Get A Hobby

One could easily argue that I am the kind of person for whom "getting a hobby" should really not be a priority. Between renovating, flamenco, my book club, gardening, co-authoring a book, culinary arts and sewing even I sometimes marvel that I manage to work fulltime and have any semblance of a relationship. Nevertheless, I am possibly exactly the audience likely to be interested in Tina Barseghian's new book Get a Hobby!: 101 All-Consuming Diversions for Any Lifestyle. Afterall, I'm the kind of person who harbours a not so secret desire to build a backyard apiary and I've more than once thought that if I had the time, building a custom dollhouse for Miss P would make for an awesome birthday gift.

Fellicia sent me a copy of Get A Hobby a few weeks ago, and I finally picked it up mid kitchen renos and began thumbing through it on my bus rides to and from work. The format of the book is pretty simple, it contains 101 different hobbies -- from bee keeping to beer brewing -- with two pages devoted to each. As the kind of person who isn't afraid to try out a something new (as long as it doesn't involve singing in public) I'll admit my curiosity was piqued by a number of the suggestions in the book and I can see the book acting as a guide of overview guide for DIY junkies like myself. I do wish that there was a bit more info for each hobby -- though as an author myself I shudder at how much more work that would have been -- maybe even instructions for a project under each task that would let you get your feet wet. Many of the hobbies did have this treatment, but I would have liked to see a bit more. That said, the concise format does make it very easy to flip through and daydream about new ways to fill your precious spare hours. So, if you're pretty sure you haven't completed your personal hobby collection or know a DIY enthusiast give it a read. I can see this title coming in handy over the next few years as a source of rainy day activities to pick up with Miss P.