--- title: Author Crystal King's Blog - Tasting Life Twice | Blog description: Blog | Author Crystal King muses on life, history, writing and food. --- # Tasting Life Twice Author Crystal King muses on life, history, writing and food. Browse by All Blog Books italy ancient rome Italian History Recipe Writing When in Rome food Feast of Sorrow fun historical fiction Bartolomeo Scappi Viva Italia! The Chef's Secret reading history Apicius Italian Language Renaissance 52 books Boston Cinquecento Publishing italian recipes grub street renaissance recipe roman video Ancient Roman Food Colosseum Culinary Delights books set in italy renaissance italy Ancient history YouTube authors cooking fiction music 52 books in a year Author Book Christmas Language Learning Maine Poetry Pope Roman Forum Scappi The Renaissance Venice Writer Writers Resources fantasy learning Italian travel writers Anne Rice Art Book Clubs Christmas carol Christopher Castellani Circus Maximus Florence Gillian Flynn Greek Harry Potter Honey Italiano Italo Calvino Latin Literary agent Marcus Aurelius Marcus Gavius Apicius Muse and the Marketplace Pantheon Papal conclave Pope Benedict XVI Research Roman Empire Sardinia Sistine Chapel Turkey Ursula K- Le Guin Vestal Virgin Wine ancient recipes architecture baking beauty blogging book recommendation book review christmas gift cibo cookies crystal king gelato giveaway holiday ice cream interview italian cooking literary literature middle ages new year's resolution rejection renaissance Italian food recipe roma rome sci-fi shopping social media special event summer television xmas 100 favorite books 1950s 1960s 1970s 2016 2017 320 AD 3D Achilles Aelia Agostino Chigi Alice Alina Reyes All This Talk of Love Amanda Palmer Amaryah Orenstein Anais Nin Ancient Greece Ancient Roman architecture Andrea Bocelli Anita Shreve Anjali Mitter Duva Anne Carson Anne Rampling Antonio Latini Arch of Constantine Arts Artusi Astrology Augustus Author Life BBC BDSM Baldassare Peruzzi Baroque Bell-ringer Bells Benvenuto Cellini Black tea BlogHer Bloggers Bologna Boodles Byki Cake Catholic Church Cellini Charles Dicken Chuck Palahniuk Clark Frasier Colleen McCullough Cologne Colum McCann Concord Cook Cookbook Corsica Cosimo de Medici Critical & Creative Thinking Dante Dante Alighieri David Bowie David Wishart De Re Coquinaria Doge's Palace Dormouse Durham Cathedral E-L- James Earth Egypt Eleonora Galasso Emily Browning England English language Ernest Hemingway Erotic literature Etsy Faint Promise of Rain Fifty Shades of Grey Fight Club Flamingo tongue snail Forum Forvo France Francesa Michielin GO Literary George Orwell Germany Gone Girl Gone Girl (novel) Google Translate Got Milk Grasso Grub Grub Street Muse Gunter Grass Hairstyle Harvard Harvard University Henry David Thoreau Henry VII of England Hunger Games Independence Day International Space Station Isabella Dalla Ragione Italian American Italian food J-R-R- Tolkien James Wood Jane Austen Janet Fitch Julius III July Justin Rowe Karl Lagerfeld Katie Caldesi Kennebunkport Maine Kessler Twins Keurig Kindle Deal Kit Harington Kurt Vonnegut L'Amore Esiste La Cucina Leicester Leonardo Da Vinci Linguistics Livia Lucca ## Posts about Blog: ![Eight Tools for the Language Learner](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/langs.jpg) [italian](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian) [Italian Language](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-language) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [language learning](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/language-learning) [languages](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/languages) [Learning](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/learning) [learning Italian](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/learning-italian) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Byki](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/byki) [fluency](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/fluency) [Forvo](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/forvo) [Italiano](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italiano) [Pronunciation](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pronunciation) [Rosetta Stone](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/rosetta-stone) [tutor](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/tutor) I've been learning Italian for the better part of the last fifteen years. It's a lot of work and not so easy doing it as an adult. But when I'm in Italy I can converse without switching to English, and that comes with a whole bunch of perks when I travel. But I have to keep it up in between visits, or all my conversation quickly goes by the wayside.  If you are serious about learning another language, perhaps you too might benefit from some of these tools that have helped me to study, memorize and move further along the path toward fluency (and yes, it's a long path). Note that all these services offer the ability to learn languages other than Italian. ![Fit for Royalty - Flamingo Tongue, an Ancient Roman Food](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/lachlan-gowen-583342-unsplash.jpg) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [Apicius](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/apicius) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [Martial](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/martial) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [flamingo](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/flamingo) [flamingo tongue](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/flamingo-tongue) [Flamingo tongue snail](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/flamingo-tongue-snail) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [pliny the elder](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pliny-the-elder) [Sardinia](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/sardinia) [William Dampier](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/william-dampier)  According to the ancient Roman historian, [Pliny the Elder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder), "Apicius, the most gluttonous gorger of all spendthrifts, established the view that the flamingo's tongue has a specially fine flavor."  The poet [Martial](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial), who was born a few years before [Apicius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apicius) died, agreed, saying: “My red wing gives me my name, but epicures regard my tongue as tasty. But what if my tongue could sing?”  They don't actually sing, however. They tend to [honk and squawk.