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

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

My first for the month: The Shadow Over Innsmouth - 5/5

Thanks a lot, Cheryl for recommending this to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it - it was equal parts amazing and equal parts creepy.

Dagny wrote: "Heena wrote: "Can anyone please suggest me a Classic that has any of these elements:
- Haunted house (or any other place of living)
- Possessed person (really creepy and weird)
- Town conspiracies ..."

Thanks, Dagny. I'll be reading this one too now. Appreciate it!

Cheryl wrote: "Heena wrote: "Can anyone please suggest me a Classic that has any of these elements:- Town conspiracies (like in a hor..."
The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft. You can read it free onli..."

Thanks a lot, Cheryl. I've been meaning to read H.P. Lovecraft's books from a long time and this one seems perfect. :)

Also, thanks for the second recommendation. I'll be reading both these books this month and the fact that they are novellas helps a lot!
Thanks a ton!!

Cheryl wrote: "This isn't even an original idea! Back in the 1960s, the original series of Star Trek had an episode called The Squire of Gothos. In it, the young alien lured the starship to a planet so he could "..."

What!? Really? Well, after reading 800 pages of a book that was not even an original idea... I seriously have no words... :(

Can anyone please suggest me a Classic that has any of these elements:
- Haunted house (or any other place of living)
- Possessed person (really creepy and weird)
- Town conspiracies (like in a horror or thriller sense)
- Ritual killings and sacrifices

I need to do a lot of research for my own novel, hence I need books on these themes.
Special shoutout to Dagny and Cheryl :)

Hello everyone,

May is almost here and so is a month that gives us two options for reading. For this month we have two genre options to choose from as they are quite closely related. Please pick 1 genre and announce in the comments below. Or if you really want to, then 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 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!

I'm reading a YA for this month: by Kathleen Glasgow.
This si a beautifully terrifying book about inner demons and mental illness (self-harm, addiction, abuse, etc.) and it seriously does not feel like a YA book.
So if anyone here wants to read a nice, yet a bit dark story, do check out this book. It's a beautiful, beautiful book.

Dagny wrote: "I read three poems by Langston Hughes which were included in one of the collections. I'd like to share this one.
Mother to Son
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
I..."

Thank you for sharing this poem, Dagny. It felt so good to read it (I've hardly ever read any poems.)

Welcome to RMFAO, Harshad.

Happy reading!

I'm DONE... D.O.N.E. and as for the mystery of the dome, I have only 3 words to say - What The Heck?!

I feel so, so, so deflated right now. I was rooting for a couple of characters (that rooting started around 300 something page number) and then it all came down to aliens (oh no, leatherheads) thinking they were toys!!?? What the... I have no words...
I'm just so glad that Vishal was out of town for 2 days and I was able to complete this book in effing 3 days (just IMAGINE!!) Otherwise I would have wasted an entire month on this book.
So glad that it is over.

@Dagny - That's putting it mildly. Lol.

i'm almost at page 700 and I don't like where the book is heading

@Dagny - I'll let you known if I'll come across some interesting title. ☺
Being able to check a book's availability online is very cool and convenient.

I'm on page 220, and a while back (around 70 or pages so ago) I came across the passage where Rev Perry and Coggins descriptions were given and there I have a rare moment of Deja Vu - it was quite similar to the build up scene (that ended up in a church fight) in Needful Things.
I wonder if it'll end up the same way here. Let's hope not.

Dagny wrote: "Thanks for letting me off the hook, Heena. I wouldn't have wanted to drop out since I voted for it because I hate it also when people vote for something and then don't show up.
Stephen King's books have been all over the place for me. I really enjoyed his early books and Salem's Lot remains a favorite of mine to this day. Then for years I didn't read his books after being stung by a few dreadful (to me) ones. It was 11/23/63 that brought me back to him and then Duma Key which you recommended to me. "

No worries, Dagny. I would never want you to read a book that you don't like because of me. :)

As I said, I'm just reading it just because I don't want to read it later on (does that even make sense.) Anyway, the mystery of Dome is starting to really nag me. So I'll just try and get it over with as soon as I can.

And I understand what you mean. I've noticed a lot of reviewers complaining the same thing about King's "bad writing phase." And I'm so glad you liked Duma Key. It was one hell of a book!
In case if you want to read The Stand anytime this year, do let me know. I have that and I'm planning to read it in the coming months.
Otherwise, I'll just dig up a book similar to Readers Of Broken Wheel Recommend for a nice buddy read later this year. What do you say? If you have any book(s) in mind, then please share.

Gorgonine wrote: "Hi there. My name is Varsha. I'm working on a second degree ( don't ask) and my preferred state of existence is reading. I am particularly fond of scifi/fantasy and romance, but there really isn't ..."

Hello, Varsha. Welcome to the group!
We have a classics professor here - Dagny. Please consult with her and I'm sure you'll find the perfect books for you. Oh, and don't forget the Classics Catchup Challenge. It'll be perfect for you. Here's the link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... :)
Happy reading!

@Dagny - I want to stop, but not sure I should or not... it'll jus sit on my shelf unread if I do. Uggghhh... what should I do?? What really scares me is leaving it now and then having to re-read the first 100 pages again if I decide to read it later on. At least now I've completed the first 100 pages, might as well finish the book and get it over with.
You're lucky you got it from the library. I never thought about not liking the book so I bought it for thrice the normal price (my wallet is crying right now!)
I'd suggest you stop it as you can read so many other good books instead of this one. I'll just try to finish it as soon as I can (even if I have to skim over parts.) Plus, now I really want to know what is the deal with the dome and how the book ends.

@Cheryl - Yeah. They did it for Boy's Life too. I hate it when everyone votes and then go MIA. Anyway, I guess I've read too much to abandon the book so I'll just plow on and find out the mystery of the dome (I'm getting more and more curious by the day.)
And thanks for all these awesome recs. I've read Full Dark No Stars (and loved it!) so I'll try and see if I can get any of the others. Thanks a lot for the list and the idea!

Ugh... I wish we had Stand for the Buddy Read (I did vote for both this and Stand), but alas...
I just started reading (on page 20) and can clearly see the TV series running in my head. I shouldn't have watched it at all.

I agree, there's no one I like yet. In TV series, I was kind of rooting for Angie, but she rarely appeared in the first season and it was mostly because of Britt Robertson.

I just hope this won't turn out to be a dud, as it is one hell of a lengthy book.

Here's the link to the main Buddy Read discussion thread for Under The Dome by Stephen King: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hello,

In December & January, we all voted for Stephen King's books to have a Buddy Read in April 2017 and the winner was - Under The Dome

This is the Buddy Read discussion board for Under The Dome by Stephen King.

Anyone can participate and join us at any time throughout April 2017.

There's no set schedule for reading this book as having a pre-determined schedule always creates problems. So everyone is free to read the book as per their convenience. I'd just like to request everyone to not post spoilers or any mentions of deaths (as is quite common in King's books) because Under The Dome is a BIG book and I'm sure you wouldn't want to ruin it for others.

In case you happen to post a review of this book, then don't hesitate to share your links here. We all love reading reviews as much as we love recommending and discussing books.

Happy Reading!!!