Steampunk Saturdays: Steampunk Your Wardrobe by Calista Taylor

Today for steampunk Saturday, I have a review of a full little book called Steampunk Your Wardrobe.  This book has some easy projects to make everyday wardrobe items steampunk themed.  Here's the cover and the Goodreads blurb:

Steampunk your Wardrobe offers do it yourself-ers and crafters an easy and comprehensive, step-by-step guide to capturing a steampunk aesthetic in their fashions. Start with simple, easy-to-make projects, such as embellishing clothing you may already have, and proceed to more complicated alterations. Included are projects for steampunk jewelry, accessories, and clothing.

I liked the basic and simple nature of the pieces. I also thought that the book served as excellent inspiration on how to take thrift store or sale rack finds and turn them into steampunk pieces without a ton of cost. I think that the real value in this book is not being able to make exact replicas of the items in it but to be able to translate the ideas to whatever you may have to put together an interesting steampunk outfit. With the activities in the book, you could build a steampunk outfit for a lady in completion. I think though that some of the ideas and techniques can be used to put together male outfits as well. Over all I give this book 3 Fairies for a good resource for beginners to the steampunk world. The directions are clear and easy to follow and mad sewing skills are not required.

Nuts & Bolts: Industrial Jewelry in the Steampunk Style by Marthe Le Van

I love steampunk jewelry. It is easily one of my favorite things so I jumped at the chance to review a copy of Nuts & Bolts through NetGalley. Here is the cover and the Goodreads blurb:

Those with a taste for modern jewelry, including steampunk fashionistas, will treasure this how-to guide to designing striking ornaments. In keeping with steampunk's do-it-yourself spirit, this manual shows how to use tubes, rods, metal sheets, and other industrial items to create chic jewelry. Comprehensive instructions for 24 projects include lists of tools and parts as well as illustrated directions for assembly. In addition, a full-color gallery of items by professional jewelry artists offers a wealth of inspiration.
Suitable for jewelry-makers at all levels of experience, the designs include Chain Link Earrings; an Orbit Cuff with coppery discs that appear to float; the Galaxy Necklace, featuring prepunched square metal shapes; and the City Lights Stick Pin, which juxtaposes tubes and guitar strings. Other creative and exciting jewelry designs include brooches, matching sets of necklaces and earrings, rings, and bracelets.

The pieces in this book are interesting and pretty. The directions are clear and concise to help anyone of any skill level buy the materials for the pieces and put them together themselves. I just don't know that the book is what it is advertised as. I felt that the pieces were very clean, sleek and modern. I did not see the brass and rust that I expect in steampunk. The pieces are lovely though and I suggest this book for crafters of all skill levels who are looking for modern and/or industrial pieces.

You can click here to add Nuts and Bolts to your Goodreads. I give this book 3 Fairies for a good how to manual for making industrial and modern jewelry but I don't know that I would call the jewelry truly steampunk themed.

Transgender Lives: Complex Stories, Complex Voices by Kirsten Cronn-Mills

Sexuality and gender expression issues are very near and dear to my heart.  My heart breaks for those who feel trapped in their body or worse.  I think that every person deserves to feel safe and at home in their own body.  I also feel very strongly that parents have to support their kids through their questioning and/or transitioning times.  It's so important.  Author Kirsten Cronn-Mills has written a book that allows the reader to look at life through the eyes of a trans person.

"I didn't hear the word transgender until I was eighteen, when a person I was dating came out as trans. My boyfriend came out as my girlfriend, and I thought, 'What . . . is that?' She said, 'I just don't think I'm a man.' And I said, 'Guess what? Neither do I.' And then the skies parted, and I understood who I was."—Katie Burgess, nonprofit director and community activist/organizer

Meet Katie, Hayden, Dean, Brooke, David, Julia, and Natasha. Each is transgender, and in this book, they share their personal stories. Through their narratives, you'll get to know and love each person for their humor, intelligence, perseverance, and passion. You'll learn how they each came to better understand, accept, and express their gender identities, and you'll follow them through the sorrows and successes of their personal journeys.

Transgender Lives helps you understand what it means to be trans* in America while learning more about transgender history, the broad spectrum of transgender identities, and the transition process. You'll explore the challenges transgender Americans face, including discrimination, prejudice, bullying and violence, unequal access to medical care, and limited legal protections. For transgender readers, these stories offer support and encouragement. Transgender Lives is a space for trans* voices to be heard and to express the complexities of gender while focusing on what it means to be human.

