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The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust, Volume 1)
The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust, Volume 1) | Philip Pullman
The much-anticipated new work from the author of The Golden Compass is coming at last! Renowned storyteller Philip Pullman returns to the parallel world of Lyra Belacqua and His Dark Materials for a thrilling and epic adventure in which daemons, alethiometers, and the Magisterium all play a part. The Book of Dust will be a work in three parts, like His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass). The book is set ten years before The Golden Compass and centers on the much-loved character Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon. Philip Pullman offers these tantalizing details: "I've always wanted to tell the story of how Lyra came to be living at Jordan College, and in thinking about it, I discovered a long story that began when she was a baby and will end when she's grown up. This volume and the next will cover two parts of Lyra's life: starting at the beginning of her story and returning to her twenty years later. As for the third and final part, my lips are sealed. "So, second: is it a prequel? Is it a sequel? It's neither. In fact, The Book of Dust is . . . an 'equel.' It doesn't stand before or after His Dark Materials, but beside it. It's a different story, but there are settings that readers of His Dark Materials will recognize, and characters they've met before. Also, of course, there are some characters who are new to us, including an ordinary boy (a boy we have glimpsed in an earlier part of Lyra's story, if we were paying attention) who, with Lyra, is caught up in a terrifying adventure that takes him into a new world. "Third: why return to Lyra's world? Dust. Questions about that mysterious and troubling substance were already causing strife ten years before His Dark Materials, and at the center of The Book of Dust is the struggle between a despotic and totalitarian organization, which wants to stifle speculation and inquiry, and those who believe thought and speech should be free. The idea of Dust suffused His Dark Materials. Little by little through that story the idea of what Dust was became clearer and clearer, but I always wanted to return to it and discover more." The books of the His Dark Materials trilogy were showered with praise, and the Cincinnati Enquirer proclaimed, "Pullman has created the last great fantasy masterpiece of the twentieth century." With The Book of Dust, Philip Pullman embarks on an equally grand adventure, sure to be hailed as the first great fantasy masterpiece of the twenty-first century.
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Emilymdxn
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Pickpick

This book was so completely magical it made me wonder why I let it sit unread on my kindle for so long. It‘s made me want to do an entire Philip Pullman reread - perhaps Christmas is the perfect time?

#wintergames #holidaybookdragons

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jitteryjane724
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Bedtime reading. Pullman has hinted that he has an announcement coming soon which I'm hoping means there will be a release date for the conclusion of this trilogy! I hoped it would be this year so I'm rereading all the books in this world in canonical order at the moment. This is #2 in that sequence.

#hisdarkmaterials #alethiometer #truth #arctic

5 likes1 stack add
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Clare-Dragonfly
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I‘m going to try to do #readingbracket2024. I was inspired by the fact that I barely had to think about it to pick a favorite book of January!

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Clare-Dragonfly
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Pickpick

Well, I loved this. Soon I will read the second book and then I guess I‘ll spend a long time being mad that the third one isn‘t out yet.

I am amused that I assumed the titular Savage Beauty was Lyra, but no—she‘s a baby in this book, and La Belle Sauvage is (as I can see now from looking closely at the cover) a boat.

lauraisntwilder Seriously. Is book 3 ever coming out? 11mo
jitteryjane724 Pullman said on his Facebook page that he has an announcement coming soon....maybe a release date for the final book?? 5mo
Clare-Dragonfly @jitteryjane724 Ooohhhh 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 5mo
24 likes3 comments
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jitteryjane724
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Pickpick

This was my second read of LBS after ~a year, and I'm excited to try and read the full works in plot-chronological order (La Belle Sauvage➡️HDM➡️The Secret Commonwealth - TBD). Hopefully by the time I finish this side quest the third and final BoD installment is out. Really enjoyed this adventure, found more connections, & renewed my desire to explore the far north (seriously, lol) and just be brave in general. Thanks, Phil ✌🏼

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Rachiiebookdragon
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
Mehso-so

Interesting book. I will watch the play at some point.

Read for reading challenges.

3.75/5

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jitteryjane724
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Pickpick

Excellent - an easy read for adolescents and adults yet full of as many mature or subtle nuances as you are looking for. I couldn't put this down as I followed Malcolm and Alice on their brave adventure. Looking forward to the next!

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jitteryjane724
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I really enjoyed His Dark Materials. Excited to see if Pullman's work holds up!

