Customer Reviews

Get a Hobby!: 101 All-Consuming Diversions for Any Lifestyle

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

That's where I was when I found this book. I took the little test and came out with not very many choices, I thought. But I read through each hobby definition for my "types" and I'll be darned if it didn't come up with 3 activities that I definitely plan to pursue. I needed this. You forget as you age and some of the responsibility starts dropping off, just exactly who you are and what it is you like to do - just for your own entertainment. It was a blessing to me and I plan to really enjoy this summer as I start pursuing my new hobbies. Thanks, Tina.

In Get a Hobby!, author Tina Barseghian has compiled "101 All-Consuming Diversions for Any Lifestyle." The book opens with a slightly tongue-in-cheek quiz to determine your hobby personality. Each of the 101 hobbies is given a two-page spread which includes all of the essentials:

* overview
* history
* what you'll need
* resources (books and websites)
* a project
* and sometimes a neat section that offers additional suggested hobbies if you already enjoy this hobby.

I think that this book would be a great gift for a college graduate, retiree, or even for a wedding shower along with some of the resources or project supplies suggested for hobbies you think might interest them.

I attended Tina's book signing in th Bay Area recently and was impressed not only with the variety of hobbies reviewed--from falconry to building Bible scenes from Leggos to animal husbandry--but with the interesting profiles of the people behind the hobby. The book recounts some great stories about hobbyists that provide insight into the hobby and the joy that people find in their hobbies. I'd recommend this book to anyone who was interested in exploring a new hobby or is just curious about the variety of hobbies out there. Who knows, you might pick up a new hobby you'd never dreamed of. The book made me want to take my scrapbooking to a new level. Thanks Tina for this inspiring book.

I enjoyed this quite a bit! I like to dabble in new hobbies from time to time and I found this book very useful and thought-provoking. Of particular value are the many profiles of the hobbyists themselves -- the author does a great job of putting a human face on each of the hobbies.

Tina's book is like a hobby encyclopedia! I'm pretty crafty, but there were so many hobbies I had no knowledge about. The book is beautifully designed and organized, and, as I've suggested with many books of this type: "Keep it on the back of the toilet." Each hobby is a two-page spread, so it's a perfect read each time you sit down. At this rate, you'll enjoy the book for over three months, and absorb each hobby she details with greater comprehension than if you tried to read it all the way through. It's a great reference and teaching tool as well--for your kids--or anyone else with too much time on their hands.

good for a public library but not worth taking up my own home shelf space

There was not enough detail. Some of the references were not clear.
Couldn't start building a ship in a bottle without a lot more help.



































































































there was not enough detail. Some of the references were not clear.

Yarn making you yawn? Bored with beading? Feeling scrapped out? Sick of sewing? Maybe your problem is that you need a new hobby. But with so many out there, how do you chose? ReadyMade contributing editor Tina Barseghian wants to help narrow your new hobby search with her book Get a Hobby! 101 All-Consuming Diversions for Any Lifestyle.

The book starts off with a (rather tongue-in-cheek) hobby personality quiz to help determine which of the 101 hobbies listed in the book best suit the reader's personality. The rest of the book devotes itself to a two page synopsis of each hobby, listed in alphabetical order.

Many of the 101 hobbies described are pretty common, but there are several unique ones as well. These include composting, dumpster diving, gravestone rubbing, mushroom hunting, olive oil infusion, seed trading and storm chasing. Each hobby description includes a list of the supplies needed, an overview of what the hobby is, its history, how to get started, additional resources, what type of personality is best suited for this hobby, and a beginner project. Some of the entries also include short profiles of those that practice it.

My only complaint about the hobbies listed is that some involve the use of live animals. While Barseghian provides ample warning of time and effort involved, I would hate to see anyone give these hobbies a "try" only to decide that it wasn't for them.

The cover of Get a Hobby! is a wonderfully attention-getting photo of two models piled high with accessories and clothing suited for different activities, but unfortunately the inside design isn't as well done. The pages are pretty easy to read, but only use two ink colors, green and orange. It also would have been nice to see photos of the projects instead of simplistic illustrations.

While not meant to be a comprehensive source, the book is a great starting off point for anyone interested in learning a little something about a hobby they might not have considered before.

I bought this book for my Dad for Christmas. He's been looking around for a hobby for a while, and I thought that this book would be good to give him some ideas about where to start.
The book is pretty much just that: a starting place. It's not a book that will get you very far on your search for a hobby, but it has a lot of different things and some basic descriptions. The ideas for hobbies in this book are more solidified than you would find if you were to just google "hobby suggestions" and filter through the answers.
At the same time, with some of the topics, there was the sense that they were stretching to reach 101 hobbies.
The copy I bought was used, and in great shape. My suggestion is to buy this book used or get it from a library.
While it's a good list, I don't know that I would pay too much for it.

It wasn't what I thought it would be. Too wordy. It went straight to my book shelf after 10 min. I liked the resource info for each hobby though.