Listen to inspiring craft and hobby titles to help you get started
Question: What do audio experiences and hobbies have in common?
Answer: They keep us entertained and engaged. They build confidence. They connect us with the world around us. And they’re a rewarding, fulfilling way to use our free time.
If your New Year’s resolution this year is to pick up a new hobby, we applaud your decision. Learning a new hobby can add depth to your days. It can add excitement to your evenings. It can make your time at home more enriching. And it can make time tick by faster as you wait for the end of your work day.
In this post, we’re offering up inspiration for your new 2021 hobby. Grab a telescope and astronomy audiobook and shoot for the stars. Put a hop (and malt) in your step by learning to brew your own English ale while listening to a Stephen Fry podcast. Or – you know –get your Ron Swanson on and take up woodworking with Nick Offerman!
At Audible, you’ll find a wealth of craft and hobby audiobooks, instructional guides and Audible Original Podcasts to entertain and guide you on your journey. To help get you started, here are five exciting suggestions for your new 2021 hobby.
Marvel at the Moon, Meteor Showers and Stars
What you’ll need: a telescope, a sky map and an engaging audiobook about astrophysics.
Some people find it humbling looking out at the vast expanses of space – seeing the rings of Saturn or the moons of Jupiter. The universe is immeasurably large and viewing its majestic intricacies and mysteries can make our problems feel small, even manageable.
Others just love the thrill of having front row seats to the galaxy’s greatest landmarks.
In January, stargazers will be treated to 2021’s Wolf Moon – a bright, clear full moon that offers detailed glimpses of its various craters and lunar features. Throughout the year, you can expect dramatic meteor showers – the Quadrantids in early January, the Perseids in August and the Geminids in December. If you want to start 2021 shooting for the stars, pick up a telescope, consult an online sky map and start watching.
As a companion to your stargazing adventures, listen to Neil deGrasse Tyson’s fascinating Astrophysics for People in a Hurry – an accessible, witty and succinct guide to the cosmos.
Rediscover Ancient Meditative Practices
__What you’ll need: a yoga mat, a pottery wheel and a little audio guidance. __
While stargazing is all about looking out at the big picture, meditative practices are about turning our gaze inwards. If you’re searching for a calm, centering way to start the year, look to the ancients.
Meditation, which humans have practiced for millennia, can be a terrific way to get in touch with yourself. Check out Aaptiv’s Everyday Meditation only at Audible, which serves as an approachable introduction to the practice. Through 20 audio-guided sessions, meditation expert Ceasar F. Barajas teaches you key techniques like breath work, mindfulness and visualization.
For a meditative, grown-up take on the bedtime story, check out Audible’s Sleep series – free audio experiences designed to invite relaxation and a good night’s rest. Hear famous rapper and music producer, Diddy, softly recite words of affirmation. Join Nick Jonas for a serene story about baseball. Sink into sleep with an ASMRist from Whisperlodge, or listen to Ariana Huffington debunk common myths about sleep. After a long day of work and hobbies, it’s the perfect way to fall asleep.
The other millennia-old practice to try this year is pottery. You might not immediately associate pottery with capital M Meditation, but the gentle, repetitive, tactile act of shaping clay can be immensely meditative and soothing. Starting your pottery hobby involves a small investment, as you’ll need a wheel and a few tools. Shop for reasonably priced pottery wheels at Amazon to get started.
To help keep calm and slow down in 2021, explore instructional pottery audiobooks and helpful meditation guides. And if you prefer to center yourself through exercise, we also have several titles to work out to at Audible.
Master the Art of Brewing
__What you’ll need: a home brewing starter set, a little patience and a hilarious podcast. __
Homebrewers maintain that beer just tastes better when you make it yourself. Are they right? There’s only one way to find out.
Create your own stock of brews in 2021. Explore the homebrewing starter sets available at Amazon, and clear an afternoon to steep your grains, measure your hops and pitch your yeast. Once you’re finished, the real hard part starts: waiting upwards of four months to taste the final product.
As you wait for your English ale to ferment and condition, listen to Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets – a wry, hilarious tour of Victorian England’s strangest true stories. If you’re brewing a maple ale instead, reach for one of our new Canadian Audible Originals, like True North Heists – a true account of the most outlandish capers ever committed on Canadian soil, performed by Colm Feore.
Write the Next Great Canadian Audiobook
__What you’ll need: a quiet space, a million-dollar idea and a few tips from the masters of the craft. __
Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques
As the old adage goes: everyone has one book in them. Or, as Canadian pop star Amanda Marshall put it in her 2001 hit song: “Everybody’s got a story that could break your heart.”
This could be the year you finally tell your story. All you need is a quiet room, a blank document or recording device and a steely sense of determination. It won’t always be easy, but with a little help from the experts, you’ll be on your way to finally finishing your epic story.
For guidance, check out Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques from The Great Courses: Writing series. Over the course of 24 insightful lectures, you’ll learn valuable pointers on how to set the scene, chart your plot, revise your work and more. Taught clearly and passionately by award-winning novelist James Hynes, it’s an invaluable resource for budding and seasoned fiction writers alike.
Have Some Good Clean Fun with Nick Offerman
__What you’ll need: hand tools, power tools, safety gear, wood and a Parks and Recreation star to show you the ropes. __
Could this be the year you hew a dining table out of solid wood? Or (baby steps) the year you make a wooden bottle opener with your initials carved in it?
Getting into woodworking can require financial investment, a dedicated space, free time and a willingness to learn tricky techniques. Or it can require a few hand tools and a small block of wood. That’s the great thing about woodworking as a hobby – you can dabble or dive right in.
To guide you on your path from block of wood to handcrafted creation, listen to Nick Offerman’s spectacular Good Clean Fun. In it, the Parks and Recreation star offers nuggets of worldly wisdom, shares personal stories of his experience in woodworking and teaches you how to make two of his woodshop’s most popular projects: a pop top bottle opener and a three-legged stool!
The ideas above are just the tip of the iceberg. Your hobby possibilities are endless. Listen to gardening audiobooks while you grow your green thumb. Geek out with a dinosaur podcast as you rekindle a childhood fascination. Or explore sizzling culinary titles to get inspired while you cook chef-level meals at home.
Whatever you’re doing, listening makes the experience better — just ask our staff!
Whatever hobby you decided to take up in 2021, we say: go for it! Share your new hobby ideas with us on social media, and let us know what audiobooks are helping you get started.
