitment, and compassion he can muster. Arnett works against a backdrop of decline and despair in print journalism that jeopardizes the newspaper he works for, and the life and career of his closest friend.

Why is the manatee just as imperiled today as it was 40 years ago?
Loveable or loathed? Poster child for conservation efforts or impediment
to development? Nuisance or in need of protection? For the past two
decades, the quiet manatee has been a flash point of frequent
environmental debates. Included on the very first endangered species
list issued in 1967, the docile creatures have stirred curiosity and
passions for more than a hundred years. They are Florida's most famous
endangered species, as well as its most controversial. Manatees appear
on hundreds of license plates, attract hordes of tourists, and expose
the uneasy relationships between science and the law and between freedom
and responsibility like no other animal. As passions have flared and
resentments have grown, the battle over manatee protection has evolved
into a war, and no reporter has followed the story more closely than
Craig Pittman. He's flown with scientists trying to count manatees from
overhead. He's been on the water with the leader of the biggest
pro-boater group. He's observed biologists dissecting the animals and
politicians discussing their fate. Manatee Insanity provides the
first in-depth history of the attempts to provide legal protection for
the manatee. Along the way, Pittman takes a close look at the major and
minor players in the dispute, from Jacques-Yves Cousteau to Jeb Bush,
from Jimmy Buffett to O. J. Simpson, from a popular children's book
author to a federal lawman who dressed in a gorilla suit for the
ultimate undercover assignment.

The follow up to Mark Bittman's NY Times bestseller, Food Matters: The Cookbook offers around 450 recipes that will save your health and the planet.

Schedule for the Evening:

6:00 – 7:00pm – Reception with the Author, sponsored by Whole Foods

7:00 – 8:00pm – Talk and Q&A with Mark Bittman

To be introduced by MICHELLE BERNSTEIN, author of “Cuisine A Latina”

Book signing to follow

TICKETS are required for this event. $10 for Fairchild members and $15 for non-members, available only at Fairchild:

astamps@fairchildgarden.com

SPECIAL FOR BOOKS & BOOKS CUSTOMERS: A limited amount of FREE tickets are available at all Books & Books,
with your pre-purchase of The Food Matters Cookbook, prior to the event, at any Books & Books location.

If you do not purchase the book in advance and would like to purchase at the door that night, please note that you will have to purchase BOTH the book AND a ticket in order to be allowed entry. 

Too often, women believe that they will finally be content when their
bodies change in some way. In actuality, they’ll be content only when
their minds change, when they give themselves permission and the tools
to be content. In Beautiful You: A Daily Guide to Radical Self-Acceptance (Seal Press, $16.95), Rosie Molinary provides 365 ways to shore up confidence, encourage self-awareness, and get reacquainted with the beautiful, brilliant you. Part personal
essay, part action and empowerment guide, Beautiful You is a
practical and inspirational tool for realizing a healthy self-image by
championing one’s own emotional and physical well-being. 8pm

Jeffrey Reiner is a middle manager’s dream. Predictable, almost
invisible, and lacking ambition, he’s held the same tedious job for
eighteen years, typing up the calendar listings for a South Florida
weekly. When he is suddenly fired, Jeffrey has no choice but to push
beyond his comfort zone. As Jeffrey stumbles from one comic catastrophe
to another, he realizes that in opening up to the world, he no longer
wants to go back to his safe, sheltered corner. Full of whimsy, wry
humor, and surprising insight, Terry Shine's Nothing Happens Until It Happens to You (Crown, $23.00) is a weird, wonderful journey of self-discovery that proves there’s life after the pink slip after all. 8pm

