Thursday, June 11, 2009

Booking Through Thursday - Niche Books

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There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.)

But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three easy steps. Dog training for dummies. Rewiring your house without electrocuting yourself. Tips on how to build a NASCAR course in your backyard. Stuff like that.

What niche books do YOU read?

I read craft books, in particular quilting and embroidery, and books that focus on things that I collect, like Russian matryoshka dolls and all things Hello Kitty. I also like cookbooks that focus on baking.

With craft books and cookbooks, I don't so much read them as use them, although they are fun to page through and browse. There usually isn't much to actually read in a quilt book; there are some that cover aspects of quilting history but most are very standardized pattern books. The fun in "reading" pattern books is figuring out how to adapt one, or reading through the instructions to familiarize myself with a new technique. Good cookbooks can have a wealth of information apart from the recipes. One of my favorites is a baking book from the 1970s called The Breads of France; in addition to the recipes, this book has some great information on French regional culture and gastronomy. There's a whole beautiful country outside of Paris and I love this idiosyncratic travelogue/recipe stash.

I also have a small collection of foreign language dictionaries, which I collect when I travel, and books on cat health and books on hiking.

You can read more Booking Through Thursday posts here.

17 comments:

Audrey said...

This is a great question...but now I can't think of anything unusual that I read. I do have a book on how to write (professionally)write recipes...does that count? Even though I haven't, and don't really plan to. I think I was just fascinated that there was such a thing!

gautami tripathy said...

I love to browse through books on embroidery.

Booking through niche

Jacqueline C. said...

Gotta love a good cookbook. Here are mine: (1) and (2)

karen! said...

I'm so enjoying looking at all the responses to this question.
Such a varied group we are.

Amy M. said...

I love reading cookbooks although my husband does most of the cooking. Since becoming a mom, I have been reading parenting books. They seem pretty useless in terms of practical application but I keep hoping!!!

-Amy
(Life by Candelight)

Anonymous said...

I read travel books (travelogues and time-out guides), cookbooks, books on books (literary criticism), and aviation books.

Anonymous said...

I love and collect the large, heavy, coffee table books about homes, houses, interior and exterior. Love them.

Nise' said...

My goal is to learn to quilt. I'm hoping my mom will come for an extended stay next summer for hands on learning.

zetor said...

I have seen on DMC Creative site today loads of crossstitch kits for 'Hello Kitty'.
Your dolls sound intersting.

Literary Feline said...

I did not list cookbooks since my husband is the one who uses them. The ones we have were all gifted to us. I've often thought of picking up a hobby like crocheting, but my efforts to learn have been an abysmal failure so far. Maybe I should start with needlepoint.

Literature Crazy said...

I enjoy browsing cookbooks and collecting them, but I rarely use them--I just cook out of one or two that I know I can do (I'm not very gourmet, but I love those cook books).

Tasha said...

I like vegan cookbooks, even though I'm not vegan.

Jess said...

I love cookbooks, especially when they have the huge glossy photos of all the fantastic food.

Karen Harrington said...

i love to collect cookbooks, too.

Anonymous said...

I have a Hello Kitty too! :D And I love to look at books on craft, but other than knitting, I'm really not able to do anything with my own hands!

My niche is art and photography books.

Darlene said...

I do like browsing through craft books but cookbooks I actually will buy. I have loads of them. Some are just recipes but a lot of others do have some really great extra's added in too.

Tina K said...

I picked up an embroidery book for a dollar. The patterns are beautiful and I thought, someday.