Ashley’s Comments (group member since Apr 27, 2022)

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

Also, one of the other lovely captains has shared this list (of lists) that pertain to the words. No guarantee the book will contain the word, but it's a good starting place for some of the more "hard-to-find" words:

Baroque
Bhangra
Bluegrass
Calypso
Electronica
Fado
Folk
Grunge
K-Pop
Mambo
Mariachi
Merengue
Motown
Noh
Polka
Rautalanka
Reggae
Salsa
Shashmaqam
Ska
Spiritual
Sufi
Tango
Yodeling (or Jodeling)
Zydeco

Ok Team - I looked through the books that I could that are on the SS and found 8 unique words, and several repeats. We have to get 10 unique words before we can start duplicating and we are already sooo close! If you find a "duplicate" in your book, please log it anyway, because once we find 10 unique, we will be able to use it and I am sure we can do it!

Here's what is logged so far:

Calypso (book also has Reggae)
Bluegrass (book also has Folk)
Folk (book also has Bluegrass)
Spiritual
Polka (book also has Folk, Salsa, Spiritual)
Baroque
K-Pop (book also has Salsa)

DQs Day 5 | Chapter 28 - end

17. What did you think about how the "black market Serbian violin debacle" turned out? Do you think it hurt Ray in terms of the competition?

18. Were you surpised at the outcome of the competition? I know I was rooting for him, but I instinctively assumed Mikhail would take first - perhaps solely for the plot. Do you think that was the case or did Mikhail genuinely win?

19. When the missing papers are discovered in Ray's PopPops violin case, were you surprised at what they contained? Does the narrative they showcase further cement his family's provenance of the violin to you?

20. It was (view spoiler)[Nicole (hide spoiler)]! What did you think of her reasons for committing the crime. Do you feel any sympathy for her?

BONUS - Author's Note
Brendan Slocumb reveals that the novel’s wedding scene and the Baton Rouge shakedown are based on his own experiences. How did this knowledge affect your experience of the book?

Lauri wrote: "I will go ahead and claim The Cat Who Wasn't There by Lilian Jackson Braun for a C title…

"

Got it Lauri - I also discovered that this book contains 4 words from the bonus list. I've put down one on the SS, but I'm listing them all here in case we need a different one to get all 10 unique words

Folk
Polka
Salsa
Spiritual

I also found Yodel - but alas, it must be "YODELING". Very rude. haha!

DQ Competition Post

DQ1: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DQ2: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
DQ3: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

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 think it's icky - but not out of the ordinary. If we think about how much publicity is linked to money coming into a college, it's a huge no-brainer for them - although I agree, I would have wanted to tell NO ONE.

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?

Absolutely not, and I think his family sucks. I just really hate that they were so hateful about him playing the violin and him receiving the violin - but now when it could benefit him, they are ecstatic. I just hate it. If I were in that situation, I would have cut them out before I even knew about the violin.

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 definitely the rightful owner. Frankly, even if it was stolen, I think it should be his, though I don't think this is the case.

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?

The most logical would be the Marks family, but I'm not sure it fits well.

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?

We don't have any unusual traditions - in fact, we are a rather non-traditional family, unusual or otherwise.

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?

Gosh, I wish I understood why she is so resistant to him playing music. I suppose it could be perceived as jealousy. I refuse to believe there is some feeling of trying to save him from the burden of his race - because honestly - that's such bullcrap. You can't save someone from hurt by hurting them.

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 it's a little of both. Clearly, he has to have the leg up from Dr. Stevens, or he wouldn't have succeeded, despite his dedication.

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 think his refusal is due to his grandmother and his deep affection and respect for her - and by proxy his poppop.

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 cannot and have not - it's just unthinkable!!
I would think having it in a safe when in hotels would have been wiser.

2. At this point in the book, when/where do you think the Stradivarius was taken?

My initial, gut-reaction was the girlfriend, but I also couldn't really find a motive, so I dismissed the idea.

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?

Of course, if could be about so many things - the violin itself as just a starting idea, since it has to be RARE!

4. It's alluded 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 should be proud of his accomplishments, regardless of his race. That being said, we should also acknowledge race as an important factor here!

Round 3 End Countdown: 2 Hours : 25 Minutes

Also, a timer update! Round 3 ends in 17 Hours : 53 Minutes! Make sure you check on your books on the SS!

Ok Team - do we think this is an orange cover? btw, I hate trying to decide on what is orange (and brown)... ugh, such terrible colors!

Daniel wrote: "So for Round 4 tasks do they have to be specifically talking about music? Of it book mentions “folk remedies” instead of “folk music” would that count?"

While you must find the words exactly (so you can't find "electronic" - it has to have the -a ending), if you find an exact match that isn't talking about the music genre (e.g. "he was a spiritual person" you can still claim it).

And yes, they really mean you can't use plurals, possessives or verb ending changes (bad luck if you find "he yodels" but no yodelling!)

Ariel! Please add "Catch Her Death (Melinda Leigh)" to your wheels shelf before the end of the round! Thank you! :)

Just checking on our Z books! Here is what is claimed that has a Z:

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor (Xiran Jay Zhao) - Melissa
The Exceptions (Kate Zernike) - Melissa
The Haunting (Natasha Preston) - Ashlee L
Shogun (James Clavell) - Megan

How are you coming with these? Do we need to make any changes? Some small changes can be made, but if someone can't finish one of these, please let me know ASAP!

Got it Lauri! :)

Eating my words! Our new word is OCARINA, and the cover color is ORANGE!

Shannon wrote: "Do we have a word for next round yet? It is unlikely that ill finish my book before then"

Not yet, but it should be soon!

Alrighty Daniel! I've been struggling a bit with some of my reads this round also.

I haven't read that one. I'm a little burnt out on Greek god retellings... is that one?

Also, here is a Queen Charlotte-inspired opera moment!