Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

If you are quilter or a baker there are all kinds of choices out there! You could always argue that reading is a hobby and read something like I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

What are your hobbies? And are there books relating to those hobbies that you could recommend?

I am a scrapbooker so I have The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society and Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker's Soul to read!

Can it be fiction like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values?

Debbie Macomber has a lot of books about knitting, but I think my pick is going to be The Garden of Small Beginnings about gardening.

I'm a knitter (and I also crochet), so I'm choosing this one from my list:

A Stash of One's Own: Knitters on Loving, Living with, and Letting go of Yarn

I'm thinking of reading the graphic novel Drama here (theater being the hobby) because I already have a lot of longer books planned so this can kind of be a break. The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love (comic books/comic con being the hobby) is another option I'm considering. It's YA so it shouldn't be anything too heavy.

Cozy mystery readers rejoice! There is such a wealth of cozies writ around hobbies, our only problem will be narrowing down to one! Here is a very handy up-to-date website that lists cozies by theme:

https://www.cozy-mystery.com/cozy-mys...

Authors of some of my personal fave series:

Needlework: Monica Ferris, Lea Wait, Elizabeth Lynn Casey, Betty Hechtman
Glass and beads: Janice Peacock, Barbara Burnett Smith
Miniatures/doll house - Margaret Grace
Candle/soap - Tim Myers
Antiquing - Jonathan Gash writes a series featuring Lovejoy, a dealer. My fave in the series is Jade Woman. Also for more garage sale mysteries Sharon Fiffer

I am convinced there is a cozy mystery out there for every possible hobby!

Oh, and if you can find them, John J. Lamb wrote a series of 4 wonderful cozies set in the world of Teddy Bear Collecting.

I'm thinking maybe I will read one of those Knitting Club books. Are they any good?

These are ones I've read and can recommend:

Video games:
(nonfiction)
Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made

SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient - Powered by the Science of Games

You're Never Weird on the Internet

(fiction)
Warcross

Ready Player One

For the Win

Chess:
(sci-fi)
The Final Reflection

Cooking:
(nonfiction)
The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection

(fiction)
Sourdough

(manga)
Food Wars!, Vol. 1

Spinning/Sewing:
(YA)
The Crimson Thread: A Retelling of Rumpelstiltskin

(Christian romance)
A Tailor-Made Bride

Quilting:
(fiction)
The Scarlet Thread (Not actually about quilting, but the quilt plays a big role in the story, as I recall.)

Knitting:
(nonfiction)
Things I Learned From Knitting

Archery:
(YA)
Hunted

Gymnastics:
(memoir)
Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything

Walking/Hiking:
The Walk

Journaling:
(YA)
Stepping Heavenward

Art/Creativity:
(nonfiction)
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles

Oragami:
(YA)
The Paper Magician

Chemistry:
(fiction)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

(nonfiction)
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

Gardening:
(children's)
The Secret Garden

For myself, I'll probably pick one of these from my already owned TBR:

Book Girl: A Journey Through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life

Beyond the Pasta; Recipes, Language and Life with an Italian Family

Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Cooks, and Good Food

Edible History: Easy Ancient Celtic, Gallic and Roman Techniques for Leavening Bread Without Modern Commercial Yeast

Cooking and reading are my two main hobbies, after all, and these are all already slotted in to my ATY challenge (book about books, Mediterranean book, book I've owned more than a year and 'something old' respectively).

Anyone have ideas for books related to traveling/exploring or hiking, my two favorite hobbies? Preferably fiction. Thanks!

I'm a nerd, so my hobbies include fan fiction and conventions. XD Fangirl would work for the former if I hadn't already read it, but I think I'm going with The Pros of Cons for this prompt.

Theresa wrote: "Cozy mystery readers rejoice! There is such a wealth of cozies writ around hobbies, our only problem will be narrowing down to one! Here is a very handy up-to-date website that lists cozies by them..."

Theresa, I think this was YOUR idea on the suggestions thread, right?!

other than reading, my favorite hobbies are gardening, painting, and cooking, none of which I practice much these days because who has time?! I also wish I was the type of person to practice agility with my dogs.

