At thirteen, Rachel Lloyd found herself spiraling into a life of abuse as a victim of commercial sexual exploitation.  Eventually, Lloyd was able to escape "the life"—but as the founder of GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), a groundbreaking non-profit programs that helps girls and young women, ages 12-21, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking, Lloyd knows all too well that her success story is the exception. In her astonishingly frank memoir, Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale: A Memoir (Harper Perennial, $15.99), Lloyd bravely tells of her own ordeal as a sexually exploited girl, and shares stories from her tireless work with other subjugated girls, drawing much-needed attention to the largely misunderstood epidemic of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the United States. The evening will include a panel discussion will focus on sex trafficking and the tourism industry, demand, our culture that glorifies prostitution, and what this means for children in South Florida. The panel will include Rachel Lloyd; Sandy Skelaney, Program Manager for Kristi House’s Project GOLD; Lt. Israel McKee of Miami-Dade Police Department; and Fran Katz of The Women’s Fund.
Presented in collaboration with GEMS and Kristi House. 

History of a Pleasure Seeker is a brilliantly written portrait of the senses, a novel about pleasure and those who are in search of it; those who embrace it, luxuriate in it, need it; and those who deprive themselves of it as they do those they love. It is a book that will beguile and transport you—to another world, another time, another state of being.

The novel opens in Amsterdam at the turn of the last century. It moves to New York at the time of the 1907 financial crisis and proceeds onboard a luxury liner headed for Cape Town.

 It is about a young man—Piet Barol—with an instinctive appreciation for pleasure and a gift for finding it. Piet’s father is an austere administrator at Holland’s oldest university. His mother, a singing teacher, has died—but not before giving him a thorough grounding in the arts of charm.

 Piet applies for a job as tutor to the troubled son of Europe’s leading hotelier: a child who refuses to leave his family’s mansion on Amsterdam’s grandest canal. As the young man enters this glittering world, he learns its secrets—and soon, quietly, steadily, finds his life transformed as he in turn transforms the lives of those around him.

CANCELLED: Unfortunately, Chef Jacques Van Standen has been forced to cancell his event at Books & Books. Thanks for your understanding.

Since taking the helm of Culinary Operations at Celebrity Cruises in 2007, the visionary Chef Jacques Van Staden has led the development of an utterly distinctive onboard dining experience, bringing together top food trends from around the globe, top talent, and stylish surroundings. Excite the Senses(Celebrity, $59.95) features more than 250 signature recipes created by Van Staden and team, blended with easy-to-adapt tips and anecdotes from members of the line's highly-skilled, global culinary staff, and informative profiles of vintners and other partners Celebrity hand-picked to create its widely varied dining experiences. An engaging 400-page book that will find itself right at home on the coolest coffee tables, Excite the Senses provides an up-close and personal look at Celebrity Cruises' exceptional dining experience, complete with recipes, rich photography, and a host of tips for entertaining and hosting friends and family in Celebrity style at home