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

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

AND WE ARE AWESOME!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!! Enjoy the season 🥂💕🎄🎅🏻🤶🏻🎊🎉

Finished my last book on the spreadsheet this morning. I’m sorry I won’t be able to get another one before the deadline. I’m heading into work early this morning 😔

Thanks for the fun and being a great team! I hope to see all of you around on GR in the future.

An extra big thanks to our captains! 🙌🏻

Great, thanks! I was teetering on whether or not it was

Black?

Kaley wrote: "I made a list this morning of all the books I wanted to finish before the challenge ended and I was like . . . oh nooo. LOL. Thankfully some of them are very short (reading for the bonus points LOL..."

I'm in the same boat as you lol I'm just finishing my weekend, thank goodness for audiobooks. I have got to get my Christmas tree up or it's not going to happen this year lol

I'm sorry I haven't read much this week it's been a crazy one! I'm hoping to be better this next week since it's our last one. I don't know if I'm coming or going hahaha

-What is your favorite non-pizza delivery meal? (I ask as I am eating Mexican food from my favorite local.)
Chinese or wings
-What is your favorite pizza topping(s)?Pineapple, bacon and red onion
-Do you prefer macarons or macaroons?neither really I don't like things that filled usually and I definitely do not like coconut I know I'm strange. I also don't eat pies or filled donuts but oreos or twinkies are ok
-Have you ever gone deer hunting or fishing?Fishing
-Do you have a green thumb?I try to have a garden every year but it always seems to get eaten by some creature
-What movie or series upcoming are you most looking forward to?I have such a backlog of things I want to watch. I would have to say probably Great British Baking Show and Bridgerton
-What did you ask Santa for Christmas? (Insert cultural/religious substitution here as needed.)Since I am Santa for myself I asked for a new mattress, a big tv and an inflatable hot tub and I think Santa may have gotten me all 3 but I'll have to wait and see. I didn't take any trips or really do anything special this year so I decided to treat myself to a few things by using my cat sitting money so really my friends cats are Santa this year lol (And yes I do A LOT of cat/house sitting for them)
-How crazy have you or your neighbors gone on holiday decorations?I'm hoping to go pretty crazy this year. I'm putting lights up this weekend. I have quite a few inflatables. I got a Highland coo and a dinosaur this year for new ones. I have Mickey, Minnie, Santa, Frosty, The Grinch, Snoopy and I think one other one that I can't remember. I still want an inflatable nativity but they are crazy expensive, maybe after Christmas.
-If you could transform into an animal, what animal would you be?One of my cats because they are extremely pampered!!!
-If humanity was as advanced as we bloody well should be by now, and had a resort on the moon, would you go there on vacation? No, thank you
-Would you be a space explorer if you could? No, thank you
-How about an undersea explorer?Nope don't know how to swim
-Have you ever tried a recipe you saw on Bake-Off or the like?I've wanted to but it seems like I'm more inspired by the recipes
-Is there a thing that used to be around that you miss? (VCRs, leg-warmers, or whatever.)I would have to say more foods than anything.
-Since A.S. Byatt just died, and I now need to reread Possession, and I read an obituary about her, am I the only one that didn't know that Margaret Drabble was her sister? Sorry, don't know who they are but I am definitely going to look that up
-Have you seen the movie version of Possession?No, sorry
-Mittens or gloves?Depends on what I am doing
-Vegetable soup or Chili?Chili
-And finally, any books that should be added to our TBR lists?I just listened to Dave Grohl's book The Storyteller and loved it. He's such a normal guy in so many ways and also very humble. I also enjoyed Matthew Perry's book. I remember listening and thinking this man has led a really messed up life and probably won't be live to an old age with all of his medical problems-so sad. I listened to both of these and they were in their voices so that made them even better.

Just finished my last book for this round. I think I have everything on the spreadsheet updated and on GR

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.