Rebecca ’s Comments (group member since Sep 03, 2016)

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

Sharon wrote: "Here's a mini quiz that everyone can participate in while we wait for you, Jenny -

What's everyone's favorite Thanksgiving side dish? And if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, what's your favorite ..."

For Thanksgiving I would have to say corn souffle/casserole. I love corn!!! My favorite "regular" side is my Aunt Donna's potato salad. I make it but it's just not the same as hers, maybe it's the love she puts into it lol

The thing I'm most looking forward to is actually for once having a major holiday off!!! I work 99% of holidays so it will be nice to be off and celebrate when everyone else does

Kaley wrote: "Rebecca -- when you get a chance, can you double check the version of Minding Frankie on your shelf? The version on your shelf doesn't match the link/page count on the spreadsheet.

Also, By Any Ot..."

I fixed the Minding Frankie link not sure what was wrong with it. I also fixed By Any Other Name. I was busy getting ready for work when I updated the spreadsheet and blanked on adding it to my shelf, sorry...I was doing so good at not making mistakes with links etc...

Thanks ladies! I appreciate your input

ok so maybe I spoke too soon, they are darker covers BUT not necessarily black...







What does everyone think? I have two others that are definitely black

Whoop whoop 🙌🏻 I was so hoping for black because I have a pile of black books from the library that I’ve been wanting to get to!!!
We have been extremely lucky not having many difficult letters

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍽! Grateful for all of you. I’ll be working 🤣😂

Happy Birthday! Enjoy Malaga and enjoy the book it’s a fantastic one. The other books in the series are excellent as well

Possibly 🤣😂

I finished my last two for this round this morning. I wish I had time to get another in before the next round starts but I have to be an adult and go to work unfortunately. Enjoy your day putzing and reading 🥃

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?
I didn't like how they tried exploit Ray for the greater good of the college. They could have waited awhile until he was ready to let the world know he owns a Stradivarius

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?
I would probably hold on to it for a rainy day or depending on the sentimental value. Ray has been VERY generous regarding the violin. He didn't have to send money to his family, the violin was given to him. His family has never supported him with the exceptions of his Aunt Rochelle and his grandmother. I don't know that I would be wanting to give them a fair share.

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?
Ray is the rightful owner! Possession is 9/10ths of the law. No one wanted the violin all these years and now suddenly they want it since they know it is worth a bunch of money

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?
No clue

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?! 😂

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?
I have a ginormous family but we don't have any traditions other than the normal traditions-turkey, stuffing, dressing, cranberry sauce etc on Thanksgiving, midnight mass on Christmas Eve, one side of the family of Christmas and the other on Christmas Day.

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?
I think it's purely monetarily motivated. She seems like an especially selfish person. I think back on when he told her about the scholarship and she told him no because it would cost her money which it wouldn't. She wants someone to pay the bills and take care of the younger children.

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?
I think Ray's dedication will get him far. You have to eat, sleep and breathe something like playing the violin to be good at it. Athletes do the same with their sports. You have to believe that you will go far.

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?
I feel it's the link to his family, to his grandmother. His grandmother was always so proud of him and was the one person who believed in him. The fiddle was important to her so therefore it was important to him. It's the last link he has to her.

Angie ☯ wrote: "I have Baroque in one of mine.

Are there 3 people reading Violin Conspiracy next round, if so, I will fiinish mine this round for the bonus and cover color."

I'm going to finish it for this round as well.

Jenny wrote: "Nit enough orange in that one I think,"

Thanks! That's what I was thinking too but depending on how you look at the physical cover it looks orange sometimes and red other times.

Orange?

Christina wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "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..."

100% I broke out in a cold sweat until I had it back. We had gotten on the train going to Victoria Station which was nonstop. I asked the conductor to call back to the station and they said they didn't have it so when we got off the train I got right back on and went back to Stamsted because I knew it had to be there. When I got back I talked to an employee who had me follow him to lost and found and it was little room full of little black purses like mine. He asked if anyone had found a purse and the guy there said yeah some crazy American lady left hers on the back of a luggage trolley hahaha It was mine and it was all there thank goodness!!! Restored my faith in humanity a wee bit lol

-What is your favorite book genre?Probably thrillers and romance, I'll read pretty much anything depending on my mood. I don't care for high science fiction or space opera
-What is your favorite movie genre?I'm a mood watcher but I really love Christmas movies and thrillers I would say.
-Give me your top 5 (or so) books that you want to recommend that you read recently. (There have been way too few recommendations on this team so far.)Katherine Center has been a great find for me. I also just read my first Lynn Painter book which was great. Anything by Janet Evanovich is hilarious.
-What are your top 3 most recent movies? Where you in the theater or were you at home?Maverick, Hallmark/GAF/TBS/TNT Christmas movies all watched at home
-What is the weather like where you are?cold
-If you went to your high school dances, were there group dances? If so, what were they? The Time Warp? The Macarena?Didn't go to any dances
-Have you ever taken a helicopter ride?No but my brother is a helicopter reporter
-Have you gone sky diving? Parasailing?Nope and no
-How many US states have you been to?25ish
-How many countries?17 I think
-Do you prefer chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal raisin? (Do I even have to ask?)Ahhh chocolate chip of course!
-Have you ever owned a weird pet?I don't know if this counts but my cats all have had interesting personalities.
-Can I get more random thoughts going through my head?
I'm sure you could lol

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 have! I lost my purse in London at the airport/train station BUT I miraculously got it back with everything in it believe it or not! I think he should have been better about locking it. Leaving it unlocked while you step away for a few minutes invites trouble but at the same time where would you be able to lock it up in a hotel room. You definitely don't want to take it in the bathroom with you while showering...

2. At this point in the book, when/where do you think the Stradivarius was taken?
Maybe 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?
Hard to say since the violin is valued at more than the $5 million they are asking for. Also, Ray can play on another violin which won't be the same sound but I don't think the average person would notice.

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?
Ray should be extremely proud of his accomplishment. He was worked hard and been through a lot to get to where he is at without the support of his family. I want to know how he got the stradivarius.

I have a u book that I’m going to read hopefully tomorrow

Nice! Enjoy!!!

Same here…