Apoorv ’s Comments (group member since Mar 26, 2014)

Apoorv ’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

But maybe I should reserve a couple of spots, so that it looks like I am doing something. :=P

Oh look, Ashley has got pretty much everything covered.

Judith wrote: "Are you still around? FYI mods don't watch this as closely as the thread in the captain's group. You might be better off popping in there and remember to include the link to your team thread.

Yeah, figured that. Just requested it there.
But, something told me to come here, you see! :P

I came here to request the mods to open Team Long Overdue Bill for a hot second, and saw the DIY disasters with their hammers staring me down. Not sure I care about the long overdue bill anymore... ;=)

Jenny wrote: "Now. How does one pronounce his name?"

I think it is "my ovaries just exploded", the last I checked! :P :P

Sammy wrote: "I have called in reinforcements to help answer this one!"

If I knew THIS was what was on offer, I would have never missed the sign-offs for this challenge. I am SO MAD at myself right now! Ugh!

Because, as eye-catching Mr. Dempsey is - there are not many like that BEEEEEAUTIFUL TALL GLASS OF CHILLED REFRESHER that is Hrithik Roshan!



Uff! *clears throat*
Thank you for poking me and bringing me here, Sammy - you truly know my thirst taste! :P



Umm! *sings in falsetto*
Sorry, what was the question?
Oh, recommendations!

Yeah, so what's even more ridiculous is he is FANTASTIC actor and has a gamut of genres and roles he has worked in over his career.

Here are a select few (images in the photo below):
- 16th century Mughal Emperor - Jodha Akbar (Netflix)
- Villian/Thief in a Heist Film: Dhoom 2 ((Amazon Prime)
- A teacher down on his luck but does everything to impart education - Super 30 ((Amazon Prime/Hotstar)



Additionally, some very diverse performances from him:
- Paralyzed magician appealing to euthanize himself - Guzaarish (AppleTV)
- Buddy road-trip drama across Spain - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Netflix)
- An aimless dude who joins the army and transforms - Lakshya (Netflix)
- A bloody superhero - Krrish
- A SEEEXY war hero - War (Netflix) & Fighter (Netflix)

This is the image from that last film that came out early this year.
P.S. He is 50 years old in this photo!



And if all of that was not enough, he is an unbelievably excellent dancer!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWn4C...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM7KW...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGXmD...

Okay. You see the problem now!
Sammy just opened the flood gates! :P

Sorry to barge in and write a giant post, but... you see...

Cutthroat was bloody awesome but it went by like a whisker!

And then there were "The Gladiator Games" which was mad insane too with all these teams merging into other teams after a couple weeks and then the merged teams merging into other merged teams. By the end it was craaaazy! I bet setting all of that up was no fun for the Mods.

This is getting intense! Loving it.

Team Classical has pretty much been our consistent competition. But Team Hip Hop has had an interesting rise - every round their score has gone up. One to look out for, I guess!

Excellent reading so far though - we will finish this on a high!

Team R&B
DQs Day 3 - Chapters 13-19

9. I don't know how I feel about the school basically milking Ray owning a Stradivarius and him having to do an interview without even getting asked to do so. I personally would have preferred to keep it private, at least for a while. What are your thoughts on the situation?
Sad but not shocking at all. The school wanted to milk every bit of this opportunity and they just acted like an attention-hungry institute.

10. I can see where Ray's family is coming from wanting to sell the Stradivarius and divide the money, but they never showed any interest in the violin even though it had been in the family for a century, and Ray's grandmother gave Ray the fiddle for Christmas. He had to take care of everything surrounding it and his school/education himself, and he never even had much money to begin with. Would you be selling whatever in your life might turn out be worth this much money, and would you feel like your family was entitled to fair shares?
And they would have continued to not show any interest had it not been revealed to be a Stradivarius worth all that money. Personally, I would not sell something so dear to me which has such emotional connect with my past generations and aligns with my passions so deeply. Also, when you find yourself on a gold mine it is always the least useful relatives that come out of the woodworks, so I certainly would not be inclined in having them involved in anything.

11. Another family claiming ownership of the violin - it was bound to happen. On one hand I'm surprised they're suing Ray for the Stradivarius since I doubt they can prove the fiddle was stolen in any way, but on the other hand the odds clearly are against Ray. And now his family is suing him for the violin as well?! Who do you think is the rightful owner of the Stradivarius?
PopPop was the rightful owner and then it passed on to Ray via his grandmother. There certainly is no documentation around any of this transaction, but I am inclined to say that Ray owns the violin at this point and in the future till Ray decides to part with it.

