Amazing Read!

AMAZING BOOK. My plan this week was to only get through the part I needed to be able to participate in the live chat, but I could not stop. It probably didn't help I had 2 days off in a row in which I could read most of the day. :) The second section is probably my favorite. It is definitely the I-can't-put-you-down-you're-so-good section. LOVE IT!

Okay, question though. I still don't understand the huge problem churches have due to it's "Atheist nature". It really didn't have an atheist nature. It was more like an "organized religion blows, but there is a God" type theme. I guess in that nature I could see how religious groups had issues with it. It very much made the church into the bad guy, lemming creator. Honestly, what's so wrong with atheism, though?

My all-time favorite thing about this book, though, is it's ability to stretch the imagination. It gives just enough details to let you imagine what's going on, how people act, and how this world functions, but not so much that you can't create them in your own way. Having watched the movie, as well, made me able to put voices with the characters in my head, which is always fun. :)

I dunno, what do you guys think?

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - November Selection

For the opening book of the Secondhand Book Club, we are going to read The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. It is the first book in the His Dark Materials series and is shadowed by controversy with the opening of the film last year.

Synopsis from book cover:
Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars in Jordan Collage, her dæmon familiar always by her side. But the moment she hears hushed talk of Dust, an extraordinary particle, she's drawn to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold, far North, young Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: her destiny must be fulfilled not in this world, but far beyond.

Editorial reviews:
"Extraordinary storytelling at its very best." —Detroit Free Press

"The Golden Compass is one of the best fantasy/adventure stories that I have read. This is a book no one should miss." —Terry Brooks

"As always, Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost unbearable tension. This glittering gem will leave readers of all ages eagerly awaiting the next installment of Lyra's adventures." —Publishers' Weekly