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His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass/The Subtle Knife/The Amber Spyglass | Philip Pullman
Published in 40 countries, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass has graced the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Book Sense, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. The Golden Compass forms the first part of a story in three volumes. The first volume is set in a world like ours, but different in many ways. The second volume is set partly in the world we know. The third moves between many worlds. In The Golden Compass, readers meet 11-year-old Lyra Belacqua, a precocious orphan growing up within the precincts of Jordan College in Oxford, England. It quickly becomes clear that Lyra's Oxford is not precisely like our ownnor is her world. In Lyra's world, everyone has a personal dmon, a lifelong animal familiar. This is a world in which science, theology and magic are closely intertwined. The Subtle Knife is the second part of the trilogy that began with The Golden Compass. That first book was set in a world like ours, but different. This book begins in our own world. In The Subtle Knife, readers are introduced to Will Parry, a young boy living in modern-day Oxford, England. Will is only twelve years old, but he bears the responsibilities of an adult. Following the disappearance of his explorer-father, John Parry, during an expedition in the North, Will became parent, provider and protector to his frail, confused mother. And it's in protecting her that he becomes a murderer, too: he accidentally kills a man who breaks into their home to steal valuable letters written by John Parry. After placing his mother in the care of a kind friend, Will takes those letters and sets off to discover the truth about his father. The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to a heartstopping close, marking the third and final volume as the most powerful of the trilogy. Along with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear, The Amber Spyglass introduces a host of new characters: the Mulefa, mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust; Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spy-master to Lord Asriel; and Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. And this final volume brings startling revelations, too: the painful price Lyra must pay to walk through the land of the dead, the haunting power of Dr. Malone's amber spyglass, and the names of who will liveand who will diefor love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle thatin its shocking outcomewill reveal the secret of Dust.
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Super_Jane
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Mehso-so

3/5 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

#fantasy #youngadult

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thereadingpal
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Pickpick

This was a re-read for me, and the first book I finished after over a year of not reading. I'm glad I managed to do it.
I still love the story very much, I think Pullman did an amazing job. He's a great writer, and the characters are complex and interesting. It's truly a classic of #fantasy

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joidevivre55
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You speak of destiny as if it was fixed.

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thereadingpal
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Since I'm getting back into reading slowly, but many things have changed, I made a new Goodreads account. Hit me up if you wanna be friends https://www.goodreads.com/arthurgdean

Amor4Libros Sent you a friend request 🙂 10mo
thereadingpal @Amor4Libros accepted!! 10mo
12 likes2 comments
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thereadingpal
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Hiii
I'm aware I disappeared for months. Life got in the way, and so did depression. I haven't touched a book in a long ass while.
I decided to gently coax myself into reading again by re-reading one of my childhood faves: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. I'm currently reading chapter 3

GondorGirl Welcome back! 13mo
thereadingpal @GondorGirl thank you!! 13mo
11 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Oryx
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Looking for Iorek.

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Balibee146
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A wonderful present from a dear friend..... I've often eyed up this hard back anthology edition. Feeling very thankful 😍😍

batsy It's a gorgeous edition 💜 2y
40 likes1 comment
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AllDebooks
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#Alphabetgame #letterH

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This trilogy is absolutely sublime 😍

Ladygodiva7 I loved it too 2y
AllDebooks How could I forget this amazing book 😍 2y
23 likes3 comments
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erickahhh
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Pickpick

This series reminded me a lot of The Lion, The With, and The Wardrobe. I truly adored the characters, especially Lyra. Her identity bloomed throughout the series. The universe developed beautifully throughout as well.

The series did not disappoint and found ways to tie aspects of the universe in through the very end!

Overall, I loved that little hero!

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Poohbear2
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“The witches have talked about this child for centuries past. Because they live so close to the place where the veil between the worlds is thin, they hear immortal whispers from time to time, in the voices of those beings who pass between the worlds. And they have spoken of a child such as this, who has a great destiny....But she must fulfil this destiny in ignorance of what she is doing, because only in her ignorance can we be saved.”

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Poohbear2
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Pickpick

One of the best trilogies I have read in recent times. Though this epic story is directed towards children, I strongly feel that adults can enjoy these books too. For it is a rare enough thing to find magic, philosophy, theology and science fiction entwined so harmoniously in a single book.

