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. 

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. 

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!

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.  

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.

Gorgeous Gallery (Bruno Gmunder, $39.95) is a stunning collection of wonderful artworks, ambitiously compiled by David Leddick. In this 160-page, coffee-table-size book, you will find everything from pop art to photo-realism, a unique overview of the works of contemporary gay artists. A leading expert on the art of the male nude, Leddick is the author of several award-winning anthologies. He has also written about the mid-century American art world, about gay men who married women, about male escorts and six novels. 

Note: This event is in Spanish. El Centro Cultural Argentino les invita a "Una charla con Fernando Iglesias". Fernando Iglesias es escritor, periodista y parlamentario. Es un experto en temas de globalización. Tiene publicado mas de diez libros. Entre ellos: La Cuestión Malvinas, La Modernidad Global, Qué significa ser progresista en la Argentina del Siglo XXI?, Kirchner y yo y ¿Qué significa hoy ser de Izquierda? 

Join us for live music in the courtyard. 

Joseph Kanon is coming to Books & Books to discuss his latest historical thriller, Istanbul Passage. Kanon is the distinguished author of five previous novels, including The Good German, which was made into a film with George Clooney and Cate Blanchett. Once again, Kanon manages to flawlessly blend fact and fiction, this time with a haunting novel about the dawn of the Cold War. The novel takes readers deep inside the murky cat-and-mouse of compromise and betrayal that would come to define the entire post-war era. Rich with atmosphere and period detail, Istanbul Passage shows once again why Kanon has been hailed by The Boston Globe as the "heir apparent to Graham Greene." 

What is wealth? Are you good with money? Do you think money can buy happiness? Who makes the financial decisions in your family? Are you a spender or a saver? Too many credit cards all maxed out? Are you investing for your future...or want to, but don't know how to start? These and many others are the questions that Margarita Montemar tackles in her new Women & Wealth Workshop, to be offered at Books & Books for the first time. The workshop is designed to address emotional and spiritual money issues, along with Social Security facts, traditional and Roth IRAs, stock market information and financial goals for women. Montemar, a retired professor of mathematics at Miami-Dade College for over 30 years, wants to share her experience to help you make wise financial decisions and get to the bottom of how you experience and handle money in your life. $10 per person, at the door. 

Join us for live music in the courtyard. 

Join Books & Books in welcoming Warren Phillips to the store for an insider's account of the rapidly changing landscape of the newspaper business. Phillips was managing editor at The Wall Street Journal and publisher/CEO of Dow Jones & Co., and his memoir Newspaperman tells the dual story of his life as an iconic man of print and the maturation of the most influential business newspapers. Phillips gives readers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the WSJ and shows what it's like to be a reporter as history unfolds. A must-read for anyone with an interest in the media! 

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. 

Tonight, Books & Books welcomes a special performance by members of Our PRIDE Academy (OPA), a new and innovative school for individuals with developmental disabilities. As part of a unique arts curriculum, OPA students participate in full-scale theatrical productions through The Shakespeare Project. Breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes, these actors inspire, entertain and educate audiences with their unique artistic vision. Tonight's scenes come from the company's upcoming production of Edmund Rostand's classic tale of the unrequited love and breathtaking valor of a long-nosed hero named Cyrano. 

The New York Times bestselling duo is back in a suspenseful novel about a once-blind woman with a talent for tracking serial killers

The FBI doesn’t usually consult with music therapists to solve their cases. But Kendra Michael’s astonishing powers of observation and analysis have made her a favorite of law enforcement agencies all across the country. Blind for the first twenty years of her life, she cares little for investigative work but can’t deny her unique skill, or the results she’s been able to facilitate. Kendra learned at an early age to become hyper-aware of her surroundings, perfecting the art of picking up the most subtle audio, olfactory, and tactile cues in the world around her. Like a secret weapon, she is in high demand.

Former FBI agent Adam Kyle, known as The Puppetmaster, has weapons of his own. He’s a notorious master manipulator, skillfully handling criminals and colleagues alike to get the results he wants. Now he needs Kendra’s special brand of help, but she’s not interested until Kyle reveals that Agent Robert Stedler—Kendra’s ex—is missing and may have run directly into the path of a serial killer. What began as a heinous murder investigation escalates into something even larger and more frightening: a multi-million dollar conspiracy to hide a secret that’s worth killing for, again and again and again.