Live Music in the Courtyard: Emmet Cohen Trio, 7-11pm

Your dog just doesn’t seem to listen. You’ve been through obedience
training, but he still can’t seem to master the most basic commands. And nothing you do seems to prevent him from misbehaving. “Clients usually come to me when their dogs are ruining their lives, not when they won’t sit,” says Cesar. “But everywhere I go, people are telling me they are confused about the wide variety of training options and theories out there, and they feel paralyzed because they don’t know which to choose.”
Now, in his usual straightforward, confident manner, Cesar Millan takes on the topic of training for the first time, by explaining the importance of balance as the foundation for a healthy relationship between you and your dog. In order to provide a variety of training options, he calls upon some of the foremost experts in the field to
offer their advice so that you can find the perfect approach that works
for you and your dog through a variety of methods. Filled with practical advice, anecdotes, tips, and trouble-shooting techniques, Cesar’s Rules (Crown, $25.99) is the ultimate guide to a well-behaved and well-balanced dog—from a new puppy to an old dog who can still learn new tricks. Order a copy of Cesar’s Rules at any Books & Books location today and we will reserve a copy of the book and (2) tickets for you to pick up, anytime after October 5th (on-sale date of the book) at any of our South Florida stores, or at the door on the night of the event. Doors open at 6pm. Additional tickets/books will be available at the door that evening, while supplies last. Please note: While Books & Books is a dog friendly bookstore, we are specifically asking you to LEAVE YOUR DOGS AT HOME for this event, as Cesar unfortunately won’t have time to meet all our lovely pooches and pups. Those are the rules folks – Cesar’s Rules – so please honor them. You’ll have time to try all the great new tips with your pet later at home. Presented in collaboration with the Florida Center for Literary Arts. *Tickets required.7:30pm

Author David Lapham visits more than 30 legendary
haunted places, all of which are open to the public — so you can test
your own ghost hunting skills, if you dare. Join Dave as he visits each
site, snooping around eerie rooms and dark corners, talking to people
who swear to their paranormal experiences, and giving you a first-hand
account. Enjoy Ghosthunting Florida (Clerisy, $15.95) from the safety of your armchair or hit the road, using the maps,
“Haunted Places” travel guide with 50 more spooky sites and “Ghostly
Resources.” Buckle up and get ready for the spookiest ride of your life.
8pm

Following Italy's unification in 1861, architects, artists, politicians, and literati engaged in volatile debates over the pursuit of national and regional identity. Growing industrialization and urbanization across the country contrasted with the rediscovery of traditionally built forms and objects created by the agrarian peasantry. Pride in Modesty (University of Toronto Press, $70) argues that these ordinary, often anonymous, everyday things inspired and transformed Italian art and architecture from the 1920s through the 1970s. Through in-depth examinations of texts, drawings, and buildings, Michelangelo Sabatino finds that the folk traditions of the pre-industrial countryside have provided formal, practical, and poetic inspiration directly affecting both design and construction practices over a period of sixty years and a number of different political regimes. 7pm

We are sorry to announce that our book discussion and signing with Cesar Millan has been POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Cesar Millan was originally scheduled to give a presentation on and sign copies of his new book, Cesar’s Rules: Your Way to Train a Well-Behaved Dog, at the bookstore on Saturday, October 9. However, due to complications with the import of his two month old puppy, he will not be able to visit at this time.

We are in the process of confirming a new date for this event and will let you know as soon as possible.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and appreciate your continued support and understanding.

One of America's most acclaimed writers and journalists, Gay Talese
has been fascinated by sports throughout his life. At age fifteen he became a sports reporter for his Ocean City High School newspaper; four years later, as sports editor of the University of Alabama's Crimson-White, he began to employ devices more common in fiction, such as establishing a "scene" with minute details—a technique that would later make him famous. Later, as a sports reporter for the New York Times, Talese was drawn to individuals at poignant and vulnerable moments rather than to the spectacle of sports. Boxing held special appeal, and his Esquire pieces on Joe Louis and Floyd Patterson in decline won praise, as would his later essay "Ali in Havana," chronicling Muhammad Ali's visit to Fidel Castro. His profile of Joe DiMaggio, "The Silent Season of a Hero," perfectly captured the great player in his remote retirement, and displayed Talese's journalistic brilliance, for it grew out of his on-the-ground observation of the Yankee Clipper rather than from any interview. The Silent Season of a Hero: The Sports Writing of Gay Talese (Walker & Company, $16) is a unique and indispensable collection for sports fans and those who enjoy the heights of journalism.4pm

