Insiyah’s Comments (group member since Apr 12, 2022)

Insiyah’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Insiyah's DQs for Points

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 & 6

Day 5 DQs

21) I think their story does end well for them. The whole reason Margarita goes through Satan's ball is so that Woland will give her the master, and for all that he is a trickster/Satan, he doesn't strike me as a deal breaker.

22) I'm not sure what I expected, but I enjoyed the somewhat unstable ending for sure. And humans can be very, very determined to find or ascribe logical, sensible answers where there is no sense to be found, so everything will be logic-d together and tied a with a neat bow.

23) For one thing, she has an imagination that is not limited by societal standards (like Ivan Homeless who is limited by the box of literary achievements). Margarita's desperation to be with the master again and her sadness at his disappearance also lead her to be willing to do anything to get him back. And I'm sure the cream Azazello gave her helped, since she all but gets high when she uses it.

24) Another bit of magical realism that make some sense when you reach the ending. Note: some sense. This book in general does not make a large amount of sense.

25) I reached the end already, so I can't exactly say because I already know the series of events.


Day 6 DQs

26) A form of pity, maybe? Or maybe this is just one storyline, one version of the devil that we read about. The devil is said to be everywhere; so if he can be in multiple places at once, what's to stop him from causing a lot more chaos at the same time?

27) Commentary on Stalin's Russia and the people, a critique of the highly influential but close minded literary organisations of the time, a critique of the disavowal of religion at the time, and to poke fun at himself - the master is clearly autobiographical.

28) A sense of balance - to truly convert people to evil, they need to know what they're leaving first.

29) Maybe in this book, peace is allegorical to limbo/a midpoint between heaven and hell, or some less fiery version of hell where the master and Margarita will be able to live quiet, if not satisfactory (after)lives.

30). I'm rating it 4 stars. It was a brilliant book to read, and I was inappropriately giggling a lot. I do, however, need a paperback copy of this that I can highlight and mark up and scribble in.

Insiyah's Post for BOM Credit

Day 1 DQs
Day 2 DQs
Day 3 DQs
Day 4 and 5 DQs

DQs Day 4 and 5

16. I think it was a form of protection. No matter the rose covered glasses, Norse myths are brutal. I think that forgetting her previous lives was a subconscious attempt to live a new life and not repeat the actions of her past that led to a death like being burnt alive.

17. I think that prophecies are given way too much attention. Just because a certain thing is foreseen doesn't mean that there aren't a million paths, a million choices to that point. Knowing the future is its own burden, and the determination to stop that future from happening is often what leads to that future coming true in the most brutal possible way. And I think Angrboda knew that. So she tried to do what she could to protect the one she didn't see the future of.

18. I don't know if I really believe Loki killing Baldur for Hel. Or at least that's not the main reason. Loki is the one who so desperately wants attention from these specific people that he is willing to do anything, reach any height possible to get there. And because Angrboda and her children are not part of the people he wants attention and glory from, he feels confident in discarding them whenever. As far as the boys go, he called them monsters. He called all his children monsters. How do you love innocents and still call them monsters?

19. I'm not surprised she wants to go down fighting; it seems like a fitting end for a fierce warrior such as Skadi. Still wondering why she chose to get married though.

20. Since I read ahead, I already know. So shhh!

21. Boda and Skadi getting together was condensed too much. The ending was too 'new world'. People are not that simple. Also, Baldur going away does not sit right with me.

22. I did not enjoy reading this book as much as I thought I would, sadly. I can't pinpoint why, it's just not my preferred choice of genre.

23. Skadi as a badass independent women resonated with me. While the overarching theme of mother's love was beyond fascinating, I couldn't connect with any of the choices that Angrboda was making, so it became a bit of a void.

24. Skadi. I'm a sucker for BAMF women.

25. I think my favourite part was Boda's travels. Leaving home to explore the world makes a lot of sense to me as I'm making that choice myself.

I need to finish The Master and Margarita 😬 I'm loving the book, but it needs concentration, and I can't seem to work up any lately.

