The Master and Margarita | 
For day 1 of the #wintergamesphotochallenge I‘ve got this absolutely beautiful red cover of the master and margarita! I love penguin clothbound classics so much tho I can never quite justify buying copies of books I already own 😬
#wintergames @Clwojick @StayCurious
so-soFirst chapter - Excellent, felt energised, ready to dive into what felt like a fun book.
Chapters 2-39 - Realised I understood less than 3% of this book. Slogged through.
Epilogue - Felt as fun as chapter one, just a shame the wrap up was on something I didn't understand.
I feel bad for all cats hindered by this novel.
Two stars - shame on me.
Just purchased this baby….I had the tagged edition but It doesn‘t have footnotes like this one….and let‘s face it, this is to die for….French flaps and deckled edges. I‘ll give the other edition to the library after I finish the book. It will be nice to compare the two. My buddy read partner has the same one. Wish me luck. I‘m such a slow reader and I think this is going to take me forever.
pickI had a lot of fun with the pace, energy, chaos and surreal humour in The Master and Margarita. I felt I missed some of the allegory and references through my lack of knowledge of Bulgakov and his experience in the Soviet Union, but this depth also makes reading about the novel very rewarding. 7/10
pickI read this book 10 years ago and I didn't like it. I think I was not mature enough. Now I thought I should read again and I liked it so much more!
🐈⬛🐈⬛🐈⬛
Went to Barnes and Noble and used my gift cards today. I went specifically for the T. Kingfisher and Emily Wilde book and was pleasantly surprised to find the tagged book on a display front and center when you walk in and I've been curious about it, so I had to get it. I've been meaning to read The Golem and the Jinni for years and now I have the sequel so I have to read them. 😂
I know this is old but I just discovered it and I‘m doing it!
1. Tagged! M & M is fantasy and satirical allegory.
2. Paranormal horror, post-apocalyptic, and dark comedy. Does this already exist?
3. Splatterpunk self-help. I don‘t think this is really doable . . . 😂
#IHaveQuestions
Here is a picture of all the official books we are reading for the podcast. Bordering on too much really.
pickInitially, I thought I loved The Master and Margarita. Upon further reflection I realized I loved that I finished The Master and Margarita and at least sort of understood it. It‘s a complicated work of capital-l literature and I finished it. The best bits were the satire and the fantastical plot. It is worth reading for the dark silliness.
pickI loved this classic novel from 1930s Soviet Russia. The Devil comes to Moscow & we follow his mischief & the lives of the literati & theatre managers whose lives are upended as well as a philosopher & his mistress. It‘s fun, absurd & satirical but also says much about living in a dictatorship & the impact of religion.
pickThis book took me FOREVER to finish. I‘m not sure what one thing it was—I felt like it had small text, long unusual names, lots of characters, I kept falling asleep & it felt disconnected. You might ask, why a pick then? It was a unique story that came together well in the end & one that will stick with me a while. A story of love, evil & the good in evil. Chaos & finding peace. Loved this line that the moon rules. Rings true in my house.
pickRussia best beware. Woland and Behemoth may decide to make a return trip. A frenetic satire about the oppression and stupidity inherent in life under repressive regimes. A little gory, darkly funny, and completely crazy.
On layover coming home after my grandma‘s funeral and contemplating Jesus.
Stuck on a train being held at the station before the one I‘m trying to get to for an unspecified length of time 😨
Grateful to have the master and margarita for company
Excited for another month of #bookspinbingo - hoping having one ticked off already helps me with getting lines completed this month. First up now is my reread of the master and margarita - one of my absolute all time favourites which I‘m loving rereading 🥰
@TheAromaofBooks
Spontaneous lunch out to celebrate an excellent performance review at work. I keep walking past this little independent bakery and decided today was the day to go in!
I started my reread of the master and margarita on audio today and I‘m enjoying listening while I eat.
#ProfessionalBookNerdChallenge
Day 3: I had to put this down last year. Not because I found the book bad, but because 2021 stole my “thinky” book mojo. I really struggled to think deeply. I hope to try again soon!
pickI am voting this one of my favorite classics of all time, and only after the first read, at that! Bulgakov‘s novel, published posthumously and written completely in nail-biting secrecy under Stalin‘s regime, is Russian tragicomedy at its finest with a massive helping of magical realism. Plot: Satan and his diabolical retinue pay a visit to 1930s Moscow…to read the ensuing events therein is one tremendous literary treat.
pickHoly cow! I have FINALLY finished this wonderful book ❤️ I loved it exactly as much as I thought I would. Will certainly have this in my reread pile.
Fair warning for ADHD humans- personally, I was very distracted by all the “minor” characters (they were all important for the world/story build) a la ASOIAF but with no index. That‘s why it took me so long to finish. Also with minimal church/bible knowledge.