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Rissreads
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Pickpick

This book was everything I hoped it would be and more! It was epic, captivating and brought back the feelings I had as a child being totally lost in a good book. The awe and wonder and sheer delight of being immersed in a new world! Wanting to read it as fast as possible to finish the story but also wanting to read it as slow as possible to make it last! ♥️

Centique I was reading this series to my son but we stopped at book 2 and I need to pick it up again. It was so lovely and such a unique vision too. 3y
Rissreads @Centique I wish I had read it with my kids. 3y
Jeg Loved all these books. 3y
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Anita
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Erinsuereads Such a good series 😍😍😍 4y
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Oryx
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And here's the back - notes on bloodmoss and the knife...

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Oryx
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Looking through some old things, and found this - it's John Parry's map. From the national theatre production of His Dark Materials. I didn't even know I had this
So cool.

Soubhiville Oh wow! I didn‘t know there was a theater production from these books. 4y
Oryx @Soubhiville Yeah it was in 2003. I had just moved to London, so managed to see it then. I think it was on just for a few months at the most. 4y
LoveToReadLiveToRead Oh amazing! I was gutted that I didn‘t get chance to see that production. 4y
julesG , 😍😍 4y
50 likes4 comments
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kaysworld1
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Pickpick

Totally recommend this book to everyone i loved every second of it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

@howjessicareads
#AxeTheStacks #readathon #readyforthefuture #reading #audiobooks #audiobook #librarybook #readingthelibrary

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kaysworld1
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BennettBookworm What a great rhyme! 4y
Come-read-with-me These all look so good! What a great selection! 4y
49 likes2 comments
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kaysworld1
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#currentlyreading His dark materials but Philip pullman
Started this audio book at work this morning I am loving it so far, I also loved the film.

#currentlyreading #audiobook #readingthelibrary #librarybook #reading #booknerd #bookworm #friendship #friendshiptothemax #northenlights

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Oryx
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Final episode tonight. There's one bit that always gets me in the book, and it got me again in the TV show.

Can't wait until the next series - angels, mulefa...!

quietlycuriouskate Yep, that's the last time a book actually made me cry. 4y
Caroline2 I‘m looking forward to the last episode tonight too. 😀 4y
BookwormM All over now for another year 😭😭 4y
See All 7 Comments
TrishB Not started watching second series yet as has to be when me and kids all ready/here and that hasn‘t happened yet! 4y
Oryx @TrishB will you have the whole family at home over Christmas? 4y
TrishB Sadly no ☹️ my son is in NI with his bf as he couldn‘t get back here. He has a flight back for 1 Jan, but I‘m not depending on that at the moment! But we‘re all ok and that‘s what matters, people dealing with worse. 4y
Oryx @TrishB that's a shame. Yeah things aren't going to be the same this year, but hopefully next year will be better. Glad you all safe and well. 4y
46 likes7 comments
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Ms.Story
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Pickpick

Excellent audio! Now to finish the tv series ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gadgetgirl71 I‘ve still not watched the tv series I love the books I have recently purchased the kindle version of them as I know it‘ll be easier for me to reread them on my kindle rather than the books which are in my best book case. 4y
80 likes1 comment
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emz711
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Got my husband hooked on His Dark Materials on HBO! can't wait for season 2.

#hdm #dust #hisdarkmaterials

AllisonM89 I still need to finish season one. Loving it, but it's very difficult to watch with little ones in the house... 4y
emz711 @Mysharonak one more like til 5300, thanks! 4y
MySharonaK @emz711 yay!! 🥳🥳 4y
47 likes3 comments
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Oryx
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Feeding my HDM addiction @TrishB - out in October

TrishB Saw in press this morning 😁😁 is this Waterstones ? Runs off.... 4y
Oryx @TrishB yes Waterstones 😀 4y
TrishB Ta 😘 4y
Kalalalatja Ooooooh 😍 I didn‘t know he had a new book out 4y
49 likes4 comments
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kimovsky
Pickpick

Now this is a series. Don‘t be put off by the failed attempts to turn this into a movie franchise in the past. This is a wonderful set of novels. Books 2 and 3 won‘t follow the same story as book 1, so be prepared for that. But this series is interesting, rich and unique. Such a great read. Highly recommend.

annahenke The movies are a travesty. But the books are 💯 5y
kimovsky Agree. They serve no purpose except to hopefully convince more readers to enjoy the books. It fills all the holes of a very complex plot that can never be done in a few hours of film. 5y
3 likes2 comments
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MinnieTimperley
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#7days7books - Books that left a deep impression on me.