Cuba: The Disaster of Castro's Revolution analyses the current situation existing in Cuba and describes in detail the real disaster caused in every aspect of Cuban life by the so-called revolution of Fidel Castro, including how it has affected the different components of Cuban society. Andres J Solares gives detailed summary of the main indicators of the Cuban economy and society before 1959, when Fidel Castro took power, indicating how they compared favorably at that time with other countries of the world, including many which are considered part of the developed world in our days. The book demystifies numerous aspects of Castro's propaganda that his followers have considered as great achievements of his government and puts them in perspective in regard to what Cuba could have had nowadays if it had been ruled by democratically elected governments. The book profusely documents the system of corruption and privilege established in the island and analyses the obscure role of Castro in a number of important events related to the United States, including references to his links with drug traffic, money laundry and the promotion of terrorism activities, among other criminal activities. One of the aspects the book describes in more detail is the lack of political freedom and the repression of independent thinking and free expression existing in the island, which is part of the overall control on everybody's life established by Castro, which is implemented by a gigantic machinery of terror and survelliance. The book describes the role of Cuban military and intelligence in numerous important events of world politics during the past five decades, including their role in Africa, Latin America and other regions of the world and it includes some questioning about the possible role of Castro in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy It considers Castro's interpretation of foreign policy and the way he has disregarded all norms of international behavior. The book also discusses the case of the enormous debt accumulated by Castro's government and how many of these resources have been deviated to well camouflaged foreign accounts and investments by Castro and some of the top people around him. One of the interesting things about this book is the analysis it makes about the situation of youth, women and blacks within the present Cuban society and the detailed description about how the people in general live and how this has evolved under Castro's tyranny.It also includes an analysis of the exiled Cuban community. Solares discusses the real facts behind Castro's long tenure of power and shows the contradictions between what he and his supporters say and the crude reality of what happens in Cuba. His book also enters in details about the degrees of decomposition existing at all levels of the political establishment of this obsolete communist regime. The book describes the enormous damage caused by Castro's policies to the environment of the island and the state of destruction of all the main networks of services, as well as the stagnant conditions of the economy. It includes the author's views on the different possible scenarios for Cuban political future, once Castro and his brother, one way or another, are no longer able to control Cuba. This book is a strong denounce of the longest dictatorship that has existed in America and it serves as an eye opener for all those who ignore the crude reality of what happens in that beutiful country. It is also a moral message of hope for a better future for the Cuban people. Mr.Solares has used his professional and personal experience, together with his direct knowledge of the Cuban society and economy, to give us a very intersting account of the situation in his country, which will serve those who read it to comprehend better what we can expect there.

Lisa Black is a latent fingerprint examiner in Florida and a former forensic scientist for the Cleveland coroner's office. As a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, she has testified in more than forty-five homicide trials. Trail of Blood (William Morrow, $24.99) is her third Theresa MacLean novel. It begins seventy-five years ago, when a madman nicknamed the Torso Killer terrorized Cleveland. His horrific spree lasted four years and crisscrossed the entire city.
Overall, he was credited with more than a dozen murders. And he was never caught. Today, forensic scientist Theresa MacLean is called to investigate the work of a new Torso Killer. As the body count rises, Theresa finds herself nearer to danger than she ever imagined. For the killer is keeping a watchful eye on Theresa, and she begins to feel his presence everywhere. Each step brings them closer and closer to each other — at one point separated by no more than a speeding train in a railroad switchyard — as Theresa scours the city in her hunt for a murderous lunatic intent on reliving a terrifying past. 8pm

More information to come...

Good Eats 2: The Middle Years (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $37.50) picks up where the bestselling Good Eats: The Early Years left off. Showcasing everything Alton Brown fans (and they are legion!) have ever wanted to know about his award-winning television show, The Middle Years is chock-full of behind-the-scenes photographs and trivia, science-of-food information, cooking tips, and—of course—recipes. Brown’s particular genius lies in teaching the chemistry of cooking with levity and exuberance. In episodes such as “Fit to Be Tied” (meat roulades), “Crustacean Nation” (crab), and “Ill-Gotten Grains” (wheat products), Brown explains everything from how to make the perfect omelet to how to stuff your own sausages. With hundreds of entertaining photographs, along with Brown’s inimitable line drawings and signature witty writing, this comprehensive companion book conveys the same wildly creative spirit as the show itself. TICKETS are required for this event. Get (2) tickets to the event with your purchase of Good Eats 2 at any Books & Books locations, and at the door that evening, while supplies last. Event begins at 7:30pm.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ADOPTING: 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. Suggested books
available for purchase, include The Adoption Answer Book (Sphinx, $14.95), by Brette McWhorter Sember and Adoption: The Essential Guide to Adopting Quickly and Safely by Randall Hicks (2007). 6pm

