Here in the United States, March is National Craft Month. Now, the purpose of this month is to get you to more involved in a hobby, generally creating something. As a knitter, a writer, and a librarian, I love the many meanings behind the word “craft”. Want to learn a new craft? Check out a book on it from your local library. Read a biography of a master craftsman, say John Barrymore and Katharine Hepburn in acting, Frank Lloyd Wright in architecture, Henry Kissinger or Madeline Albright in diplomacy, Arthur Miller in playwriting, Alphonse Mucha in the Art Nouveau movement, Martha Stewart in all-around crafting, or even Tony Hawk in skateboarding. Maybe a master is writing about their craft. If you love a good novel, you’d be surprised at how often crafts come up in fiction. Think about crafty characters, both fictional and real. History turns your crank? Craft guilds have had enormous impact on cultures throughout the world. Why not read a book you think is an excellent example of the craft of writing? “Craft” has so many connotations, you can go wild with all the books you can read!
- Fiction featuring crafts
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton
- The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
- Folly by Laurie King
- Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler
- How to Make an American Quilt by Whitney Otto
- Born in Fire by Nora Roberts
- Larceny and Old Lace by Tamar Myers
- Sins and Needles by Monica Ferris
- Fiction with Crafts, Hobbies, etc. Booklist from Fiction_L
- Biographies
- John Barrymore, Shakespearean Actor by Michael A. Morrison
- Madame Secretary by Madeline Albright
- Kate: the Woman Who was Hepburn by William J. Mann
- Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder by Tony Hawk and Sean Mortimer (YA)
- The White House Years by Henry Kissinger
- Being Martha by Lloyd Allen
- The Fellowship: The Untold Story of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Fellowship by Roger Friedland and Harold Zellman
- Arthur Miller: A Playwright’s Life and Works by Enoch Brater
- Alphonse Mucha by Sarah Mucha
- Master crafters writing about what they do
- Yarn Harlot: the Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
- Diplomacy by Henry Kissinger
- Spinning the Semantic Web by Tim Berners-Lee, Dieter Fensel, James A. Hendler, and Henry Lieberman
- Chanel by François Baudot and Coco Chanel
- On Writing by Stephen King
- Craft guilds in history
- Craft Guilds in the Early Modern Low Countries: Work, Power And Representation by Maarten Roy Prak, Catharina Lis, Jan Lucassen, and Hugo Soly
- The Striking Cabbies of Cairo and Other Stories: Crafts and Guilds in Egypt, 1863-1914 by John T. Chalcraft
- The Weaver’s Craft: Cloth, Commerce, and Industry in Early Pennsylvania (Early American Studies) by Adrienne D. Hood
- The Guild State: Its Principles and Possibilities by G. R. S. Taylor, Dr. Roger McCain, and Anthony Cooney
- Guilds, Trade And Agriculture by Arthur J. Penty
Of course, there’s also “the Craft,” as in witchcraft, which opens up a myriad of possibilities…
Very true! And one that completely slipped my mind.
Oh yay! An excuse to get that book on flower arranging I’ve been wanting!
I read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett years ago and it has stood out in my mind as outstanding all this time. It is one I would plan to read again some day. I may have to be a little lazy this time as I’m also reading many books for my job as a teacher-librarian right now. So I think I may read Whirligig by Paul Fleischman as it’s been on my shelves for awhile.
Well, I bought it a while back, and it has been sitting on my shelf as a “to be read” book. Now is as good a time as any. Thus, I am running with Stephen King’s _On Writing_. Looking forward to it as an aspiring writer myself.
Happy reading one and all.
One more time, I am going to try to get a book done in a month. Since weaving is my craft, I am going to try either: The blood of flowers by Anita Amirrezvani or The root of wild madder : chasing the history, mystery, and lore of the Persian carpet by Brian Murphy.
Katie – thanks again for this challenge. I am finding things to read that I never would have found without this push. Patty
For my birthday I bought myself Edward Gibbon’s autobiography (considerably less daunting than his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) wherein he discusses that massive undertaking. Yippeee!
As if I needed an excuse to read it. I would’ve fit it into whatever the theme had been…
I applied the concept of “craft” to boats, as in watercraft. This book takes place on a sailboat.
Title: Still Summer
Author: Jacquelyn Mitchard
Genre: Adventure/Thriller
Age Group: Adult
http://august2010.blogspot.com/2008/03/still-summer.html
Kind of a “how-to” this month…
Title: The Book of Vice: Very Naughty Things (and How to Do Them)
Author: Peter Sagal
Genre: Non-fiction
Age group: adult
http://libraryliz.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-be-bad-handbook.html
I read The Fallen Nightingale by John W. Milton. It is a fictionalized account of the life of Enrique Granados, a Spanish composer and pianist. You can read my review here:
http://rdaisygal.livejournal.com/200790.html
Theme : Craft
Book Title : Loving Frank
Author : Nancy Horan
Genre : Historical Fiction
A love story between architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney.
Full review here (March 22 post): http://vclblog1.blogspot.com/
Title: How to Make an American Quilt
Author: Whitney Otto
Genre: Fiction
Age Level: Adult
See my review.
I read No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting by Anne L. Macdonald. My review is here: http://blog.threegoodrats.com/2008/03/march-craft.html
Title: Where War Lives
Author: Paul Watson
Genre: Memoir
Age Level: Adult
I read this book for this month because it speaks about the craft of photojournalism. More importantly, the author shows why war photography is more luck and timing than actual skill with a camera.
You can read my review here.