#goldencompass #hisdarkmaterials #phillippullman

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Milena
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

I enjoyed The Book of Dust from the very start but found it a bit slow to pick up. I'm glad I stuck with it because the second half was riveting and I want to know what happens next and further dive into Pullman's universe. I know I'm in for a treat because I have not read His Dark Materials. Since I'm new to this world, I figured I'd start at the very beginnng. Now I'm torn about where to jump in I next! I'm also curious about the TV series.

Meshell1313 The series was soo good but soo different! It was the series that made me read all of the books! 1y
Milena Since posting this I finished the series, which I enjoyed. I need to get back into the books. You inspired me by sharing that they are different! 1y
7 likes2 comments
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Undercookedpizza
Mehso-so

I was super hyped for this book, ready to fall back into the universe I loved so much as a kid.

The 2/3 of this book was interesting, the suspens made me read almost all of it really fast. Sadly, the end of the book didn't really convince me. It seemed messy, illogical and unoriginal. I still liked it because of the rest of the book.

DrexEdit I still have this book on my TBR. Glad to know your thoughts about it! 😊 Welcome to Litsy! 👋 3y
3 likes1 comment
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OrangeMooseReads
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Mehso-so

I don‘t think I liked this one 🤷🏻‍♀️ it didn‘t have the same ... attraction as the first one or the ‘His Dark Materials‘ series. The story is just kind of blah and Lyra is incredibly I likable in this book.
There is a third book intended I can‘t find anything beyond there will be a 3rd book. I‘ll read that one too because I want to know how the series ends and once I start a series I tend to finish it.

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OrangeMooseReads
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

Set 12-13 years before the events of ‘His Dark Materials‘ Lyra is a baby perhaps a year old. We are introduced to Malcom a young boy in the village where Lyra is being hidden away with nuns. His family owns an inn across from the nuns and he works with them from time to time. He meets Lyra. Then the rains come and the flood begins.
If you like the ‘Dark Materials‘ series you will like this. Good writing. Clearly the 1st of a series.

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magicalshelves
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

3.5 stars

I liked learning about Lyra‘s origins but a majority of this book was slow. Some new reveals were thrown in that surprised me and also made me question the original series.

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OrangeMooseReads
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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So I was wrong on this book. It‘s good, but it doesn‘t take place after ‘His Dark Materials‘ it takes place before when Lyra is a baby.

39 likes1 stack add
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OrangeMooseReads
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Next listen. This continues the ‘His Dark Materials‘ story taking place several years later.

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LouLouLane
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

Thinking about this book- it seemed like not very much happened but I LOVED being back in this world. Great setup for the next in the series.

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BookishRedhead
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

It was a pretty enjoyable read
I think I prefer His Dark Materials a bit more.
Cant get enough of this world

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bekakins
Pickpick

#doublespin done! I love His Dark Materials, and was really interesting to read this prequel, taking place when Lyra is a baby. Not quite as good as the original trilogy, but still worth a read!

@TheAromaofBooks

5 likes1 comment
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emmaturi
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Today starts the second series of His Dark Materials. I am super excited to watch it. I will be starting this one during the week! #tbr

BookwormM Just watched it sooo good 4y
emmaturi Yes me too! Very good! @BookwormM 4y
31 likes2 comments
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Laughterhp
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

I did data entry tasks for 2 hours just so I could finish listening to this audiobook. I absolutely loved it. Malcolm was such a great, strong kid. He did what he thought was right always and protected baby Lyra as best he could. His and Alice‘s journey was long and rough throughout this book. I‘m surprised the next book is 20 years later because there were a lot of loose ends here.

#BookSpin book - Book 7 #BookSpinBingo finished

AllisonM89 And i loved book 2 (although it seems to have more mixed reviews than book 1) 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 4y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
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AllisonM89
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I read the original trilogy about 20 years ago and fell in love. I hadn't reread the books, but was very interested to read the new Book of Dust trilogy when i heard it was coming out. I can't believe how nostalgic it is to return to Lyra's world and how much these books stayed with me over the years.

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bridge12
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

I love Philip Pullman and was completely unaware this prequel existed! 😱 This book is so good! It‘s so descriptive and honestly had me more on the edge of my seat than the original His Dark Materials.

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AllisonM89
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
PaperbackPirate Congratulations! 📚📚 4y
12 likes2 comments
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AllisonM89
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Pickpick

It's been nearly twenty years since i read and fell in love with His Dark Materials. It was lovely to revisit that world and Pullman's brilliant characters. Will have to pick up the second book ASAP.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
Square 8 ✔️
Bingo!!

TheAromaofBooks Yay bingo!!! 4y
13 likes1 comment
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AllisonM89
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Loving the artwork in the collectors edition

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AllisonM89
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Excited to start this one. Hope i don't regret the fact that its been 20 years since i read the original trilogy....

