Welcome to Litsy!

Mystery + music + calling out racism? Yes please! #sundayfunday

A very entertaining mystery about a missing violin and how a young black man navigates many challenges to become a world class musician. There were some predictable moments and I guessed the twist, but it was still a sad, dramatic and motivational read.4⭐️

Another great book! Very educational and informative, especially regarding the lack of minorities in classical music. This book sends a powerful message. The authors note was even great. I was dismayed to hear that the author experienced much of the discrimination that he wrote about personally. That is most likely what made the story so realistic. I couldn‘t wait to find out what happened to the violin!! I highly recommend this book.

Inspired by @julesG ‘s comment on my #sundayfunday post…

However, one could say that any book I read #InvolvesHeist 😎

#springskies

Almost through with the Violin Conspiracy and I feel like it shouldn't end. I wonder if there will be a movie based on it.

1. Louise Penny, Geraldine Brooks, Tana French, to name a few
2. Tagged book is the most recent of my favorite mysteries
3. Sue Grafton (see profile pic)
#wondrouswednesday

Sometimes when I can't get enough of the book I'm reading and I've become so attached to the book, I do all other things while reading. I eat while reading, I play the book while cooking, doing dishes , baking, and even taking a shower🚿
Who else does this?

First time learning of this quote by Whoopi Goldberg was from the tagged book.

Loved!

Joseph Bologne, the 18th century Black classical musician and composer we weren‘t told about!

I loved this book. A tale of one very gifted Black man, his relationship with his ancestors, and the gift they gave him: the Stradivarius violin. I loved how the author made the story so personal, reflecting on the real events in his own life, the daily struggles of being Black. I especially loved the backstory of the violin and would like to see a novel based on that. Shown: Black Violin is a duo of a Black take on classical music; I saw⬇️

#musicalcover #newyearnewbooks

I did not think the book was great contrary to most. How many lawsuits does one need in a story?

It‘s the last month of the year! Crazy how fast it went by, but I‘m excited for what is to come!

This was an entertaining read. Despite an unsupportive environment, Ray embraces the world of music becoming a virtuoso violinist on his family heirloom. When the violin is recognized as a Stradivarius and disappears before an international competition, Ray must locate his instrument and show the world that music is for everyone. I marveled at Slocumb‘s ability to share complex musical descriptions and keep a compelling pace. A pick & 4 ⭐️.

Music, mystery, and social commentary, the reader follows Ray McMillian and his history of overcoming racism to compete in a world famous competition.

Beautiful thoughtful

Gorgeous!!!!

Book 116 of the year.

I truly enjoyed the historical aspect of this book. I thought the history of Ray‘s violin was a great story. I also enjoyed his journey to become a musician, although not so much the time spent at the competition itself. I did not particularly enjoy the mystery aspect. I guessed what happened with the violin and thought a few obvious considerations were just ignored. The audio includes lovely musical interludes.

#audiobook #LitsyBookClub

It‘s hard to believe that 2023 is halfway gone. Here are my favorite books for the first six months of the year. Did you read any of them? If so, what did you think? What were your favorite books so far this year?

Starting my weekend with this one.

I‘ve been in a slump, and I was really happy this book brought me out of it. Not a perfect book, but a really enjoyable one.

Really enjoyed this one! I love reading books about musicians. I did guess who stole the violin correctly early on, but the book is about much more than the mystery of who did it. It's a mix of historical fiction, a coming-to-age story, and shines a light on the intense racial discrimination among musicians. The mother in this book was horrendous. As a mother of 3 sons, I just cannot understand how she could treat her son in such a way.

This story drew me in and carried along at a good clip. Multiple threads make it widely appealing. It‘s not beautiful prose but at the same time, I read half in one sitting. The author, a career musician, has a second book out this month and I plan to read it based on enjoying this one and the opening paragraph teaser at the end of the kindle version.

When Ray's violin goes missing, the loss is devastating; the violin is not only a priceless instrument, but also a cherished heirloom, & its theft distracts Ray from his efforts to be the first American to win the prestigious Tschaikovsky competition. This novel works best when focusing on Ray, his family, his love of music, & his experiences as a Black man in America & the music world. It goes off the rails at the end, but still a pick for me.

Been enjoying my recent mystery reads, but time for a change of pace.

A young black violin phenom navigates racism, financial disadvantages, self doubt, family drama, and conspiracies to steal his inherited, beloved fiddle, all while preparing for the biggest musical competition of his life.

My husband and I enjoyed this #audiobook on a couple of road trips. The terrible single black mom was too stereotypical, and many of the racist incidents were extreme, but based on his own experiences. 4⭐️ #pop23 friend rec

It‘s fun to see if the bad guys get their come uppance. As a classical musician I would have loved a history of how the violin traveled from Italy into Ray‘s hands. Maybe back and forth. 18th and 19th century juxtaposed by current story.

