Books (part 18)

[gerbie]

72. Mikhail Bulgakov - The master and Margarita

Strange book. Nothing like I expected. This book was banned in the Soviet Union and didn't get published until decades after it was written. I actually bumped into someone who had read it as well, who had a version where the censored bits where in Italics, completely ridiculous.

I am a fan of Russian literature, I am a huge supporter of freedom of speech, I expected this to be a big political novel about Russia under Stalin. It isn't. Obviously if you read well, there are parts where you can see the state being critisised, but in the end it is just a fantasy story with a strange twist. And I am not a fan of fantasy. I like children's books, but I am not tempted my Harry Potter and however much people recommend Discworld novels (I know at least two LJ-friends who do), I started reading them twice (two different ones that is), but never managed to get beyond the second chapter.

But in the end this book fascinated me enough to finish it. The devil himself makes an appearance in Moscow and within a couple of days the city has goon bezerk. Things go from bad to worse. Interesting story, good book, do read it, though be prepared to let your imagination do some good work.


73. Saul Bellow - Mosby's memoirs and other stories

Short stories by bellow. Nice intermezzo. Good stories as well. He seems to manage to write from the perspective from a lot of different charachters and manage to make them seem real, which in my opinion is worth a compliment. Though apart from the outside circumstances, a lot of the main characters seem to have the same problems in life, the same sort of thoughts. If that was done deliberately or coincidentally I don't know, don't know the author well enough, can't remember reading anything by him yet. Might be tempted to read more though, but I am sure I am not running to bookshops and libraries to see what's in store.

74. Iain Johnstone - Cannes the novel

The cover looks trashy, the book is. I wouldn't have read this one if it wasn't for the fact that I read a good book by him before (Wimbledon 2000, written in the early '90's). This one is an easy read, not much thinking, just get to page 300-something and put it aside. The plot isn't bad I have to say, though it always takes a while before the different story lines do finally come together, in Cannes obviously at the filmfestival, and one knows why you had to read all the backgrounds on the different characters. Not a bad book.

Comments

hmm...

[caniche.livejournal.com]

So you didn't like the Discworld novels at all? Was it the sort of humour in them that you don't like? I for one learned to love it! I really liked them, along with Harry Potter, and I am all frustrated because I can't buy the third book right now, being kind of expensive...

Keep on reading!

Re: hmm...

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

I didn't even encounter the humour in the two different discworld novels I started. Read several pages and concluded that I didn't have a clue what it was about, who all the weird characters are and where it's all set. I'm afraid my imagination (normally fairly big...) isn't very suitable for fantasy or science fiction.

Re: hmm...

[caniche.livejournal.com]

yeah, at first it was a bit hard, but indeed, once you get to know the characters it goes easier.

Have you read some Harry Potter already?

Re: hmm...

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

I had it in my hands, but it is so incredibly popular amongst backpackers, somehow I don't want to be associated with the majority, too many of them are 'non-readers' in my opinion. I will someday probably. Perhaps reading them to my children. Oops. first have to find a mother then..

Re: hmm...

[caniche.livejournal.com]

*chuckle* I was reluctant to read Harry Potter as well. But I was too bored at school one day so I grabbed my friend's copy, and didn't give it back to her for the rest of the day. ;) About being associated with the majority... *shrugs* I have never cared too much about that. Yeah, I had heard the book had lots of success, and I couldn't really understand what all the hype was about. But I wasn't worried to be seen as the majority when people asked me what I was reading. S'just me, I guess. *smile*
About reading the book to your children... I insist the book doesn't seem at all to me like the really typical children's tale you'd read to them while putting them to bed and stuff. Not because of the wizardry stuff (kids get enough of that and worse on TV) ... you should read it and tell me if you think otherwise! ;)

Just one more thing... what is a non-reader exactly?

Re: hmm...

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

I do agree on your idea who cares, it's just sometimes I prefer to be an outsider than part of the incrowd, normally I don't care too much about appearances either.

I will give it a try, but not at short term. But when it happens, it'll appear here in my LJ of course.

A 'non-reader' to me is someone who 'normally' wouldn't read a book, but because of a hype suddenly picks up a book anyway. A lot of the people who 'only' read Grisham, Steele and King fall into that category as well I guess.

And about the children: they won't be there soon, so reading to them will take another decade at least.

Re: hmm...

[caniche.livejournal.com]

ahh, then I am not a non-reader heheh...
As for children, you never know. :)

I forgot to tell you, there's a Terry Pratchett book, which is not a Discworld novel. It's written along with Neil Gaiman. The book is "Good Omens", and it doesn't have really strange unknown characters (unless you're 100% unfamiliar with God and Satan and DEATH (He always speaks in caps) and people and stuff ;) You should try that one for a start, I for one enjoyed it greatly.

Re: hmm...

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

I'll try if I bump into it. (Gotta stop, my time is up here, will continue our little talk soon though :-) )

Re: hmm...

[caniche.livejournal.com]

Ok, good night! =)

Re: hmm...

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

Actually the timedifference is so big, that it wasn't night, the afternoon had just started! But my internettime was up, the guy already told me to log out, could only just sneak in one more comment :-))

Re: hmm...

[caniche.livejournal.com]

LOL, timezones can be weird ;)

Re: hmm...

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

They are weird over here. At one point I won half an hour, the next border I crosses was one and a half hour extra. Apparently there even is a zone in between those two, only down south, not up north, that is three quarters in between those two. How can people live like that?

Re: hmm...

[caniche.livejournal.com]

Heheh, imagine how messed up it gets when it's daylight savings time thing? ;)

Re: hmm...

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

And they mess that up even more, as one state does have it, another doesn't, so within the same timezone they still have differences for half a year as well.

Re: hmm...

[caniche.livejournal.com]

Yeah... my own country didn't have daylight savings time till one month after the rest of the world did... it was odd, and I didn't see the use of it anyways. :P

Re: hmm...

[gerbie.livejournal.com]

I can remember arriving in Los Mochis from Chihuahua, the famous train through the Barancas del cobre, and they told me I was in a different timezone as well, even though I crossed another timezoneborder coming from Monterrey the day before. And by the time I cam out of the bus south from Los Mochis, in one of the 16 Santiago's I have visited by now, I was back in the middle timezone. The big problem with huge countries! At least in the Netherlands you won't get problems like that.