DQs Day 3

11. I'm somewhat of a fan of Norse mythology, but the first time I read them, I was stunned by the level of violence in them. Somehow Greek, Roman, Egyptian and even Hindu mythology doesn't come across as so brutal. I'm a little frustruated by the incorporation of it in the book however, because as someone unfamiliar with the myths, I sometimes had to read up on the myth to actually understand what was going on.

12. I think as a mother, she was right to protect them from the cruelty of the world. But at the same time, the world wasn't going to align with this simply because Angrboda said so. In the end, she didn't really have the time to make them feel confident in themselves before they were taken away from her, and anyways, what they would be subjected to would be enough to break their spirits.

13. I was a little stunned, but also unsurprised at Loki's betrayal and the other gods' actions. One thing Norse myths are consistent about is the gods' constant need to get their own way. And Loki was always too desperate to be accepted amongst them; enough that he would betray his own family.

14. One-off until she learns how to control it. Then it's within her power, hands down.

15. I think it's a friend. No spoilers after :)

Welcome to the team, Kat and Carrie! I'm Insiyah, one of the co-captains. Feel free to ask if you're confused about anything :)

DQs Day 4

16) I can't say that I've ever had a prophetic dream.

17) I think she would have happily killed the critic, but since he wasn't home and she wrecked his house, she probably had more fun with that in the end.

18) I think it's meant to symbolise the nature of Russian society. Though the socialist regime seemingly valued equality and the good of everyone, in reality people were more selfish, more vain, more greedy than ever. No idea why the women were naked - maybe as an expression of breaks from societal norms?

19) I think she will. She wants to get the Master, and she recognizes that Woland will give him back to her.

20) Book 2. It's so much more chaotic, which is precisely why I like it so much, because so much happens!

Audrey Jane wrote: "I had a team building event yesterday. We went to the seaside and got on a speedboat (think zodiac) which was awesome :) The weather was really warm though and there was no AC on the packed train :..."

You don't usually need ACs in Europe because the weather doesn't reach the point where you need one (for the most part). The air itself is hot and humid, and the dust gets bad when the windows are open for any length of time. On the other hand, I've never needed my jacket in winter months - it's been hanging in my closet for four years now simply collecting dust.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger



A funny, often poignant tale of boy meets girl with a twist: what if one of them couldn't stop slipping in and out of time? Highly original and imaginative, this debut novel raises questions about life, love, and the effects of time on relationships.

Audrey Niffenegger’s innovative debut, The Time Traveler’s Wife, is the story of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry is one of the first people diagnosed with Chrono-Displacement Disorder: periodically his genetic clock resets and he finds himself misplaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity in his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

The Time Traveler’s Wife depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare’s marriage and their passionate love for each other as the story unfolds from both points of view. Clare and Henry attempt to live normal lives, pursuing familiar goals—steady jobs, good friends, children of their own. All of this is threatened by something they can neither prevent nor control, making their story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

Sophie wrote: "Ok so UK hot is dramatically different from the temperatures you are all talking about! We've had 1 day at 86 so far this summer. I don't understand how you manage to work and function when it stay..."

Amy the book-bat wrote: "I'm not built for hot temperatures... 122 would probably kill me! The heat index has been 100-110 this week... I'm afraid to think what it would..."

When it gets this hot we go from home to car to indoor space with AC. You can't live without ACs here. Outdoor spaces only after sunset, or get out of the sun as quickly as you can.

Amy the book-bat wrote: "I used to live in Savannah, GA and it was unbearably hot in the summer. Often upper 90's into the 100's. ..."

Sophie wrote: "It's been hotter than normal here for the last few days, which would be lovely if I didn't have work and could laze with a book by a pool. Drea..."

I see you all saying 90 is hot, but it's 102 F here, and summer is just beginning. I love Dubai, but I absolutely cannot stand the heat and the humidity. Temperatures in summer go up to 122 F.

Anyone reading The Witch's Heart - I've narrowed down all the tasks it works for, so just copy paste that for further use (it's a lot of tasks).