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLGI_z4zyRc) ![Robot Romans](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/img-46.jpg) [gladiators](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/gladiators) [music video](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/music-video) [they might be giants](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/they-might-be-giants) [TMBG](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/tmbg) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [fun](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/fun) [i'm impressed](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/im-impressed) [robots](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/robots) [romans](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/romans) I’m a big They Might Be Giants fan. They always have fantastic videos and this one is one of my favorites. Robots+Romans culminating in the Ides of March. ![Hidden Rome - Villa Medici](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/IMG_1930.jpg) [architecture](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/architecture) [Medici](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/medici) [Spanish Steps](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/spanish-steps) [Villa Medici](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/villa-medici) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Cinquecento](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/cinquecento) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Renaissance](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/renaissance) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) ![52 in 52: January Books Read](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Jan-Books-1.jpg) [Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [La Cucina](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/la-cucina) [Taste of Molecules](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/taste-of-molecules) [Tearling](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/tearling) [The Flounder](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/the-flounder) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [food](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food) [food book](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food-book) [Gunter Grass](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/gunter-grass) [Italo Calvino](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italo-calvino) [Oddfits](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/oddfits) [Pulitzer Prize](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pulitzer-prize) [White Truffles in Winter](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/white-truffles-in-winter) Like last year, I'm embarking on the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. I'm actually going to aim for 75 books this year as the big goal, but I'll be happy if I can average a book a week. For the most part, this month's themes were food and fantasy. ![Touchstone Books is Publishing FEAST OF SORROW](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/img-56.jpg) [Writing](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/writing) [Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books) [Apicius](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/apicius) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Feast of Sorrow](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/feast-of-sorrow) [historical fiction](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/historical-fiction) [Marcus Gavius Apicius](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/marcus-gavius-apicius) [Publishing](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/publishing) [simon and schuster](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/simon-and-schuster) [touchstone books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/touchstone-books) ![L'Amore Esiste - Love Exists](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Lamore_esiste.jpg) [Italian Language](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-language) [L'Amore Esiste](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/lamore-esiste) [love](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/love) [lyrics](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/lyrics) [music](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/music) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Francesa Michielin](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/francesa-michielin) [fun](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/fun) [video](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/video) One of my favorite Italian songs is by a young pop star, Francesa Michielin, from her 2015 album [di20](https://play.google.com/music/m/B3ubqlnu42lanypqob4fr57qou4?t=di20_-_Francesca_Michielin). She rose to fame when she won the 5th season of Italy's X-Factor. I find great emotion in this song. I think she captures much of what I have felt in my life when I have been (and still am) in love. Lyrics in both Italian and English after the video.  ![My 100 Favorite Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Bookshelf.jpeg) [Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books) [100 favorite books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/100-favorite-books) [Poetry](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/poetry) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [classics](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/classics) [David Bowie](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/david-bowie) [fantasy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/fantasy) [fiction](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/fiction) [reading](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/reading) [David Bowie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie)'s death hit me much harder than I could have anticipated. I was still basking in the amazingness of [Blackstar](http://davidbowie.com/blackstar/), telling everyone I knew that they needed to go buy it, that I thought it was the best Bowie album yet. I certainly didn't expect it to be his last. I could write a whole post on how much he has impacted my life but I think everyone is starting to weary of the collective mourning that Bowie fans are going through. Instead, I wanted to share another place where he inspired me. A few years ago, he shared [a list of his 100 favorite books](http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/01/david-bowie-books-kerouac-milligan), and of course, it's going around again. It was another poignant reminder of why I admired him so much. It got me to thinking about my own voracious reading habit. If I had to list my 100 favorites, what would they be? I found that it was a hard list to come up with--I have read SO many books and when I used to have time, I could easily finish a book a day.  Alas, writing books cuts into the reading time these days. But out of those several thousands of books that I've read, which of those has really stayed with me? ![New Year's Goals and Resolutions of the Bookish, Writing Type](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/img-14.jpg) [Writing](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/writing) [Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [blogging](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blogging) [food](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food) [new year's resolution](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/new-years-resolution) [reading](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/reading) Last year I had a few goals that I wanted to meet related to reading and writing, some of which I accomplished and some that I didn't.  