Title: Three Cups of Tea
Authors: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Level: Adult
The subtitle on the paperback by Mortenson’s repeated request is “One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time” rather than the subtitle on the hardcover which is “One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations…One School at a Time”. Yikes, what a difference a subtitle makes! This book is about the craft of building schools physically. And it is also about being politically and socially crafty in order to get things even started in the first place. The first country where these schools were built was Pakistan, and in the area bordering Afghanistan, so you can imagine… The book also has to do with the craft of survival in physically draining terrain which oddly enough is uplifting to the spirit at the same time.
Title: The Lady and the Unicorn
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age: Adult
I didn’t even realize that this book would fit this month’s theme until I started reading it. This excellent novel, by the author of Girl With A Pearl Earring has taken a fictional look at the famed Unicorn tapestries, and in so doing, provides some excellent information on the weaving guild in the 1400’s. Read more on http://janeonbooks edublogs.org
Title: I Got a Human in My Throat
Author: Collaboration – Worth1000.com
Genre: Non-fiction
This month for BAM I went with the literal interpretation of the theme, craft or hobby. My focus for the past two years has been on computer graphics and designs. In fact this past week, I met my requirements to complete an associative degree in science.
Read about the book on http://skyork.blogspot.com/
Took me a while to find a book I would like to read for this month’s theme and then it ended up being a flop so I selected another book. i posted a review for both books.
Title: Portrait of a Lover
Author: Julianne MacLean
Genre: Historical Romace
Age group: Adult
Title: Bewitching
Author: Jill Barnett
Genre: Historical Romance
Age group: Adult
Title: Beer: Tap Into the Art and Science of Brewing
Author: Charles Bamforth
Genre: Science
Age: Adult
Brewing beer is certainly a noble craft and Charles Bamforth lovingly details it’s history, global reach and science. My full review.
I finally finished my review, linked above.
Title: The Wood Beyond the World
Author: William Morris
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Adult
My review
I just finished my review of The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani at my blog here:
http://weavinglibrarian.blogspot.com/
I obviously have a lot to learn because I don’t know how to do the link to my blog as others have done.
Whew, I just got my review in under the wire! I read Stephen King’s Duma Key. Hey, it’s about painting! That’s a craft…
Title: Duma Key
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Horror
Age: Teen/Adult
http://civillibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/03/book-month-challenge-review-for-march.html
Title: The Mask of Apollo
Author: Mary Renault
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age: Adult
Here’s my review:
http://ericalynnb.blogspot.com/2008/03/book-month-challenge-march.html
Title: Flower Arranging for the First Time
Author: Ruby Begonia
Genre: How to manuals
Adult: 12+
http://quietgrrrl.livejournal.com/tag/2008+book+a+month+challenge
Finished my March challenge. Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Find my short review here:
http://danceswithbooks.livejournal.com/39634.html
It is one I recommend. By the way, I see a couple of titles here I may pick up later. Thanks to all. Happy reading.
Oh, the format thing. I am so bad about that. Anyhow, on my review I put the link to the WorldCat record. Should have all that’s needed. Here it is again:
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43903453
Ok, ok, last day of the month again, but here they are (yes, they).
http://ellbeecee.blogspot.com/2008/03/march-bam-challenge-two-for-price-of.html
Title: Veganomicon
Author: Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Genre/Age: Cookbook – All ages
Title: The Sunrise Lands
Author: S.M. Stirling
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Age: Adult/older teen (violence)
Title: Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing
Author: Libba Bray
Age Level: Young Adult Fiction
Review
dealing with witchcraft and the supernatural
I went slightly naughty 🙂
The Joy of Writing Sex by Elizabeth Benedict
review here:
http://otterevilreads.livejournal.com/11694.html
Title: Stitch N Bitch
Author: Debbie Stoller
Non-Fiction
Review here: http://library-chic.blogspot.com/2008/04/bam-challenge-3-craft.html
I read a memoir by a writer: Truck: a love story by Michael Perry, which included a lot of insights about his writing style, life in general and his environment.
I also read Leading from Within a book of poetry that inspires leaders. Not everyone can be a leader, but there are ways to become one if you are willing to learn, so I think that qualifies as a craft as well.
Running late this month:
Title: Friday Night Knitting Club
Author: Kate Jacobs
Genre: fiction
Age Group: Adult
http://brightsidereading.blogspot.com/2008/03/friday-night-knitting-club.html
[…] thought I’d read about the craft of writing for this month’s challenge. Quotation of the Day for March 19, […]
Title: Writers on Writing: Collected Essays from The New York Times
Author: many. Introduction by John Darnton
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Group: Adult
http://www.blog.kalda.ca/archives/325
A little late for my review again, but here it is anyway:
Title: The Witches’ Hammer
Author: Jane Stanton Hitchcock
Genre: Fiction
Age: Adult
Read my review here.
Very late!
Title: Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid
Author: Douglas R. Hofstadter
Genre: nonfiction
Age: Adult
My Review
Late again, but less late than last month! That counts for something, right?
Title: The Fourth Treasure
Author: Todd Shimoda
Genre: Fiction
Age: Adult
Another late one:
Title: The Fourth Hand
Author: John Irving
Genre: Fiction
Age: Adult
My review
Dejavu. Read the book, wrote the review, never posted it here.
Title: Seneca Falls Inheritance, by
Author: Miriam Grace Monfredo
Genre: Historical Fiction
Reading Level: Teen – Adult
http://christajoy.blogspot.com/2008/03/bam-bam.html
Just getting around to my review for last month. ugh.
Title: The Sewing Circles of Herat
Author: Christina Lamb
Genre: Non-Fiction
Age: Adult
http://www.chelabella.com/blog.htm
[…] March theme was Crafts for Challenge #3 in honor of March being National Craft Month. Since I love quilts and quilting is one the crafts I […]