Ramla Zareen’s Comments (group member since Sep 15, 2015)

Ramla Zareen’s comments from the Reader's Paradise group.

GENRE CHALLENGE

—Reading four genres in a single year!

Hi,
Just thought I'd revive the challenge with a few modifications :-)

For each quarter of the year, select one of the following genres:

1) Classic
2) Comedy
3) Contemporary Romance
4) Cozy Mystery
5) Crime Mystery Thriller
6) Dystopian
7) Fantasy
8) General Fiction
9) Golden-Age Mystery
10) Historical Romance
11) Historical Fiction
12) Horror
13) Literary Fiction
14) Middle Grade Fiction
15) Non-Fiction
16) Psychological Thriller
17) Romantic Suspense
18) Romantic Comedy
19) Science Fiction
20) Young Adult Fiction

...match it with one of the following specifications:

(a) containing a librarian as one of the characters and/or containing at least one scene in a library
(b) containing a chef as one of the characters and/or containing at least one scene in a restaurant
(c) containing a doctor as one of the characters and/or containing at least one scene in a hospital
(d) containing a lawyer as one of the characters and/or containing at least one scene in a courtroom
(e) containing an artist as one of the characters and/or containing at least one scene in an art gallery
(f) containing a psychic as one of the characters and/or containing at least one scene involving a paranormal incident
(g) containing at least one scene involving a book and a bookstore
(h) containing at least one scene involving a dog and a cat
(i) containing at least one scene involving a shipwreck and a treasure
(j) containing at least one scene involving a gun and a shopping mall
(k) containing at least one scene involving a lake and a boat
(l) containing at least one scene involving a beach and a vacation
(m) containing at least one scene involving a cake and a wedding
(n) set in a ship, aeroplane, or train
(o) set in three or more countries
(p) set any place where the climate is cold most of the year
(q) set any place where the climate is warm most of the year
(r) set in a big city
(s) set in a small town
(t) written in first person narrative
(u) written in third person narrative
(v) containing less than ten chapters
(w) containing more than ten chapters
(x) whose title consist of more than three words
(y) whose title consist of three or less words
(z) whose title consist of one word

...and read any book that belongs to the selected combination of genre and specification.

You can also do it the other way round. First read a book and then see if it fits any of the listed genres and specifications. If yes then you can include it in your template as a book you read for the challenge.

You can't repeat a genre or a specification during a particular year. Hence, the challenge will push you to read four different genres in a single year.

You can, however, use the same genres and/or specifications for the next year's challenge if you like. But not the same combination.

Here's an example to make things clearer:

Genre Challenge #1
Duration = 1st January 2022 to 31st December 2022
Progress = 3/4
Status = Incomplete

Quarter 1 (January to March): A Cozy Mystery containing a chef as one of the characters and/or containing at least one scene in a restaurant = Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy

Quarter 2 (April to June): A Romantic Suspense containing at least one scene involving a dog and a cat = She Can Hide by Melinda Leigh

Quarter 3 (July to September):

Quarter 4 (October to December): A Contemporary Romance containing a lawyer as one of the characters and/or containing at least one scene in a courtroom = Just the Sexiest Man Alive by Julie James

Genre Challenge #2
Duration = 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2023
Progress = 4/4
Status = Complete

Quarter 1: A Crime Mystery Thriller set in a small town = Don't Tell a Soul by D.K. Hood

Quarter 2: A Romantic Suspense containing a psychic as one of the characters and/or containing at least one scene involving a paranormal incident = Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham

Quarter 3: A Romantic Comedy whose title consist of three or less words = Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Quarter 4: A Golden-Age Mystery set in a ship, aeroplane, or train = Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Genre Challenge #3
Duration = 1st January 2024 to 31st December 2024
Progress = 3/4
Status = Ongoing

Quarter 1: A Crime Mystery Thriller set any place where the climate is warm most of the year = Glimpse of Death by Leslie Wolfe

Quarter 2: A Cozy Mystery whose title consist of three or less words = Death on Demand by Carolyn G. Hart

Quarter 3: A Romantic Suspense containing at least one scene involving a gun and a shopping mall = Survive the Night by Diana Duncan

Quarter 4:

Interested in participating? If yes then copy the blank template below, paste it into a new comment, and start your challenge!

