My Favorite Book of 2009 – A Review (with Steampunk Zombies)

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

My rating: ★★★★★

This book contains all the standard tropes of Steampunk, including airships, goggles, and mad scientists but makes something fresh of it by adding in alternate history and Steampunk Zombies. It's primarily entertainment -- the literary equivalent of an action movie. But, a very good book and a very good action movie.

In this tale, the American Civil War has bloodily dragged into the late 1880s, the Klondike Goldrush happened earlier, and Seattle (Washington Territory) is home to tens of thousands of settlers. Due to an experimental earth-drilling invention that went awry, (the Boneshaker) a vein of gas (known as the Blight) has infected downtown Seattle. The town has to be walled off from the Outskirts. Within the walled city are roaming bands of rotters (think zombies), and some people crazy enough to venture inside and eke out a living among the rotters and Blight gas. When 15-year-old Zeke sneaks into the city to clear his father's good name. His mother, Briar, heads in after him and that's when things get really interesting. The Mother and son combination reminded me a bit of Sarah and John Connor (minus the world-saving destiny part), and the subsidiary characters were plentiful, clearly realized and interesting. As always, Preist's women are three-dimensional and strong. Tor's printing and book design (cream paper with sepia-brown ink) shows real care and thought. Priest's storytelling shows the same. She has, as proven by her Civil War tales, a wonderful grasp of the American Victorian Era, and being somewhat knowledgeable of that time myself, only added to my enjoyment of it.

My very favorite book of 2009. Not the best book I read, but absolutely a wonderful, fun and even interesting diversion. View all my reviews >>

A New Ornament Commemorates President Benjamin Harrison and The First White House Christmas Tree

In 1981, the White House Historical Association began offering an annual ornament in honor of a United States President. The 2008 White House ornament has a Hoosier history.

The ornament is a tribute to the nation's 23rd president and the only president from Indiana, Benjamin Harrison. In 1889, for the first time in White House history, President Harrison and his wife Caroline put ornaments on an inside evergreen and placed gifts for the family and White House staff around it.

Ornament collector Jamia Jacobsen said she started collecting the White House ornaments in 1981 while she was in Washington D.C. She said her favorite may be the Benjamin Harrison ornament.

"And it's just so intricate and so special this year," said Jacobsen.

Benjamin Harrison Home President and CEO Phyllis Geeslin said an artist spent four days in the home earlier this year studying Harrison before settling on the tree design.

"We have always known here at the Harrison home how much Benjamin Harrison loved Christmas," said Geeslin.  The toys under the tree, including a train and a doll house, were given by President Harrison to three of his six grandchildren while they lived with him in the White House.

"And of course Benjamin and Caroline had a son and a daughter and both of their families, from time to time, lived in the White House,? said Geeslin. Each White House ornament comes beautifully displayed in a box that gives a detailed history of the ornament and its president. Leslie Olsen, WISH-TV

(Click here for the Video of the story)
Read more about the annual White House Ornament.

On a personal note: It was one of my favorite times of the year to help decorate the Harrison Home for Christmas and work with my friends and colleges there preparing exhibits and school programs teaching about a Harrison Christmas and that first White House Christmas tree.

I also LOVE Phyllis. She's a wonderful woman who has done more to promote the memory of President Benjamin Harrison and his home than any Director, President or CEO the Harrison Home has ever had. They are so very very fortunate to have had her loving and guiding hand there for these 15 years! Cheers!