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LDavisMunro
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

I finished my re-read of #hisdarkmaterials and moving on to the new follow up series. Totally loved the first book and diving into the second!!

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Chancecall
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Pickpick

I‘ve a soft spot for the world building in PPs Dark Materials and the first of the new trilogy doesn‘t disappoint. I was wondering how you could top the end of the amber spyglass and a prequel is the way to do it. Mal is such a likeable character and his relationship with Alice grows so naturally of the course of events. PP knows how to write a menacing villain too although I wish Hannah had played a more pivotal role. Maybe in the next book...

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annamatopoetry
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Roof reading. Coffeeeee. Work has been almost only COVID - oriented stuff right now, under time pressure, one of the PIs described it as "building the airplane as we're flying it" so rooftop sun was an absolute requirement once the day was over.

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cariashley
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Pickpick

What a treat to come back to this magical world! There‘s a lot of story building in the first half but I wouldn‘t call it slow, since the writing is such a joy. I couldn‘t put it down for the last third - it‘s thrilling, dark and heart wrenching. I‘m excited to read the second installment!

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annamatopoetry
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I admit I didn't catch the names at all until the plot made them relevant. Oh well. Roof reading! It was warm this evening and should be warm again Thursday through the weekend, so I'll hopefully get a lot of reading done.

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rmaclean4
Pickpick

Love the complexity of the plot and the world. That is the mother of all cliff hangers! 4 🌟

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annamatopoetry
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I had completely forgot that I had put a hold on The Secret Commonwealth, so when I got the library email, I was very surprised. I had planned on finishing Mirror, but it's not like I'll be able to extend my loan on this. Otoh, read the first one in less than two days.

ameliashley I can‘t wait to read this! 5y
annamatopoetry @ameliashley a lot of people must feel the same way, because I put the hold on it during Christmas break! 5y
ameliashley 😂😂😂 5y
17 likes3 comments
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e.c.vitoria
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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ameliashley I‘m reading Northern Lights right now! Can‘t wait for this ☺️ 5y
e.c.vitoria @ameliashley Nice 😁! I haven't read those since I was a kid, but I loved them and can't wait to read the continuation! 5y
18 likes1 stack add2 comments
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RiverKScottWrites
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Pickpick

So I didn‘t expect a complete cliffhanger and tbh it was a little slow, but so rich and so relatable and so SAD and I still can‘t wait for the final! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#litsylistens #januaryreads #hisdarkmaterials

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gabliotecaria
Pickpick

Michael Sheen is a wonder reading, and this book holds up as perfectly as His Dark Materials to a second reading. Onwards to The Secret Commonwealth!

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Swati
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'This is a deep and uncomfortable paradox, which will not have escaped you; we can only defend democracy by being undemocratic. Every secret service knows this paradox.'

- The Book of Dust

Read: October '19

23 likes1 stack add
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aFewPagesMore
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
Pickpick

I loved being back in Lyra‘s World. It didn‘t matter that it has been years since I read the original trilogy, The Book of Dust is written in such a skillful way that I was gently reminded of what I needed to remember without being heavy handed. I love that this story is both separate from and tied to Lyra‘s story. This book adds to her world.

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EliNeedsMoreShelves
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Top 10 of 2019 - YA/Mid Grade pics

The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman - gosh, I had forgotten how rich this world is, and how great a storyteller Pullman can be. So excited to get more stories in this fantastic world.

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier - read this aloud to my kids. Cried. Beautiful story about the friendships we create, and the family we choose.

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Plaidsticks
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Pickpick

Re-reading this before the reading the sequel (which I started then decided to wait until I read the Dark Materials series, which I somehow never read despite then sitting on my shelves for years and being a fantasy reader for always). #morebookslessbullshit2019

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annamatopoetry
This post contains spoilers
show me
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Pickpick

Overall I think I liked it. I kind of had to skim some parts towards the end to finish on time, but it was getting a bit repetitive anyway. Malcolm was very likable in an English sort of way, and I liked Hannah a lot. A complaint: the fairie queen felt very over the top? I know this is a world with flying witches and truth telling clocks, but stillllll. All of the other fantasy elements have been original.

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Quixoticity1

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rockpools
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Would anyone like a copy of this? I bought the wrong one as a gift - should‘ve got Vol 2 - and Amazon have some weird returns policy - they don‘t want it back. And I‘m admittinh PP isn‘t for me.

