Melanie Falick is a master of her craft, and this book is more about process than patterns. A great way to connect with a variety of authors and artists on why art and craft are important parts of a meaningful life.

What a lovely book to look through! The photography is wonderful, and I enjoyed looking into the lives of all the makers featured- seeing their work, their work spaces, homes, gardens, seeing them making. The stories were interesting and well told, and I found much to admire in these women and men, and much to be inspired by. And good heavens, this book will make you want to create! It would've been nice to see a few more makers of color; perhaps in a future edition- I'm hoping for another volume in the future, with more makers and creators to be inspired by!

#MakingAlife #NetGalley

Since the book is subtitled, "Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live," I was expecting either some motivational self-help stuff about being more creative, or some how-to ideas, or better yet, both, but I got neither.

If this were a series of magazine articles featuring interviews with makers, I would read that series. But as a standalone collection, it feels same-y in all the wrong ways. Not enough diversity among the makers themselves, as others have noted, and also not with the things they make--many of them have a similar aesthetic. The inclusion of Natalie Chanin bumped it up one star for me, though.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

This large book will appeal to a certain type of reader but not to all. I assumed it was a bit of a how-to book and it is not. You do not learn how the artisans do their crafts or how they managed to make a living doing them. It is sort of a coffee table book in that it is packed with photos of the artists and crafters who are featured, along with their homes and their work, and then lots of text about what it all means to them.

I have to agree with the reviewer who noted the stark absence of diversity in these profiles. The first biography of a woman of color didn't appear until well over a hundred pages in, and there were only a handful for the rest of the book. Male artisans are also generally absent until towards the very end of the book.

I admit to only skimming the book since it is so long and so packed with the author's and the artisans' thoughts. I looked through every page but didn't read all the text, so am not putting any read date or counting it as a book read as much as a book browsed.

Each profile includes a biography of the artisan and a sort of interview, and lots of waxing poetic about modern times, the makers' journeys, etc. The photography is beautiful and there is a lot of it. This will make good reading for those who relate to these artisans or to choosing this kind of slow and purposeful life.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

A librarian friend recommended I request this book so I did but sadly it wasn't compatible with my Kindle. This book looks beautiful but I was unable to open the download. 😢

A book full of inspiration, both textual and visual. Beautiful to browse the stories of women living with creativity. Will appeal to others who practice handcrafts and those who simply appreciate the meticulous work creative women do.

I absolutely love everything about this book! Beautiful photographs, wonderful writing. Inspiring stories from makers throughout the world. Using our hands is so important. Quilters, knitters, weavers, woodworkers and many more. Some I knew of, many I didn’t. I highly recommend this book to everyone and can’t wait to give it as gifts and have a copy in my hands. Thank you for this special book.

I love Melanie Falick's writing style; usually, I flip through books like these and occasionally read a story, but this time I kept reading, and that's quite an accomplishment for a coffee table style book!
Melanie did a great job portraiting makers not just in America but also from other countries. The diversity of work by the currated artists and makers, their stories and, beautiful photography make it an inspiring book.