Cozy Hobbies is a nice collection of light crafting and game activities curated by Kennedy Rose. Due out 29th Sept 2026 from Chronicle Books, it's 240 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.
The author has put together a collection of almost 50 short "capsule" introductions to a wide range of leisure activities in a list that will almost certainly have something for almost everyone of all ages. The activities are written for adults, but there are many of these activities which can certainly be enjoyed by all-ages. There are active outdoor activities such as foraging, hiking, camping, and sports, as well as indoor/sedate activities such as diamond painting and tabletop gaming. There is a good overall mix of activities.
The short chapters are not in-depth, and all are easily accessible and don't require a lot of expert (expensive) equipment to at least sample. Since it's such a wide-ranging collection, some of the hobbies are -really- lightly explained (diamond painting for example - 2 pages and VERY little info). There are many others which are more deeply explored, but some are just ... light on info. Readers could get an idea from the included lists if it's something they would like to explore more in-depth, and videos and instructions are easily available online, so it's not a glaring error. The book is light on actual actionable lists of tools and gear for the specific activities.
The photography throughout is clear, in color, and professionally styled and rendered. The overall vibe is restful, interesting, and engaging.
Four stars. The author isn't familiar with all the hobbies she's presenting (crochet and diamond painting to name a couple), but she -does- present them as possibilities, and the descriptions -are- enough to encourage readers to seek out more info. There's a very broad spectrum, from needle felting to tabletop gaming (!!! get your nerd on!), and this book does a fair job of introducing them.
Four stars. It would be an excellent choice for public, school, or home library acquisition, for activity groups, maker's groups, and similar activity groups.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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