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

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

I ended the month with #6 Shatter Me - 3/5
It was an okay read overall. I have no idea why is there such a crazy hype for this book. The concept was not bad, but somehow 16, 17 and 18 years old teenagers being impractically mature, responsible and kind of running the entire world (or whatever area they are in charge of) seems a bit too far fetched to me. Though I might read the next two books in this series as I already have them on my bookshelf.
Oh, and this book doesn't have fully fleshed out stories for all three parts, the story ended a bit abruptly which makes me think that it might actually be one story only that is just divided into three parts as it is (no different conflicts for the different parts, just one linear story divide in three parts.)

Hi Aditi, welcome to RMFAO.

I'll be going for these books:
(I'll try to read them all but not sure if I'll be able to or not.)

Classics:
1. East Lynne by Mrs. Henry Wood - Audiobook or Ebook
2. Armadale by Wilkie Collins - Audiobook
3. Dr Izard by Anna Katherine Green - Audiobook (already started it but will be finishing it in May.)

Literary Fiction:
1. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris - Audiobook
2. Circe by Madeline Miller - Audiobook

Dagny wrote: "You're very welcome, Beth. The main thanks go to Heena for coming up with the concept and starting the group. I had never read Graphic Novels either prior to this group (except for those Illustrated Classic comics as a kid, but they're not really the same)."

It was just an idea on my part, it became what it is today becaus eof everyone who participates, especially the moderators :)
And you've been such a big part of RMFAO that it is incomplete without you, Dagny.

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "Dagny I just wanted to say Thank You not only to you but the entire RMFAO group. This month you helped nudge me into trying Graphic Novels, Comics, Sequential Art, what ever name you give the genre..."

So glad that you loved exploring the Graphic Novel genre. I loved comic books as a youngster, but then years later found the graphic novel section on NetGalley and realised the potential it had! There were so many amazing new comics and graphic novels that it totally blew my mind and by so many authors and illustrators and on such different concepts. That was primarily why I wanted to have this for the genre challenge.
I hope you'll discover more such genres here :)

Thanks for these suggestions, Dagny. I'll try and read East Lynne and/or Armadale for May.

Dagny wrote: "#32 Burning Ridge (Timber Creek K-9 Mystery #4) by Margaret Mizushima

My favorite in this series so far."

I've read this one too. A good book!

So many books read for April! It was a really good reading month, now let's make May equally exciting.

Here's the link to the May - Classics or Literary Fiction thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hello everyone,

May is almost here and so is one of the months that gives us two options for reading. For this month we have two genre options to choose from. You can either pick 1 genre and stick to it or 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 centered 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.

Following are the DEFINITIONS for this month's genres:

Classics A classic stands the test of time. The work is usually considered to be a representation of the period in which it was written, and the work merits lasting recognition. In other words, if the book was published in the recent past, the work is not a classic.
A classic has a certain universal appeal. Great works of literature touch us to our very core beings--partly because they integrate themes that are understood by readers from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of experience. Themes of love, hate, death, life, and faith touch upon some of our most basic emotional responses.

Literary Fiction: Literary fiction is a term that has come into common usage in the early 1960s. The term is principally used to distinguish "serious fiction" which is a work that claims to hold literary merit, in comparison from genre fiction and popular fiction. The name literature is sometimes used for this genre, although it can also refer to a broader category of writing.

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
EB: E-Books
AB: Audio Books

Please feel free to announce your to-read books along with the level you are targeting for below.

PLEASE READ (for new members):
1. You can read any number of books for the respective genre each month in one particular month.
2. Take your time and go through your entire TBR-list before deciding the books to read.
3. You can join the challenge at any stage (in any month.)
4. You can drop out of the challenge any time you like.
5. You can select different levels every month.
6. Use this discussion board to share your reads with other members of the group.
7. Please be active and don't hesitate to ask questions or recommend books.

Happy reading!