Pullman taught me that you can write for children and still have depth, layers and challenge. If I'd had a daughter she would have been called Lyra.

@Ruthiella @barbwire

Have you been tagged yet @sprainedbrain

Ruthiella I missed these books as a child. I need to catch up ! 😀 5y
sprainedbrain I have, but thank you for thinking of me! 😊 Also, these books have been on my tbr forever...I should really get to them! 5y
45 likes2 comments
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Mitch
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Headed into my old university library for some research on an upcoming photography project... couldn't help but look out for Lyra! 😄

Suet624 Looks like the Scientology Center. 😂 5y
Mitch @Suet624 Ive always thought it had a very ominous feel about it...! 5y
AmyG @Suet624 I knew this looked familiar. Yes! 5y
See All 6 Comments
veritysalter Senate House? 5y
Mitch @veritysalter 👍🏼 5y
veritysalter I used it too, I went to Goldmiths. Got lost in there a few times. 5y
104 likes6 comments
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Jackal121
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Reading this with my fianceé @hannah-leeloo

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Merethebookgal
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Any His Dark Materials fans out there? At the beginning of the year my local book club had a bookish gift exchange, and I received this gorgeous bind up of the trilogy and these lovely themed pins and candle! I can‘t wait to read it!

TheSpineView 👍 5y
Lindy 😍 5y
Nitpickyabouttrains So glad you like it 5y
50 likes3 comments
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GypsyKat
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I got this wonderful holiday package from @kylienoele ❤️ She really spoiled me! 😆😍 Thank you again, Kylie! I love everything so much! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

valeriegeary 🙌 5y
LeahBergen Lovely! 💕 5y
kylienoele 💞💞💞💞💞💞 5y
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Aaronlisa
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Pickpick

I read this book Jan 3-5, 2020 & gave it 5 ⭐️ on Good Reads. This was a reread for me. I‘d first read this back around 1997/1998 for a college course on children‘s lit so it was neat to see my post-it notes in the book. That said I was worried about rereading this book and whether it‘s hold up to my initial love it but it certainly did & I will be starting book #2 ASAP.

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Sisasuku
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Pickpick

This was a #reread for me, as I originally fell in love with the books when they were released - and I'm still in love after all those years. Fantastic characters, a well thought through story, and even when you start to sense the wider scheme of things, you still have no clue how it will end.

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thewallflower0707

Any fans of the book series and tv show on here? I‘m on episode 5, and I really enjoyed watching them, however I feel like lots of the more gruesome details got lost in the adaption (e.g the missing fish in Episode 5). Moreover, the special relationship between dæmon and human is gone ?.
I want to read the book series again these holidays though. Haven‘t read them since my childhood.
#hisdarkmaterials #philippullman

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Shamzi
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Starting this tonight and will finish the series before the end of this year!!!
Armored bears, daemons and Dust, here I come!!

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bookandbedandtea
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I have no memory of placing this on hold but I got a notice last night that it was checked out so I started listening to it during my morning commute. #CurrentRead

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Fr3NcHtOaSt
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Going to reread The Golden Compass and finally finish reading this trilogy. And I‘m also excited to watch the new show on HBO as well. Been hearing great things about it.
#hisdarkmaterials #philippullman #thegoldencompass #thesubtleknife #theamberspyglass #trilogy #book #books #reading

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hannah-leeloo
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Has anyone else seen about this show that has very recently started based on Philip Pullman's books? Looks quite good 📚📺🌌❤️📖 @Jackal121

hermyknee Is it on cable? I‘ll have to see if one of my friends gets it! 5y
hannah-leeloo Yer it's showing on bbc hun. 5y
LiljaPleasant Uhhh... Is it on one of the on demand thingies? Netflix/HBO? 5y
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hannah-leeloo The first episode came out in the UK on the 3rd. I'm not sure if it's on Netflix but maybe on catchup tv 5y
LibrarianRyan @hermyknee @LiljaPleasant @hannah-leeloo in the US it‘s on HBO and it‘s pretty good. 5y
LiljaPleasant @LibrarianRyan yaaaay in Denmark it's on HBO, too 🥰 5y
tournevis It's on Crave in Canada (and on one cable channel I don't have) so I have not seen it. 5y
hannah-leeloo @tournevis i hope you manage to find it to watch if wished. I think it looks good. Thank you all for helping each other find it ❤️🙃 5y
tournevis @hannah-leeloo I'll watch it at some point. Just not this year. 5y
hannah-leeloo @tournevis I'm like that. I don't usually watch TV ut for this I at make the exception haha 5y
tournevis @hannah-leeloo 😆👍 5y
hannah-leeloo @tournevis oh my days just seen how that typed out lol. But for this I think I'll make an exception* 🤦🏼‍♀️ lol 5y
tournevis @hannah-leeloo 😛😆 5y
31 likes15 comments
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IndyHannaJones
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Anyone out there starting to watch the show??? I loved the first episode. Even my hard to please husband liked it...even though he had a million questions: "What's a daemon?" "Who's that guy?" "Why do they live in boats? "Why did the daemon change shapes?" "What would my daemon be?" ?