However, I did: ![I Did It! 52 Books in 2015: November - December](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Reading-1.jpg) [Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [lynne griffin](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/lynne-griffin) [52 books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/52-books) [52 books in a year](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/52-books-in-a-year) [a book a week](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/a-book-a-week) [alice hoffman](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/alice-hoffman) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [david baker](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/david-baker) [david mitchell](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/david-mitchell) [emile zola](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/emile-zola) [food](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food) [ghost story](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ghost-story) [mary beard](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/mary-beard) [reading](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/reading) [resolution](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/resolution) [Wine](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/wine) My 2015 New Year's Resolution of reading 52 books in 2015 is complete! I even did better than that and read a few more too. 60.  [Slade House - David Mitchell](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00S3RILQW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o01_)  Ending the year with Slade House was a good decision. I slurped it up in about two nights of reading--it was that good. It's one of the most unusual ghost stories that I've read. Mitchell toys with point of view in the most artful of ways and his method of telling the story across the decades is equally masterful. I didn't find it to be a scary story, just one that kept me wondering what on earth might happen next. ![Buon Natale!](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/img-69.jpg) [Andrea Bocelli](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/andrea-bocelli) [italian](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [music](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/music) [Natale](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/natale) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [boun natale](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/boun-natale) [buone feste](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/buone-feste) [Christmas](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/christmas) [Christmas carol](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/christmas-carol) [fun](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/fun) [merry christmas](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/merry-christmas) [video](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/video) [xmas](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/xmas) One of the most well-known Italian Christmas carols outside of the US is *Caro Gesu Bambino* which means "Dear Baby Jesus." It's a newer carol, dating to about 1960 and one of the earliest American-known singers to cover it was Frankie Avalon. The [lyrics are here ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caro_Ges%C3%B9_Bambino) (Italian and English) if you are interested, and below, Italian treasure Andrea Bocelli does a beautiful version of the song. Buon Natale my friends! And Buone Feste to those of you who are celebrating other holidays. I wish the best for you and yours this season.  ![The Fabulous Kessler Twins](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Alberto_Lupo_with_Kessler_Twins.jpg) [1950s](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/1950s) [awesome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/awesome) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [Kessler Twins](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/kessler-twins) [music](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/music) [musica](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/musica) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [1960s](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/1960s) [1970s](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/1970s) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [dance](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/dance) [Germany](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/germany) [spetacolo](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/spetacolo) I was watching the Italian station [RAI Interational](http://www.raitalia.it/) the other day and one of the things that I love about the station is that they have little segments with snippets from variety and music shows over the last 40 years or so. It's a fascinating look at the wacky, beautiful, funny and talented side of Italian performers. One of the things they showed last night was a bit from a show that the [Kessler Twins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Twins) did. The Kesslers hail from Munich and were well known in Europe back in the day, particularly in Germany and Italy. Here's a sample of their awesomeness:  ![52 books in 2015: A reading list for Jul-Oct](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/offscreen-magazine-260704.jpg) [Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books) [foodie](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/foodie) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [Pope Alexander VI](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pope-alexander-vi) [Venice](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/venice) [52 books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/52-books) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [books set in italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books-set-in-italy) [Dante](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/dante) [Dante Alighieri](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/dante-alighieri) [fantasy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/fantasy) [food](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food) [gourmand](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/gourmand) [historical fiction](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/historical-fiction) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Italo Calvino](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italo-calvino) [reading](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/reading) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) I have been rather remiss, I fear, in keeping my book list updated here on my blog. I've been reading far more than I had hoped, but certainly not as much as I would like. I am happy to have passed the 50 book barrier with more than a month to spare! Let's see if I can get close to 60 books this year. I'm confident I'll finish at least 2-3 more this month, and hopefully another 3-4 in December. **October** ![Incredible Infographic on the Impact of Ancient Rome, a City of Firsts](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/rome.png) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [Ancient Roman architecture](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-roman-architecture) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Circus Maximus](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/circus-maximus) [Colosseum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/colosseum) [insulae](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/insulae) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [Pantheon](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/pantheon) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) As