Heena’s Comments (group member since Oct 13, 2014)

Heena’s comments from the RMFAO (Reading My Frigging A** Off) group.

Cheryl wrote: "I will be going for Level 5. It will probably be a mix of Westerns and Women's Fiction. I really need to try more romance books, so I'll read at least a couple of those. (I'm trying to broaden my r..."

That's great, Cheryl. To be honest, I don't remember the last time I read one before starting the Twilight series. If you come across some good romance novel then do let me know too. I could really do with some romance recommendations.

Adelaide wrote: "I AM GOING TO READ SO MANY REGENCY ROMANCES. And maybe a few other lady-centered books."

Hey, Adelaide, I'm not acquainted with the term Regency Romance, is it different from the normal romance genre?

Hello, guys, here's the link to the February thread - Feb'20 - Women's Fiction or Western: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Jill wrote: "Heena wrote: "How about Swan Song by Robert McCammon? I liked it, a decent dystopian read. Though I've heard that in many ways it is similar to The Stand by Stephen King.
Another goodie is A Boy's ..."

Happy Reading!!

Hello, guys, here's the link to the February thread - Feb'20 - Women's Fiction or Western: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hello dear members,

Feb is here and so is our first alternate genre months. For this month we have two genre options to choose from as there are few readers for each of these genres as compared to the other more popular ones (hence the choice.) You can pick any one genre or, if you really want, feel free to pick both and read 2 genres for this month. It's your choice.

There are absolutely no limits so you can interpret this genre in its broader sense and include other similar genres and/or subgenres that you feel might have a wee bit of similarity with the main genre. You can also include books that are not particularly centred around the main genre but has its components or elements somewhere in the story.

The main intent of this challenge is to incorporate different kinds of books and genres in our normal reading routine to make the experience more fun and entertaining. Please do not lose yourself in the technicalities as we all know how literary genres can be confusing.
If you have any doubts or questions, then post them below and we'll be happy to answer/discuss them.

Here are the DEFINITIONS for this month's genres:

Women's Fiction: Women's fiction is an umbrella term for women-centered books that focus on women's life experience that are marketed to female readers, and includes many mainstream novels. It is distinct from Women's writing, which refers to literature written by (rather than promoted to) women. There exists no comparable label in English for works of fiction that are marketed to males.
The Romance Writers of America organization defines women's fiction as, "a commercial novel about a woman on the brink of life change and personal growth. Her journey details emotional reflection and action that transforms her and her relationships with others, and includes a hopeful/upbeat ending with regard to her romantic relationship."
The Women's Fiction Writers Association guiding statement is broad and comprehensive: An inclusive organization of writers creating layered stories that are driven by the main character’s emotional journey. These stories may have romance. Or they may not. They could be contemporary. Or historical. But what binds them together is the focus on the main character's emotional journey.

Western Fiction: Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 20th century and Louis L'Amour from the mid 20th century. The genre peaked around the early 1960s, largely due to the popularity of televised Westerns such as Bonanza.

Classification:
- Classical Western
- Acid Western
- Charro, Cabrito or Chili Westerns
- Contemporary Western
- Electric Western
- Epic Western
- Euro-Western
- Fantasy Western
- Florida Western
- Horror Western
- Curry Westerns and Indo Westerns
- Martial arts Western (Wuxia Western)
- Meat pie Western
- Northwestern
- Ostern
- Pornographic Western
- Revisionist Western
- Science fiction Western
- Space Western
- Spaghetti Western
- Weird Western
- Western satire

Here's a quick summary of the levels:

Level 1: Casual Reader: 1 book (easy)
Level 2: Frequent Reader: 2 books (moderate)
Level 3: Bookworm: 3 books (mildly strenuous)
Level 4: Bibliophile: 4 books (strenuous)
Level 5: Bookiopath: 5 books or more (challenging)

Please mention what type of books you'd be reading:

PB: Paperbacks
HB: Hardbacks
EB: E-Books
AB: Audio Books

Please feel free to announce your to-read books along with the level you are targeting for below. Though it is not necessary as you can announce your reads as and when you decide or read them.