UK/Europe only (sorry, rest of world). Will put in post next week to first commmenter.

kaysworld1 I would love it 5y
kaysworld1 I've been wanting to get them all for a while now but in Waterstones their quiet pricy 5y
rockpools @kaysworld1 That‘s perfect Kay! I‘ll pop it in the post to you next week 😊 5y
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kaysworld1 @RachelO oh brilliant xx 5y
TrishB Yay, glad it found a home!! I loved it. @kaysworld1 5y
rockpools @TrishB That‘s really good news! 5y
53 likes6 comments
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wen4blu
The Book of Dust | Philip Pullman
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Bookmail is the best mail!

Thanks @Soubhiville for the surprise. I‘m excited for this one.

Happy Holidays!

emz711 So much yes! 5y
rather_be_reading love ur decor 😍 5y
Soubhiville You‘re welcome. I hope you love it as much as I did. Happy Holidays! 5y
45 likes1 stack add3 comments
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pilardib
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Pickpick

Definitely not what I expected! It feels so good to go back to Lyra's world and the story did not disappoint. Some characters from the series make an appearance but it's brief and the story centers around Lyra. Can't wait to read volume two 🙆

RiverKScottWrites I‘ll be interested to know what you think of V2! 5y
19 likes1 stack add1 comment
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julesG
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Pickpick

This #audiobook was very good. Martin Sheen did an excellent job as narrator.

The story is set in the time when Lyra (Northern Lights trilogy) is a baby and Malcolm, the son of the innkeepers, is trying to protect her.

Freespirit A favourite of mine a couple of years ago❤️ 5y
65 likes3 stack adds1 comment
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julesG
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I have had back pain since Tuesday. Now my physiotherapist told me why and more or less banned me from #audioknitting. Gah!!! I wanted to finish another shawl, not to mention the book.

Sace Noooooo! 😭 5y
ljuliel Gosh. Sorry to hear that. The lady that used to own the yarn store was told by her Dr to stop knitting because it was irritating her shoulder. She said no, she‘s not quitting. Not sure how it all worked out in the end, because she sold the store a few years ago. I can‘t picture her without knitting. She was always doing it. 5y
Allylu What? Why? How is that affecting your back? Doesn‘t he/she understand the benefits of stitching? Grumble, grumble, grumble...so sorry for you. ☹️ 5y
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julesG @Sace @ljuliel @Allylu I've hunched over my knitting making my shoulders tense and apparently shortened my thigh muscles. That together is causing the discomfort. Stretching is the best way to get rid of the problem and learning to knit AND read without pulling my shoulders to my ears. 5y
Soubhiville I hope you can find a stretching routine that helps. 5y
julesG @Soubhiville Yoga cobras are supposed to be good. 5y
Allylu I‘ve heard of stretching before running, but never stretching before knitting, but who knows, it might work. Your work is beautiful. I hope you figure it out. 💕🧶🎶🎄 5y
julesG @Allylu Thanks. I'm doing some stretching right now and it helps already 5y
Allylu Way to go! 5y
Deifio Hope you find a way to continue without causing you back pain 🤗☺️ 5y
Soubhiville My husband found a device for me that buzzed when I slouched. It was supposed to help with posture... I can‘t remember what it was called. Unfortunately I wasn‘t devoted to wearing it, and ended up giving it away, but it did work well. 5y
julesG @Soubhiville I'm thinking about getting one of those braces for the shoulders. They help pull them back. Thighs can easily stretched by standing up regularly. 5y
AmyG Feel better. 5y
Librarybelle Feel better! 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I hope you feel better soon ❤️ 5y
JaneyWaneyB Oh no 😖 feel better soon x 5y
Megabooks Noooo!!! 5y
Megabooks Get well soon!! 💙💙 5y
SW-T Hope the stretching helps and that you can read and knit again in comfort! 5y
DaveGreen7777 Hope your back feels much better soon! 5y
NeedsMoreBooks Get well soon! 5y
Kaddele Hope you feel better soon! I used to have similar issues from too much crochet/spending too much time in the same position - in the end I used a timer to remind me to change posture regularly and that made things much better. The project looks lovely! 5y
julesG @AmyG @Librarybelle @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @JaneyWaneyB @Megabooks @SW-T @DaveGreen7777 @NeedsMoreBooks @Kaddele - Thanks! I swear it's not me, it's the cats. They love sleeping on me and then I freeze and don't move for hours. My normal is ants in my pants. 😁 5y
AmyG My cat sleeps on my legs...and when I move, my knee hurts. I SO understand. 5y
CarolynM Oh no! How annoying. I hope you're pain free soon💕 5y
Godmotherx5 Hope you‘re feeling better. 5y
julesG @Godmotherx5 Thanks! It's a lot better, but not entirely pain free yet. 5y
70 likes27 comments