5) The Circular Study - 4/5

Good plot, great reveal and a quick read (audio.) Missed Amelia Butterworth as she was absent from 98% of the story.

Onto Dr. Izard now...

Dagny wrote: "Rats, bummer about Miss Butterworth. As far as I know there were only the three of them too. "

Yeah... I'm feeling sad that there will be no more Miss Butterworth books now... :(

Forgot to update it before...

#7 The Circular Study by Anna Katherine Green - 4/5
It wasn't as good as the other Miss Butterworth books, but I did like the backstory as it was really dramatic. Miss Butterworth was only present for like 10 minutes in total (even less I guess) and the plot build up was a bit slow, but the story picked up once the mystery started unravelling. It was a pretty short read as compared to the previous two books, but I missed Miss Butterworth throughout the unravelling of the mystery.

#6 Lost Man's Lane: A Second Episode in the Life of Amelia Butterworth - 5/5

I absolutely loved it!

Dagny wrote: "I'm looking forward to the 2nd Miss Butterworth."

It's a really good one!

4) Lost Man's Lane: A Second Episode in the Life of Amelia Butterworth - 5/5

I loved it! It had a very spooky feel to it and it felt validated too. I loved the bit about vivisection and the ending was, as usual, smashing!! And so less of Mr Gryce, though I am now coming to like him too, so maybe I'll give try to a couple of Gryce books too, but only after I'm done with the third Miss Butterworth book. I think I can call myself an official Miss Amelia Butterworth fan now. :D

Dagny you've introduced me to something so amazing that I am having a hard time liking some of the best-selling contemporary novels. I never thought I'd like any classic, let alone a cosy mystery, as much as books by Anna Katherine Green. This is the first time I am not looking at the lengths of the audiobooks before randomly deciding to read them one after the other! Thank you so MUCH!!

#4 A Dance of Lies by Rebecca Crunden - 4/5
It was a bit slower than the previous 2 parts, but effective nonetheless in taking the story ahead and building the big climax.

#5 The Magicians: Alice's Story - 1/5 - DNF
I haven't read the Magicians so obviously, this one made no sense to me. Still I was expecting to get at half the story, but it seemed to feel very heavy and dense since the start, so I had to abandon it.

Donna wrote: "2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (HB) 4/5
This is a YA book, a coming-of-age book of sorts, and a love story. Hazel is a depressed teenager with terminal cancer who meets Au..."

Beautiful pick, Donna!

Dagny wrote: "East Lynne and Mrs. Henry Wood is one of those cases of a book and author wildly popular when published but largely forgotten these days. I had never heard of either when it was recommended to me by a friend (Gwyn whom some of you probably remember from the Yahoo 19th Century Lit group). I loved it so much that I prepared the eBook for Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3322 It is also at LibriVox https://librivox.org/east-lynne-by-mr... Warning: it is long, over twenty hours. Odd because I don't recall it being a long book. The story must have just pulled me along. "

Wow... I'll read the ebook then :) I can't wait to read these two books now. Honestly, I'm starting to re-evaluate my opinion about classics. These books you recommended are so good and interesting, unlike what I used to think about all classics. I just finished with Miss Butterworth's 2nd book and enjoyed every minute of it. Even the descriptions (which I rarely do!) I'm so glad that I'm getting to explore such great works. Thanks a bunch <3

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "Thanks Heena! I think I will try out this series "

I'm sure you'll like it :)

Dagny wrote: "Heena wrote: "And I had no idea that there was anything called 'Sensation Novels.' Are these gothic mysteries in general or suspense and horror ones? Would you mind elaboration? "

I had been readi..."

Wow, Sensation Novels involve a lot of good themes (all of them best for creating a really engaging thriller.) Thanks for elaborating (I can't believe I wrote 'Would you mind elaboration? ' Lol. I meant 'Would you mind elaborating.')

East Lynne sounds good! Thanks again for the recommendation :)