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The Master and Margarita! That is definitely on the list of my 10 favorite books of all time (and possibly 5). I actually had huge chunks of it memorized when I was a teenager. Shell, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Yours too, maxine. Btw, which translations did you guys read? I have yet to find one that I've found completely satisfying -- Bulgakov's language is exquisite, and the magic is hard to capture in translation.

Lolita is another favorite.

As for me -- finished Neil Gaiman's American Gods. It's very imaginative and well-written, but ... somehow I found it hard to relate emotionally to the main character. Not sure why. Some of my favorite parts were the "interludes" about gods, spirits, and other supernatural beings from various lands living in America over the centuries -- in some ways I actually found them more gripping than the main story. I'd like to re-read it soon, though, and see if I can get more into the main story this time.

Also read Pelagia and the Black Monk by Boris Akunin (more Russian stuff! available in English translation though, and highly recommended). Akunin specializes in highbrow detective novels that are highly entertaining but also well-researched historically (most of them are set in the late 19th Century, including this one) and with a lot of literary and philosophical references. Turn-of-the century scientific discoveries actually play a key role in the plot -- I can't say much more without gving it away. The mystery begins when monks at a famous holy site on an island that draws large numbers of pilgrims report seeing the terrifying apparition of the legendary saint who was the monastery's founder, prophesying doom and cursing the site. Before long the ghost is connected to several deaths. The investigators who tackle the problem include a cocky, defiantly atheistic young scientist, a blunt, decisive police captain, a clever and impeccably logical assistant prosecutor, and finally Sister Pelagia, a feisty, educated, rather worldly nun. The cast of characters is supplemented by a colorful group of patients at a psychotherapy clinic located on the island. A great, very absorbing read that kept me guessing until the end, with many twists and turns and many layers of mystery (one of them 600 to 800 years old!) all of which are eventually explained.