Mirkwood Reflections

I enjoyed participating in the 888 Reading Challenge, so I went looking for a challenge for 2009. The 999 Library Thing Challenge is very similar - Read 9 books in each of 9 categories for 2009. Here is my list of books. You will see that some categories have more than 9 books. It's easier just to list them all than to try to pick and choose now. My final choices will depend quite a bit on what is available to me from the library. Nostalgia - Books I Read As a Child and want to Read Aloud to My Children 1.The Borrowers – Mary Norton 2.Edward, Hoppy and Joe – Robert Lawson 3.A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L'Engle 4.Five Little Peppers and How They Grew – Margaret Sidney 5.The Book of Three – Lloyd Alexander 6.Dragonsong – Anne McCaffrey 7.The Great Brain – John D. Fitzgerald 8.Soup – Robert Newton Peck 9.Encyclopedia Brown – Donald J. Sobol Kindred Spirits - Books By Favorite Authors 1.An Echo in the Bone – Diana Gabaldon 2.The bodies left behind - Jeffery Deaver 3.Plum Spooky ...

My husband shares his name with a movie star and sometimes I get silly questions about it! But now I can say,"YES, my husband is a movie star!" Well, it may be stretching the truth a bit, but he is onscreen for two seconds in the new DVD movie from Burns Family Studios - Pendragon: Sword of His Father. Here's a screencap! My son was also filmed as an extra in two scenes, but we didn't see him on the DVD. Maybe he ended up on the cutting room floor.

No, no … this isn’t the question you’re probably expecting, that asks about your winter reading habits. What I want to know today is … what are the most “wintery” books you can think of? The ones that almost embody Winter? Well, my mind first goes to children's books. The Big Snow by Berta Hader Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan Grown up books that speak "Winter" to me? Hmmm.... I'll have to give that some thought!

The 888 Reading Challenge was to read 8 books each in 8 different categories in 2008 . I finished today! My categories changed a good deal as did many of the titles I chose initially . That was within the rules. I didn't use any overlaps. I also read a few books that didn't fit any of my categories. Here are my 8 completed categories with the 8 books I read for each one. Following that are the additional 18 books I read. 8x8+18= 82 books so far in 2008. I still have a few days to increase that total. In both 2006 and 2007, I read 86 books. Anyone up for the 999 Reading Challenge?? Books Published in 2008 1.The Secret Between Us – Barbara Delinsky 1-24-08 2.Firefly Lane – Kristin Hannah 5-18-08 3.The Broken Window – Jeffery Deaver 7-22-08 4.Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer 8-7-08 5.Say Goodbye – Lisa Gardner 8-8-08 6.The Keepsake – Tess Gerritsen 9-20-08 7.Sweet Love – Sarah Strohmeyer 10-15-08 8.More Than It Hurts You – Darin Strauss 11-1-08 Books Recommended to me by others 1....

Do you give books as gifts? Yes. To everyone? Or only to select people? Always to my children, sometimes to other people too. Even my husband, who isn't a "reader" by any stretch of the imagination. How do you feel about receiving books as gifts? In theory, I think it's great! In practice, I've often recieved books I have no interest in reading or have already read. I haven't made a practice of returning books, so they sit on the shelf or eventually get resold.

What is the best book you ever bought for yourself ? I bought The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon for myself - brand new in hardcover. And, why? What made it the best? What made it so special? I don't often buy brand new (prefer used) and almost never hardcover fiction. I had read the first four books in the series and had to run out and buy the new one as soon as it came out. Made a special trip, paid full price. Enjoyed the book immensely!