I truly enjoyed reading this book.  I was so touched by all of the stories that are shared in it.  So many wonderful people are sharing their stories of transition, life, love and gender.  I liked that Cronn-Mills was very honest and upfront about her role of author/compiler of this book.  She is a cis gender advocate for those who are trans, queer or questioning their gender.  I think everyone will benefit from reading this book and seeing through the eyes of someone dealing with a gender issue.  We all need to educate ourselves and learn about those around us who may be different.  Different is not wrong.  The author addresses a number of issues that trans folks are facing.  They are already going through so much as a trans person but the world can be more difficult to navigate as a trans person.  I highly recommend this book for everyone to get a better understanding of trans people.

You can click here to add Transgender Lives to your Goodreads. Author Kirsten Cronn-Mills can be found on her website, her blog and on Twitter. Transgender Lives will be published on September 1st so you have plenty of time to pre-order your copy.  I give Transgender Lives 4 Fairies for a lovely look into the lives of real trans men and women who are living their lives their way.

The Ghost in the Coal Cellar: True Case Files from a Lone Investigator by Andrea Mesich

I recently received a copy of The Ghost in the Coal Cellar from Llewellyn Publishing through NetGalley.  I love ghost stories and shows about paranormal investigations so this book was one I was excited for.  Here's the cover and blurb:

This unique guide takes the reader along on real paranormal investigations into several haunted locations, including Mission Point Resort, the Paulding Lights, the First Ward School House, and individual homes. Author and paranormal investigator Andrea Mesich presents the details of each investigation from start to finish. She describes the ghosts or entities involved, offers colorful historical details about each haunted place or object, and shares both eyewitness accounts and her own personal insights into the paranormal occurrences. Readers will learn about different types of hauntings and how to identify them.

The author also addresses some of the paranormal world's most misunderstood topics and frequently asked questions, such as why hauntings seem to happen mostly at night, how to distinguish a true EVP from a natural sound, and whether or not using a Ouija Board is dangerous.

I enjoyed reading this book. The stories were told from the point of view of the investigator and from her interviews of others. Most of the stories were interesting but it seemed to me that an inordinate amount of time was spent on the phenomenon of the Paudling Lights. I could have done with less there.  The author speaks about her own investigations and the experiences that she has had with famous investigators.  The stories are well written are interesting.

You can click here to add The Ghost in the Cellar to your Goodreads.  The Ghost in the Cellar is going to be published in August so be sure to pre-order now!  I give The Ghost in the Cellar 3 Fairies for a good book on ghost stories and investigations.

Haunted Stuff: Demonic Dolls, Screaming Skulls and Other Creepy Collectibles by Stacey Graham

I love a good ghost story (even if most of them do end up giving me nightmares)!  I was so excited to get a review copy of Stacey Graham's book Haunted Stuff, through NetGalley from Llewellyn Publishing.  Check out the cover and blurb:

Finding a one-of-a-kind antique doll at a garage sale is a great feeling--until you bring that doll home and discover it's haunted. Objects with restless spirits attached to them can quietly invade a home through auctions, antique dealers, estate sales, garage sales, and inheritance. This spooky collection examines a wide variety of haunted items, from screaming skulls to demonic dolls, and how they affect the owner's life. Haunted Stuff provides true accounts of possessed possessions, often found in the strangest places. Discover chilling stories of the island of haunted dolls, the tumbling coffin, Rudolph Valentino's cursed ring, and even the Queen Mary ocean liner--one of the largest haunted items of all. Experience these true accounts that will make you look closer at the antiques on your shelf . . . and wonder if that creepy doll just blinked.

I found this book to be extremely well written and interesting.  I really enjoyed that the objects discussed are not all things that are included in just about every ghost story book.  It was fresh and new in a lot of ways.  I read through the entire book in about a day.  It really kept my interest.  I also enjoyed the way that the writer drew the reader into the past with her story telling.  All in all this is a great book for those who like ghost stories and history.

You can click here to find Haunted Stuff on Goodreads.  Author Stacey Graham can be found on her website, Facebook and Twitter.  I give Haunted Stuff 4 Fairies for a well written and interesting book of real haunted items through history.

