She's Crafty | The Steampunk User's Manual

Steampunk is a topic I can endlessly spend time thinking about...

Steampunk Time Contraption by Don Urban. Some rights reserved.

Pulled Crystal by Tracy B. Some rights reserved.

Steampunk novel, The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack
(Available through Link+) by Mark Hodder.

Can you really blame me? Even when I just get a glimpse of something remotely steampunk I start dreaming about fantastical gadgets, wondrous accessories, and mysterious characters who jump through time and invent the perfect tool for every job.

Imagine my delight when I came across The Steampunk User's Manual: An Illustrated Practical and Whimsical Guide to Creating Retro-Futurist Dreams by Jeff VanderMeer and Desirina Boskovich! This beautiful tome is a comprehensive guide to the w-o-r-l-d of Steampunk, the whole shebang.

From steampunk two-dimensional art and jewelry accessories to chai cycles and robo-penguins; storytelling, music, and stage performance to large scale installations, architecture, and interior design. This book is an absolute feast for the eyes and mind. Not only does Steampunk User's Manual showcase magnificent work that will inspire and delight--you get an idea of what goes on behind the scenes of some of the featured pieces as artist's talk about creating their signature projects.

Though you do not need to be a DIYer to appreciate this book, those who are willing to push their craft to the next level or have a heavy DIY background can take inspiration from the User's Manual to help them create their own work.


More steampunk craft and art books:

• Steampunk: The Art of Victorian Futurism by Jay Strongman
• The Steampunk Bible by Jeff VanderMeer
• How to Draw Steampunk by Bob Berry
• The Art of Steampunk by Art Donovan
• 1000 Steampunk Creations by Dr. Grymm
• Steampunk-style Jewelry by Jean Campbell

Steampunk as a genre of fiction can be found in all age groups. What follows is merely a taste of what we have available for checkout and is by no means a complete bibliography of all our steampunk titles...

Picture books for children:

• Professor Whiskerton Presents Steampunk ABC by Lisa Falkenstern
• Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
• The Boy Who Stopped Time by Anthony Taber

"P is for Periscope."

  Chapter books for children:

• The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon by Sarah Stewart Taylor.
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

Teen fiction is bursting with steampunk titles and series:

• The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick
• Joe Golem and the Drowning City by Michael Mignola
• Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories
• Leviathan, Behemoth, and Goliath by Scott Westerfeld.
• Fever Crumb, A Web of Air, and Scrivener's Moon by Philip Reeve.
• Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Don't even get me started on what's available for adults!

Okay, maybe just a few:

• Communion Town by Sam Thompson
• Phoenix Rising by Philippa Ballantine
• Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
• Clockwork Angels by Kevin Anderson
• Steampunk'd by Various
• Ghosts by Gaslight by Various
• The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

Malia

Just Life| The Nightingale

I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that is what attracted me to this new book called The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. 

The Nightingale is the tale of two sisters set in World War II during the Nazi invasion of France.

Viann is the older sister who lives a quiet life in the French countryside with her husband and her daughter until the Nazis takes over her hometown.

Isabelle is the younger sister. She is beautiful and rebellious who craves for her father's affection. She ends up joining the French resistance.

This book is the story of their survival, their tragedies, and their triumphs during World War II.

The Nightingale so far has been my favorite book this year.

Signing off until next Monday- Panteha