In its forty-year existence, the 5th Street Gym housed the training grounds for three of the greatest fighters the sport has ever known - Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, and Sugar Ray Leonard - and became the locus for a grand total of fourteen world champions. The site was also a magnet for a wide range of international celebrities including Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles, and Sylvester Stallone, who were all absorbed into the gym's legend. The 5th Street Gym's beginnings trace back to 1950, when Chris Dundee, along with his brother Angelo, began promoting big-time boxing at Miami Beach. Tales from The 5th Street Gym includes a wealth of never-before-seen photographs and is the first to chronicle the fascinating history of the 5th Street Gym from one of its insiders - Dr. Ferdie Pacheco - with crucial contributions from Tom Archdeacon, Angelo Dundee, Suzanne Dundee Bonner, Enrique Encinosa, Howard Kleinberg, Ramiro Ortiz, Edwin Pope, Bob Sheridan, and Budd Schulberg. Discover the secret history of one of boxing's most hallowed grounds, as Pacheco recalls the rise, heyday, and fall of the 'sweet science' at Miami Beach.

Charting the Unknown (Behler Publications, $16.95) describes the adventures of Kim Petersen, a Colorado native who, at twenty years old, married college sweetheart, Mike. While at Trinity Western University outside Vancouver, British Columbia, the couple created a bucket list of achievements they hoped to accomplish before they died, including building a boat and sailing it across the Atlantic. The Petersens homeschooled their two children, started a construction company, built three custom homes themselves, and carved out a life in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. After losing their second child to SIDS, Kim and Mike rediscovered their forgotten bucket list. Inspired, they decided to sell their belongings and take their two children, ages 14 and 11, on a boating adventure across the Atlantic aboard the 65-foot power catamaran, Chrysalis. Charting the Unknown describes Petersen’s journey of self-discovery as she travels the world with her young family. 7:30pm

While working with his father's small company that "trashes out" — enters and empties — foreclosed homes in Florida, Paul Reyes wrote Exiles in Eden (Henry Holt and Co., $25), a hard-hitting, personal, and poetic portrayal of his own family and the people and communities affected by the foreclosure crisis. Grounded in Florida and Reyes family history, and with character-driven visits to the dark corners of this crisis—including with those who are calling for revolution—Reyes explores the human element of this frightening
rattling of the American Dream. From examining the unique "ecosystems"
of each failed mortgage to witnessing parts of abandoned Florida returning to its wild natural state, Reyes takes the reader far from the machinations of Wall Street to the sun-baked side streets where the true costs of this crisis can be seen. The result is an extraordinary book about the allure and dream of home—and a portrait of an America
where the exiled insist on the right to their own America dreams, even as the terms are forcibly redrawn. 8pm

Rochel Berman’s Oceans Apart (Ktay Publishing House, $18.95) will help you understand and enhance your long distance family relationships. Discover how to maintain close, loving ties with family members who live far away, keep in touch between visits, manage tension from afar and during a visit, bridge the gap between you and your long-distance siblings, nieces and nephews, use technology effectively to stay in close touch, and much more! 7pm

Sara Gruen, the author of the award-winning, #1 bestselling novel Water for Elephants, reads from her newest novel, Ape House (Spiegel & Grau, $26), which opens the animal world to us in ways few novels have done. Sam, Bonzi, Lola, Mbongo, Jelani, and Makena are no ordinary apes. These bonobos, like others of their species, are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationships — but unlike most bonobos, they also know American Sign Language. Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesn’t understand people, but animals she gets — especially the bonobos. Isabel feels more comfortable in their world
than she’s ever felt among humans . . . until she meets John Thigpen, a very married reporter who braves the ever-present animal rights protesters outside the lab to see what’s really going on inside. When an explosion rocks the lab, severely injuring Isabel and “liberating” the apes, John’s human interest piece turns into the story of a lifetime,
one he’ll risk his career and his marriage to follow. Ape House secures Sara Gruen’s place as a master storyteller who allows us to see ourselves as we never have before. FREE TICKETS for this event are available at Books & Books, while supplies last. 7:30pm

Tigertail, A South Florida Poetry Annual: Selected Collective Poetry, Prose and Projects by the Miami Poetry Collective addresses new poetry through an annual, the eighth edition of Tigertail’s annual poetry publication. In the book’s introduction Campbell McGrath says, “In short, the MPC wants to rescue poetry from the airless box in which American society has locked it away, help it feel the sun on its skin again, maybe toss a Frisbee with it, share a drink or two, let it rub shoulders with the other arts, music and painting and film.” Join the poets for an evening of lively reading. “We should all rejoice in the wonderful and important work found in Tigertail, A South Florida Poetry Annual.”– Mitchell Kaplan 8pm

