Madame Askew and The Grand Arbiter

Originally posted to our Patreon

‘Tis the season of denouncing Marley and celebrating Scrooge for his transformation into a kind, generous, and contributing member of society. Oh yes, it is also the season of many holiday celebrations with a tradition of gift giving. Many of us in this little corner of Steampunklandia adore a good book, but we are also prone to elevating the cosy experience with a good cuppa. Naturally, treating the book lover in your life to a good book is always a delightful treat, and I do have many book recommendations and lists available at my Bookshop.org store front. However, sometimes, we may not know the right book for the person or we simply wish to pair a book with a little book related treat. Here are a few of my recommended treats for your book lover!

Jubly Umph is one of my favourite little shops for book related jewelry, especially the enamel pins, and sundry cheeky bling. The artist and owner of this small business, Tasha, makes very charming designs with a certain cosy aesthetic. She is in Australia so I do try to optimize my purchase each time.

Tea is always a good choice for book lovers, especially in our corner of Steampunklandia. I adore all of the tea from our dear friends at Tea Punk Teas, but I think the Deep Blue Abyss, inspired by Gail Carriger’s Tinkered Starsong books, is perfect with a good book. Embrace the literary with a little Second Breakfast or Writer’s Fuel from Friday Teas.
As an avid reader, one of my most essential comforts is a good light by which to indulge in a good book. My old faithful little clip on light has gone the way of the dodo, but this is a nice little upgrade to my old light and this little charmer which is delightfully compact. I am also rather partial to this clip on lamp which I mostly use for travel these days–it’s a perfect project light on the road–but started as my reading light for cosy book time in bed.

Of course, when winter is here and I am ready for a truly snug evening with a big cuppa and a cosy book, I want to bundle up. Fingerless gloves or mitts are a long time staple in my life and these are so charmingly literary and soft. Whilst these days I tend to wrap up in my very snug flannel caftan for a languorous afternoon of reading and tea, I do really adore a lap blanket. This is the most decadent item on this list but I adore Calamityware and all of their treasures. Also, who doesn’t love a time-travel themed lap blanket? 

*I am delighted to be a Bookshop.org affiliate. Every purchase on the site financially supports independent bookstores. Any books purchased through the links in this review will also provide a small commission to me.