Evelyn Lozada, the breakout star of VH1’s hit reality show Basketball Wives, brings you her first novel in the hot new series, Inner Circle: The Wives Association (Cash Money Content, $24.99). Eve Inez marries Los Angeles Leopard’s superstar wide receiver, Chase Landon, and finds herself in a close-knit circle of friends who are also married to elite athletes. Each of the wives soon discover their lives aren’t all glitz and glam, and that with wealth and fame there’s always a price to pay. Inner Circle is a jaw-dropping peek into the lives of a group of women married to professional athletes. This gripping page-turner will make it impossible for readers to determine where real life ends and fiction begins and is sure to have every reader salivating for more.

In The Watery Part of the World (Algonquin, $13.95), Michael Parker has created a wholly original world from two known facts: (1) Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of the controversial vice president Aaron Burr, disappeared in 1813 while en route by schooner from South Carolina to New York; and (2) in 1970, two elderly white women and one black man were the last townspeople to leave a small barrier island off the coast of North Carolina. In this fiction based on historical fact, Parker weaves a tale of adventure and longing as he charts one hundred and fifty years in the life and death of an island and its inhabitants the descendants of Theodosia Burr Alston and those of the freed man whose family would be forever tethered to hers. It's a tale of pirates and slaves, treason and treasures, madness and devotion, that takes place on a tiny island battered by storms, infested with mosquitoes, and cut off from the world as difficult to get to as it is impossible to leave for those who call it home.

New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein will be joining Books & Books to introduce her latest thriller, Night Watch. As former head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Fairstein is adored by her fans for her ability to expertly combine ripped-from-the-headlines plots with an honest, gritty depiction of New York City. Night Watch is no different – but never has Fairstein written so directly about an alleged crime that was just recently in the headlines. In her 14th Alexandra Cooper novel, a maid at the Eurotel hotel in Soho claims the distinguished French West African leader of the World Economic Bureau assaulted her. Fairstein takes us into the dark underbelly of New York City's hidden secrets and politics, and keeps us on the edge of our seats until the very end! 

Note: This event is in Spanish. El sendero zodiacal del loco del astrologo Mauricio Puerta, es un libro de psicología personal, para quienes no sepan de astrología. El autor narra el viaje psicológico y real a traves de los doce signos del zodiaco de una persona como Ud. o yo, en donde grupo que acompaña al loco se va desmembrando poco a poco, según lo que les atrae de cada signo. Muestra los traumas de una persona común y corriente, hasta de que se deshace de lo que el mismo debe dejar de ser y entra a una nueva dimensión zodiacal. 8pm

Note: This event is in Spanish. Concebido entre viajes, cavilaciones y auto analisis y hechos de pedazos de tierra y restos de indentidad, esta coleccion de cuentos que nos presenta el escritor Jose Ignacio Valenzuela ve la luz con un titulo muy sugestivo. Salida de emergencia (Terranova Editores, $19.95) hurga en los temas del fracaso, el amor y la evasion con una perspectiva mordaz e innovadora. A traves de estos poderosos cuentos, Valenzuela nos anuncia que "es a traves de la tinta y la creatividad donde estan las verdaderas salidas de emergencia." 

Join us for live music in the courtyard

Poet and novelist Pablo Medina’s new book, Cubop City Blues (Grove, $25), fuses raw, passionate language and elegant lyricism to breathe life into a musically disguised New York City, shaped by jazz masters, refugees, and storytellers. Our guide into Cubop City is The Storyteller, born nearly blind and shrouded in his mother’s guilt. Through his tales—full of magic, sorrow, longing, and romance—Cubop City surges colorfully to life. Moving through myriad points of view, The Storyteller imagines a world populated by well-known figures like Chano Pozo, the Cuban percussionist, and Jelly Roll Morton, the American jazz pianist, and invented characters. Molded in the cadence and harmony of Afro-Cuban jazz, Cubop City Blues is a symphonic portrait of a bustling urban landscape and the intimate lives and stories that give a city its voice. Presented in collaboration with The Center for Literature and Theater at Miami Dade College. 

Teresa Giudice, star of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” and New York Times bestselling author, is coming to Books & Books to tell you how you can enjoy your spaghetti AND fit into those skinny jeans! In her latest book, Fabulicious: Fast & Fit, Teresa provides a detailed program for how she maintains her voluptuous, sexy figure while keeping pasta and tiramisu on the menu. Fabulicious!emphasizes the “skinny” and provides over 60 recipes, as well as lessons on playing up veggies and rules for the five things you must cut out (and what to replace them with). This book is for the hip, health-conscious home cook – if this is you, stop by for your very own autographed copy! 

