Going out
               Book signing: Best-selling fantasy writer Nick Bantock is here in a swirl of mist and a swish of a cape. He's signing and discussing The Gryphon, first volume in a new Morning Star trilogy. 7 p.m. today, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Norwood. 396-8960.

        Gardening series: The Year-Round Gardening Series, about to bundle up its plants for winter any minute now, focuses on “Putting the Garden to Rest” with advice on pruning, mulching and what plants need protection for winter. 7 p.m. today, Monfort Heights Branch Library, 3825 West Fork Road. 369-4472.

        "Phantom': There are still tickets for a special Monday performance of the ever-shadowy Phantom of the Opera. 8 p.m. today, Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center. Show runs through Saturday, $15-$67. 241-7469.

        For kids: It's not yet Columbus Day, but that's not stopping the library's Columbus Day program for kids called “Look What I Found.” 3:30 p.m. today, Covedale Branch Library, 4980 Glenway Ave., ages 6-12, Registration: 369-4460.

Staying in
               TV picks: A&E devotes an hour to the Feb. 26, 1993 World Trade Center bombing on the premiere of its Minute by Minute series (10 p.m., A&E).

        • TV Critic John Kiesewetter says PBS' Masterpiece Theatre moves to Mondays with a Merchant of Venice production set in the 1930s (9 p.m., channels 48, 54, 16), while VH1's Say It Loud!: A History of Black Music in America continues (10 p.m. through Thursday).

Web site of the day
               On the stove: The Food Network isn't the only place waiting to help you cook. You can also haul your computer to the kitchen and click on this baby: It's chef Lonnie Lynch and a whole pile of ideas on “the art of romantic feeding for two.” Find it at www.romancecooking.com. Or click on www.goodnuke.com, a magical microwaving site that's all about easy ways to cook good food like hot dogs with mustard cream and all sorts of hot salads. It's at www.goodnuke.com.

Planning Ahead
               24 hours out: Aw, c'mon. You need some new cacti don't you? Get them el cheapo at the Cincinnati Cactus and Succulent Society auction, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Krohn Conservatory, Eden Park. 931-0531.

        48 hours out: As part of after-hours activities during the Cincinnati Art Museum's extended hours, the Cincinnati Film Society pops up with a screening of La Cenerentola, a documentary about the CCM summer opera program in Lucca, Italy by local filmmaker Steve Gebhardt. Meet 'n' greet with Mr. Gebhardt, 7 p.m., film at 9 p.m. Wednesday, $4-$5. 251-6060.

        72 hours 'til Thursday: Major African-American thinker Andrew Young (former U.S. ambassador and mayor of Atlanta) shares thoughts about public policy and human rights in Cincinnati, 8 p.m. at Music Hall. Free, but ticket required. 412-6912.

        Contact Jim Knippenberg by phone: 768-8513; fax: 768-8330; e-mail: knipenquirer@yahoo.com.

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