January 2025 Reads: National Hobby Month

Jan 8, 2025 | Announcements, Library

By Research Librarian Jessica McClain

I can’t think of a better way to start off the new calendar year than learning a new hobby or revisiting an old one. This month’s list offers an assortment of books relating to a variety of recreational activities. As a reminder, this is only a small selection of the many subjects available at the Athenaeum. Whatever your hobby may be, we have titles to delight and beguile!

Find the listed titles on display in the Sawtelle Reading Room through the month of January.

The Guide: A Novel

FICTION

Heller has made himself known as a master of the outdoors novel, and The Guide does not disappoint. Kirkus Reviews comments “Fisherman’s noir isn’t a genre, but maybe it should be.” In this thriller, we meet Jack, a fishing guide at an elite resort in Colorado, who is assigned to a well-known singer during her stay. But as things progress, it seems the resort has more sinister goings-on than your typical outdoor escape. This literary thriller offers action and intrigue combined with reflective nature writing.

Heller, Peter. The Guide: A Novel. PS3608 .E454 G85 2021

Painting as a Pasttime

BIOGRAPHY

At the age of 40, Winston Churchill picked up a paintbrush and found a passion and antidote to depression that would remain with him until the end of his life. In this essay, he discusses how the journey one takes through the act of painting allows a creative outlet for rest and relaxation. Includes several color illustrations by the author.

Churchill, Winston. Painting as a Pastime.

Puritans at Play: Leisure and Recreation in Colonial New England

NON-FICTION

Did the Puritans have hobbies? Daniels seeks to rehabilitate our vision of our New England foremothers and forefathers from the dour Puritans found portrayed in many of our history books to a complex community of folk who worked, prayed, and found time for play, pleasure, and recreation. The book explores different leisure activities including reading, music, dancing, sports, and games–allowing us a glimpse into how early New Englanders had a bit of fun.

Daniels, Bruce C. Puritans at Play: Leisure and Recreation in Colonial New England. GV54 .A11 D35 1995

Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers

NON-FICTION

This charming work takes its reader on a literary adventure as it explores the captivating and iconic nature of books as objects, and how the objects themselves influence our reading experiences. Smith reports the direct and sometimes momentous consequences of the combination of the transformative power of the written world with a readers’ love and obsession with the physical book in this examination of the full measure of a reading experience.

Smith, Emma. Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers. Z4 .Z9 S63 2022

To Have and to Hold: An Intimate History of Collectors and Collecting

NON-FICTION

Blom explores underlying themes connected to the nature of passionate collectors through the ages. In this exploration of the history of collectors and collecting from the Renaissance to present day, he discusses the transcendent meaning of collected objects and the various reasons people might be driven to collect, comparing collector as bridegroom wed to his possessions.

Blom, Philipp. To Have and to Hold: An Intimate History of Collectors and Collecting. AM221 .B58 2003

Caring for Your Family Treasures: Heritage Preservation

NON-FICTION

This handy guide presents practical guidance on how to care and preserve family keepsakes. It discusses care of a variety of family artifacts including books, photographs, home movies, collections, and more.

Long, Jane S. and Richard W. Long. General editor, Inge-Lise Eckmann. Caring for Your Family Treasures: Heritage Preservation. NK1127.5 .L66 2000

Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them

NON-FICTION

Brown draws from a variety of sources including medieval Icelandic sagas, modern archaeology, art history, forensics, and the history of board games in her exploration of the Lewis Chessmen, discovered in the Hebrides in the 1830s. She introduces us to 12th century artisan Margret the Adroit of Iceland as the probable carver of the pieces. This well plotted mystery will appeal to chess aficionados and neophytes alike.

Brown, Nancy Marie. Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them. NK4696.2 .G7 B76 2015

The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World

NON-FICTION

Are you looking to regain a greater bond with the natural world? Forti offers this celebration of gardening as craft and shares rituals that link us with our environment and one another in an exploration of traditional plants, lore, and practices.

Forti, John. The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World. SB455.3 .F65 2021

Our Mountain Trips: Being Authentic Accounts of Camping, Packing, and Tramping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Part I: 1899-1908 & Part II: 1909-1926

This two volume collection shares journal entries and photographs from Ida Rachel Butterfield James, Lucy Ardena Butterfield, and Walter H. James detailing their adventures hiking and camping in the White Mountains from 1899 to 1926. The vignettes reflect the technological and social changes that occurred during the period in which they were written—a time that included The Great War, women’s suffrage, and the development of the automobile.

James, Ida Rachel Butterfield, Lucy Ardena Butterfield, and Walter H. James. Edited by Ben English, Jr. and Jane English. Our Mountain Trips: Being Authentic Accounts of Camping, Packing, and Tramping in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Part I: 1899-1908 & Part II: 1909-1926. F41.5 .J36 2005

Nature Walks Along the Seacoast: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine

Start the new year with an exploration of nature walks in your own backyard! This collection of 51 nature walks from Kennebunk, ME, to Newburyport, MA, offers detailed descriptions of the region, includes cultural and natural history highlights, and provides directions and parking information for each site. These walks are available for families and folk of all ages and abilities.

Older, Julia and Steve Sherman. Nature Walks Along the Seacoast: Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. GV199.42 .A83 2003

PHOTO: An unidentified woman in a unknown garden believed to be in Portsmouth, NH. PS2991