So. Painting is boring to read about. I will either read a gardening book (and most of these look like they would work for "plant in title or on cover" too!):
Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit
The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World - I'm actually about 90% sure I read this before GR, so I kind of want to read it again just to check it off once and for all as READ
Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities
The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses, and Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History
Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes
All the Presidents' Gardens: Madison’s Cabbages to Kennedy’s Roses—How the White House Grounds Have Grown with America
Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind
From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden
Fifty Plants That Changed the Course of History
Weeds: How Vagabond Plants Gatecrashed Civilisation and Changed the Way We Think About Nature
Our Life in Gardens
To Eat: A Country Life

... or a Susan Conant dog mystery - I used to buy these randomly at used bookstores, and I think I left off at:
Ruffly Speaking

Wild by Cheryl Strayed is about hiking.

The Friday Night Knitting Club works for anyone interested in knitting

Larissa wrote: "Anyone have ideas for books related to traveling/exploring or hiking, my two favorite hobbies? Preferably fiction. Thanks!"

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage was amazing, but it's not really about exploring as a hobby, so not sure if it's what you're looking for.

Larissa wrote: "Anyone have ideas for books related to traveling/exploring or hiking, my two favorite hobbies? Preferably fiction. Thanks!"

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Raquel wrote: "For myself, I'll probably pick one of these from my already owned TBR:

Book Girl: A Journey Through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life

[book:Beyond the Pasta; ..."

Grandma Gatewood’s Walk was one of my favorites this year. My mom and sister read on my recommendation and loved too.

Collecting

Cooking

Photography

The River Why (fly fishing)
To All the Boys I've Loved Before (baking, scrapbooking)
The Lido (swimming)
Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir or Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things (taxidermy)
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (collecting old books)
I Capture the Castle (journaling)

Larissa wrote: "Anyone have ideas for books related to traveling/exploring or hiking, my two favorite hobbies? Preferably fiction. Thanks!"

Wild is fantastic. You could also read "Into Thin Air' which is great. Someone else suggested "A Walk in the Woods" which is probably what ill be reading. I own it (so saving money!) My boyfriend is currently reading it, he kind of hates it but I think Ill give it a go.

This ones for all of us!

I heard this was amazing!

Larissa wrote: "Anyone have ideas for books related to traveling/exploring or hiking, my two favorite hobbies? Preferably fiction. Thanks!"


If you want something quick/easy/fun - 13 Little Blue Envelopes has the MC traveling all over.

I am planning to read Blood of Elves which inspires the hit video game "The Witcher" (gaming)

I read it for the 2018 challenge and loved it.

Kelsey wrote: "This ones for all of us!

I heard this was amazing!"

Larissa wrote: "Anyone have ideas for books related to traveling/exploring or hiking, my two favorite hobbies? Preferably fiction. Thanks!"


NONFICTION:
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide by Peter Allison
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

FICTION:
Hy Conrad -- Amy's Travel series
Maddy Hunter -- Passport to Peril series

Theresa wrote: "Oh, and if you can find them, John J. Lamb wrote a series of 4 wonderful cozies set in the world of Teddy Bear Collecting."

Okay, not particularly a fan of cozies (just never read them much, really), but I just added this to my TBR list. I'm a teddy bear collector/crafter!!!

The Life List Of Adrian Mandrick by Chris White would suit any other bird watchers out there.

Heather wrote: " Collecting..."

😂😂, 'collecting". I love this. Its brilliant. And such a fantastic story :-)

I had to think so hard about this one because I really don't want to add in another book about reading books/book clubs. And then I remembered that someone here mentioned the book Unseen City: The Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails & Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness, and it is so perfect. The thing I do most in my spare time other than read, is to take my daughters out on hikes or nature walks ( even around the block) and collect "Treasures". We have a whole box full of rocks, shells, pinecones, etc.... that we like to take out and look at, as well as some really special treasures ( the discarded shell of a cicada, an empty robins egg we found in the yard, a baby horseshoe crab shell that we found floating in the ocean, snakeskin, pieces of wasp nests). So this seems like the perfect choice and I think I might actually buy it for myself :-)

Thanks whoever mentioned it xx

about reading or bookclubs
The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club
The Dirty Girls Book Club

This could be helpful here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

I think for this one I’m reading Wassily Kandinsky’s Concerning the Spiritual in Art.

