The other day I stumbled across another 100 books to read before you die list. The familiar books were all there; Crime and Punishment, Pride and Prejudice, 1984 and as usual I started to automatically compile a mental list of those that I have read; those that I plan to read one day and those that I would refuse to read even if you tied me up, thrust the book in front of my face, turned the pages at regular intervals and propped my eyelids open with match-sticks. For the first time though it struck me that these lists tend to be made up almost exclusively of novels. Which led me to wonder what non-fiction books I should read before I die; and by extension - what subjects’ people wished they knew more about.
Now it may be because I've reached a certain age but recently I have started to think that hours not spent in the pub are not necessarily hours wasted. In short I have started to think that I need a hobby. Where to start though - photography, antiques, genealogy? The problem is that I am interested in everything in theory - but I know what I am like - as soon as I start to actually learn something about a subject my interest immediately dwindles to zero. My life is littered with discarded fads from magic tricks to stamp collecting and this time I am looking for something a little more permanent.
So I would love to hear about other people's hobbies or subjects that they would like to learn more about. Maybe I will steal your idea and a passion lasting the rest of my life will be born. More likely I will be interested for a while and then get distracted by something shiny in the distance. - But I am interested just the same.