AUTOGRAPHING ONLY – MEET HILARY DUFF: Hilary Duff is a multifaceted actress and recording artist whose career began on the popular Disney sitcom Lizzie McGuire. She has since starred in many movies and TV series, including Cheaper By The Dozen, The Lizzie McGuire Movie and A Cinderella Story, and most recently appeared in a guest starring role on Gossip Girl. She has also released three multi-Platinum albums as well as a clothing line for DKNY and a bestselling fragrance for Elizabeth Arden. Now, she’s bringing us an action-packed novel of suspense for young adults Elixir (Simon & Schuster, $17.99). It features Clea Raymond, the daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician. Clea has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea's father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea's photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before. When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father's disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures. You must purchase a copy of Elixir at Books & Books to join the signing line. Line opens at 6pm. Signing begins at 7pm.

Live Music in the Courtyard: Negroni Trio, 7-11pm

In Belly Laughs, Jenny McCarthy told you what you could really expect when you're expecting; in Baby Laughs and Life Laughs, she gave you the unfiltered ups and downs of motherhood and marriage. Now in Love, Lust, and Faking It (Harper, $24.99), the inveterate truth-teller turns the lights on for a funny, often wise, and no-holds-barred look at the essence of relationships: love and sex. McCarthy talks about finding first love and dealing with heartbreak; the importance of playing doctor and other nice and naughty fantasies; becoming a Playboy Miss October; why women are master manipulators; the virtues of sex with the lights off; the power of a "loving no," and so much more. Love, Lust, and Faking It takes on a subject the sex symbol, mother, television star, comedian, and divorcé can be trusted to examine with nothing but unvarnished honesty and outrageous humor. TICKETS are required for this event and are available at Books & Books. Purchase Love, Lust and Faking It and you will receive one (1) ticket to this evening of cocktails and candid conversation with Jenny McCarthy. Cash bar opens at 6pm! Jenny will talk and answer questions as she turns the lights on for a funny, often wise, and no-holds barred look at the essence of relationships: love and sex. You may also purchase the book/ticket at the door that night, beginning at 6pm, while supplies last! Questions: cristina@booksandbooks.com. This event is presented in collaboration with JBG Communications and the EPIC Hotel. 7:30pm

Michael Hettich's poems are like grace, like gifts, like the natural world made Technicolor, like Technicolor making the natural world.  He is a master of the simile, and in Like Happiness, he harnesses a specific and collective memory, the power of myth and allusion, like no one else.  His poems give his readers a deep happiness, an earned happiness, a happiness decided upon with clarity and wisdom. -- Denise Duhamel

Len Berman of the "Today "show steps up to the plate and lays out who he thinks are the 25 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time (Sourcebooks, $16.99). But Len had such a difficult time choosing that he put together a Blue Ribbon Panel consisting of former players, a baseball executive, and various sports celebrities to help narrow the field. So, out of thousands of Major Leaguers, Len and his panel have whittled it down to 25. These are the greatest of the great. See if you agree.

Steven Daiber, a book artist from Massachusetts, has been to Cuba regularly since 2001 and has facilitated dialogue between Cuban and foreign artists. Tonight, Daiber will present his most recent collaboration, El muro (Red Trillium, $60), a collection of photographs by Eduardo Hernández Santos, documenting the Cuban LGBT community. The book chronicles late-night life at Havana's utmost limit of the city: the seafront wall, popularly know as the Malecón. El muro is a significant visual source of constantly thwarted gay nightlife in Havana, but above all it is a social document about the members of a historical underclass emerging from hiding to contest efforts to control their lifestyles, to proclaim their normality and their non-conformity of the status quo. Tonight, Daiber will speak about Hernández and his work, the difficulties encountered in creating these images, and the process of turning them into a book. Hernández Santos took these photographs of homosexuals,
transgenders and crossdressers in the summer of 2005 at Havana’s seafront wall. Working only at night, he developed his film with expired chemicals and printed his images on outdated photo paper. His darkroom was his bedroom. Once Hernández made his prints, he used transfer lettering to literally press onto his images the words of the late gay Cuban poet and playwright, Virgilio Piñera. One night at 4am, on his way home, Hernández Santos was beaten and robbed of his camera. His project ended then and there. These indelible images, published here for the first time would never have seen the light of day in Cuba. 7pm

