The steampunk genre has been around for some time now, and while some may disagree, I most strongly associate it with The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a graphic novel, by Alan Moore.

More recently, the novel, Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris, available from the Library in both paperback and ebook formats, caught my eye. One of the authors, Pip (Philippa), has her degree in Library and Information Science and "found herself working in the magical world of libraries where she stayed for over a decade." This novel really does transport you to a world of beautiful libraries, and you can picture it being written on a steamtop computer. Watch out for the forthcoming Ministry of Peculiar Occurences novel, The Janus Affair. There's also the movie version of Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret, entitled simply Hugo, coming to DVD on February 28, 2012. 

Steampunk as a genre is typically characterized by mashup of modern technology and Victorian-era technology, frequently clocks, gears, pneumatic tubes, dirigibles, etc. Here are some titles to get you started:

• A list of Steampunk comics from the Mad Hatter's Bookshelf & Book Review
• Steampunk emporium: Creating Fantastical Jewelry, Devices and Oddments from Assorted Cogs, Gears and Other Curios by Jema Hewitt
• The Alexia Tarabotti series by Gail Carriger (Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, and Heartless). Watch out for a new manga series based on these characters!
• Boneshaker series by Cherie Priest
• Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld
• Library Journal's list of 20 Core Steampunk Titles (some out of print)
• Steampunk!: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories, edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant
• Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded, edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer