Welcome to Litsy!

Hello
Long time no see
This month has been... Stressful. It still is, and it's difficult. I still don't have a rent to my name, for the ones that know the situation.

I decided to do some yoga, then stayed on the floor to read a bit of my current read.
How's everyone?

#fantasy

4 Aug-13 Oct 24 (audiobook)
I actually followed this better on the audio reread than when I first read it aloud to Polly 5+ years ago. I even teared up a little at the ending. It helped that Beatrix really enjoyed the whole series and we have now commenced watching the TV show.
The worlds created by Pullman are quite magical although obviously far from idyllic. And I for one appreciate his views of the church, death and the afterlife.

Oh my heart! It has been rended open with feeling. What a powerful series that can make a person of any age think again and evaluate the way they view life and the world, all in the guise of a grand, fantastical adventure. This is the end of the #HisDarkMaterials trilogy but worlds await in Pullman's companion books and the final two installments of #BookofDust !

The final installment of #HisDarkMaterials is more intense and thought-provoking than I remembered. Feels very emotional to revisit this world, the questions of my soul. Amazing that this all fits so well in a children's book!
📷AI

And here we go with the third!

Came to Oxford for the weekend to watch Oldham play Oxford City. The match was terrible, but it was absolutely worth it to see Lyra and Will's bench.

The ending comes in soft and strange in some ways, but I still loved this book. Mary and the mulefa, the land of the dead, the Gallivespians, Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel… and especially Lyra and Will, of course. I‘m looking forward to reading the prequels now that I‘ve reread this trilogy for the first time in many years. (I own it in paper but ebook from the library was faster 😆)

I listened to the audiobook by BorrowBox,
I found it interesting, but again I enjoyed the first one the most.

Read for reading challenges.

3.75/5

Conclusion really goes off the rails imo but how could it not have

Starting next!! I am loving this series.

Today, I went on a trip to Oxford. My first time there! I walked through the Botanical Garden and found Lyra‘s bench, the setting of the iconic scene in The Amber Spyglass.

#hisdarkmaterials #philippullman #oxford #sightseeing

Characters were likable and I wanted them to succeed - but some of them felt a bit flat.

The world was interesting but this felt a slog. The beginning of the book hadn't that many things happening and the more adventurous last part didn't save the experience.

#SeriesRead2022

I've been waiting for this. Very excited to finally see the Mulefa. Beautiful. Need to see those feet next. Can't wait for season 3.

What a journey! Without a doubt one of the richest fantasy series out there. Lyra and Will, and all the cast will always have a special place in my heart. Such a bittersweet ending… 💔

#MountTBR2021 #SeriesRead2021

I really enjoyed this series and was disappointed with the ending, not because the ending was disappointing but that it ended.

This #CuriousCovers challenge was a challenge! Eventually, I came up with this cover for Close Up.
Day 24 #CloseUp

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A brilliant read and conclusion to the ‘His Dark Materials‘ series. Much darker than the previous two books. A journey of adventure, love and betrayal with a bittersweet ending. Both Lyra and Will are easily two of my favourite ever characters.

This whole series is so good, I‘m probably going to end up rereading it at least every couple years like I do so many other books. There are so many levels to this series that I just couldn‘t see when I read it as a child. Plus it‘s just a genuinely enjoyable series. I still stand by my opinion that it‘s a bit dark for 9 year olds but it‘s hard when the options are 9-12 or teen, there really should be a preteen/12-15 genre

That paragraph really is the thesis statement of this series isn‘t it? It‘s hard work to be kind and cheerful and curious and patient but it‘s work that needs to be done

I totally forgot Mrs Coulter was only 35. Rereading these books as an adult throws a wild clarity onto them that I couldn‘t have achieved as a child

Here we go! I always forget that this one is nearly double the size of the other two 😆 I‘m excited to see if it lives up to my memory

I have almost no words. This book tore my heart my heart out. I cried and cried and these characters were tangible that I wouldn't to hug them. The start of The Amber Spyglass is real slow until Lyra and Will are reunited. After that point though it's a real show stopper. I enjoyed that Pullman tied all his loose end together and enjoyed what Iorek talked about the knife and how it came to the end.

Book 112, audio

There was... A lot going on here. As a practicing Christian, books that criticize religion make me uncomfortable. I know this was largely about the Catholic Church during the Inquisition, not so much the modern day Church.

I will revisit this series again in 12-18 months. I'm not opposed to sitting with the discomfort so I can find out what exactly I'm struggling with, and if I need to address it in my personal faith journey.

Finally going to finish this series.

