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

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

Dagny wrote: "Heena wrote: "Also, where should I start with Victoria Holt books (I read the description of Slithering Sands and it sounded pretty good to me), but do tell which one of her books you like the best..."

That's great news. I love stand alones. I remember reading Nora Robert's book and loving it and then later finding out it was the first one in a series of 3-4 books. I had to read the rest too but thankfully they were all good.

#3 A Promise of Return by Rebecca Crunden - 4/5

I started reading this series last month and this book was especially good because it explored the journey of one of the characters I liked a lot - Thom, apart from the other two main characters. It is a great series for anyone looking to read a new YA fantasy series.

〰️Beth〰️ wrote: "#3 finished DUFF- Designated Ugly Fat Fried. This explores the concept of how a word can change a person send take ownership. And find love. The ending was poor but otherwise a good high school ya."

Good pick, Beth. I remember reading this one and enjoying it.

#1 Aristophania by Xavier Dorison - 3/5 stars
A good book with a strong story but okay-ish characterisation.

#2 Hotel Dare by Terry Blas - 4/5 stars
A Mexican graphic novel with a really good and an adventurous plot. The characterisation was okay, but the story was very gripping.

Dagny wrote: "I've been thinking about this, Heena. Your mention of Wuthering Heights made me think of the possibility of Gothic novels. A lot of them are Gothic Horror, but Goodreads has a huge list of Gothic Romance too. I saw several of my past favorite authors listed including Victoria Holt. These are probably too old to easily find and too new to be in public domain."

Yes... gothic! I was trying the remember the word that day, but couldn't recall. I believe I love the gothic settings - they make everything very dramatic in a good way, and also very thrilling.

I loved the descriptions of the recommendations you gave, especially Armadale and Uncle Silas. I think I've found another really good genre to explore with your help! I'm thinking of abandoning my other planned reads to start with these books. I'll see how I can read these first.

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?
Also, where should I start with Victoria Holt books (I read the description of Slithering Sands and it sounded pretty good to me), but do tell which one of her books you like the best.

Carolyn wrote: "Not as many books in March, but still a couple of good ones.

16) Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
17) Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
18) [book:Small Great Thing..."

All these are very popular! I've watched Eat, Pray, Love movie and Thirteen Reasons Why Netflix series and enjoyed them both. How was The Book Thief? I've been meaning to read it for a while now.

Katie wrote: "I listened to four audiobooks in March, bringing my total up to 18:

15. Corned Beef and Casualties by Lynn Cahoon
16. Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell
17. [book:The ..."

Haha... I love the name of the first one in the list :D

Donna wrote: "1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (HB) 5/5
Wow, such an intense book! Starr is a young, black, teenaged girl who is the passenger in a car driven by a slightly older, black male ..."

It does sound very intense, Donna. Great pick!

Cheryl wrote: "2.) Copperhead, Vol. 2 (graphic novel)
3 stars. This is a Space Western series set on a mining planet andfeaturing a female sheriff. Lots of action."

I really liked this one. It was a shame that I wasn't able to find the next parts anywhere :( Do let me know how the rest of the series is if you decide to continue.

I will also be aiming for Level-5. Some of the books that I am planning to read for this challenge are:
- Aristophania by Xavier Dorison - Graphic Novel - EB
- Manga Classics: Macbeth by Crystal S. Chan - Graphic Novel - EB
- Aquaman & Justice League: Drowned Earth by Scott Snyder and Dan Abnett - Graphic Novel - EB
- Behind the Green Door by Mildred A. Wirt (recommended by Dagny) - YA - AB
- The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey YA- PB

Dagny wrote: "I hope not, Heena. That's the route I'm taking also, going right to the first audio book. From the synopsis at LibriVox, it looks like the majority of it takes place away from Penny's home so she may be the only one of the regular characters to play a major role."

I feel better knowing you're also reading them :) I hope the author incorporates enough background details related to the previous plot to make us feel comfortable with the 4th one.

