Shelfology Book Pairing

by Philip Pullman

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The breathtaking conclusion to Philip Pullman’s landmark new trilogy The Book of Dust! Return to the world of His Dark Materials and discover what fate has in store for Lyra, “one of fantasy’s most indelible heroines” (The New York Times Magazine). ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Horn Book, The Boston Globe Blue Ribbon Awards List “Pullman’s abilities as a storyteller are stupendous, and on full display.”—The Atlantic “Tremendously entertaining.”—Slate Lyra Silvertongue is alone in a city haunted by daemons, searching for her beloved Pan. Malcolm Polstead isn’t far behind, searching for Lyra. And they are both racing toward the desert of Karamakan, following the trail of roses said to hold the secret of Dust. Their allies and enemies are converging on the mysterious red building at the heart of the desert: Marcel Delamare and the military might of the Magisterium; the radical Men from the Mountains; scientists, scholars, and spies; troops of witches and other people of the air. And awaiting them all is a previously unseen and chilling new threat that will change everything. The intertwining odysseys of Malcolm and Lyra, their journeys both internal and external, will test their limits and challenge even their most dearly held beliefs. As ever, Philip Pullman is using the language of fantasy to illuminate our world and to explore the deepest questions of what it means to be alive and awake to all the splendors and horrors around us. The extraordinary novels of The Book of Dust speak powerfully to today’s readers and will take their place alongside the forever-favorites of His Dark Materials. Look for the entire trilogy of THE BOOK OF DUST: La Belle Sauvage • The Secret Commonwealth • The Rose Field And Lyra’s adventures begin in HIS DARK MATERIALS: The Golden Compass • The Subtle Knife • The Amber Spyglass

by Bill Bryson

Twenty years after his trip around Britain to celebrate the green and kindly island that had become his adopted country, Bill Bryson makes a brand new journey around Britain to see what has changed. From Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath, by way of places that many people never get to at all, Bryson sets out to rediscover the beautiful, magnificently eccentric, endearingly unique country that he thought he knew but doesn't altogether recognize anymore. Yet, despite Britain's occasional failings and more or less eternal bewilderments, he is still pleased to call this rainy island home - and not just because of the cream teas, a noble history, and an extra day off at Christmas ...