Wow, haven't posted much here lately. I've seen Bolt (LOVED it!) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (LOVED Keanu) in the theaters and plan to write reviews of both of those, when I can find the time. Movies I've seen for the first time on DVD include: John Tucker Must Die - not as awful as I assumed it would be Journey to the Center of the Earth - Ditto Sense & Sensibility (1995) - Excellent! Be sure to watch the deleted scenes! Possession - Pretty good Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Not too bad! Get Smart - LOVED IT! Hilarious! And I've seen these on DVD, but had already seen them in the theater: Mamma Mia The Dark Knight Wall-E

1. Do you get to read as much as you WANT to read? (I’m guessing #1 is an easy question for everyone?) No, I do not. However, I make time for reading anyway. I almost always read while I eat. (I can hear the gasps of horror now!) And sometimes I read far into the night. 2. If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read? Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines? If I had more time to read, I'd read everything and anything. Staring at my bedroom bookshelf, I said to my husband the other night, "I don't ever think I'll get to read all those books!" I do make time for reading 60-100 books a year, plus magazines, but I could easily read twice that many and still never read everything I'd like to read. I'm getting more selective, now that I realize my time for reading is inevitably limited.

1. Do you have a favorite author? I have several! Janet Evanovich, Ted Dekker, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jeffery Deaver, to name just a few. But for this meme, I'll choose Diana Gabaldon. 2. Have you read everything he or she has written? No. After reading the first book in the Lord John series, I chose not to read the rest because I am not comfortable with that character's lifestyle choices. He is a character in the Outlander series and his character plays a major role, but was important to the plot. I didn't like him enough to read a spinoff series based on him. 3. Did you LIKE everything? Everything that I read I liked except as detailed above. I love Outlander best, though. But all of the books in the Outlander series are compelling and absorbing. There are six now and she is writing the seventh. 4. How about a least favorite author? Wow, that's hard. I don't tend to read books I don't enjoy. I hesitate to name names. I have avoided reading Harry Potter . How...

Just four books in November, but that's ok, since I wrote a book in November too! LOL More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss 11/01/08 - Good - Fiction A doctor suspects a young mother is hurting her baby. This was a thoughtful sort of novel and it didn't end the way I expected. Jane Austen for Dummies by Joan Elizabeth Klingel Ray 11/13/08 - Excellent - Non-fiction If you've ever tried to read Austen and gotten confused about historical details or customs of the time, this is the book for you! Conversational in tone and very readable, this guide answered ALL the questions I had – and some I didn't realize I had! The only issue I had is that it revealed some of the plot points in Sense & Sensibility, the only Austen novel I hadn't yet read. So, if spoilers bother you, read the novels first and then get the book. Then you'll want to re-read them all over again! How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich 11/18/08 - Excellent - Non-fict...

I have read a few reviews of the Twilight movie and most of them don't even address movie issues at all - focusing instead on the plot. The rest of the reviews are either written by obsessed fans, thus being totally slanted (for OR against), or by people who haven't read the books at all, thus missing the point of the series. Here is the one of the only balanced reviews I have read - at the RedBlog . I'd love links to any reviews of Twilight that present both its positive and negative points. My thoughts on the review: This is the one of the only reviews of Twilight: The Movie that actually addressed aspects of the film itself. Most of the reviews I've read focused on how unrealistic/annoying/strange the storyline is. That's a BOOK issue, not a movie issue; sorry, critics! One review compared Pattinson to James Dean - HELLO? That is just silly. Twilight is a sub-par film based on a first novel with a cultish following. I read all 4 books and enjoyed them, but I...

Notification arrived that a review of Twilight should have appeared in this space before now (Sorry, C!), so here is my hurried-off-the-cuff-5-hours-of-sleep replica of a real review. The Twilight series of books first came to my attention by way of a good friend. We made a trade-off bargain. I'd read Twilight and she'd read a book I'd been begging HER to read. I liked the vampire novel enough to read the two sequels. When the fourth book was published, I re-read the first three in order to read the fourth. (I couldn't remember them well enough to go on to the sequel without a re-read.) I purposely didn't re-read Twilight before the movie, so as to avoid the book-movie comparison game that fans often must play. Then again, I'm not a typical Twilight fan, as Bella gets on my last nerve. To make matters worse, I am on Team Jacob . (I know - horrors!) So, my expectations were not perhaps the same as many Twilight fangirls. I hoped to enjoy the movie and perhaps to...