Kelly wrote: "lol! I think I'm set to hit level 20 with this one. I do a lot of audiobooks to listen to at work. It's just easier because I find I don't have anywhere near enough time to just sit down and read a..."

Yeah, audiobooks are pretty handy that way.

Dagny wrote: "YA possibilities at LibriVox (also posted in April Genre Challenge):

Difficult finding Young Adult books (April Genre Challenge) at LibriVox since they don't have a category for it. Thinking of al..."

Thanks for sharing this list, Dagny! I wish LibriVox had the first three books in the Penny Parker series. Do you think it would make a lot of difference if I read the 4th book directly? I won't have enough time for an ebook, so audio is the only way I can read these.

Kelly wrote: "Hi! I'm Kelly. I followed Adelaide here and love the idea of all the challenges. I have so many books that I need to read that will suit many of the challenges. And having a challenge goal will giv..."

Hey, Kelly, welcome to RMFAO. You're at the right place! And I love how you put it - the extra sense of satisfaction, that is the main motivation challenges provide all of us with.
Looking forward to seeing you around!

So good to see everyone here was able to read quite a few books this month. Great going, guys :)

Now it's time for next month's challenge: April - YA or Graphic Novel: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

After having a great month of March, let's get ready to take on April!

Here's the link to the April - YA or Graphic Novel thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hello everyone,

April is just around the corner and so is one of the alternate genre month. 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:

Young Adult Young-adult fiction (often abbreviated as YA) is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 13 to 18.
Young-adult fiction, whether in the form of novels or short stories, has distinct attributes that distinguish it from the other age categories of fiction. The vast majority of YA stories portray an adolescent as the protagonist, rather than an adult or a child. The subject matter and story lines are typically consistent with the age and experience of the main character, but beyond that YA stories span the entire spectrum of fiction genres. The settings of YA stories are limited only by the imagination and skill of the author.
Themes in YA stories often focus on the challenges of youth, so much so that the entire age category is sometimes referred to as problem novels or coming of age novel. Writing styles of YA stories range widely, from the richness of literary style to the clarity and speed of the unobtrusive. Despite its unique characteristics, YA shares the fundamental elements of fiction with other stories: character, plot, setting, theme, and style.

Graphic Novel: A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format. The term is employed in a broad manner, encompassing non-fiction works and thematically linked short stories as well as fictional stories across a number of genres.
These can be Fiction or Non-Fiction.

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!

Belinda wrote: "Hello, I'm Belinda! I'm a mom of 4 girls, a wife to my high school sweetheart, and freelance hobby photographer. I love mystery, thriller, biography, some romance, young adult and a few more :) I l..."

Hey, Belinda, welcome to the group! I can relate with being able to read a lot at one time and not all other times. I started reading Audiobooks last year and now I'm hooked! As Dagny said, they are really very good for listening while doing other things (though it took me a while to get to that stage as I used to doze off or get distracted a lot in my initial days of exploring audiobooks.

Please have a look around and see if you like any of the reading challenges. They are fun and a bigtime motivation to read more and explore new genres.

#6 The Sicilian Woman's Daughter by Linda Lo Scuro - PB - 4/5

A very engaging read. Very insightful, compelling and a well-written book.

Dagny wrote: "Heena wrote: "Forgot to update here:
#3 That Affair Next Door by Anna Katherine Green - 5/5
Loved it. I really loved Amelia Butterworth and the story was really twisty."
I'm curren..."

Lol, yes! Her thoughts on men, in general, are pretty good too :D
I was planning to read the 2nd book in Miss Butterworth series for this month, but don't think it would be possible, though I'll try. Can't wait to get started!!

Thanks, I'll keep this series on my to-read list. I think I haven't explored the romance genre all too well. I have just read Nicholas Sparks books and a couple by Nora Robert and they all were pretty good, so whenever I read any other book that is closer to the romance genre, I compare it with those great books and find them average. If you know a good romance novel or two then do share. Even classic romances would help, though I hate Romeo and Juliet kind of stories. I love stories like Wuthering Heights so any recommendation along those lines would be very helpful!