For our current tasks it works for:
Harpies:
features a feast or banquet
character is royalty
features a thief

Mares:
Title contains all the letters of HERA

Cerberus:
funerary celebration/service takes place

DQs Day 2

6) It has to be Odin, because he is the stereotypical male in every single iteration of Odin that I have ever read about. And he burned the woman three times! That's hardly going to be when he suddenly has a change of mind and decides to stop haunting her. It's Odin.

7) I'm curious about why she chose to get married as well, considering her independent nature. I think he'll show up in the very end, at the dramatic climax of the novel. Let's hope he won't be a complete disappointment.

8) I think it's because Hel is the goddess of death, and thus lives partly in both worlds which I think will be revealed later on.

9) I think she is the woman in the stories, aka the mother of wolves. Not because she birthed Fenrir, but rather because of the voices she heard in the forest that one day.

10) I think she's partly deluding herself in thinking that she can stop that future from coming true, but she has to know deep down that Loki is hardly an innocent and fully deserves what is coming to him. Plus, for all that he supposedly respects her power, he has never given credence to her dream-visions or any other happenings she faces. That's hardly likely to change suddenly; Loki is not going to become the supportive husband.

DQs Day 1

1) The Norse angle. I think we all have a fascination with Loki due to Tom Hiddleston's portrayal of the character, so this seemed like a fun adaptation of Norse myths. I went into this expecting something like The Song of Achilles. So far, I'm not a happy reader.

2) That was a fun interaction - he came across as enigmatic, fun, and like the kind of person to have on call when things go wrong for others because they'd sit back, munch on popcorn and enjoy the show with you. Not the kind of person to call when you're the one in trouble, though - too mercurial for that.

3) Skadi is an amazing character. I think she started helping out because she saw a potential business opportunity, and as things progressed and she and Angrboda became friends, she was in a position to help her friend do better, and so she did. If she were male, sex would have entered the story, and there would be the quintessential love triangle with Angrboda being torn between charming Loki and reliable Skadi.

4) It does resonate, but with the way the world works now it is all but impossible to lose track of time with all the tools around to remind us. So ultimately, it's kind of superfluous.

5) I'm not expecting him to be even a halfway decent father. If he can barely bother to be there for his wife, what's he going to do for a baby, especially when he describes babies as "inconvenient" and intends to do nothing more than occasionally acknowledge the child?

DQs Day 3

11) Oh, it's definitely symbolic. The foreword in my edition was pretty through in describing the mindset that Bulgakov was supposedly in at the time of writing. This whole book is supposed to be a satire on Russian society at the time, with it's secrecy, disappearances, general surveillance and suspicion, and the denial of Christianity. I think Bulgakov was trying to convey the circumstances under which even a non-believing society would be protected/helped; of course, you do have to remember that this book does have heavy elements of magical realism to it.

12) Not that I remember, or that heavily influenced me to change myself in any way. Though my mom likes to sprout one occasionally about how because I wake up late in the morning, I won't get married, like that's going to suddenly make me a morning person.

13) I don't really think so, besides the obvious of people being people, and apparently Pontius being heavily inspired by Stalin. I think the Jerusalem scenes are essentially meant to be the writings of the Master that so haunted him before he got himself committed.

14) Never been involved in a flash mob or choir in general - I'm more artistically and literary inclined rather than musically. That said, I love noticing the coordination of orchestras and dance groups; they need to be so in tune with each other or they'd completely fuck up the whole performance.

15) I had no idea what was going on the first time I read This is How You Lose the Time War. Then when things were brought together, I was in absolute awe, and it has quickly become one of my favourite books to read. I think this will be the same - all these characters have been brought together to the mental asylum by Woland and his posse, and I'm very very curious to see what happens next.

Navi - you need to add FantasticLand to your shelf.

I have a book that fits the GR rating between 3 and 3.5 - The Russian Affair. I'll try to get done with it today.

Sophie wrote: "I had to double check. Has been a while since it can up last.


Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. The wedding I was at had the tables named for fantasy novels ([book:The Priory of the Orange T..."

That sounds absolutely incredible.

Sophie wrote: "That's correct. Think Insiyah had a typo when she put July instead."

Yes, it was a typo. My bad :I