12. We've been introduced to a lot of different people (whose names I don't even all remember) and they all (most of them anyway) seem to have different reasons to possibly want to steal Ray's Stradivarius - greed, jealousy, racism,... it's all there. Do you have any more guesses of who's behind it all?
I have finished the book so I know who was behind it and that person was a primary suspect in my book from the get go - purely given the fact that everyone around Ray wanted a piece of the pie, so why leave this person out?

Side note: I laughed out loud when [don't remember who] described the Tchaikovsky competition as a cross between the Olympics and American idol; what does that even mean?! 😂
Haha! In today's day and age where American Idol grabs more eyeballs that the Olympics, this was wonderful way to letting people know of the magnitude of the Tchaikovsky competition.

Team R&B
DQs Day 2 - Chapters 7 - 12

5.His mother and Aunt Joyce had gone to the store - ostensibly because they needed more collard greens, but in reality because one of the biggest family traditions was to keep Aunt Joyce out of the kitchen
Do you have any unusual family traditions, Thanksgiving if it applies, or Christmas, if it's not too early, or any other significant cultural event that revolves around a convoluted family meal?
Not really - but being Indian, there are tons and tons of festivities through the year - so there is also conversations between me and Mom as to what to make and how to complete an entire plate with all sorts of taste profiles and textures on it.

6. When Grandma gifts PopPop's fiddle to Ray, his mother's immediate reaction is that he can't keep it and she even scolds her own mother,
Mama .... what are you thinking?
What do you think motivates Ray's mother's resistance to his pursuit of music?
Is it purely because she wants his focus to be on earning money for the family, or does she anticipate the racism and resistance he could face and is trying to protect him from heartbreak?
A bit of both, I'd say. On one end, her ask is rather template - make money so you can comfortably stand on your two feet in a world hell bent on pulling you down purely based on how you look. But, in this practical bargain, she fails to realize that her son has a special gift and a talent that few possess - and nurturing that is just as important for his emotional, creative well-being.

7. Ray's meeting with Dr. Janice Stevens seems a pivotal moment, giving him access to the connections that sustain the close-knit classical music world
Do you feel there is a message here that hard work and talent may not be enough to overcome barriers to success, or is Ray's progress and recognition simply a result of his dedication?
Again a bit of both. When you are trying to carve a niche for yourself in a space that has historically over decades and centuries undermined people who look like you - just pure talent may not suffice to overcome the politics of it. Purists can be critical of any changes and when their space is entered by someone who they have never quite seen before in their vicinity, it can have graver ramifications. So knowing that Dr. Stevens is supporting Ray and helping out with those connections can definitely benefit him.

8. So... PopPop's old fiddle might be a Stradivarius, but before the appraisal Rowland offers to buy it for $25,000 dollars. Ray refuses, declaring
I'm not selling it. Ever
What do you think is behind Ray's attachment to the instrument at this point, the rarity of it and the legitimacy it will give him in pursuing his dreams, or the link to his family's history, back to slavery, or something else?
All said and done, I think, Ray is just incredibly happy to know that the talent that he possess is also something he shares with his PopPop and that makes him happy. He was just as deligent in finding his PopPop's fiddle even before it was priced or discovered to be what it is - so his connect to it is far more deeper and emotional.

Team R&B
DQs Day 1 - Chapters 1 - 6

1. Can you even imagine losing a 10 million dollar anything?! Have you ever lost something and felt as Ray is portrayed in chapter 1...constantly retracing your steps over and over? What are your thoughts on other security precautions, if any, that should have been in place?
I can't imagine a 10 million dollar anything - let alone losing it! Hahaha! I haven't really lost anything of value, so while I may not be able to relate to what Ray went through - I can understand what he must be feeling. And retracing one's steps to the moment back in the time where you had it is almost the perfect way to find the missing piece. As for the security measures, the Violin was insured, but a physical security contingent might have helped, but I bet that cost a lot of money and Ray wasn't that rich when he first knew of the worth of the violin and his family wouldn't have helped fund this.

2. At this point in the book, when/where do you think the Stradivarius was taken?
My first thought was that the family had something to do with it given how money-minded some of them are - but there must have been some help with people physically close to him. Maybe it was taken while he was in the shower.