In inner-city New York, horrors lurk in the unruly hallways of Malcolm High School. As in-school riots and gang violence consistently envelop the classroom, Olivia Dalton attempts to teach her students. Left with little hope she will ever have children of her own, Olivia becomes entrenched in her students' lives. Meanwhile, Olivia's devoted husband, Tom, is having trouble facing his own disappointments in not being able to create a family. In an effort to protect Olivia, he attempts to hold her back from the one place she feels useful and fulfilled -- her career. Neither Tom nor Olivia have any idea that everything is about to change when an unassuming gift is left at their door. Shades of Gray by Susanne Jacoby-Hale is the profound story of one woman's unpredictable journey to the truth, new beginnings, and a kind of love she never knew before. 

Art restorer, assassin, spy—Gabriel Allon returns in The Fallen Angel (Harper, $27.99) , another blockbuster espionage thriller from #1 New York Timesbestselling author Daniel Silva. The acclaimed author ofPortrait of a Spy, Silva ("a world class practitioner of spy fiction" —Washington Post) is an undisputed master of the genre who has brought "new life to the international thriller" (Newsday). A breathtaking adventure that races around the globe, The Fallen Angel begins in Rome, where Allon is called upon to investigate a murder at the Vatican, one with disastrous repercussions that could plunge the world into a conflict of apocalyptic proportions. If you haven't yet been drawn into Daniel Silva's thrilling universe of intrigue, danger, and exceptional spycraft, start here—and see why the Philadelphia Inqurer declares that, "The enigmatic Gabriel Allon remains one of the most intriguing heroes of any thriller series." 

FREE tickets available at our Coral Gables, Miami Beach, and Bal Harbour Shops locations. Presented in collaboration with The Center for Literature and Theatre at Miami Dade College. 

Join the staff of Books & Books to welcome Liza Klaussmann, long-time journalist from the New York Times and first-time fiction author. Klaussmann's debut novel Tigers in Red Weather tells the story of Nick and her cousin Helena at their glorious family estate, Tiger House, on the cusp of their "real lives," when a brutal murder is discovered and causes a quick unraveling of the family and its bonds. Don't miss out on meeting Klaussmann for her debut into the literary world! 

Join us for live music in the courtyard. 

After having her whole world destroyed, Hatebe, a living goddess among her people, needed to find her path. Suffering the loss of her tribe, her innocence and the future she had envisioned, she set out to battle those that took away all she had held dear. But, as she fights to keep the last remnants of her people together, she discovers that all choices have consequences – even those made for all the right reasons. The highly anticipated second book of the Children of the Moon series, Running the Moon continues the story of Hatebe, a native Brunka woman living in Costa Rica during the Spanish conquests of the 16th century.

Author bio

Born in central Florida, Tami Lynne has been in love with the written word all her life. After embarking on a successful career, she returned to her first obsession and began to write. Immersing herself in worlds of the past, she honed her attention to historical novels, breathing life into characters that had not seen the light of day for centuries. With her Children of the Moon series, the author explores the rugged beauty and mystical allure of Costa Rica during a pivotal time – that of the Spanish conquistadors. Ms. Lynne currently lives in south Florida with her husband, as well as all the creatures of the Everglades.

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. 

Renowned criminal defense attorney Jose Baez's Presumed Guilty, Casey Anthony: The Inside Story (BenBella, $26.95) exposes shocking, never-before-revealed, exclusive information from the trial of the century and the verdict that stunned the nation. The case that captured headlines for three years exploded when defense attorney Jose Baez made his opening statement that dropped bombshell after bombshell and would, on July 5, 2011, deliver one of the biggest legal upsets in American history. In this all-access pass, Baez reveals never-before-disclosed defense secrets and his experiences throughout the entire case—discovering evidence, his first Casey Anthony meeting, George and Cindy Anthony's day after day behavior, leading defense strategy meetings and his weeks in closed door judge's chambers. 

Positing that presidents shape America's foreign policy according to their ethnic heritage, Tom A. Breslin's intriguing new book examines two groups that have dominated the presidency and the distinctly different agendas that have resulted. Does presidential ethnicity really shape American foreign policy? How is American foreign policy determined? The Great Anglo-Celtic Divide in the History of American Foreign Relations (Praeger, $58) approaches that question from a fascinating perspective, arguing that, to a large extent, the answer lies in the ethnicity of the president. To make its point, this book examines the key foreign policies of American presidents from George Washington to George W. Bush and shows how their most important foreign policy decisions have tended to follow an ethnic pattern. Presented in collaboration with Florida International University's School of International and Public Affairs. 

Coral Gables Gallery Night: Barbara O. Davis: When It Rains

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

Join us for live music in the courtyard. 

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

Join us for live music in the courtyard. 

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