Lisa - (Aussie Girl)’s Comments (group member since Sep 26, 2012)

Lisa - (Aussie Girl)’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Moderators of NBRC wrote: "Lisa - (Aussie Girl) wrote: "I'll volunteer for Team Ajax.

And can I use my BOM points for an extra entry, please."

Done - note that you have no more participation points now (the record is on t..."

Haha Yes, thank you. But I've got three more in the pipeline, bwahahahaha. Hopefully I'll be successful this time and be picked. 🤞

Emma (M) wrote: "Karolyn wrote: "Good point! And remember we can bank books for this challenge, so even if it was 3-4 weeks later we could still use it"

Since they’ve provided the Master List, maybe it’s worth not..."

That's a great idea, Emma.

I've got one for T16 - 112 pages. There is also a Vegas Wedding Banquet so that covers T17 as well.

I think I've got myself totally confused by the end. Is The Master ever actually called by his name by anyone? Or is always The Master. Makes me think of Dr Who 😂

DQ Day 5
24. The Master is Released -> 27. The Last of Flat No. 50

21) All's well that ends well for the Master and his Margarita! Or is that just another illusion created by Woland? So far at least, it seems like the two of them got what they want - or rather Margarita got what she wanted and the Master is forced to go along and we're of course hoping that it will all turn out for the best. How do you think their story is going to end?

Yes, it all seems to good to be true especially when considering who they are dealing with. I'm wondering if there is going to be a twist at the end.

22) I would not want to be part of the police force in those days, trying to clear up all those messes that the devil and his posse have created while they were playing in Moscow. Lots of people seem to be returning and they all want a padded cell "for their safety" - or would that be sanity? What are your predictions for all these people? Will Iwan realise that he is not actually mad? Will Rimski regain his composure? Will the signing bank personnel believe it was mass hypnosis and all go back to normal? It seems like there is just too much to cover it all up or make it all go away again, or not?
I think all will go back to normal and fade into people's memory. Is this what the author was aiming to convey to the readers? That really bad things happen and in a State such as this it's swept under the carpet and becomes business as usual for the population.

23) Why do you think Margarita is the only person we have encountered in this novel (so far) who seems to think that there was nothing particularly amiss with meeting Woland. She even took the supernatural element in stride. For her, there is nothing to worry and everything seems to be as it should be. What makes her special? Why is it that she is the only one not to question her sanity?
Is this representing the dissident voice or the opposite. The person who goes along with anything just to get along? Mmmm, it could be either.

24) The Jesus chapters seem to have come to an end - what do you think their relation is to the story line set in Moscow in light of what has happened in the chapters in Book 2? At first I thought there was more to them, but now I'm beginning to wonder if they aren't merely bits and pieces from the Master's novel thrown into the mix. What do you think their purpose is?

I have no idea. I'm happy to be enlightened by some other perceptive reader, LOL. On the surface it seems that it was Ivan's book he was writing but in a book known for it's satire and message it's probably deeper than that. Open to interpretation maybe?

25) Any predictions on the last craziness of the devil gang? What are they going to get up to now that they've set flat No. 50 on fire and have flown out the window?

Maybe fly off to create havoc somewhere else where the light needs to be shown on Hell on Earth?

Eldarwen wrote: "It's late here and I've read way too much of this book in a single day for my brain to still be functioning properly at this hour haha. Apologies if the questions seem odd :-)"

No worries, Eldarwen. The questions are all good but if they were odd that would fit right in with the craziness of this novel. 😍

DQ Day 4
Book 2: 19. Margarita -> 23. Satan's Rout

16) Margarita dreams of the Master coming to her and she believes he is either dead and coming for her or alive and wants her to remember him. Have you ever had a dream about a loved one or about something that eventually came true?

I have the occasional vivid dream but usually non sensical ones. Nothing like the ones in this book thankfully.

17) Margarita rubs the cream all over her and turns into a young witch who becomes invisible and flies through the air on a broom. Her first act is to go to the critics house and destroy him but since he is not there she destroys his house instead. Do you think she really would have killed him if he was home?
Yep, she was under the power of the cream. I'm with you Suzanne I was thinking pity you had to sell your soul to get that cream because otherwise I'd be in too! 🤣

18) This ball Woland hosts, what do you think it is meant to symbolize? Why are the women naked and what was the meaning of Margarita taking a few extra seconds with the woman who killed her baby?

Is it a Ball of all the people who end up in Hell for nefarious and evil deeds? Yes, I think she looked at that woman thinking her Hell wasn't of her making. As usual, a man got off scott free!!

19) Do you think Margarita will remain with Woland after this night? She seems to be in over her head and this reunion is not at all what she expected.

Doesn't she make a Faustian pact with the Devil so the Master can go free? I think I read that in my cheat sheet.

20) After reading Book 1 about the Master and a few chapters in Book 2, which are you enjoying more? Is one easier to read or understand than the other?