Thanks to Film Chat for posting this video. We LOVE IT!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith - 10/13/08 Good - Fiction Francie grows up very poor in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. My sister Janet recommended this. I surprisingly had not read it before. It was quite good, although not a light read at all. Wow, those people were POOR. Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer - 10/15/08 Good - Romance Betty Mueller put her foot down when she saw her teenage daughter had a crush on an older man; twenty years later, she wishes she hadn't done it, so she hatches a plan to bring them back together. I had wanted a light read after reading Tree Grows in Brooklyn and the cupcake on the cover of this made me think it would be. It wasn't. But it was good anyway. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - 10/22/08 Good - Classic Catherine Moreland is naïve and prone to romantic fantasy; in Bath she meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney and is invited to visit his family estate – Northanger Abbey This was for my Book Club and I really liked it! Henry Til...

A novel about reading? Why yes, that's what Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey really is. Catherine Moreland, a naive seventeen-year-old with a taste for Gothic novels, is invited to Bath (a resort town) with family friends. Befriended by several young people, she is then invited to Northanger Abbey, the sinister-sounding home of Eleanor and Henry Tilney. Her imagination runs wild due to all the novels she reads and her visit ends badly. My Rollicking Readers book club discussed Northanger Abbey yesterday evening. Although not everyone there had actually READ the book, those of us that did enjoyed it. I know I did! I think I'm finally getting the hang of reading Austen! Our discussion ranged from the uses of novel reading in the plot to the difference of the hero from the average Austen hero to our enjoyment of the verbal repartee. We then watched tw o versions of Northanger Abbey on DVD - one from 2007 and one from 1987. Oh my, what a difference! We found the recent ver...

I didn't read too many books in September, but I did write 13,000 words on a short story, so hopefully that counts for something! Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - 09/14/08 Excellent - Romance Fanny Price is sent to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins at Mansfield Park, but she is never quite part of the family. Took me a long time to get through this, but not because I didn't enjoy it. I really did! I think I'm getting the hang of reading Austen, actually. The love story is not the important theme in Mansfield Park, though. The Keepsake by Tess Gerrittsen - 09/20/08 Good - Suspense A murderer preserves his victims according to a number of grotesque ancient customs. I enjoy reading Gerritsen's novels. She's a doctor turned novelist and she writes crisply morbid novels. What does that say about me? lol Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready - 09/23/08 Good - Romance Funny but bawdy story of Flip Allison, who travels back in time and inadvertently ruins the love story...

Doesn't every woman long for a group of girlfriends she can laugh and cry and indulge with? These women are the ones you can be silly with, the ones who you can confide in, these are the ones who will even make you a cake on your birthday and sing to you! Well, I am blessed to be part of just such a fabulous group of ladies - it's our Rollicking Readers book club. For the past four months now, we've been meeting every few weeks to eat and discuss one of Jane Austen's books. This month, our selection was Mansfield Park . Those in attendance vary from session to session, but we usually have eight or nine women on any given date. I enjoyed Mansfield Park more than any of the other Austen works I have read thus far, save Pride and Prejudice . However, I am beginning to think that it's because I am learning to read Austen and becoming more comfortable with her language and style, rather than the plot and characters of Mansfield Park itself. Fanny Price, the insipid and...

A truly hilarious spoof of the Twilight trailer . (If you haven't seen the trailer, this will really not make any sense to you, so go watch it first! Click on videos and watch all of the trailers.) Thanks, Jen, for (FINALLY) telling me about it! lol

I FINALLY got to watch Speed Racer tonight. If you've been reading here for any length of time, you'll probably remember that for some odd reason, the Speed Racer trailer really caught my eye. I watched it repeatedly and had every intention of viewing the film in the theatres. Why? Do I remember the Speed Racer cartoon? Only a little . Am I a racing fan? Not in the least. Am I a preteen boy? Um, never have been . Then why would this movie entice me? I never have been quite sure. Maybe it has something to do with the directors - the Wachowski brothers, who also directed The Matri x , which you may know to be one of my favorite movies of all time. But now I know. It definitely has its faults, but there is plenty positive about Speed Racer and I really wish I had been brave enough to ignore the bad reviews and go see it when it came out - on the big screen, as it was intended. First, what is there to pick on? Well, if you wanted to, you could pick it all apart. But couldn...