Genre Challenge #
Duration = 1st January 20?? to 31st December 20??
Progress = 0/4
Status =

Quarter 1:

Quarter 2:

Quarter 3:

Quarter 4:

Wish you all the best & Happy Reading :-)

Thanks Hilary, I'll check it out :-)

Hi everyone, 

Hope all is well at your end :-)

I just wanted to add some more books:

1) What He Wants by Jessie Gussman

2) Her Backup Boyfriend by Ashlee Mallory

3) She Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Zeenat Mahal

I'd also like to mention my recently published book. Hope that's okay :-)

The book is titled:

The One for Me

It's a light-hearted, romantic fiction, set in modern-day Pakistan.

You can check it out if you like :-)

Thank you,
Ramla Zareen

Thanks Jarvis :-)

Hi all,

Hope you're fine :-)

I joined the group a few years ago, but its been a while since I was active here, so I thought it might be a good idea to re-introduce myself. This way I could perhaps catch up with old friends and get connected with the new members :-)

My name is Ramla Zareen, and I'm an avid reader of mystery and romance books, these days leaning more towards light-hearted contemporary romances. 

Some of my favourite romance authors include: Judith McNaught, Julie James, Robin Bielman, Jennifer Shirk, Kristan Higgens, Rachael Anderson, Ashley Mallory, Zeenat Mahal, Adite Banerjie, Sapna Bhog, Mahi Jay, Shilpa Suraj, Ruchi Vasudeva ...and the list goes on, lol. 

One great news at my end is that I'm now also a self-published author on Amazon!

My book is titled The One for Me

It's a light-hearted, romantic fiction, set in modern-day Pakistan.

I love connecting with fellow book-lovers, so please feel free to send me a friend request if you wish to :-)

Thank you!

Hi all,

Hope you're fine :-)

I just wanted to share that I recently published my first book: The One for Me on Amazon. It's a light-hearted, romantic fiction, set in modern-day Pakistan.

Until 15th March, 2019, I'm offering free copies to anyone who's interested in reading it.

It would be great if you could rate and/or review it on Amazon and/or Goodreads, but it's definitely not necessary. I'd just be happy for you to read the book and hopefully enjoy it :-)

If interested, please send me a private message or email me at ramlazareen@gmail.com and let me know which format you prefer: mobi, epub or PDF. I'll try my best to email you a copy within twenty-four hours of receiving your message/email.

Looking forward to hearing from you, thanks! :-)

Jenny wrote: "I'd recommend Colleen Hoover's books,though they aren't light reads since it includes lots of drama and emotional scenes,but they are great contemporary romance.There is also [book..."

Thanks for the recommendations, Jenny, you guessed right about Sophie Kinsella, she is already among my favourite authors ...but I am looking forward to checking out the books by the other authors you mentioned :-)

Arpit wrote: "Hey, Why don't you try books by Anuja Chauhan?
Chick-lit: check
Contemporary Romance: check
Romantic Comedy: check
Cleanliness: check
Although I haven't read any book by her, yet, ..."

Thanks for the recommendation, Arpit, will check out her books soon, especially the one you mentioned :-)

Shelby wrote: "These are some I have read,

[bookcover:Perfect Chemistry|426..."

Hi Shelby, I read some of the books in the Neighbor From Hell series and found them quite enjoyable despite the fact that they weren't as 'clean' as I could have wished. Will check out the other books you mentioned as well, thanks for the recommendations :-)

Hi, I have so many favourites that it's difficult to nominate only one! :-)

But anyway, I nominate Paradise by Judith McNaught. It's a Contemporary Romance book that I am always willing to re-read :-)

Thanks! :-)

I am a fan of happy endings in books and this is one of the reasons why two of my favourite genres are Cozy Mystery and light-hearted Romance :-) 

While reading a Mystery, I enjoy the mental stimulation that comes with trying to solve the Mystery along with the sleuth :-) 

But I don't crave strong excitement or deep contemplation while reading books. I get more than enough opportunities to ponder over serious issues in real-life and so when I get a chance to temporarily escape into the wonderful world of fiction, I prefer my reading experience to leave me feeling happy and relaxed :-)

With Mystery books, I like the resolution to be logically satisfactory and morally pleasing :-) 

In both Mystery and Romance books, even if some secondary positive characters must face sorrow, loss or death, for the right cause ...but it's my preference that the main positive characters in a book manage to achieve happily ever after :-) 

As far as the negative characters are concerned, well, if they are sincerely remorseful and there is no permanent damage done then they could be forgiven. But in my opinion, extremely offensive characters, like murderers, don't deserve happy endings. 