PLEASE READ (especially new members):
1. You can read any number of books for the respective genre every month.
2. You can join the challenge at any stage (in any month.)
3. You can drop out of the challenge any time you like.
4. You can select different levels every month.
5. Use this discussion board to share your reads with other members of the group.
6. Please be active and don't hesitate to ask questions or recommend books.
7. You can couple this challenge with any other challenge here (or anywhere else.) We all do it and it makes it all the more fun!

Happy reading!

I wasn't sure about which series to go for this year but happened to start the Twilight series in December, so I'll be finishing off that one first.
Done with New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - 3/5 stars. It is book #2 in The Twilight Saga.
Already started with the 3rd one, hoping it would be better than this one.

#2 New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - 3/5

Re-read this after more than a decade! I'm planning to complete this series as I left this series after this part when I first read it in 2008. Enjoyed every bit of it. Loved Jacob's character development minus some cheesy descriptions.

Dagny wrote: "Heena wrote: "#1 The Other Celia by Theodore Sturgeon - 4/5

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks, Dagny, for the suggestion and the link tot he story..."

Yes! And I am sure I won't be able to forget it for a long time either.

#2 Zeritsky's Law by Ann Warren Griffith - online text - 3/5
A very peculiar story. Worth a read.
It can be read online here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51234

#3 The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury - E-book - 4/5
My first by Ray Bradbury and I enjoyed it to bits. Albeit a bit slow and takes its time to build, I liked it nonetheless. I found the tone of the stories similar to that used by Isaac Asimov in Gods Themselves.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

#2 Zeritsky's Law by Ann Warren Griffith - online text - 3/5
A very peculiar story. Worth a read.
It can be read online here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51234

#3 The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury - E-book - 4/5
My first by Ray Bradbury and I enjoyed it to bits. Albeit a bit slow and takes its time to build, I liked it nonetheless. I found the tone of the stories similar to that used by Isaac Asimov in Gods Themselves.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

#1 The Other Celia by Theodore Sturgeon - 4/5

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks, Dagny, for the suggestion and the link tot he story! It was an excellent read!

#1 The Other Celia by Theodore Sturgeon - 4/5

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks, Dagny, for the suggestion and the link tot he story! It was an excellent read!

#1 How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich - 3/5

An okayish book on writing. I did find some interesting insights but most of it was repetition, hence 3 stars. Though good enough for new writers.

Dagny wrote: "I haven't had the time to search for any specific recommendations, but there are quite a few free audiobooks at LibriVox which also count for this month's Genre Challenge which is Science Fiction. Also with possibly a very few exceptions, they will also all count as Classics since they're old enough to be in the Public Domain - a triple play! You can browse at LibriVox, SF is under the category Fantastic Fiction - Science Fiction or this link should work:
https://librivox.org/search?primary_k...

Over 500 books are listed, although a quick browse shows that most might be short stories. If you're not up to wading through the pages of listings, you can search by author, especially if you have a favorite or have been wanting to try a particular author. Two of the more famous ones would be H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. There are also some 'newer' authors like Andre Norton, Keith Laumer, Murray Leinster, Fritz Leiber and even some Ray Bradbury although his are probably only short stories. There are plenty of short story collections shown too if that is of interest to you. "

Wow, thanks a lot, Dagny! I'll go through the list and see if something catches my eyes. I was quite interested in Ray Bradbury's short stories, though I just got an ebook The Martian, so let's see how that goes first. I think I might explore some of the newer authors you listed. Thanks a bunch again :)

Thanks a lot for the links, Dagny. I really appreciate it!!

I will try for Level-3.

Dagny wrote: "A Touch of Strange is one that has stuck in my mind all these years - guess that should be decades."

I tried to get this book but couldn't find it anywhere, neither as a public domain book nor on Amazon India. Though I got some other books by the author and they look pretty interesting! Thanks for this recommendation. I will be trying at least one of them :)

Wow... you guys have already planned! I need to get my list sorted...

Welcome to the group, Natasha and Holley! Looking forward to seeing you around :)