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…

The price of travel is relative, for me I'd give up a lot to travel, with the exception of coffee and dark chocolate. In that order.

That being said, don't automatically assume that going to Europe or taking a cruise is impossible. A twelve day cruise from Rome going to Greek and Turkish Islands and Israel is expensive. As I said it's relative, but it can be had for $800 plus gratuities and tax, that will run about $1,000 total per person. Remember that it includes all the…

A potential Leonardo da Vinci sketch had been unearthed, more precisely an art historian thought that it was "absolutely Leonardesque" but that it was probably drawn by one of da Vinci's students.

An exam showed that the sketch was done closer to 1473-yes they could narrow it down to the year-amazing isn't it-what science can do? At any rate, Leonardo da Vinci did not have any apprentices or students until the late 1470's. That leaves the work as that of the master…

 Suspense and mystique in the art world is alive and well, thanks to new details about the potential identity of the mysterious model, who famously became the Mona Lisa.

The dig is on-literally- to discover the identity of the Mona Lisa.  In Florence, Italian scientists will dig up the bones, using modern science methodology that hopefully will help identify the lady.

The mystery shrouding the identity of the small portrait,  has had scholars and writers…

Celebrity Cruises altered the itinerary for my cruise in October. Alexandria, Egypt was cancelled. I suspect not because of the peaceful overthrow of the government, but the cancellation occurred after the religious conflict between Christians and Muslims broke out.

No one from the cruise line announced that was the reason, it's my own supposition about the timing of the cancellation, and of course there is the unrest in the Middle East as a whole.

To…

A Rodin sculpture was creatively acquired, in other words stolen, from the Israel Museum, now mind you this was bronze; heavy stuff, that bronze.

Yet, it was removed from the premises, granted this was not a huge piece by Rodin, the estimated weight was about 140 pounds and it was approximately 50 lbs but hardly something you can put in your pocket or under your clothes and walk out without someone noticing an odd appendage lurking about on your person.

How…

I will be the first to admit the social networks are a mystery to me. 

They are the way to get your name out there, wherever out there happens to be. That magical special entity that will get your book noticed, name recognition established, word of mouth will travel in that magical land of space and suddenly you've gone viral. Sort of like a virus but in a good way.

Facebook, Goodreads, CrimeSpace and Twitter are the primary sources of sharing quick bits of your life,…

I will be the first to admit the social networks are a mystery to me. 

They are the way to get your name out there, wherever out there happens to be. That magical special entity that will get your book noticed, name recognition established, word of mouth will travel in that magical land of space and suddenly you've gone viral. Sort of like a virus but in a good way.

Facebook, Goodreads, CrimeSpace and Twitter are the primary sources of sharing quick bits of your life,…

With the new year come the resolutions, I've made mine and so far stuck to the no sugar resolve, but let's face it, it's only been a week. So far so good.

One other…

I've been absent for two weeks, Thanksgiving weekend was fantastic, had enough turkey on Thursday and again on Saturday to last me a year. Very convenient.

Last Saturday, Dina and I went downtown. The falling snow and relative warmth and little wind made it a perfect winter wonderland in which to soak up the holiday cheer.

We ate breakfast in a restaurant that faced the Chicago River, a young and very talented jazz guitarist, made our meal a sensation.

Breakfast was…

With the approaching holidays we’re all scurrying to get ready, we shop for food, we shop for gifts, we clean and cook; all the accoutrement that go with the season

I wonder,…

What a blissful Saturday, I've been up since six, drank a few cups of coffee, and had a delicious slice of Panettone (a big slice of Panettone) and I will spend the rest of the day writing. It doesn't get much better than that. Panettone and coffee are perfect together.…