Helen and Holly‘s favorite book was up against Ruth‘s one today. I am talking about Violin against Manhunt. The outcome won‘t be a surprise for who‘s read our reviews in the past weeks: Manhunt didn‘t connect with many of us and so Violin advances to the 1/4 Finals.
The choice of the #Tob23 judge is a personal one: “We return to my love of paradox and my delight in an instrument that can hold so many truths at once.”
So there too, Violin wins.

A good mystery with charming main character, Rayquan Macmillan, who kept me reading when the story lagged. Starting in the first pages with the theft of a priceless violin, the author takes us back through the events that lead up to the theft; a literary device that works well. Slocum weaves together the competitive classical music scene, the pain and terror of slavery, modern family dynamics, and institutional racism into a compelling story.

I won‘t finish this before the start of the tournament (100 pages in), but I am so disappointed. I love mysteries and I love the violin, but I do not love this writing. I‘m surprised the book made the shortlist. Oh well. Expectations were too high.
#ToB2023 #ToB23 #LitsyToB23

3⭐️

#BlackHistoryMonth Recommendations
Day 23 Fiction
A compelling and fast paced novel. I liked how it pulled in the stories of one exceptional man, his family drama and history, along with the history and racism of classical music.
So many facets to explore all against the backdrop of a stollen violin mystery.

I'm not sure how this book will fare in #ToB2023, as it's not as innovative or complex as some of the other books, but I loved the story so much, with its mix of music, mystery and exploration of social issues.

My daughter has been playing violin and viola since childhood, so many of the scenes were familiar. She didn't face so many obstacles or own a Stradivarius, however. 😄

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

It‘s taking me awhile to read this. I‘m going slow. I‘d checked it out from my library‘s collection in CloudLibrary. I went to read it today and found it had been returned. So I thought, “Well, I‘ll renew it.” No such luck; it‘s not available in that format at all from my library anymore! So I got it from Kindle, where, right now it‘s only $1.99.

The audiobook version of this was very good. While the story is fiction, several of the events are based on the author‘s life as a classical musician.

Soft pick on this #tobshortlist #tob2023
I kept comparing it to another #ownvoices book about minorities in classical music, Light from Uncommon Stars, and not enjoying VC nearly as much. Maybe I just prefer cozy sff? Oh well. I think this book felt like a debut, and I felt the music more in LfUS, too.

Excellent story and audio narration! The most valuable kind of violin in the world, a Stradivarius, lands in the hands of Ray, a black musician with little familial support besides his beloved grandmother who passes on said violin to him upon her death. So, when the Stradivarius goes missing he‘s devastated, not because of the monetary value of the instrument but due to the family link. So much racism set in the world of classical music. #tob2023

Great read! Mystery and music. 💕

I really enjoyed this audiobook that explores a little-discussed subject:Black musicians in classical music.Ray is a sympathetic character who is modeled after the author,himself a violinist.While we watch him endure racism within the classical music community & struggles within his own family,he discovers that his family violin is worth $10 million.When the violin goes missing,the story turns into a mystery as we try to find who took it & why.

Double header soccer games means reading time for me. This is another for #ToB2023 and I‘m loving it!

Yeah, well, a pick I guess. But because it‘s shortlisted for the #ToB23 I had high expectations and it‘s just a very straightforward story, nothing new, unexpected or original. Enjoyable and with a message but in the end forgettable.

The way Brendan Slocumb writes whenever Ray picks up the violin is utterly enchanting. You could omit the words ‘Ray picked up the violin‘ completely and know just by the way the words pick you up and start dancing around you. I listened to the audiobook, which has violins playing between each part. It is a wild story; parts of it were hard to believe, and other parts were rather predictable.
🌟🌟🌟⭐️

“On the morning of the worst, most earth-shattering day of Ray McMillian‘s life, he ordered room service: scrambled eggs for two, one side of regular bacon (for Nicole), one side of vegan sausage (for him), one coffee (for Nicole), one orange juice (for him).“

#FridayReads #FirstLineFriday

Read in January 2023 ...
#Goodreads #BooklyApp #StoryGraph #Bookstagram #MMDBookClub #OUABC #ReesesBookClub

Settling in to read The Violin Conspiracy and possibly watch Midsomer Murders. My daughter occasionally makes these blankets. She surprised her dad with a Star Wars one (which I knew about and helped her choose the fabric) and me with this one (which I had no idea about.) It looks like the background is brown in this picture but it‘s purple.

I really enjoyed Ray‘s story (if listening to recollections about racism are enjoyable 😞). His story was compelling enough without the mystery and I guessed quite early on. The authors notes were equally compelling, we still have a long way to go don‘t we. Overall, a good read.

I finished the two books I planned on reading for this Readathon! Yay! They were The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb and The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. I gave them both 4.5 stars. They were both very good in different ways. I‘m looking forward to the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club author chat with Brendan Slocumb this Tuesday. Don‘t forget to read the Author‘s Note at the end of his book!

Starting today. Look at my little violin bookmark blending in perfectly 🎻