Kelsey wrote: "This ones for all of us!

I heard this was amazing!"

Kelsey, I loved that book! I'd highly recommend it.

Jackie wrote: "Can it be fiction like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values?"

That's actually classified as nonfiction. Its sort of a memoir.

EDIT: And I should mention its my favorite book of all time. Super interesting. I was even intrigued by all the motorcycle talk, and I knew nothing about motorcycles when starting the book.

I think I'll try to find a book about travel. I could go nonfiction, but I think I'd love a fiction story, too. I love travel books!

Jenny wrote: "I think I'll try to find a book about travel. I could go nonfiction, but I think I'd love a fiction story, too. I love travel books!"

I love to travel too. However, I feel I've rarely ever found a fiction book about travel that I've really liked. I'd be open to suggestions!

Jenny wrote: "I think I'll try to find a book about travel. I could go nonfiction, but I think I'd love a fiction story, too. I love travel books!"

Here are a few suggestions:
Wanderlove
Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town
Round Ireland with a Fridge
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Two Steps Forward

Linda wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I think I'll try to find a book about travel. I could go nonfiction, but I think I'd love a fiction story, too. I love travel books!"

Here are a few suggestions:
[book:Wanderlove|98..."

Thanks so much! I forgot about Wanderlove, that's been on my TBR since its release!

Jenny wrote: "Linda wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I think I'll try to find a book about travel. I could go nonfiction, but I think I'd love a fiction story, too. I love travel books!"

Here are a few suggestions:
[book:Wanderlove|98..."

Thanks so much! I forgot about Wanderlove, that's been on my TBR since its release! ..."

It was pretty good, though the character seemed so very young to me. It's been a long time since I've been 18! Still, she was doing the same kind of traveling that I still regularly do, so it was fun for me to read it. Nice drawings too!

If anyone has any suggestions for me, I play organ in a band. Something about music I guess.

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century would work here, since it focuses on the world of fly-tying

Siobhan wrote: "The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century would work here, since it focuses on the world of fly-tying"

The Nail Knot - There's this one too, about fly fishing. I liked it, even though I know nothing about fly fishing.

I love to travel and reading books (big surprise) so think I might go for Travels With My Aunt Wanted to read this for a while

I'm thinking of Let Me Hear a Rhyme, but I'm on the fence about how well it really works. It is about a teen who wrote their own raps, but they died and their friends put out their songs on a mixtape to try and keep their music alive. I'm not really sure if that still counts as a hobby in that case.

Reading and books: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Painting: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
Gaming: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Sex: A Mind of Its Own: A Cultural History of the Penis by David M. Friedman (maybe a little far-fetched, but I really love this book!)

Thanks! I’ve been wanting to read that and was trying to figure out where to put it.

Siobhan wrote: "The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century would work here, since it focuses on the world of fly-tying"

I'm pleased that travel has already been discussed as an option - I was debating if I considered that a hobby or not. I think I'm going to be reading Not Afraid of the Fall by Kyle James, about a couple who quit their day jobs and backpack across 15 countries in 4 months. I haven't personally backpacked yet, but I consider that to be a future hobby :D

Here is some different tips on books I liked to read :)

Teaholic: The Tea Planter's Wife or The Lady Tasting Tea: How Statistics Revolutionized Science in the Twentieth Century

Coffeeholic and bookworm: Happy People Read and Drink Coffee or The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

Travel/Roadtrip: Scotland Roadtrip , European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman , Gulliver's Travels , Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail ,

Photography: The People in the Photo , Class Photo , The Photo Unit

Games: Jumanji , Ouija , Ready Player One ,

Animals: Adventures of a Young Naturalist: The Zoo Quest Expeditions , The Jungle Books or The Zookeeper's Wife

Sports: Come On, Seabiscuit! , Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game , Beartown , Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

Fashion: The Devil Wears Prada , Confessions of a Shopaholic ,

Music/plays: The Phantom of the Opera , Maskerade , Night Music