•
Amazing Trilogy.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reading time:
Unknown-21July 📖

Author:
Phillip Pullman ✍️

January - 21 July 2020
I have been reading the His Dark Materials trilogy to Polly for the past six months. Although we both enjoyed the first book, The Golden Compass, the most, my interest was sustained throughout. I particularly enjoyed the way in which it challenged the oppressive authority of organised religion and its message that we need to focus on living this life to its fullest, but in a way that is most beneficial to all.

Finally finished! I probably shouldn‘t have chosen to read such an emotional book on an already-emotional day, but...ah well.

Book three reread under way!

Here my #MayWrapUp - Finished 10 books and bailed on 1. 2 were audiobooks. Not bad, but not great.

7 off my #BookSpinBonanza list

I haven‘t been listening to as many audiobooks. Also, we are working on a patio at our friends house which is taking up a lot of reading time.

Now to look forward to my June reading!

This was a great ending to the trilogy. I had no idea how this series was going to end. Will and Lyra went on such a crazy journey into different worlds. I love these books on audio. What a heartbreaking ending 💔

Also, the ending was a little uncomfortable when you realize they are only like 13 years old.

I did it! I hit #40Miles20Hours - I‘ve been trying to walk 2 miles a day during the week, weather permitting obviously.

And I‘ve finished 3 audiobooks, started 1 and then my hold ran out and am in the middle of the tagged book. I have 5 hours left of the tagged.

Finished - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Thjs Is How You Lose The Time War, 8 Perfect Murders
Started - Neverwhere but my hold ran out

*Pic of my backyard

🎧We were supposed to go to a Halsey concert in July. It‘s been postponed until next year, but I just asked for my money back... 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️
📕Tagged, Mortal Arts, The Secret Place and I hope to starts The Girl and the Stars
🌸Ate a gluten free brownie with scoops of cappuccino gelato on it 🤤

#ThoughtfulThursday

Finished my Peter Pan puzzle while listening to the tagged book. All while doing this puzzle, I kept thinking of how awful tinker bell was in the book 😂

I‘m about 4:30 hrs into this audiobook. Still have 10 hrs left 😬 But I love the audio versions of these books!

#NutsInMay

War is on the horizon. Beings from all the worlds gather to fight for either God or man. With the guidance of two angels, Will races to rescue Lyra who lays in a drugged sleep, balancing between the worlds of the living and the dead.
I had high hopes for this one, but Pullman was more concerned about calling out religion than he was with keeping to his story. #fantasy
Review https://www.behindthepages.org/post/the-amber-spyglass-by-phillip-pullman

I'm struggling with this book. I loved the first two, but this one seems to have loads of filler. Am I the only one?

I loved the writing and world building so much that I've ordered the 2 prequel books he's also written. My local bookstore is closed but they have a website you can order from that ships directly. I am now mentally exhausted and will definitely have a book hangover. #happyworldbookday

Got this book way back in Jan. 2013 and will pickup to where I stopped reading it. I just finished watching HBO's TV series adaptation of His Dark Materials last night. So I'm gonna dive in to find out how the trilogy ends.
#bookstoscreen

I am so upset right now! I‘ve had this on hold since January and now that my library or Libby doesn‘t notify me when something is available I keep losing my place...

I just saw that this book was available, so I clicked borrow and went to download and this popped up!! And now the book isn‘t on my hold or loan shelf, like WTF!

So what?! Now I have to put it back on hold and wait another 3 months. This isn‘t what I need right now! Gah 😫

Having loved the previous two books, I had high expectations for this one. I was a little disappointed unfortunately. It is a good book, but it does drag at certain places. The ending (without giving any spoilers) was both sad and bright but the way everything was resolved, the big buildup about the fight and everything else was a little anticlimactic.

Capital-E Epic. Book 3 churned up my emotions and imagination but also exhausted me. All the character cameos and planes-hopping distracted me from the in-depth character explorations I loved at the beginning of the series. Character depth was there, but I need to reread book 3 to fully enjoy it. I admire how ambitious the whole series is, but this didn't strike the right balance between wrapping up old details and introducing new. #dw2020reads

What an ending!
Touching, fun and im happy with the ending.

Onto the final book of the dark materials. It's been a long and eventful journey so far. Let's see how this goes. Happy weekend everyone 📚❤️

This is actually the essence of this series!!

Agree?

I enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as I enjoyed the first in the series. It's still a great pick for fans of fantasy. It's also a fascinating exploration of fear, especially the anxiety parents experience over their children's safety. #fantasy #talkinganimal #parallelworlds #multipleworlds #innervoice #steampunk

Okay so I just finished His Dark Materials and I might be obsessed. What an adventure! The plot, the characters, the world building were all fantastic. I‘m gonna keep reading everything set in this universe.