If you think a healthy weight-loss program means choking down dry chicken breasts and “blah” broccoli – think again! In The Fun Fit Foodie Cookbook (Advantage Media, $26.99) , bestselling author, international wellness expert and super fitness model™ Jennifer Nicole Lee™ reveals her fat blasting and muscle fueling recipes that your tastebuds and your body will love. Working with your body, not against it, JNL’s Fun, Fit Foodie recipes bring on the flavor! Hearty, delicious breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks will keep your taste buds happy and amp up your metabolism to burn fat faster than ever. Get smart and get fit the JNL way with The Jennifer Nicole Lee Fun, Fit Foodie™ Cookbook. 

Join us for live music in the courtyard

Join us for a free reading of a new play, Flesh and Blooders, by award-winning author Cynthia Joyce Clay. Judy Punchinello, the world famous Cuban puppet master, needs two apprentices, but she does not like “flesh-and-blooders.” She prefers her real friends, her puppets. Kalpita Aspara, who is trained in Indian classical dance, arrives to audition. Al Leighlewya, suffering from amnesia, wanders in from the street. Ancient culture meets young culture is this darkly funny story of identity. 

Claire Doheney, recovering from a serious illness, agrees to house-sit in an oceanfront mansion on Chappaquiddick island in Martha’s Vineyard. The last thing she expects to find is love.  Then she meets a mysterious man the locals call the Hermit. No one knows his real name or where he lives. To their mutual surprise, Claire and the stranger discover that they share a passion for cooking that soon sparks something more. Told by a New York Times bestselling author and international TV host with a keen eye for Chappaquiddick's extraordinary natural beauty, Island Apart (Forge Books, $24.99) has it all—romance, history, travel, crime, lovemaking of exquisite intensity, and cooking scenes so vivid, they'll make your taste buds ache with hunger. Steven Raichlen's novel is a smart love story—not to mention a terrific beach read. Think The Bridges of Madison County with better food. Presented in collaboration with The Center for Literature and Theater at Miami Dade College. 

CANCELLED: Due to medical circumstances, Jesmyn has been forced to cancel her tour. We apologize for any inconvienience.

Mississipppi native Jesmyn Ward’s second novel, Salvage the Bones (Bloomsbury, $15) won the National Book Award in 2011. Tonight, we are privileged to host this extraordinarily-gifted writer whose family of characters “deals with the threat and then the actuality of Hurricane Katrina in much the way that Faulkner’s folk once dealt with fire and flood; the voice here is lyric, unsparing, and fierce.” As the twelve days that make up the novel's framework yield to their dramatic conclusion, this unforgettable family – motherless children sacrificing for one another as they can, protecting and nurturing where love is scarce-pulls itself up to face another day. A big-hearted novel about familial love and community against all odds, and a wrenching look at the lonesome, brutal, and restrictive realities of rural poverty, Salvage the Bones (Bloomsbury, $15) by Jesmyn Ward is muscled with poetry, revelatory, and real. Presented in collaboration with The Center for Literature and Theater at Miami Dade College. 

The Last Will and Testament of Lemuel Higgins (Blackbriar, $12.99) by Patrick J. O’Connor is the story of two men, each of whom stands at the edge of the abyss. They are drawn together to find resolution or perish in the attempt. One seeks forgiveness before his time runs out; the other seeks deliverance from the inexorable tide of change. What they achieve together is greater than either could have imagined. 

The Washington Post’s Manuel Roig-Franzia chronicles the ascension of Florida’s young and handsome junior senator in The Rise of Marco Rubio (Simon & Schuster, $25). Roig-Franzia draws on hundreds of interviews and documents, tracing an inspiring family saga that begins beneath a thatched roof in rural Cuba and leads to the United States Senate. The result is the most comprehensive account yet of his life and career—one that describes his natural gifts, the skills he learned along the way and the ones he has yet to master, and answers the question of whether he has what it takes to one day make a claim on the White House. 

Note: Meet the Senator in person on Saturday, June 30 when he autographs his new memoir, An American Son (also available in Spanish, Un hijo Americano) at Books & Books in Coral Gables at 7:30pm. 

