I've skimmed through the Landau books and while they are technically excellent, they lack a sense of feeling and motivation which makes it hard to self study from. It felt like a slog across random topics with no application
A person that I know who has a doctoral degree in pysics and loves the Landau-Lifshitz books said: "If you need such an external motivation (for reading the Landau-Lifshitz books), you simply do not have sufficient inner drive for studying physics. Find another major that better is a better fit for you."
"There is a much quoted story about David Hilbert, who one day noticed that a certain student had stopped attending class. When told that the student had decided to drop mathematics to become a poet, Hilbert replied, “Good — he did not have enough imagination to become a mathematician.”
— Robert Osserman (US mathematician, 1926 – 2011)"
This was not intended as some kind of meme by him. He really is like that. The mention of his doctoral degree in physics has just the relevance that he is not to be considered a crackpot.
That said, these are definitely books to read when you're in the mindset of studying for PhD doctoral exams in Physics. I loved them at the time but would definitely have a hard time curling up by the fire with them on a rainy afternoon.
As the famous quip goes, "not a word of Landau and not a thought of Lifshitz."
Went through the same experience you describe. But enjoyed them when I picked them up again a few years later.