I've been writing. I found out about a short story opportunity for publication and I decided to jump on it. I have to have a completed story with 10,000-15,000 words. My count so far? 7351! I am really pleased with my story as far as it goes. About half done, is what I'd guess.

Ooh, the month is almost half OVER and I haven't finished a book yet. Yikes, I'd better get reading!!!

Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series rocks! When I was pregnant with my last baby in 2001, I overheard a librarian recommending Outlander to another patron. I sidled over, feeling like an eavesdropper, and discovered what they were talking about. I devoured the first four books in the series within just a few weeks, and that's all that existed then! Fiery Cross came out the following spring, if I recall correctly and I actually went out and bought that big heavy hardcover book brand new - first time I can recall doing that ever! Since then, I've re-read Outlander several times and re-read Dragonfly in Amber , Voyager , and Drums of Autumn . I'm saving the re-reads of Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes for this upcoming year, in preparation for An Echo in the Bone , which is set to release in the fall of 2009. If you like historical novels, especially really long ones, and even more especially romantic ones, this series should please you as much as it does me! ...

I managed TWELVE books in August! No coincidence that this is also the month in which I was LAID OFF and before school starts. lol New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - 08/02/08 Good - Young Adult RE-READ Edward leaves and Bella establishes a relationship with Jacob, but he also has a secret. Before the last book in the series came out, I chose to re-read the first 3. New Moon is #2. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer - 08/05/08 Good - Young Adult RE-READ Bella is in danger and Jacob and Edward must team up to protect her, but who will she choose? The 3rd Twilight book. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - 08/07/08 Good - Horror After Bella's wedding to Edward, will she choose to remain mortal or become a vampire, and what effect will that have on those around her? The tone of Breaking Dawn is far different than the first 3 in the Twilight series, leaving me with mixed feelings. Meyer did a great job pulling all the threads of the story together, but more editing would have made the novel tight...

Saw this meme on the Pink Lemonade blog (Thursday Thirteen) and I just can't pass up a movie list challenge. lol My Top 13 Movies (if you ask me next week, it might change though - lol) 1 – Lord of the Rings (all 3) - Saw these repeatedly in the theatre and again on DVD 2 – The Scarlet Pimpernel - Sink me! I have loved Sir Percy since I was 16! 3 – A Knight's Tale - We will, we will ROCK YOU! 4 – Pride and Prejudice (1995) - Allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love this movie! If you're only going to watch one P&P, make it THIS one! 5 – The Incredibles - this is such a great animated movie - family friendly, full of adventure, humorous, beautifully executed! 6 – The Matrix - "Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself." 7 – Sahara - We're home free now! 8 – The Cutting Edge (1992) - A movie I can watch over and over and over.... Figure skating, an opposites-attract romance - sigh.... 9...

The kids wanted to see Nim's Island long before it came out and I read the book aloud to them this spring as a prerequisite for watching the movie. But the spring slipped by and the movie left theatres before we were able to carve out time to see it. When the kids' summer matinee schedule was announced for a local theatre, I was very glad to see it included Nim's Island . Today we went with a group of friends to see it and I am SO GLAD we did. What a wonderful movie! Who wouldn't want to live on this idyllic island, especially with most the comforts of home, including apparently high-speed internet! I'll admit to being very glad that Gerard Butler played both Nim's dad Jack and the fictional adventurer Alex Rover created by the writer of the same name (played by Jodie Foster). Lots of screen time for Gerry! Lots of appreciation from the moms accompanying their kids to this sold-out show! Nim (Abigail Breslin) is an eleven-year-old girl who lives on an unchart...