In Sea Change (NAL Trade, $15) by Karen White, Ava Whalen has struggled with a sense of not belonging, and now, at thirty-five, she still feels stymied by her family. Then she meets child psychologist Matthew Frazier, and thinks her days of loneliness are behind her. After a whirlwind romance, they impulsively elope, and Ava moves to Matthew’s ancestral home on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia. But after the initial excitement, Ava is surprised to discover that true happiness continues to elude her. Her new home seems to hold as many mysteries and secrets as her new husband. Feeling adrift, Ava throws herself into uncovering Matthew’s family history and that of the island, not realizing that she has a connection of her own to this place—or that her obsession with the past could very well destroy her future. 

Join us for live music in the courtyard. 

Books & Books is thrilled to welcome Robert Goolrick for his much-anticipated second novel Heading Out to Wonderful. Goolrick is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller A Reliable Wife, which received critical acclaim for its powerful story and has been a Books & Books bestseller year after year. Exciting and erotically charged, this is an altogether unforgettable story of love gone terribly wrong in a place where once upon a time such things could happen. You can count on Goolrick to weave a suspenseful, psychologically acute tale like no one else. Join us for a special event with one of our (and chances are, one of your) favorite authors! 

AUTOGRAPHING ONLY: This event is Senator Rubio's first exclusive autographing in Miami. Vouchers are available beginning June 1 at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Miami Beach and Bal Harbour Shops. One voucher entitles you to one (1) copy of the book in either English, An American Son (Sentinel, $26.99)  or in Spanish, Un hijo americano (Sentinel, $26.99). Your voucher will serve as your entry to the autographing line.

The book will be published on June 19th. You may redeem your voucher for a copy of the book anytime after June 19th, or at the autographing on June 30th. Your voucher will then be stamped by our staff to indicate your book has been claimed.

Even if you exchange your voucher for a book before June 30, please be sure to save it and bring it with you to the autographing as you will have to show it to gain entrance to the event. Books & Books is NOT responsible for lost or stolen vouchers.

Few politicians have risen to national prominence as quickly as Marco Rubio. He served in the Florida House of Represen­tatives from 2000 to 2008 and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010. His committee assignments currently include Commerce, Science and Transportation; For­eign Relations; Intelligence; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship. At age forty-one he’s the subject of widespread interest and speculation. But he has never before told the full story of his unlikely journey, with all the twists and turns that made him an American son. There is no limit on the number of books that Senator Rubio will sign, but he will not be able to personalize. Photos may be taken in passing, but not posed. 

We're kicking off a Harry Potter extravaganza unlike any you've seen before! Every Harry Potter movie, every Sunday in July and August, 6pm. Wear your capes, bring your wands. Don't forget something soft to sit on. Seating is limited, FREE tickets required, available at our Coral Gables location, only. 

Join us for live music in the courtyard. 

From the artist: "I turn my head to the left to find my uncle speaking. His hands and arms are animated as my family listens to him in quiet amusement. I turn to the right to see my niece in the distance crying over... anything. My mind wanders as my father sits down to talk aimlessly, his voice soft and welcoming. Does he care whether I am listening?

These instances, so easily neglected due to their familiarity, are now the focus of my practice. I use acrylic on canvas and paint figures in an academic approach. The twenty- first century has made it possible to look at family/friend's photos with such frequency it seems impossible for me not to reflect on it. My portraits study emotion using facial expressions as a window to thoughts. Body language indicates intent. Despite this objective approach, there resides a nostalgic sensibility. This approach is based on the influence of the German Expressionists, artists such as Egon Schiele, Käthe Schmidt Kollwitz, and Max Beckman. I have always found their roots buried in emotion, cutting away all excess, leaving the purest form of human expression. My effort is to touch on this sensation not through depicting atrocities, but looking at moments easily disregarded by causal perceptions."

Join us for live music in the courtyard. 

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

Return to Fillory in The Magician King (Plume, $16) by senior writer and book critic for Time magazineLev Grossman -- the riveting sequel to the New York Times bestseller and literary phenomenon, The Magicians.Quentin and his friends are now the kings and queens of Fillory, but the days and nights of royal luxury are starting to pall. After a morning hunt takes a sinister turn, Quentin and his old friend Julia charter a magical sailing ship and set out on an errand to the wild outer reaches of their kingdom. Their pleasure cruise becomes an adventure when the two are unceremoniously dumped back into the last place Quentin ever wants to see: his parent's house in Chesterton, Massachusetts. And only the black, twisted magic that Julia learned on the streets can save them. The Magician King is a grand voyage into the dark, glittering heart of magic, an epic quest for the Harry Potter generation. It also introduces a powerful new voice, that of Julia, whose angry genius is thrilling. Once again Grossman proves that he is the modern heir to C.S. Lewis, and the cutting edge of literary fantasy. Presented in collaboration with The Center for Literature and Theatre at Miami Dade College. 