LibrarianRyan My guy just rolled his eyes and left the room. 5y
TrishB Not started yet, think I may binge later! 5y
IndyHannaJones @TrishB well there's only one episode so far but totally worth watching 5y
TrishB I recorded it, but think I may wait til I have some time off work and watch a few episodes! 5y
26 likes4 comments
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Kimberlone
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Watching the first episode on HBO tonight. I never really got into the original book series (I think I read the first two books, maybe), but the casting of the show is so good I can‘t resist!

wanderinglynn Like you, I never really got into the books either (I think I read 1.5), but the casting & trailer looked intriguing. I‘ll be interested to hear what you think. 5y
JacqMac I didn‘t get into the books either, but I‘m recording it. It looks good. We shall see.... 5y
Kimberlone @wanderinglynn @JacqMac enjoyed the first episode and excited to see how the rest of the show develops. Can‘t wait to see Lin Manuel Miranda especially! I have high hopes since it is a joint BBC/HBO production. I can‘t really get into books about children now that I‘m an adult but I don‘t have a problem with movies/shows centered on children. 5y
wanderinglynn Thanks for letting g me know! 👍🏻 I‘ll have to check it out. 5y
JacqMac Good to hear. It‘s on my to do list. Lol 5y
40 likes1 stack add5 comments
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Oryx
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Anyone else watching His Dark Materials?
So relieved, it's good!! 😀

Balibee146 Watched it last night on BBC.. Enjoy! 5y
LibrarianRyan It's not on for a few hours yet. But yes I will be. 5y
Cathythoughts I have it recorded... waiting for a nice time to sit & watch. Sounds good so 👍❤️ 5y
TrishB Not started, but recoding! 5y
58 likes4 comments
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ShelfRighteous
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1. Enjoyed the said series. Also I want to read Nevernight series by Jay Kristoff
2. Supernatural, but I stopped watching after season 9
3. No
4. Nothing planned as of yet but I'll surely have some junk food
5. A big NO. I got the reading bug from my mom. Dad will only read what's work related.

#friyayintro @howjessreads

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LondElle89
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I was in SoCal a few weeks ago for vacation, and one of the stops I had to make was The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. It was so cool in there and I found some awesome finds.

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GingerAntics
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I‘ve been interested in this series since all the controversy over the movie in 2007. I‘m a little put off because its classified YA, but it was written back in the 90s before that was really a thing. I‘m hoping the writing is good because of that fact. I can‘t stand modern YA in the least. Any one read it? What did you think? #suggestions #notaYAfan #recommendations