Yes, book 2 is more enjoyable as we follow Margarita's exploits. Also it was mentioned that the Master was writing a biography of Pontius Pilate so that may explain the link between the two timelines... maybe??

I'm reading which cover Minotaur tasks 2-5. At 711 pages just a bit short for task one unfortunately. Also one beheading, and I'm sure a few more tasks as I'm only a third of the way through.

I love a mini challenge! And the Mods have excelled with this one. Off to see what fits. Enjoy, everyone.

Lost Roses
Note - This is Book 2 - The Lilac Girls book 1 was a BOM quite a while ago, but it is not necessary to have read the first book .

Friendship - between three women with WWI looming!

The runaway bestseller Lilac Girls introduced the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. This sweeping new novel, set a generation earlier and also inspired by true events, features Caroline's mother, Eliza, and follows three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of World War I.

It is 1914 and the world has been on the brink of war so many times, many New Yorkers treat the subject with only passing interest. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanov's. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. Now Eliza embarks on the trip of a lifetime, home with Sofya to see the splendors of Russia. But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia's Imperial dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate. In need of domestic help, they hire the local fortuneteller's daughter, Varinka, unknowingly bringing intense danger into their household. On the other side of the Atlantic, Eliza is doing her part to help the White Russian families find safety as they escape the revolution. But when Sofya's letters suddenly stop coming she fears the worst for her best friend.

From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg to the avenues of Paris and the society of fallen Russian emigre's who live there, the lives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka will intersect in profound ways, taking readers on a breathtaking ride through a momentous time in history. (less)

Hyde

Hyde
by Craig Russell (Goodreads Author)
3.89 · Rating details · 739 ratings · 156 reviews
Edward Hyde has a strange gift-or a curse-he keeps secret from all but his physician. He experiences two realities, one real, the other a dreamworld state brought on by a neurological condition.

When murders in Victorian Edinburgh echo the ancient Celtic threefold death ritual, Captain Edward Hyde hunts for those responsible. In the process he becomes entangled in a web of Celticist occultism and dark scheming by powerful figures. The answers are there to be found, not just in the real world but in the sinister symbolism of Edward Hyde’s otherworld.

He must find the killer, or lose his mind.

A dark tale. One that inspires Hyde’s friend . . . Robert Louis Stevenson.

Started this a tad early because it's a long book.

Can I just say I'm enjoying it a lot more than The Master and Margarita, LOL.

DAY 3
11)
“Since antiquity, the rooster has been, and still is, a sacred animal in some cultures and deeply embedded within various religious belief systems and religious worship….
In the sixth century, Pope Gregory declared the rooster the emblem of Christianity and in 9TH century the figure of the rooster was ordered to be placed on every church steeple. Also in Central European folk tales, the devil is believed to flee at the first crowing of a rooster.” (Source : Wikipedia)

Maybe it is just me, but I think there is something deeply symbolic about the fact that in the seemingly atheistic society a man is saved from black magic/the devil by a bird that is strongly connected to Christianity and is part of people’s inherent belief/superstitions. Do you think this was intentional on the author ‘s part and if so what possible message was he trying to pass on?
I agree, most things in this book are intentional.. even though they are probably going over my head! Interesting fact about the cock crow, I'm thinking back to Sunday School now many moons ago... Wasn't there the prophecy that Peter would deny Jesus by the third cock crow thus sealing his fate? Hope I'm remembering that correctly. I like the point that someone made about the juxtaposition of a non religious State with all the Devil and his minions causing havoc there. I haven't picked up why he's actually there yet? Or maybe I've just missed it in all the chaos!

12) Connected to the question above: were there any superstitions you were brought up with or were told about by your family/friends?

Well, I still wouldn't walk under a ladder or step on pavement cracks..

13) While the plot mainly concentrates on the weird happenings in “modern” Moscow and only few chapters are devoted to Jerusalem, do you think any parallels can be drawn between the two cities or their people?
Isn't that the crux of the novel? But if anyone can explain to me the parallel please go ahead, LOL. I actually am enjoying the Jerusalem events more than the Russian ones especially because I am touring Israel, Egypt and Jordan later on this year.

14) One of the many memorable scenes was when people broke out in a “song and dance flashmob” despite their not wanting to (the evil workings of Korovyev, the “ex-choirmaster”, translator ad assistant of Woland). Have you ever participated in a flashmob or saw one performed in person? If not: have you ever been involved in a school play/choir/etc?
Not a flash mob, or choirs but performed in school plays and musicals back in the day.

15) We already agreed that it is quite difficult to make sense of this book. Have you ever read a book that had similar effect on you? (fascination/bewilderment/what-am-I-just-reading? :)

Maybe it's Russian literature but even though I love the BBC version of Anna Karenina the book was a struggle to get through.

Volunteering for DQ's Team Ajax.

I'll volunteer for Team Ajax.

And can I use my BOM points for an extra entry, please.