CANCELLED: Unfortunately Reah has been forced to cancel her event. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Beads on a String is the first book in a series that show the development of a group of souls as they move through various lifetimes. The first tells the story of Iza, high priestess of the Temple to the Mother Goddess. It reveals sacred rituals and may spark some ancient memories for you. Beads on a Stringby Rhea Powers has the potential to awaken within you the subconscious abilities that you carry in your soul from other lifetimes. 

Presidential Perks Gone Royal takes us on a disquieting tour through the many hidden indulgences that have accrued to the office of President of the United States. Robert Keith Gray, a Washington DC pioneering public affairs activist and political insider who worked within the White House under three presidents and enjoyed close ties with two more, has studied this troubling issue by researching, investigating and drilling down to get to the truth about presidential perks.  

NEW! Family Game Night: If you're looking for some quality family time, a way to challenge friends, or just a way to stay entertained during those awful summer thunderstorms, you will not want to miss this. It's our first ever Family Game Night in collaboration with Blue Orange Games, a toy company based in San Francisco. The company's dedication to quality, safety and the environment has earned them more than 50 industry awards in the past five years as well as the first-time ever conferred and prestigious "Green Toy Company Award". Come discover new quality board games with other local families. Compete in challenging multiple-round competitions, win amazing prizes, and just have some summer fun!

Join us for live music in the courtyard. 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at USDA, Frederick Pfaeffle will visit us this evening to discuss his work to further civil rights and social justice in the Obama Administration. Known for his efforts to establish a Latino claims process for women and Latino ranchers and farmers who were discriminated against by the USDA, Mr. Pfaeffle will also shed light on other ways in which the Obama administration has advanced civil rights issues, including health care and immigration reform. In his official capacity, Mr. Pfaeffle is responsible for the investigation and adjudication of hundreds of civil rights complaints. Join us, as Mr. Pfaeffle, a Nicaraguan immigrant himself, discusses the ways in which the Obama presidency has impacted the lives of women, immigrants and minorities in South Florida, and beyond. 

Join us for live music in the courtyard

Dominic Perenzin's Voices From Beyond Autumn contains the life profiles of 24 men and women ranging in ages from 85-100 who reside at a local independent living facility. The narratives are the result of Perenzin's conversations with them over a two-year period, among them an opera singer, a ballerina of London Ballet, a Tai chi master, a Georgetown medical School professor, an editor of Women's Wear Daily, and a biology teacher. They are the generation that made the 20th-century the American Century. 

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

Join us for a free, open-to-the-public panel discussion, To Woody Allen With Love, concurrent with the South Florida First Run Engagement at the Coral Gables Art Cinema of Allen's newest film, To Rome With Love. The discussion will range over the whole body of work of one of the most prolific, funny and acclaimed contemporary filmmakers, whose career has spanned over four decades, and who is also noted both as a published author and accomplished musician. Panelists include film critic and Chairman of the Florida Film Critics’Circle Dan Hudak; Books & Books’ and Miami Book Fair co-founder Mitchell Kaplan; University of Miami School of Communication Associate Professor Christina Lane; Florida University Professor Emeritus and author of Woody:From Antz to Zelig Richard Schwartz; and film critic, television producer and archivist Kevin Wynn.Presented in collaboration with the Coral Gables Art Cinema. 

Dust to Dust (Ecco, $26.99) is an extraordinary memoir about ordinary things: life and death, peace and war, the adventures of childhood and the revelations of adulthood. Benjamin Busch—a decorated U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer who served two combat tours in Iraq, an actor on The Wire, and the son of celebrated novelist Frederick Busch—has crafted a lasting book. Busch weaves together a vivid record of a pastoral childhood in rural New York, marine training, and deployment during the worst of the war in Iraq. But this is much more than a war memoir. Busch writes with great poignancy about the resonance of a boyhood spent exploring rivers and woods, building forts, and testing the limits of safety. Dust to Dust is an unforgettable meditation on life and loss, and how the curious children we were remain alive in us all.

Join the University of Wynwood as it unveils the latest issue of Jai-Alai Magazine, a journal of black & white art, short fiction, and poetry. Featuring work by locals Jim Drain, J. David Gonzalez, Matthew Gajewski, Victor Santiago, Tom Healy, Gilbert Wesley Purdy, Siri Kusch, Felicia Carlisle, Odalis Valdieso, and Kyle Trowbridge. Select work from out-of-towners will also be read, including pieces by Raul Zurita, Adrian Matejka, Jill McDonough, Matthew Dickman and Victoria Ford.