TrishB I loved it, I don‘t think it‘s overly YA. 5y
GingerAntics @TrishB yeah, it doesn‘t seem like over dramatic teenaged angst or a love triangle fit into story. 5y
Branwen I love love LOVE this series! 😍 It's never really felt like YA, in my humble opinion. 5y
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GingerAntics @Branwen I think that‘s because that genre is newer. Harry Potter is listed under YA sometimes too, and it does not feel at all like the tripe that comes out for that genre these days. I was thinking that since it came out in the mid-90s before YA was a distinction it would be better. 5y
LibrarianRyan It's not overly YA. And a good reader in 5th grade + could totally get into it. There is a speech that I always used for my kids book club reading test. The test was to determine which book club a kid should be in. If they could read and understand the speech, and infer what was going on, they could do the older book club, if they could not, the younger. It's an excellent book!!! Loved by kids and adults alike. 5y
GingerAntics @LibrarianRyan oh that‘s interesting. I‘m feeling a lot better about this series now. I knew you guys would point me in the right direction. It seems the perfect thing to get into during banned books week, while I‘m at it. lol 5y
LibrarianRyan @GingerAntics Yes. Perfect for Banned books week. I always use this as one of the titles I talk about. 5y
ShelfRighteous Loved this one. And it doesn't feel like YA. Just that the main character is young. 5y
GingerAntics @ShelfRighteous I‘m so glad this series is getting so much love on Litsy. This is happening. I just got a short story that is a prequel to the series. I‘m going to get the first book of the series when I get paid at the end of the week. I‘m having a hard time getting a copy from the many libraries I have access to. Go figure. 5y
ShelfRighteous @GingerAntics Oh wouldn't have expected this problem🤣 I totally got hooked to the series and I think you'll enjoy it too❤ 5y
GingerAntics @ShelfRighteous for all the controversy surrounding the movie I‘m surprised we even have it. The library that has it has an over 6 month wait list on it. So I guess there are still folks into it. The college has it in a few places in the district, just not my campus. I could do an inter library loan, but I doubt I‘d have it anytime this week. I think I‘m going to look into that while I wait to get paid. 5y
esurient I am also not into YA, and this series was meh to me. I read it circa 2000 at ninteen and thought the basic worldbuilding was cool (daemons!) but the plot was middling and the ending utterly flat. IIRC, the controversy was that the author was an atheist and he considered this series atheist fantasy (contrast with Lewis's Narnia, Christian fantasy). YMMV, but that particular detail went over my head at the time, and I don't think it influenced... 5y
esurient ...my feelings. 5y
Scochrane26 I did audio on the 1st one years ago, but wasn‘t excited about it enough to finish the series. I think I was bothered by something that happens that‘s sad. My friend loves the series & has been very excited about the new book by Pullman. See what you think. 5y
batsy I feel like British authors in particular write books for younger readers that never feels like YA, like Susan Cooper, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones, and Pullman is one of them. But you're right, they're all of another time in a way. Before YA became, well, YA 🙃 I loved this series a lot and thought it was beautifully written, but I read it when I was in uni. I'm hoping to revisit it soon to prepare for the new books. 5y
GingerAntics @batsy I saw the first book of the new trilogy. Apparently it‘s before this one starts, in the same world, so I almost bought it and read it. I‘ll have to stick with the short story prequel until I get paid. I agree with the assessment of British writers. They don‘t seem to do as much of the same old tired themes for YA their American counterparts do, but again this is before YA became a thing so that may play a bit of a role. 5y
GingerAntics @batsy I never knew that I had another of this author‘s books on my wish list. That one is for adults. I really think I‘m going to like this guy. 5y
18 likes17 comments
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emtobiasz
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I‘ve enjoyed everyone‘s #7days7covers posts so much, but coming to it as late as I am, so many of my favorites have already been shared. I thought I‘d up the difficulty a little. So here‘s Day Two of my #7days7spines

Join me if you‘d like!

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LindseysLibrary
Pickpick

Extremely imaginative, well-paced, detailed, carefully-developed characters, and a great “magic system” (not quite what it was, but close enough). I really enjoyed this trilogy, even if the author‘s simplistic understanding and impressions of religion (and implied disdain of it) in general left me kind of rolling my eyes.

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loukitkhemka
Pickpick

One of the best fantasy books I have ever read. Surprisingly deep for YA. Deals with very deep questions about religion, especially.

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GrilledCheeseSamurai
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Trailer just dropped for the HBO series at San Diego Comic Con.

I have the excite! 🤗

https://youtu.be/1yuIE1OYnVI

Lady_Tigana_20 I loved this trilogy, but it has been a struggle to get into THE BOOK OF DUST. I plan to try again at a later date. 5y
emz711 Oooo where is this edition from?! 5y
LauraJ Visually stunning! 5y
magicalshelves I love this edition! I bought it for myself as well! 5y
vivastory I have the same edition. Now I just need to read it. 😬 5y
90 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Mitch
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No date of release yet but the new BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman‘s Dark Materials is looking very lush. Everything has been built evidently to the highest spec to give the sense that all the science works, including the alethiometer.

Kalalalatja I‘m so excited for it! 5y
Mitch @Kalalalatja it looks good! 5y
72 likes2 comments
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bullbunny
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1. Tagged
2. Tarter sauce.. horseradish
3. Yes spiders...
4. 2 tall monsters
5. Hello hello!

#friyayintro (not mine it's my work monday) @howjessreads

xxjenadanxx I‘ve always meant to read His Dark Materials. 5y
bullbunny @xxjenadanxx it's a great series! I will be rereading them soon 5y
20 likes2 comments