Friday Memes and 'The Master and Margarita'

Last night I went to see a screening of The Crucible, staged by the Old Vic Theatre in London earlier this year, and I am still slightly blown away by it. Just letting you know that you can expect a post on that by tomorrow! Now, onto memes! Follow Friday is hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. This week's question was suggested by Unconventional Book Views:

Do you decide in advance what you read for the coming week or month? Why/why not?

To a certain extent I definitely plan in advance. I have a lot of books lined up on Netgalley which need to be read, so in general they are all planned for the close future. However, I am terrible at reading books when I'm not in the mood for them. For example, if I have a stressful week then a Samuel Johnson play is definitely not something I want to get into. A contemporary romance may be much more down my street. So I guess my answer is that I do decide in advance, but I don't hesitate to change that schedule in the moment.

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Billy over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. This week's question was suggested by Brenda over at Daily Mayo:

What is your favourite part about reading a book? Figuring out the plot ahead of time, the feeling of the actual book itself, experiencing the plot unfold, getting to know the characters - or something else entirely?

This is a really good question! In some ways it changes for every genre I read. When I'm reading a crime or detective novel then I definitely enjoy figuring out the plot the most. When it comes to fantasy I prefer the feeling of the book, so the feeling that the author creates  through world-building etc. But overall, I think that acquiring a sense for the feel of the book is my absolute favourite part of reading. I just love sinking into books and into new different worlds and is why I keep picking up new books, one after the other.

Book Beginnings and Friday 56 are hosted by Gilion over at Rose City Reader and Freda over at Freda's Voice, respectively. This week I'm using one of my absolute favourite books, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. This is a genius book and I'm currently rereading it.


BB:

'At the hour of the hot spring sunset two citizens appeared at the Patriarch's Ponds. One of them, approximately forty years old, dressed in a grey summer suit, was short, dark-haired, plump, bald, and carried his respectable fedora hat in his hand. His neatly shaven face was adorned with black horn-rimmed glasses of a supernatural size. The other, a broad-shouldered young man with tousled reddish hair, his checkered cap cocked back on his head, was wearing a cowboy shirt, wrinkled white trousers and black sneakers.' p.1

I just love the descriptions in this beginning. You really get a sense of the way the two different characters look and how this might potentially shape them.


Friday 56:

'On the door of room no.2 something not quite comprehensible was written: 'One-day Creative Trips. Apply to M.V. Spurioznaya.'The next door bore a brief but now totally incomprehensible inscription: 'Perelygino.' p.56

I like how absolutely absurd parts of Bulgakov's writing are! I mean, what is going on in the F56 above? I haven't read the book in a year so I genuinely have no idea. Can't wait to get that far!

So, this was my Friday post which I wrote late on a Thursday night, potentially even early Friday morning so if there are any mistakes I am severely sorry! What is your favourite part about reading? And do you plan your reading?