American Grown by Michelle Obama

I found a cool looking book by our First Lady in the local library's gardening section.  I have my own victory/kitchen garden so the story of the White House Kitchen Garden caught my eye.  My grandparents on both sides were big believers in the idea that every home needed a kitchen garden.  I have amazing memories of shelling lima beans on my grandma's back porch with my aunts, mother and grandma.  I can even still remember loving the taste of the beans fresh from the shells.  I learned to pit cherries sitting in the grass at my grandma's knee in the shade of the cherry trees in her yard.  My grandma made the most amazing peach freezer jam from the peaches that grew in her back yard.  Peaches in Ohio are like nectar of the gods after a long freezing cold Ohio winter.  We grew up eating fresh kohlrabi at summer cook outs.  I thought everyone grew up knowing how to can and put up jams, jellies, pickles and more from the garden.  Our garden just outside my back door now feeds my husband, children and even our Bearded Dragon, Robin.  We grow collards, edible nasturiums, herbs for teas and salves, tomatoes to can and cucumbers to pickle.  Each year the children, my husband and I work together to plan the garden, prepare the garden, plant the garden, tend it and harvest from the garden.  It is a big project that brings us closer together, makes us healthier and teaches the children about the foods that they eat.

In April 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama planted a kitchen garden on the White House’s South Lawn. As fresh vegetables, fruit, and herbs sprouted from the ground, this White House Kitchen Garden inspired a new conversation all across the country about the food we feed our families and the impact it has on the health and well-being of our children.

Now, in her first-ever book, American Grown, Mrs. Obama invites you inside the White House Kitchen Garden and shares its inspiring story, from the first planting to the latest harvest. Hear about her worries as a novice gardener – would the new plants even grow? Learn about her struggles and her joys as lettuce, corn, tomatoes, collards and kale, sweet potatoes and rhubarb flourished in the freshly tilled soil. Get an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at every season of the garden’s growth, with striking original photographs that bring its story to life. Try the unique recipes created by White House chefs and made with ingredients just picked from the White House garden. And learn from the White House Garden team about how you can help plant your own backyard, school or community garden.

Mrs. Obama’s journey continues across the nation as she shares the stories of other gardens that have moved and inspired her: Houston office workers who make the sidewalk bloom; a New York City School that created a scented garden for the visually impaired; a North Carolina garden that devotes its entire harvest to those in need; and other stories of communities that are transforming the lives and health of their citizens.

In American Grown, Mrs. Obama tells the story of the White House Kitchen Garden, celebrates the bounty of gardens across our nation, and reminds us all of what we can grow together.

The writing in this book is so lovely as we follow the First Lady's journey in planting the White House Kitchen Garden. She gives us a great deal of interesting history on the gardens at the White House.  There are a bunch of great recipes in the book that make use of fresh produce.  I also liked the suggestions on how to start or expand your own garden.  The First Lady also has a number of stories about how the gardening movement is sweeping the nation.  Communities and school everywhere are trying to bring gardens to the masses.  Each garden featured is different and interesting.  Some are urban and squeezed into small spaces.  Some are found in small towns across the US, where communities come together to grow their own produce.  What amazing stories!  There was not one thing about this book that I did not like.  I really loved it.  I think I will be purchasing some copies to give as Christmas gifts this year.

You can find it on Goodreads here.  I give this book 5 Fairies for a great read from new and experienced gardeners alike.

Gardening for the Birds: How to Create a Bird-Friendly Garden by George Adams

I got a copy of this book for review through NetGalley a while back and read half of it.  I did not get to finish it before the book came out so I bought a copy for my personal shelves.  It was worth every penny.  Here's the Goodreads blurb and the cover:

You may already have a bird feeder in your yard, but you can attract a far wider range of species, and they will stay longer, if you create a bird-friendly landscape. Gardening for the Birds shows you how.

With the right native plants, arranged to mimic natural ecosystems, you will provide birds with food, water, shelter, and nesting places. Instead of just visiting your garden to snack, birds will call it home.

With hundreds of native plants, extensive seasonal bloom and fruiting charts, and the techniques for creating a balanced ecosystem, this book helps you turn any space—from a small, urban terrace to a large suburban yard—into a home for a fascinating variety of birds. Close-up profiles of birds from across all regions of North America teach you their nesting, breeding, and feeding habits.

Birding and gardening are natural companions: let this rich compendium help you make your garden a sanctuary for the local bird population and yourself!

