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

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

B. R. wrote: "Paper Girls, Vol. 2
It's by the same author as the Saga, Vol. 1 series (which you should definitely check out).
Paper Girls contains the following:
~Adolescent you..."

Wow, Julia, it sounds really unique and amazing! I'm adding it to my tbr list. Thanks for the rec! :)

Mark wrote: "I just got this novel from my daughter, who prefers Fangirl to this book. She said that is a so-so book, but glad to lend it to me, will probably read it this weekend."

Yes, Mark, Fangirl is way better than this one!

Carla - I like her, but I feel that she let Maddy meet Olly a bit too soon. I mean had Maddy been in "love" with Olly for over a month or something and had been really suffering to meet him or something like that, then it would felt justified that Carla would let Olly in for Maddy's safe, but she does it only 2 (3? 4?) days after Maddy even sees him. It was too soon for it to feel justified, hence I don't think she is a very good nurse because she knows, very well in fact, what is at stake.
Also, why is she okay with Maddy falling in love with Olly (and I felt like she was even encouraging it)? In Maddy's condition wouldn't it had been better if she did not fall in love with anyone (at least not this soon.) To be honest, I don't even feel like Maddy even loves Olly, she's just infatuated by and is curious about him.

Cheryl - I'm glad to know that some things are explained further in the story, makes me feel less sceptical.

And I agree with both Cheryl and Dagny, why no scrubs, shoe covers, etc. Sounds immature, to be honest. I understand it's a YA, but I still feel that downplaying the sickness is like saying "oh, so what if I have SCID (or any other serious disease) but what the hell, I have a crush on this guy and he's really awesome so let's talk about him" - or at least so far it feels like it.

The thing is have read The Fault In Our Stars and that book is also based on a disease and is a YA and it was pretty awesome. I don't remember specific details and stuff, but I do remember that I loved that book through and through. The illness did not feel fake, and that I guess is what is missing from this book. It just seems too made up. I'm actually now dreading picking it up again and reading it.
Maybe my main problem is that Maddy is unrealistically positive about her situation. I understand that she might have got used to her condition by now, but still, does she never feel like she simply doesn't want to be ill? Or that she wants to go out. She doesn't even get mood swings, for god's sake! How is that even possible!? I am not ill, but I get a 1000 mood swings some days, but Maddy is all sunshine and rainbows all the time, and she is a TEENAGER, guys! Come on!!

#RantOver - LOL

Though I do love the way the book has small random-but-related doodles all over.

Sorry for the typos and mistakes. I'm typing from my phone and it has a mind of its own.

Guess I'm late to the party...
I agree with both of you, it's a very quick read. I started yesterday and already done with 100 pages.
I like the book so far, but somehow I am finding it difficult to digest the fact that the book is entirely revolving around Olly. Also, the medical condition - SCID, is shown in a very, very light way and, even though I'm liking the story, for some reason I'm not able to feel a connection tot he plot. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that Maddy's medical condition comes across a bit fake and a bit too convenient for the plot. I guess I have mixed feelings.Maybe the book gets better further.
Cheryl - I now understand what you told me about the book and the wholr medical thing.

Also, what is it with everything being white? Are colors also a threat to Maddy? It's very strange that for apparantly no reason everything in Maddy's home is white.

Also, the tropical forat thing seemed too... well... let's just sah I was rolling my eyes a LOT when Madd th first descrived the whole tropical theme going on in the sun room.

I guesz if the author would have shown Madd u and her mom struggling, at least a little bit with her treatments and everything, then it would have at least felt somewhat real. It all seems too artificial. Even Maddy's optimism is way too artificial.

God, the more I'm sharing my thoughts, the more I'm realizing that I'm not liking this book. Lol. Let's see what happens next.

1. Dragon God - 1/5 - DNF

A huge disappointment. The story was kind of Game Of Thrones in Harry Potter universe with elements of LOTR - imagine the main cast of GOT going to Hogwarts and meeting dragons there along with characters in LOTR.
The narration of the audiobook felt outright weird as it was done poorly.
Honestly, I am really, really disappointed as I was really looking forward to reading it :(

Dagny wrote: "Oh, Heena, you are going to read this soooo much faster than I read the book which was over 1,000 pages. Great story!"

1000 pages long!? I'm very glad now that I have the manga one otherwise it would have been a very lengthy read.

I've been waiting for this month quite eagerly! I'm not a huge fan of YA, but I really like this genre as it serves as a brilliant break from other genres I read throughout the year (mostly thrillers.)
I have the following YA books that I want to read this month:
1. Dragon God - AB
2. Looking for Dei - EB
3. The Bone Witch - EB
4. Everything, Everything - PB

Graphic novels are one of my favorites and I'm going to use my 'auto-approved' status for Udon Entertainment, to read all their available Manga Classics. Some of the GNs I'm going to read this month are:
1. Manga Classics: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
2. Manga Classics: Romeo and Juliet
3. Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo
4. Manga Classics: Les Misérables
5. Manga Classics: The Jungle Book
6. The Lost Path
7. Little Moments of Love

All EB - PDFs

Aayush Kamath wrote: "The hunger games series can be counted as YA novels, right? Because that is what i am currently reading."

Yes, Hunger Games series is YA, but you need to read this series in April to count it for that month. If you've only just started, then it can be counted as well as the month is almost here.

Happy Reading!!

Shashank wrote: "True. I got a copy fortunately from one of my libraries. At some places, there are dialogues as well. It gives the look of a script. "

I'm really looking forward to reading this one!

Here's the thread for the month of April'18: Young Adult Or Graphic Novels - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Attention Everyone

Here's the thread for the month of April'18: Young Adult Or Graphic Novels - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

5) Hiding - 4/5

A really engaging read. I loved it!

Hello everyone,

April is here(!) and so is one of the 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. Please pick one genre and announce in the comments below or if you really want to, then feel free to pick both and read two genres for this month! It's completely your choice.

Here 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 Novels: 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.
Please Note: For Graphic Novels, you can go for any genre, all that matters is that it should be a graphic novel. And even illustrated novels here are counted as Graphic Novels.

-->>Please Note: 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.

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: Hardback
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.

Note: 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.
Happy reading!

Dagny wrote: "Yea, just got Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult which Donna recommended! Hopefully I'll be able to start tomorrow and finish it before the month is out."

I'd wanted to read that one for a while now! Do let me know how it was when you're finished.

Dagny wrote: "And it's free at Project Gutenberg and surely it's on audio at LibriVox if that works for you. "

Yes... I'll listen to the audiobook! And while I'm at it I will also finish Scarlet Letter (the one whose audio files you sent me via email.)

Cheryl wrote: "It's a good story, Heena. You might give it a try in May for the Classics Challenge."

That is a great idea! I am goign to do just that!! I'm gonna make a note of it so that I won't forget. Thanks :)

7) Manga Classics: Jane Eyre - 5/5

The only Manga Classic I've read so far that made me want to read the original classic.

4) Manga Classics: Jane Eyre - 5/5

The only Manga Classic I've read so far that made me want to read the original classic.