Note: This event is in Spanish. Psychotherapist and relationship expert Mabel Iam brings us the audiobook in Spanish of the international bestseller El Amante Perfecto (Fonolibro, $22.95). Your dreams of sexual pleasure are about to come true. No age, time, place, or body constraints can prevent you from becoming the perfect lover you desire to be for the rest of your life. So effectively written, this audiobook will become your eternal companion and advisor; all of your needs and doubts about eroticism will be eased by Iam's tried-and-true advice. From your first kiss to sexual ecstasy, Mabel sheds light on your being and guides you along the path to an intense pleasure that only love and sex can bring. 6pm

Unfortunately, this event has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Photographs that purport to represent Cuba and its people often reproduce the narrow American imagination of the place, starting and ending in Old Havana. The documentary photographer Jack Beckham-Combs has been making photographs of the Cuban people over the course of six years and fifteen visits to the island. His images range from the urban to the rural, from saturated colors and polished night skies to vibrant street scenes full of movement and sere agricultural landscapes. Much of Combs' time was spent outside Havana, traveling to cities, smaller towns, villages, and farms in every Cuban province. In The Cubans (Documentary Photography, $49.95), his pictures of agricultural life are beautiful pastoral compositions. Rarer still is the emphasis his eye places on ordinary people living their everyday lives. In the accompanying essay, Dr. Julia E. Sweig – the Rockefeller Senior Fellow and Director of Latin American Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington – ponders the future of Cuba and the Cubans and the factors that make this conundrum so complex, but one that is sure to result in change. 7pm

He may not have been that into you, but the bastard who just broke your heart will be a distant memory after reading Don't Date Him Girl Presents: So the Bastard Broke Your Heart, Now What? (Polka Dot Press, $13.95). Written by DontDateHimGirl.com founder and newspaper columnist Tasha Cunningham, this 10-step guide will help you get your brokenhearted butt in gear, break your addiction to bad boyfriends and find lasting love. This book reveals the must-have secret weapon that belongs in every single girl's dating arsenal. Inspired by the stories of the thousands of women who have shared their dating stories on DontDateHimGirl.com, So the Bastard Broke Your Heart, Now What? will put you and your broken heart on the path to recovery armed with the tools you'll need to get over your bad breakup. After reading this book, you'll emerge stronger, smarter and sexier. 7:30pm

Aminta Konawicz, President of the National League of American PEN Women, Coral Gables Branch and Julia Martos De Azuaje present their Anthology of Poems and Lyrics. 6pm

Geoffrey Philp – a poet and fiction writer who teaches English at Miami Dade College – presents his latest poetry collection, Dub Wise (Peepal Tree, $15.95). "Without losing the joy of play or the play of the rhythms, Dub Wise celebrates the burdens and delights of love, friendships and the responsibility of being at home in the world. Geoffrey Philp’s new book is witty, playful, gracious and, yes, wise. An enjoyable read from beginning to end." – Olive Senior. 8pm

Once in nine lives, something extraordinary happens. Homer’s Odyssey (Bantam, $15) is the extraordinary story of what happened to Gwen Cooper and her cat Homer. The last thing Gwen wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken
heart. Then Gwen’s veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who’d been abandoned. It was love at first sight. The kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path. Homer scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease, survived being trapped alone for days after 9/11 in an apartment near the World Trade Center, and even saved Gwen’s life when he chased off an intruder who broke into their home in the middle of the night. But it was Homer’s unswerving loyalty, his infinite capacity for love, and his joy in the face of all obstacles that transformed Gwen’s life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized that Homer had taught her the most valuable lesson of all: Love isn’t something you see with your eyes. Presented in collaboration with The Cat Network and meet some cats looking for adoptive homes. 7:30pm

An important contribution to recent critical discussions about Gender, Sexuality, and Material Objects in English Renaissance Verse (University of Miami, $99.95), this study analyzes female- and male-authored lyrics to illuminate how gender and sexuality inflected 16th- and 17th-century poets' conceptualization of relations among people and things, human and non-human subjects and objects. Pamela S. Hammons examines lyrics from both manuscript and print collections — including the verse of authors ranging from Robert Herrick, John Donne, and Ben Jonson to Margaret Cavendish, Lucy Hutchinson, and Aemilia Lanyer — and situates them in relation to legal theories, autobiographies, biographies, plays, and epics. Her approach fills a crucial gap in the conversation, which has focused upon drama and male-authored works. She puts the significance of the lyric and women's writing in the foreground. This event is presented in collaboration with the Center for the Humanities at the University of Miami. 8pm