I'd like to introduce Amy Alessio, my partner in crime, or Hearts & Daggers, three novellas celebrating Valentine's Day.

Amy is an outstanding YA librarian, an author, a collector of vintage cookbooks, and Amy offers very successful cooking & cookbook programs to Libraries-successful as in room filled to capacity-successful. Did I forget to mention that Amy is a wife and mother? I have no idea how she does it, maybe some of her energy I'd like to introduce my partner in crime…

With age comes wisdom and tolerance, at least that is what they say, whoever they are.

Well, I find my intolerance for censorship is growing, not diminishing with age.

We accept the most brutal, disgusting and gory displays of our bodies in books, games and television, the more horrific the better, yet a look at a nude picture or painting puts us in a tizzy. Why?

We all come in different shapes and sizes, and we are all beautiful in our own…

I booked a tour to the Vatican, for my next visit I will buy

tickets ahead of time and go on my own. Spend time at my leisure and not worry about

tour.

We had 10 minutes in the Sistine Chapel, that was just about

enough time to walk across the rectangular Chapel, try not to bump anyone in

the process and barely see the ceiling, much less the walls.

That being said, the Chapel is stunning. As I looked up at

the magnificent ceiling I wondered how Michelangelo…

I’ve mentioned Operation Paperback before.

To use their words, “Operation Paperback is a non-profit

organization that collects gently used books nationwide and sends them to

American troops deployed overseas.” Since 1999, the organization shipped over

1.3 million books to our soldiers.

We collect books at work and to date have shipped 1,026

books. We accept donations from our employees and a few libraries have given us

their ‘withdrawals’.

I love…

I often wonder how most people tour a big foreign city. How do they prepare? Is everything left to the tour company, with that extra half day on their own? Or do tourists venture out on their own?

I'll be in Rome in four months and have already selected specific sites I do not want to miss. I've visited Rome but it was many, many years ago and I want a refresher course.

I've selected three walking tours, my favorite way to see a city and not get lost.  A map…