3. Money can be a keen motivator...the ransom note leads us to believe it's all about the money...do you think it's possible it's about something else?
We haven't quite come across anyone who is musically interested in the violin, so given the cost and the value of the Stradivarius, money seems to be the top motive.

4. It's eluded to that Ray is about to make history because of his race with the upcoming competition in Russia. His family sure doesn't seem to be proud or supportive. Should Ray be proud of this accomplishment or is putting the focus on race poor form by everyone concerned?
He absolutely should be. I read through the Tchaikovsky competition and its history and it infact is very very white. So, what Ray has achieved is truly monumental and he is should be very proud of himself for putting himself in that position. Ofcourse the one factor that truly stands out for him is his talent and that is independent of race in an ideal world. But, given the world we live in, the background Ray comes from and the history of the competition, it is rather difficult to ignore the race element.

Mary X wrote: "I think my reading of American Tabloid was used for the wrong word. I thought we could only get points for each bonus word once? American Tabloid was used for mambo both times. Mine should probably..."

Great catch, Mary! Thanks!
Updated to capture it for bluegrass! :)

This is soooo close!
I'm excited to see how the last two rounds go - couple of books here and there and its anybody's game right now.

Delighted to be part of this amazing group of people. :)

Shan ~A~ wrote: "Can the SS be fixed like the last round, so we can see the letters needed as we scroll down?"

Should be all set, Shan!

Team R&B
DQs Day 3; Chapters 16-22

10. Pupkin is,,, alive??? Okay, no big surprise there to be honest, but we did finally get some interesting background info from Louise and Mark's childhood, even if that's not how Louise remembers it. Do you think she really doesn't remember, has simply forgotten, due to trauma or it just having happened way too long ago, or does she remember but chooses not to acknowledge it? Or maybe Mark misremembers himself and it didn't even happen (that way at least)? They were both still very young after all, Mark especially. Is it possible to remember something that happened when you were only two years old?
Mark may or may not remember it given his age, but Louise it feels like does not want to acknowledge what she remembers. The whole situation was baffling at the least and terrifying at worst - so it isn't particularly surprising that she has willingly cut off that part of her life/memory.

11. The second perspective adds a new layer, however it only got added halfway through the book. Were you surprised we got Mark's POV at all, and would you have preferred for it to be there from the beginning of the book? Also, has this last section changed your opinion on him in any way? He did save Louise from Pupkin after all....
I actually would have liked more of Mark's perspective. Having the whole story narrated by two voice would have definitely added a bit more intrigue to the whole thing. Having said that, it certainly give another dimension to Mark and showed us a side of him that was independent of his sister and family. The Mark that we learned about from Louise's perspective was definitely shot-changed than what he can potentially be.

12. To me, the last chapter feels a bit like a fever dream, definitely like they were on drugs. I personally don't remember which MPGs the book has and don't want to check in case of 'spoilers' now, but do you think there's a possibility the house, our main characters, the puppets, the dolls, Pupkin, everything- isn't actually haunted and none of it is actually happening?? What if it's just a dream (which would be the worst ending ngl), mental problems like Louise wants to believe, or mold in the house that's effecting them like this plus possible drug use from Mark when he was away?
I did not quite go there. Also, that would have been a cop out of sorts for the author to resort to that. The horror is in the possible reality of it and I would certainly like for it to be that way. Puppets and dolls are so commonplace that knowing they could turn into such menacing monsters is the real USP of the book.

13. I can't help but wonder how the book is gonna end... If Pupkin is indeed an evil puppet come to life I only see one way it can be destroyed - fire. Do you think they'll end up burning down the entire house (although Hill House (in the show at least) wouldn't let itself be burned down either, so who knows if that would work), or will the dolls and puppets take over? What do you predict will happen in the rest of the book?
Fire was my natural instinct as well - but just given the sheer amount of puppets in that house, one would literally have to burn the whole damn house down. That kind of goes away from the very basic premise of the book where the house is a character and the two main leads are fighting for it - so burning it down and no one getting anything is again another easier way out, which shouldn't happen. I do believe there will be a doll takeover but there is something untold in all of this so far, which is going to be the possible way out of this.

