Books and Books
265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, 305/442-4408; 933 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, 305/532-3222; 9700 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour, 305/864-4241; Booksandbooks.com
Books and Books is much more than the sort of world-class, independent bookstore you find in places like Manhattan, San Francisco and Paris. Since owner Mitchell Kaplan opened his first Books and Books in Coral Gables in 1982, the tiny chain has become the literary hub for South Florida readers and writers, who come for more than the well-chosen stock of titles. You can buy most of the same books at Borders or Barnes and Noble, but what you can't find at those giant booksellers is the steady diet of author appearances Books and Books provides. Over the years, hundreds of major writers, celebrities and cultural figures have appeared at Books and Books because they know they'll find actual readers there. Besides bumping up their sales by a few copies, they'll also be engaged by questions and conversation with well-read audience members. Kaplan co-founded the annual Miami Book Fair International, and no one has been a bigger champion of local novelists, poets and nonfiction writers, many of whom refer to him as St. Mitchell.
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