If you want to bring birds to your yard, you can do so much more than just hang a few feeders.  This book will explain all of the ways that you can entice birds into your yard and really, you could extrapolate that to any animals.  You want to provide for the needs of the bird or animal to get them to frequent your yard.  You can do this by incorporating native plants into your gardens and by offering water sources for drinking and bathing.  Having trees available for nesting in your yard is another way that you can bring in the birds.  The best part of this book is that it explains how to make your yard inviting to birds whether you only have an urban terrace or you have tons of yard space out in the sticks.  Everyone and anyone can read and use this book.  I also found it really helpful that the book offered a section of profiles of birds from all regions so that you could see what birds could be in your area and what their needs are.  It is almost two books in one.  AND you don't have to be a bird watcher to really understand and use it.  This is one of the best non-fiction books I've read this year!

You can click here to find this book on Goodreads.  I give Gardening for the Birds 4 Fairies for a super useful addition to my home library.

The Face in the Window: Haunted Ohio Tales by Chris Woodyard

I was super excited to see a new book from my favorite Ohio Author at our local library on my last trip.  Here's the cover and Goodreads Blurb:

Chris Woodyard, author of the popular Haunted Ohio series brings you a scrapbook of Victorian hauntings and horrors.
This collection of ghostly and ghastly stories from Ohio's dark past includes haunting and historical tales of spook lights, cemetery wraiths, Women in Black, ghostly faces etched in window glass, and fire-bug poltergeists.
These long-lost (and all-new) tales, resurrected from archives and newspapers still have the power to terrify.
The first in a series: The Ghosts of the Past.

This book is exactly what it says it is.  Chris Woodyard has compiled and thoroughly researched actual historical events through the newspapers of the times.  She has printed the actual news articles of ghostly hauntings and has added her own commentary as well as supporting documentation when available.  This is not simply a book of ghost stories, it is a historical reference of Ohio ghostly events.  It covers the Victorian period in Ohio so the articles are doubly interesting.  The newspapers used are national papers in addition to the local papers.  I enjoyed seeing what the big city newspaper folk thought of us Ohio "rustics."  This is the first book in a new series from Chris Woodyard and a departure from the writing style of her Haunted Ohio books.

You can find more from Chris Woodyard on her website and the Official Haunted Ohio Facebook Page.  You can click here to find this book on Goodreads.  I give this book 4 Fairies for a great historical look at ghosts and hauntings.

The Speedy Vegetable Garden by Mark Diacono, Lia Leendertz

I received a copy of The Speedy Vegetable Garden through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I have four kids who are like any kids, they are not the most patient of folk.  We have a vegetable garden but the kids want to see things happen sooner so I thought this might give us some kid friendly ideas!  Here is the cover and the Goodreads blurb:

Typically, vegetable gardening is about the long view: peas sown in spring aren't harvested until summer, and tomatoes started indoors in February can't be eaten until July. But it's not true for all plants. Some things can be planted and eaten in weeks, days, even hours.

"The Speedy Vegetable Garden"highlights more than 50 quick crops, with complete information on how to sow, grow, and harvest each plant, and sumptuous photography that provides inspiration and a visual guide for when to harvest. In addition to instructions for growing, it also provides recipes that highlight each crop s unique flavor, like Chickpea sprout hummus, stuffed tempura zucchini flowers, and a paella featuring calendula.

Sprouted seeds are the fastest. Microgreens can be harvested in weeks: cilantro, 14 days after planting; arugula and fennel in 10 days. And a handful of vegetable varieties grow more quickly than their slower relatives, like dwarf French beans (60 days), cherry tomatoes (65 days), and early potatoes (75 days).

"The Speedy Vegetable Garden"puts fresh, seed-to-table food at your fingertips, fast!

I found this book to be pretty useful.  I love sprouts but never really thought I had the ability to sprout them myself.  Some of the veggies discussed are a bit out there for some readers though.  I thought the most useful parts were on the cultivation of lettuce (I am going to rake my lettuce patch better when I next plant) and the section on edible flowers.  I love the idea of edible flowers.  I am adding Nasturtiums to my garden next year.  The section on micro greens was really interesting.  I think that most people won't be very familiar with the idea of micro greens (I wasn't) but the concept sounds pretty great.  You get fast greens with all the best attributes of their fully grown counterparts and not nearly as much waiting.  All in all, I think this is a great gardening reference book with something for everyone but not all of the book will appeal or be useful to everyone.

You can click here to add The Speedy Vegetable Garden to your Goodreads.  I give this book 3 fairies for a useful reference that I need on my shelf.