Northern Lights

I've been reading a trilogy by Philip Pullman this week. The first book, Northern Lights is also known as The Golden Compass. In it, a young girl called Lyra uses an instrument known as an Alethiometer (pictured below) to measure truth. I found myself wishing I owned such a beautiful and intriguing instrument! The trilogy itself is interesting reading - I am currently reading the third book and am still wondering what will ultimately happen.