3 Non-Bookish Hobbies I Want To Try in 2023

We all know we like to read, we’re book bloggers. That also means we love to do anything related to reading – writing, taking pictures of books, talking about books, bookish art, etc. For me, a bookish “hobby” I’ve been dabbling in for the past year is writing. I’ve been doing it on and off (because imposter syndrome is real, y’all). But there are things outside of books (gasp, how dare I?!). Well, because I already don’t have enough time to read, and I like to complicate my life, I’ve decided 2023 will be the year I branch out. I’m determined to try out some new interests this year, ones I’ve been putting off for a long time. Here are 3 non-bookish hobbies I want to try my hand at this year!

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Those things are darn cute, ok? How could I not want to learn crochet just to make those cute little handheld animals for my son? In the picture above is something called a Wooble. It’s something I saw on Instagram and if they aren’t the cutest things you’ve ever seen, then I don’t know what is.

Basically, Woobles are kits that are perfect crochet sets for beginners. They have all sorts of little animals that are perfect for kids – they even have kits for kids! I haven’t purchased a kit yet but I definitely want to before the year is up. I’m thinking The OG set (pictured above) because I think my son will love all of the little guys included. Maybe if I get the hand of the little animals, I’ll move onto bigger projects, but for now, I’ll stick to the cute narwhals and chicks.

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Am I a good cook? No.

Am I a baker? No.

Do I always a give it a good, honest effort even though I burn things, under season things, or have to start from scratch when I put twice as much flour than a cookie recipe called for? Yes. (I went into full panic mode during the last one, but luckily a neighbor saved the day with more cocoa powder).

I still want to keep trying to get better at cooking and baking. During December of last year, I decided to follow a “winter/christmas” homeschool curriculum for my son. This involved a lot of baking. I didn’t get to all of it…because life…but what we did get to was so much fun. I enjoyed practicing and learning and realizing that basically every baked good has the same 5 ingredients it’s just about how much and how you put it together. I even baked my first ever loaf of German stollen bread – which was surprisingly good. I also received both Half Baked Harvest cookbooks as a Christmas gift and so far, my family has really enjoyed everything in it.

I’ve discovered cooking a good meal, or dessert, for everyone brings me a lot of joy. It brings me even more joy when my son joins me in the kitchen. I never really learned how to cook from my parents, so I would like to be able to pass down some recipes to my son for his future family.

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I. Do. Not. Run.

I genuinely do not remember the last time I ran. Maybe for the ice cream truck when I was a child. I am so anti-running that during P.E. in high school, I would just sneak off the track, walk across the street to get some Del Taco, come back, sit in the bleachers and eat my burrito while everyone else ran the track. Granted, I ended up in summer school for P.E. for it, but I didn’t have to run during that either. So, honestly, it was a win in my book.

But now I’m in my 30’s and another Instagram ad has me thinking I want to run. I’m always advertised for The Conqueror virtual running challenges. Whenever you complete one of the challenges, you receive a metal in the mail. They have tons of options to choose from the feature destinations from around the world. However, the one I want to try to complete is the Lord of the Rings challenge! Clearly, these running people know how to target us readers to get off the couch and move our legs. Who knows, by the end of the year I may be a marathon runner (although the challenge allows any sort of movement, so let’s not get our hopes up that I’ll choose the running running option).

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Do you have any non-bookish hobbies? What are they?
Are there any you want to try out?