Basically, I prefer such stories that end on a positive note and convey the message that if people possess wonderful qualities like faith, optimism, courage, honesty, fidelity, loyalty, tolerance, decency, courtesy, compassion, forgiveness etc then they do eventually get blessed with happiness :-) 

This motivates me to incorporate such qualities in my own personality :-) 

Such endings may not always happen in real-life, however, here I would like to reiterate that as far as I am concerned, I actually do not wish that the books that I read greatly resemble reality, since to me, reading fiction is like going on a vacation to a wonderful world, which is preferably different from the real world, where I can just relax and unwind :-)  

Reading such books provide me immense happiness and a sense of deep comfort ...and afterwards, I am prepared to face the responsibilities of real-life with strengthened faith, renewed hope, rested mind and fresh enthusiasm :-) 

What is your favourite type of ending in books ...and why?

Luffy wrote: "I'm going to pitch in titles from my 2 year stint as a cozy mystery reader. Most - but not all - of these books are foodie related, but the secret ingredient is crime.:)

1. The first 5 books of th..."

Hi Luffy, you might be glad to know that the Flower Shop Mystery Series by Kate Collins and Domestic Diva Mystery Series by Krista Davis are already included among my favourites ...and I am looking forward to checking out the other series you mentioned. Thanks for the recommendations :-)

PinkieFairy wrote: "Psychic Eye Mysteries by Victoria Laurie"

Thanks for the recommendation, looking forward to checking out this series :-)

Hello everyone, the same friend shared the following lists as well:

Clean Romantic Comedies

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

Best Clean Non Religious Romance

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Clean Non Religious Cowboy/Western

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Clean/Secular/Non Religious Reads

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Hope you all find them useful, thanks! :-)

Hello everyone, a friend of mine told me about this list and I thought that it might be useful to share it here as well :-)

Clean Romance Contemporary

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

Happy Reading! :-) 

Hi, also wanted to share about some of my recent reads that met my requirements for 'reasonably clean' Contemporary Romances with humour:

--Kissing the Maid of Honor  by Robin Bielman.

--Married In Seattle  by Debbie Macomber.

--Just the Sexiest Man Alive   by Julie James.

--My One and Only   by Kristan Higgins.

--Fiancé by Fate   by Jennifer Shirk.

Also wanted to share about few Romantic Comedy books that I very much enjoyed and considered 'clean': 

--Twenties Girl   by Sophie Kinsella.

--Can You Keep a Secret?   by Sophie Kinsella.

In the end, I would like to mention another Contemporary Romance book which is not as 'clean' as I could have wished, yet it is still among my favourites:

--Paradise  by Judith McNaught. 

Hello everyone, these days I am in the mood for reasonably clean, witty, cute and light-hearted:

--Contemporary Romances

--Romantic Comedies 

--and Chick-Lits

I'd really appreciate it if you could please recommend some good books that meet these requirements.

Thank you :-)

Hello everyone, one of my favourite genres is Cozy Mystery and recommendations in this genre would be highly appreciated :-) 

Please make sure that the books meet most of the following requirements:

http://acozymurderisannounced.blogspo...

Thanks! :-) 

Moreover, I would also like to share about some of my favourite authors of Cozy Mystery:

1) Julie Hyzy 

--White House Chef Mystery Series



This series features Olivia (Ollie) Paras, White House assistant (later, executive) chef, in Washington DC. In my opinion, this is a wonderful Cozy Mystery Series. Mysteries are finely plotted with satisfying conclusions. Characters are interesting. Especially the protagonist comes across to me as a smart, caring and loyal person. The writing style is both refined and entertaining, with a desired amount of decent humour, and the language is clean. The romantic element is unsettled in the first few books in the series, but after that it is wonderful as the protagonist becomes happily involved with a steady partner who respects, appreciates and loves her.

2) Carolyn G. Hart 

--Death On Demand Mystery Series



This series features Annie Laurance, proprietor of the 'Death on Demand' book store, located in the fictional South Carolina island community of Broward's Rock. The mysteries are finely plotted, the writing is polished and entertaining ...and the romance part is also good as the protagonist is happily involved with a steady partner. The only drawback could be that the books contain a little profanity here and there, but in my opinion, not so much as to spoil the overall ambience.  

3) Jill Churchill 

--Jane Jeffry Mystery Series



4) Joanne Pence 

--Angie Amalfi Mystery Series



5) Kate Collins  



--Flower Shop Mystery Series

6) Jenn McKinlay 

--Cupcake Bakery Mystery Series



7) Krista Davis 

--Domestic Diva Mystery Series



8) Leslie Caine 

--Domestic Bliss Mystery Series



9) Denise Swanson 

--Scumble River Mystery Series



Hope you enjoy these books when you get a chance to read them, thanks! :-)

Welcome to all the new members who joined the group after I last commented in this discussion thread :-)