Team R&B
DQs Set 2: Chapters 8 - 15

6. Were you expecting those wills? Why do you think both parents were so unfair on the kids?
I actually was expecting something like this - the whole fact that the two siblings had such a rift between them had to somehow been triggered from the parents favoring one child over the other in some capacity. There feels like there is a lot of behind the scenes activities that have happened in the past and there is a significant impact of that on how both Louise and Mark are treated.

7. Yikes! killer stuffed squirrels! The first violent haunting here, was it effective?
It was squirmy to say the least. It took me a minute to visualize that but it wasn't quite as horrific as I was hoping for it to be. It certainly is a new twist to taxidermy (which I always found particularly weird).

8. Despite the various creepy things that Louise has experienced, she's refusing to let her aunt exorcise the house. Would you still be hanging onto rational reasons over accepting family help?
Yeah, that was rather dumb. I mean what is the logical reason to continue being in a place that is visibly scaring the living daylights out of you? I agree that believing that a house is haunted is not a commonplace conclusion, but you have help available - communicate, talk what you are experiencing out with family. But, then the book would end in 50 pages and the whole concept of people doing stupid things in horror films/books would not come to fruition. LOL! :P

9. We've had more insight into the childhood of Mark and Louise. Does this change your opinion of either of them
I don't think my opinion has particularly changed because there is always something more than what meets the eye - although, it was certainly interesting to see how they shaped to be the way they are.

Team R&B
DQs Day 1: Ch 1 to Ch 7

1.) What are your first impressions of the family and of Louise and Mark? How pivotal do you think their relationship (or lack thereof) will play in the story.
Aside: I plan to steal and use the phrase "Terminal Assholism" in future. Thank you Hendrix!
It would absolutely be pivotal to the story, almost to the point that the entire story hinges on their history and relation with each other. The family as a whole seems like outright cuckoos! I almost want to smack both Louise and Mark and shake the elders so that atleast someone will read the room and take a stance - but I have to give to Grady Hendrix for making it really fun so far. "Terminal Assholism" is absolutely gold! Haha!

2.) The book is organized into sections following the 5 stages of grief. Does this impact your expectations of the book at all?
I think that is a wonderful way of breaking up the story. Could it work without them and if told simply in a linear fashion? Most likely - but I would be curious to see how the author breaks it up within these 5 stages.

3.) Okay. Life size dolls named after her children. Weird, creepy? Would you be excited to have them as part of your inheritance?
Dolls don't particularly freak me out (although the book might make me change my opinion! Haha!) - but I am personally not one to care about acquiring material possessions like these which have a diminishing value or impact as inheritance (not that I have ever received anything as inheritance! :P)

4.) Have you ever experienced a family post-death squabble/fight like the one Louise and Mark had in front of the junk clean out guys?
Not really. I don't think I have had an experience of anything like this - although, I have heard stories of some relative siblings having issues while the parents are alive.

5.) Did anyone else google Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers? If so, were you surprised to find they were a real organization? Has anyone interacted with them before or a similar organization for other religious beliefs? [note: please keep responses respectful to people's beliefs, this is a safe space]
I did not Google it - although I am certainly not surprised that something like this exists. Many times people just need other people to feel like they are part of something and are not entirely alone - so organizations like these can be a safe space for people to find like-minded people.

I plan on reading it - I loved Grady's last couple of books and I love horror, so even more excited now. Haha.

Question:

So many amazing characters living in the books we read, but which character(s) do you think you would actually be friends with, and why?"

This is such an interesting question. My problem is I fall in love with these characters so often, that I am already planning a hypothetical future with them. LOL! *sigh, Augustus Waters* :P

But I have to say I would love to be friends with Eve Dallas from the "In Death" series by J.D. Robb - she is such a kickass person and she is always there no matter what. She is strong willed, passionate about what she does, and committed to the core for people she cares for. These are beautiful qualities to have in a person and it would be lovely to have someone like that around me. Plus, she can save me from trouble every time as a bonus. Hahaha! :P

Donna wrote: "Hey Apoorv! We captained together years ago. I am, sadly, way too busy to captain anymore."

We absolutely did. It was the 2019 edition of UNO when we captained "Team Hannah Swansen" - that was so much fun! :)

Fun fact, we were even together on a team on this group all the way back in 2017, as part of "Team Obi-Wan Kenobi" during Tower Teams V.

Such fun memories - such a small GoodReads world!
Delighted to back on the same team as you, Donna! :)