Contributor: Charlene Giannetti

Charlene Giannetti, editor of Woman Around Town, is the recipient of seven awards from the New York Press Club for articles that have appeared on the website. A graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Charlene began her career working for a newspaper in Pennsylvania, then wrote for several publications in Washington covering environment and energy policy. In New York, she was an editor at Business Week magazine and her articles have appeared in many newspapers and magazines. She is the author of 13 non-fiction books, eight for parents of young adolescents written with Margaret Sagarese, including "The Roller-Coaster Years," "Cliques," and "Boy Crazy." She and Margaret have been keynote speakers at many events and have appeared on the Today Show, CBS Morning, FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and many others. Her last book, "The Plantations of Virginia," written with Jai Williams, was published by Globe Pequot Press in February, 2017. Her podcast, WAT-CAST, interviewing men and women making news, is available on Soundcloud and on iTunes. She is one of the producers for the film "Life After You," focusing on the opioid/heroin crisis that had its premiere at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, where it won two awards. The film is now available to view on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and other services. Charlene and her husband live in Manhattan.

The coffee served at the Torunka Café is the reason locals and tourists stop in for the first time. But the relationships formed over cups of the best coffee in Tokyo keeps them coming back.

Most painters use the landscape as a backdrop, with people, animals, houses, and other objects the main focus. John Constable (1776-1837) once said, “I should paint my own places best.” How he transformed landscape painting…

Michael Connelly includes real places and events in his latest Bosch mystery, “The Hollows.” Unable to forget the death of Chops, a childhood friend, Bosch finds the bully has gone on to commit vicious crimes.

The Hope diamond, one of the largest and most coveted gems in the world, was also believed to bring bad luck to anyone who possessed it. Anna Rasche’s “The Cursed Diamond,” follows three women who…

The youngest of three daughters, Heather struggled to find purpose in her life, making her the perfect target for a cult. But when Heather’s life falls apart and she’s charged with murder, Abby Harris takes…

Holiday decorations are already in the stores so perhaps it’s not too soon for a Christmas story, especially one by the talented Swedish writer, Therese Bohman. While a mug of hot chocolate warms your body,…

After nine days on a cruise ship, we couldn’t help but marvel at the efficient service. When we were offered a tour behind the scenes, we couldn’t wait to find out how everything on this…

In January 2025, we took a trip to London, hoping to avoid the spectacle of another Trump inauguration. Mostly, it worked. The Brits seemed equally intent on not watching the event. We enjoyed a much…