Watched Fool's Gold (Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson) last night. The reviews were terrible, but I liked the movie more than I thought I would. The spark McConaughey and Hudson shared in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was missing, definitely, and the dialogue was mostly lackluster, although there were a few moments that made me giggle. But there was more to this movie than a shirtless lead actor. Perhaps it's just that I love a treasure hunting story? But I didn't find this movie's story any less plausible than National Treasure 2 , plus there was gorgeous scenery to look at. (I mean the ocean! The beaches! For shame! lol) The actress playing Gemma was pleasantly ditzy and sweet. I can think of several movies I enjoyed a lot less than this one, so for me it wasn't quite scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Rollicking readers - doesn't that sound intriguing? Rollicking Readers Book Club was started by my friend Darlene and me after we each watched the film Jane Austen Book Club . Despite our mutual dislike of the movie, we felt motivated to start our own club. One Austen work per month was our goal. Finished thus far? Emma , Persuasion , and Pride and Prejudice . Next up is Mansfield Park . Before this I'd only read Pride and Prejudice (which I adore). To be honest, I am finding most of Austen's other works to be a bit stultifying, but the company is great and the stories are romantic. Our meetings also include a viewing of the film version of each book and a lot of sassy conversation, as well as snacks! How can it go wrong? Our original intent was to read all of Austen's works; there are only six. But we're having so much fun, that we've already talked about what to do once we've made it through all of those. We intend to continue with other classics. Nine...

THIS is funny. Star Wars-themed election products (shirts, bumper stickers, etc.) I like the Wookie one best! And if the Obi-Wan bumper sticker had one of the actors on it, instead of the cartoon Obi-Wan, I probably would buy it! lol

Six books for July - not an impressive number. Did you do better than me? Cockatiels for Dummies by Diane Grindol - 07/06/08 Good - Non-fiction A guide to selecting and caring for a pet cockatiel Needed some more information on cockatiels and I adore the " for Dummies" series. Eat This, Not That! by David Zinczenko - 07/08/08 Good - Non-fiction Thousands of simple food swaps that can save you 10, 20, 30 pounds – or more Wow! This book is enthralling. Lovely color photos of foods draw you in and the information is excellent. Comparisons between food choices help the reader understand how to choose better foods that still taste good. Sections on fast food, chain restaurants, eating on holidays, and grocery shopping provide a well-rounded guide. Pick this one up! You won't be sorry! Journey by Angela Elwell Hunt - 07/08/08 Good - Inspirational The third volume in this series of the life of Joseph in Ancient Egypt – this one focuses on his sons Manassah and Ephraim. This on...

Saw Wall-E over the weekend - LOVED IT! Also recently viewed P.S. I Love You . Reviews will be coming for those soon. I also plan a review of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Just as soon as I finish reading Breaking Dawn !

Before Mamma Mia, this commercial played. Marla, Darlene, and I were appalled. Since we had missed seeing the website at the beginning of the ad, it looked to us like a remake of The Breakfast Club . "SACRILEGE!" "They had BETTER not be re-making The Breakfast Club !!?" At the end of the commercial, we all sighed in relief to note that this was merely a commercial for J.C. Penney. But it wouldn't be beyond the scope of imagination to predict a remake of the classic John Hughes 80's film. They remade WarGames , after all. And just about every 70's or 80's popular TV show, toy, or movie is either being remade or followed up with a sequel. ( Transformers , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Lost Boys , Indiana Jones , Star Wars , The Smurfs , to mention only a few off the top of my head...)

I figured The Game Plan would be just another run-of-the-mill Disney flick, but I was pleasantly surprised. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays a self-absorbed quarterback who is confronted with a young daughter he didn't know he had. The film plays out fairly predictably - big tough guy learning to like ballet, obligatory messy kitchen scene, last minute sports comeback - but it all works together in quite a satisfying way. Very family friendly. All of my kids, from age 6 to 13 were engaged with this movie from the beginning. My sensitive 11 year old was in tears at one point and laughing hysterically at many others. I recommend it for families with kids of all ages. The Game Plan - imdb.com The Game Plan - screenit.com

Mamma mia, here I go again My my, how can I resist you? Mamma mia, does it show again? My my, just how much Ive missed you... What could be more fun than a chick flick? How about a musical chick flick? How about a chick flick set on a gorgeous Greek island? How about a chick flick with Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth SINGING, along with numerous attractive younger men? How about that same film along with two of your most fun-loving friends? Now you've got the picture! This is how I spent my afternoon today - watching the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Mamma Mia ! Sophie is getting married and she doesn't know who her father is, but she wants him to walk her down the aisle. She reads her mom's diary and realizes that there are three possibilities for her paternity. (Yes, this could lead to some interesting discussions with kids.) She invites all three men to her wedding on the remote Greek island where her mother runs a small hotel. Hilarity, misunderstanding, and...