a result of my research a knew a lot of this great information already but it's great to see how [History.com ](http://www.history.com/)and the design firm [Column 5](http://www.columnfivemedia.com/) put it all into such an easily digestible visual. Allow me a tiny bit of commentary before you dig in below. ![Learning Languages with Yabla](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/yabla.jpg) [Italian Language](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-language) [learning Italian](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/learning-italian) [learning languages](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/learning-languages) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Italiano](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italiano) [video](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/video) [yabla](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/yabla) yabla [Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books) [Gillian Flynn](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/gillian-flynn) [Witch of Napoli](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/witch-of-napoli) [52 books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/52-books) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Gone Girl](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/gone-girl) [Harry Potter](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/harry-potter) [Jane Austen](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/jane-austen) [Michael Schmicker](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/michael-schmicker) [Patricia Park](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/patricia-park) [Re Jane](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/re-jane) [reading](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/reading) I posted last month about [my goal ](https://blog.crystalking.com/crystal-king/blog/2015/06/09/way-52-reading-book-week)of reading at least 52 books this year. The good thing is that I'm well on my way! Here are the books I read in June. ![Honey in Ancient Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/apiary.jpg) [Recipe](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/recipe) [ancient recipes](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-recipes) [ancient rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/ancient-rome) [Apicius](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/apicius) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [cooking](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/cooking) [food](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/food) [history](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/history) [Honey](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/honey) [honey cakes](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/honey-cakes) [honey water](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/honey-water) [Italian History](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italian-history) [medicine](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/medicine) Back in 1987, archaeologists discovered a treasure trove in a floor drain of the Roman Forum. This "treasure" was 86 loose teeth, all intact but with cavities in various stages. Three decades later, [they've finally determined](http://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2015/05/21/roman-forum-stash-teeth-extracted-ancient-dentist/) that they were all extracted by a highly skilled dentist of the time.  Also of interest, up in England, [researchers have pinpointed](http://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2015/05/13/rotten-romano-british-baby-teeth-blamed-on-honey/) the advanced stages of dental decay in a young Roman toddler, to excessive consumption of honey. Medicine was quite advanced in Ancient Greece and  Rome. Surgeons regularly practiced lobotomies, Caesarean sections (didn't you ever wonder where that name came from?) and amputations, and were the inventors of tools such as forceps, catheters, scalpels and bone drills. Along with all of this fancy "technology" the Romans also relied heavily on herbs and the beneficial properties of food. Pliny writes (in addition to telling us how bees manage their colonies) that honey is good for afflictions of the mouth, pneumonia, pleurisy and snake bites. ![I Have an Agent! Signing with GO Literary](https://blog.crystalking.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Go.jpg) [Amaryah Orenstein](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/amaryah-orenstein) [Author](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/author) [Literary agent](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/literary-agent) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Book](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/book) [Feast of Sorrow](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/feast-of-sorrow) [GO Literary](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/go-literary) [Publishing](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/publishing) [Books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/books) [Gillian Flynn](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/gillian-flynn) [52 books](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/52-books) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [book review](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/book-review) [Gone Girl (novel)](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/gone-girl-novel) [historical fiction](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/historical-fiction) [reading](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/reading) One of my goals this year is to read, on average, a book a week, or at least 52 books this year. I'm right on track...even a little ahead! **May ** [italy](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/italy) [travel](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/travel) [Venice](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/venice) [Viva Italia!](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/viva-italia) [Blog](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/blog) [Colosseum](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/colosseum) [Doge's Palace](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/doges-palace) [drone](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/drone) [video](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/video) [When in Rome](https://blog.crystalking.com/tag/when-in-rome) I'm not entirely sure what I think about drone technology. It has incredible possibilities and on the flip side, terrifying possibilities. On the incredible side of things, I love that you can be an armchair traveler and have a birdseye view of beautiful places in the world. One of my favorite videos of this sort is this wonderful view of Rome by drone. It makes me feel desperate to be there again, walking the streets where my novel's characters once walked.  httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTw-kvXS9Sk ![](https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=1481231558851356&ev=PageView&noscript=1)