April CultureKIT - Hobbyist Subculture

A strict interpretation of this challenge is to consider only those who are hobbyists, not those who started as a hobby and moved on to a career. But, as with all our challenges, we'll all interpret this as we see fit. If you don't already have books on your shelf or TBR, a simple solution would be to browse the nonfiction section for how to's on any topic that interests you. Another place to browse is the cozy mystery genre. Many of these are written in the hobby realm as well.
Finally, take advantage of our fellow readers here as we share books that feature a character with a particular hobby. Below are a few that I recall from my reading.



Since I anticipate that finding fiction featuring a character with a hobby will be much harder, I reached out to my research librarians. They passed the question around and came up with some suggestions from their experience.

Literary Fiction about Hobbies/Hobbyists

From Sara:
How to Make an American Quilt by Whitney Otto (published 1991)
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (bees and honey hobby)
The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro (art and forgery collecting)
From Ashley:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (fixing broken radios, wooden models, and reading books)
The Botanist’s Tracks by Michael Reit (plants and botany)
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (science fascination, cooking, and rowing)
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (published 1989, cooking)
From Olivia:
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi (antique collecting, photography)
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin (art)
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey (main character takes up hobbies as an emotional crutch)
Tremor by Teju Cole (antique collecting, photography)
From Kath:
The Goldfinch by Donna Tart – main character works as an antiques restorer, a hobby turned profession that reflects his attempt to mend his own fractured life
The Book of Everlasting Things by Anachal Malhotra – features two artisanal crafts; the female protagonist is a calligrapher, while the male lead is obsessed with perfumery, their passions spanning 80 years of history.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones – central character is a talented dollmaker, a hobby that remains a consistent thread throughout the plot
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd – cartography passion
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan – The main character has a unique hobby of collecting items dropped or left behind by others and writing stories about them as a tribute to his deceased fiancee.
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd – Quilting plays a vital role in this narrative, serving as both a creative outlet and a form of storytelling for the characters.

Another resource is the Wiki from RandomKIT 2022 when I posted a March RandomKIT related to hobbies.

This will be a collaborative effort. If you’ve read one, please list it below to assist others in finding the hobby they want to read about.

Don't forget to update the wiki for this challenge.

Original message about duplicate thread no longer applies.

>2 sallylou61: Do to some glitch on my part, this is now the main thread. I apologize for the confusion.

I am considering The Moth Catcher by Ann Cleeves since lepidoptery can be a hobby.

Another possibility is The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King since beekeeping is Sherlock Holmes's hobby.

Reposting from the thread that was deleted.

I found two on my shelves that fit.

Death of a Hollow Man by Caroline Graham, the second Midsomer Murders novel. It is set among an amateur theatre group.

His Second Chance by Melissa McClone, the fourth in the Mountain Rescue Romance series. Most members of the group have another day job, and skiing, climbing and hiking also play a role in the stories.

I plan to read A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher for HomeCAT and it might fit here as well.

I also second An American Marriage by Tayari Jones from the introductory post. I read it about six or seven years ago, but it has stayed with me.

I read Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons and Dragons and the People Who Play It by David M. Ewalt. I really enjoyed this as a huge D&D fan. I would love to see an updated edition as this was published in 2013 so missed out on the more recent popularity of the game related to Stranger Things and actual play shows like Critical Role. It still works well as a history of how the game got started.

>6 staci426: That does look interesting!

I read The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes which features creating and solving puzzles as a hobby

>6 staci426: and >7 rabbitprincess: Yes! Agreed. I only watched the first few episodes of "Stranger Things" but loved how D&D was a central theme in the storyline.

>6 staci426: I really enjoyed this when I read it as well, though I've only occasionally played D&D (or similar role playing games).

I finished The Birding Dictionary by Rosemary Mosco who is first and foremost a science communicator but also a passionate birder and obviously a humorist: there were parts where I laughed out loud.

Thank you everyone for participating this month. You all found some interesting reads for this challenge.

I have read 18 Tiny Deaths which features Frances Glessner Lee. Her lifelong hobby of making miniatures translated into a ground breaking teaching tool for forensic science.

I am nearly finished with Death in the Details a cozy mystery based on the Nutshell Studies discussed in 18 Tiny deaths. So miniatures all around this month!
I'll post my comments soon on my thread. Thanks again to everyone for sharing their selections.

I just finished The English Masterpiece by Katherine Reay. I had specifically picked it for the ArtsCAT dealing with museums, but it also fits here as painting and art collecting are part of the story.

I read Schwarzes Herz by Jasmina Kuhnke. Although it is not the focus of the novel, the first half includes quite a lot of references to running since that is the protagonist's hobby and the only thing she succeeds at and is happy with. The sports club is the only place where she has friends. Thus, I am counting the book for this prompt.

Late post here. I read 18 Tiny Deaths for this challenge. When I saw Death in the Details on my library shelf, it obviously had to come home with me. Unfortunately I had to set it aside for a week and I am just now getting to post about it. I'll add it to the wiki as this is a good rec to satisfy this type of challenge.