DQs Day 2
7. The Haunted Flat -> 13. Enter the Hero

6.) Berlioz kept having things disappear from his apartment. What would you of thought if stuff was randomly disappearing from your home? Blame it on the kids? Partner? Ghost? Thief? Do you think it's supposed to represent Stalin's infamous purges where people simply disappear?

I'd probably think I was losing it, LOL. Actually it's no joke as I'm getting older, I lose and find things all the time, put them away for safe keeping then forget where I put them. No ghosts, just me. Great thought about Stalin's purges, yes I think that's exactly the author's point.

7.) What do you think of Woland's posse of 3? Would you want to be a part of that group? Of the 3, do you have a favorite character?

They're horrible exactly what I imagine fiends from Hell would be like. No favourite, the cat really creeps me out!

8.) Thoughts on Stavinsky? Would you want him treating a family member? Considering this is the 1930's and it's a mental asylum, was it what you'd expect? Or more modern?
He's exactly what I would imagine Doctors in Asylums of this time would be like. Not much real treatment, pretty horrible time for mentally ill people.

9.) This section made me think about the housing/apartment situation in Stalin's Soviet Union. Maybe because I recently moved house, it made me grateful for the choices I have available about my living situation. Did this resonate at all with you? How so?

Can't really relate to this, only empathize for the terrible position these people are in.

10.) I still have like no idea what's going on really. I feel like I'm just going to keep reading and hope it either starts making sense or the book ends. How are you enjoying the book so far?

Yep, with you on this one. I find I spend a lot of the book trying to understand the parallels to the Soviet Union. And I've actually been thinking also about the Russia of today. Very scary parallels also. I can't say I'm enjoying it although I can acknowledge it's place in history.

Great going team.

I've found myself being sucked into the Maze as well. So I've read over my quota but it seems that's a good thing at the moment. Once the Mini starts I'll probably re-focus on that.

Book 1- Chapters 1 (Never talk to strangers) - 6 (Schizophrenia)

1) Poetry and literature. Religion. Philosophy. Deep topics, deftly handled by a mad, funny writer. What do you think so far? Are you fans of Homeless (Ivan) and Belioz and their pretentious academic discussions? Are you intrigued? Confused?

Total disclosure... I googled this book before we started including discussion notes so I'd have an idea what is going on! Not something I'd pick up usually but so far the absurdity is kind of making it interesting. And thanks for the input about Kant, Jenny. Adds to the understanding of what is going on.

2) So, you meet a stranger that that knows your name, and says that he just had breakfast with Immanuel Kant (who died over100 years ago), and was there to see Jesus, then tells you how you are going to die.
Did you know who the Professor (W, foreigner, stranger, consultant, etc.) is from the synopsis, or when did you start to realize who this character really is?

Yep, I've cheated (see above ) so knew who he was.

3) We move to Judea, in the story that the Professor is telling. Pilate and Yeshua discuss why he has been imprisoned. What did you think of their talk? Did the characters of Jesus and Pilate differ from how you imagined them? What do you think of the different philosophies of authority vs the kingdom of truth and justice, in the book or in life?
What do you think of Yeshua’s belief that all men are good?
(I Personally loved the comment of Yeshua that his disciple keeps recording his words wrong. Teehee)
Being a fly on the wall with the actual happenings is the best part of the book so far. And given who Yeshua is of course he's going to say all men are good.

4) Well, Ivan’s life just took a turn. A dead friend, levitating men, a giant cat, a dip in a river resulting in missing clothing. Ever had a day like this? Do you think you would have given chase?
Some crazy days but nothing like this thankfully. Is Ivan under some compulsion to chase after the NotHot Prof, he's probably been affected by some woo woo Devily powers?

5) I love the psychiatric hospital scene. It is so absurd. “Let him use the phone.” Teehee. I mean, poor Ivan. Do you think he will be there a while, or convince the doctor to let him go?

I think Ivan's probably there for the duration of the book. He may be the voice of actual reason that no one will believe.

Bonus question) Anyone familiar with Stalin’s Russia? How does what you know relate to the book so far? Does the fact that this book was written during Stalin’s Russia make a difference to how you are understanding the book?

Another Aussie here so as far away from Stalin's Russia as you can get for sure. So my only knowledge is from school many eons ago. Looking forward to getting the take of anyone here who has more experience in this whether by living in the area or has studied it more closely.

Great discussion ladies, taking a big breath and ready to start the questions. And my first LOL of the day and it's only 5.30 am here, "Not Hot Prof", only in this Group could you be reading Dino Island one month and The Master and Margarita in another, literally from the sublime to the ridiculous. 🤣🤣🤣 Or actually from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Jenny wrote: "I am loving this so far. I am trying to come up with day 1 questions, and so far I have narrowed it down to about thirty two.
I want to ask about everything!!!!!!

I will restrain myself, and hopef..."

Good one Jenny. I'm going to be relying on you to explain it to me..