One of my other loves...

That would be reading! I go through books like a little kid goes through candy! I love to read, and I love to craft, and I bet some of you do, too, so I thought this week I'd share a list of the crafty books I've read lately! I hope these can offer all of you the same inspiration they give me!

(Btw, all the links go to Amazon pages, unless otherwise stated.)

Chicks With Sticks was the very first book I read that was about knitting, I think. It's about a group of very different high school girls who are brought together by their love of knitting and a cute yarn shop. It's probably more for the younger crowd, but hey: I'm 17, and while I love adult novels, young adult stuff is always fun, too.

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off is a cute, funny, beginners guide to knitting. It's great to read for instruction or just to have a few laughs. It's not a novel, but it's structured sort of like a travel guide to a foreign country, and it has a few little characters and plots woven throughout. Stephanie also has a blog here.

The Friday Night Knitting Club could be called the grown-up version of Chicks With Sticks. The idea is similar: a group of unlikely friends comes together through the power of a cozy yarn shop and some skeins and sticks. I loved this book. It's humorous and heart-wrenching at all the right moments. You'll really get attached to the characters. It has a sequel, Knit Two, and Kate Jacobs has also written an awesome novel for those who prefer cooking to crafting, Comfort Food.

My mom picked this one up because the title seemed a little absurd, but it turned out to be a great book! The Cat, the Quilt, and the Corpse is a murder mystery that involves a cat burglar (literally!) and lots of quilts. It's a typical serial mystery book, making it a quick but satisfying read.

The Handmade Marketplace is something I picked up when I was considering starting up my own Etsy shop. It's really helpful and informational, plus it's full of cute illustrations by Emily Martin of The Black Apple. It's all about getting your crafts out there and making a profit from what you love.

The Guerilla Art Kit is my favorite of Keri Smith's wonderful books (though maybe it's tied with How to Be an Explorer of the World). It's pretty much a book of tutorials on how to do cool stuff like make your own stickers and seed bombs, as well as fun activities to do to brighten random people's days. I get inspired every time I look through it again.

Waking Up in the Land of Glitter is what I just finished reading today! It's sitting right next to my foot as I write this post. This one is about the art scene in Phoenix, Arizona (which sounds like a great place to live, btw!) and a bunch of "crafty chicas" who live there. There's a lot of commentary on inspiration and "art" versus "craft" that's pretty interesting. There isn't a sequel, which is sad, because it definitely left me wanting more! But the author has a blog here.

Well, that's all for now! And if any of you have suggestions that aren't on my list, go ahead and post them in the comments! I could always use another good book to read. :D