A GREAT Christian perspective on The Dark Knight is available at pluggedinonline.com . (Lots of spoilers though!)

I've never really been a comic book kind of girl. Oh , of course, I watched the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve back in the day - didn't everybody? But I resisted pretty much all other comic books and related media. Then I had sons. Suddenly I was part of the Star Wars craze, the Spiderman hoopla, and the Batman buzz. And you know what? I liked it! Yeah, the woman who would prefer a romantic comedy above almost everything else (except Lord of the Rings !) was sucked into the comic book world. So, I've racked up viewings of Spiderman 1 , 2 and 3 , of Ironman , of Batman Begins , of Superman Returns , The Rocketeer , even Constantine (although that was a movie I saw on my own - hehe), and several others. And tonight, I added The Dark Knight to my list. Lots of people LOVED The Dark Knight . The reviews are great! Heath Ledger's untimely death only added to the hype surrounding it. What did I think? Did I like it? Well, I'm still not quite sure. We attend...

David thinks the upcoming Clone Wars animated movie looks cool! I'll have to admit it is quite exciting! The movie comes out mid-August, so there's ANOTHER movie we'll want to see in theatres. I can take James to this one too. In case you're wondering, the Clone Wars take place between Episodes 2 and 3.

After watching The Jane Austen Book Club (which I really don't recommend), my friend Darlene and I decided we wanted our own Austen club and started one - The Rollicking Readers Club. So far we've read Emma and Persuasion . Pride and Prejudice is our next selection. I am becoming steeped in the world of Jane Austen, so I thought now would be an appropriate time to view Becoming Jane . What a charming movie! The filmmakers, along with some scholars, apparently imagine that Jane Austen had at least one star-crossed love affair. Becoming Jane is the fictionalized account of that love story. No one alive knows for sure what actually happened because much of Jane's correspondence with her sister was destroyed. Family legend includes some details, but they have been passed down orally and have no substantiation. But, whatever the truth, it is a well-told story. Jane is a single woman living with her family around the turn of the 19th century. She falls in love with a pennil...

Oh my, lots of movies to see - and gorgeous weather that doesn't mesh with the desire to sit in a theater! I've never understood the summer movie season - weather in Michigan is bad enough the rest of the year that in summer I don't want to sit in a theater too much. Haven't managed to see Indiana Jones . Ah well. Planning to see The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia . At least I WANT TO. And The Day the Earth Stood Still , of course. :-) (Especially since I didn't even bother with Street Kings !) Others I'd not mind viewing: Get Smart, The Accidental Husband. David's asking for Journey to the Center of the Earth and the other kids want to see Kung Fu Panda . They all want to see Wall-E . The girls want to see Kit Kittredge .

I've been wondering about this film for a while. It looks MUCH better than I thought it would. What do you think? Will you see it? And yes, that is Will Smith's son that shows up in the trailer. Oh yeah, and Keanu. :::silly grin:::

Wow, can you believe it's July already? Strapless by Leigh Riker - 06/01/08 Fair - Chick Lit Darcie travels to Australia for work and meets Dylan, a handsome sexy sheep rancher. Explicit sex. I read this because it was here and I was bored and needed a light read. I don't recommend it. Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick - 06/18/08 Good - Fiction Anna Maria is a 14-year-old student of Antonio Vivaldi at the Pieta' music school & foundling home in 18th century Venice amid intrigue, lies, and amazing music. We have listened over and over to the Classical Kids audio cassette Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery which takes place at this school. Quick's book is probably a lot more realistic; it certainly is a lot more earthy. Vivaldi is a real man. The orphans sneak out, but for more risque purposes than Katarina in Ring of Mystery. But, the music! Oh, the music. Did you know Vivaldi's music was largely unknown until the 20th century? Anyway, this was a satisfying ...