5🌟
pickFinally read this book! Such a wild ride! There‘s a lot that goes on in this book to say the least. It really has something for everyone; there‘s comedy, tragedy, philosophy, etc. Really just a blast to read as well. Did a more in-depth review on my booktube channel which can be found at:
https://youtu.be/M0Zl8VQ02S4
Anyway, this book was fun but also profound in many ways. Would definitely recommend. 🙂👍
A searing hot day, a pain in your chest, a stranger who speaks your language…and the most interesting conversation of your life!
pickI loved this masterpiece of magical realism, satire and dark humour.
Stalinist and officially atheist Moscow is visited by Satan disguised as a mysterious magician whose exquisite suit ignites a disaster targeting the city's sinful literary elite. The Master, potentially an alter ego of the author, the writer of a monumental novel, finds resolution for a fulfilling life alongside his lover Margarita in the devil's five dimensional world.
bailedDNF at page 110.
This is well-done, but it's simply not my thing. It's clever, witty, and absurd. However, I simply couldn't care less what happens to any of the characters, and the humor simply isn't enough to keep me going.
Absolutely loving this cover. It‘s not pretty but it compels me. #amreading #coverart
I‘m so angry!! I just tried to read my review (from 2016) on Goodreads for the tagged book and it‘s gone!! I can‘t find a copy anywhere else. It was one of those that I worked hard on and was particularly proud of, and I don‘t remember a word of it now! 😭 To add insult to injury, the comments are still there, complimenting me on a “great review, so insightful and entertaining.” Well, I will definitely be writing future reviews in Google Docs. 🤬
pickThe Master and Margarita is a novel by Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov, written in 1928–40 and published in a censored form in the Soviet Union in 1966–67. The unexpurgated version was published there in 1973. Witty and ribald, the novel is at the same time a penetrating philosophical work that wrestles with profound and eternal problems of good and evil. It is considered a 20th-century masterpiece.
Dropped off 39 books and other stuff at the thrift shop. Did I leave empty-handed? Nope 😂.
And even though I have two other translations/editions of The Master and Margarita, couldn‘t resist this Penguin Classics Deluxe edition 😍. Now I just need to read one of them 🙊!
#LMPBC Round 11 - #GroupS
@suvata @HOTPock3tt @sprainedbrain @Bits
Here are a few I‘ve been thinking about for our group. Thoughts?
„You pronounced your words as if you don‘t acknowledge the shadows, or the evil either. Would you be so kind as to give a little thought to the question of what your good would be doing if evil did not exist, and how the earth would look if the shadows were to disappear from it?”
#BookShelfBook2021 Russia
I‘ve been reading at a faster pace lately than in all of 2020 🤯
pickThis was definitely an interesting story filled with elements that were slightly absurd and entertaining. There's definitely social commentary about Soviet Russia as well as the fantastic. I may be biased but I appreciate a book with a good cat character in it so this was definitely a good one in my eyes. This was also my #BookSpin #DoubleSpin for the month @TheAromaofBooks
#BuriedAliveChallenge
I paused my reading for a bit because I was finding it funny how everyone kept saying the cat was “so classy” only to find out the stand was hiding a reading buddy that came to join me. Idk if I‘d call Sierra a classy cat but it‘s a good day when she deigns to sit with me.
#CatsOfLitsy
I‘m trying out using a tablet stand to help me hold up my books and it seems to be working so far. I‘ve been using the thumb ring page holder but on bigger trade editions they‘re not as successful because the weight of the book is still an issue.
#BookReport
I didn‘t finish anything at all this week so even though I‘ve made a dent in the two books I‘ve started it feels like I haven‘t accomplished anything. Bookly says both books are being read at half of my normal pace but the writing is a bit more dense than I‘m used to I guess.
#WeeklyForecast
My goal is to finish the tagged and get to at least 75% of The Terror
I‘m trying to catch up with the schedule I made in order to finish the three books I want completed by the end of the year. Callie is offering me support while I read the tagged since it‘s the closest to being on schedule. Sorry The Terror you‘re falling even more behind because I want an easy win today. #CatsOfLitsy
#BookReport
Managed to finish two books this week and enjoyed them both. They each ticked off a box for challenges I'm participating in which is nice.
#WeeklyForecast
My goal for the week is to finish at least one of either The Terror or Master and Margarita. Should I finish them I'll head into Prince of Thorns which will conclude all my challenge commitments for the month.
"What would the earth look like if all the shadows disappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is the shadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings. Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just because of your fantasy of enjoying naked light? You're stupid."
#bannedbooksweek #bannedbooks
Day Four:
This book was banned in the 1940's by Stalin himself because of the political views the author expressed through the book. This has always been one of my favorite works of Russian literature and really just literature in general, because who doesn't love a character who is a talking cat that's fond of chess and vodka? 😂🤣
#3books with animals on the cover
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620
🐈 Il maestro e Margherita (The Master and Margarita) by Bulgakov
🐖 La fattoria degli animali (Animal Farm) by George Orwell
🐦 Il buio oltre la siepe (To Kill a Mockingbird) by Harper Lee
The tongue may hide the truth but the eyes- never!
#wisdom #catsandbooks #bulgakov #therewillbebooks
