Forgetting our hobbies is an unfortunate and natural part of living life. We often face periods of stress and overwork so overwhelming that we don’t have enough time for what we used to love. By the time our calendars open up, we’re often settled into new patterns, and we forget about getting back into older habits.

There’s nothing wrong with finding yourself on this path, but there’s also nothing that says we need to stay on it.

With some hard work, it’s very possible to rediscover old hobbies, and there are few better ways to do that than by creating a hobby room. Make a special space for it. Whether this means remodelling an older room or building a new one, there’s a lot to be gained from this process, with serious advantages that pay off in the years and decades ahead.

Working on any kind of hobby rewards you with the feeling of a job well done. Whether it’s relaxing after exercising, thinking over the message of a book you just read, or admiring the work of a creative project, simply finishing it can be its own reward. Hobbies are also more than that, aiding in positive health outcomes.

According to research as mentioned at Sword Health, keeping mentally active can maintain cognitive health and delay age-related decline. We’ve all seen people in their eighties with minds just as sharp as they’ve ever been. And hobbies can play a major part in you achieving the same sharpness later in life.

Working on your home

Clearing a room or creating a dedicated space to pursue these activities can be a great way to get started on a new hobby. Not only this, if you do it right, remodelling or rebuilding a room into a hobby space comes with the added benefit of increasing the valuation of your home. These are highly desirable spaces, and the extra value they created is taken into account by estate agents, including online home sales services like We Buy Any Home.

This online system works by looking at the entirety of a home, including the work that you’ve done, and running calculations to determine value. Free cash offers are then returned within minutes and funds in as little as seven days. Any enhancements you’ve built can create appreciable payoffs if you do choose to sell. So, you could be investing in your home, as well as yourself.

Discovering or rediscovering a passion

Mental sharpness and financial rewards are already strong reasons to think about building hobby rooms, but just as important is the joy that it can bring into your life. Hobbies aren’t just distractions; they’re ways that we can express ourselves, our creativity, and grow into more developed people.

Hobbies can also be a useful way of connecting with loved ones or meeting new people. Online communal hobby group systems like Meetup can help with this process, letting you find like-minded individuals to share new or existing passions with.

The idea of creating a hobby room might be challenging, but it’s likely to be worth the effort. Investing in a hobby room and jumping back into the hobby space is an investment in your future, even if the first steps can be difficult ones. It’s all about taking a long-term view, and asking yourself where you’d like to be five years from now. And what skills and personal projects you’d like to have achieved when 2030 comes around.

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In the summer sun, there’s two things you need. An ice-cold beverage of choice, and a little something to read. Here are some of our top summer book recommendations. Whether you’re into romance, drama, horror, thrillers, science fiction… we’ve got something on this list for you. 

 Crime – A Cyclist’s Guide to Crime and Croissants by Ann Claire

Cosy mystery. Set against the backdrop of the stunning French countryside, crime and murder build up, hitting close to home for recently migrated Sadie, who is left grappling for clues as her bicycling tour company comes under scrutiny when her old boss ends up dead. 

Drama –  Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

A tense family drama. When a successful family begin to crumble and crack, questions arise. But do the Delaney family want to solve these mysteries, when the now-grown children realise that the most obvious suspect in their mother’s disappearance is their own father? 

Historical – Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

Set in 412 BC after the failed invasion of Sicily. Two local potters begin to visit prisoners, enticing them to recite lines from Euripides in exchange for food. With little real work to do, Lempo and Geldon decide to perform a play with the help of the prisoners. But as the show date creeps closer, it becomes difficult to distinguish between enemies and friends. This historical tale will have you hooked. 

Romance – Beach Read by Emily Henry

Two writers. One holiday. A romcom waiting to happen… Both broke writers suffer from crippling writers block, amongst other things.  Despite their different writing styles, the pair place a bet to swap genres and see who gets published first. You could say this is the perfect ‘Beach Read’.

Horror – Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

A transformation begins. Motherhood is hard, tiring, and exhausting. At home full time with a two-year-old, this protagonist’s loneliness is suffocating, but her hobbies are changing. Instead, when her child won’t rest, she begins to gain new things… New senses, new appetites, new instincts. And from deep within herself, a new voice begins to howl. This hilarious and brilliantly unique horror tale will have you at the edge of your seat. 

Mystery- The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith

What would you do if you came home to find your daughter missing from her bed? When Caitlin and Olivia’s parents leave them to go to a dinner party, they return to find one bed empty. Their eldest daughter is gone. Until a now grown Olivia steps forward. But is she all that she seems? And is Caitlin telling the truth about what happened that night? Dark, and chilling, this page turner is not one to be missed this summer. 

Thriller – Yellowface by R.F Kuang

How far would you go to have commercial success? When failed writer June Hayward witnesses her rival Athena Liu die in a freak accident, she sees her opportunity to get what she wants, and takes it. Stealing Athenas final manuscript and publishing it as her own, she also begins to steal Athenas identity. An identity that is not hers to claim. This best seller will certainly keep you entertained, and shocked at the extent some will go to for success. 

Murder Mystery:Murder on Stage by F.L Everett  Set in 1940’s England, detective Edie York focuses on solving a suspicious murder in the midst of the Blitz. Warm, cozy and compelling, this page turner will have you on the edge of your seat as you dive into a world of crime. Do you have what it takes to solve a murder? This is the third book in the Edie York mystery series, and they just keep getting better.

Dystopian – The Blueprint by Rae Giana Rashad

Maybe dark dystopian futures are your thing? Set in a dystopian Texas where choice no longer exists, Solenne Bonet has an algorithm determine her occupation, spouse, and residence. She finds peace in penning the biography of an enslaved ancestor from 1800s Louisiana. But when paths weave with high-ranking government officials, she must decide whether and how to leave behind all she knows.  

Science fiction- I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream and Other Greatest Hits,  by Harlan Ellison

 Now this book is for anyone who wants to have an existential crisis pool-side. Filled with five stories, each unique and slightly terrifying, these science-fiction futures are certain to entertain. But most importantly you won’t want to look at technology for the rest of your holiday duration. 

Fantasy- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

A magical library filled with secrets. How would you look back at your life? And what would you regret? On her last day on earth Nora finds herself teleported to a magical library. Where she is given the chance to undo mistakes and look at all the other lives she could have lived. But is it too late, things have already gone from bad to worse? And with unlimited choices and possibilities what is the best way to live? 

 Another article you may like: Getting your car ready for a summer roadtrip

 Comedy – I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue 

After an unfortunate IT error allows Jolene access to all her coworkers emails and private messages, initially she is horrified. The less she knows about them the better.  However, once she realises the power she now holds, Jolene uncovers a lot more than she bargained for. Filled with humour and a little romance, this is one for the pool-side.

 Fiction- Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

Not all journeys’ have to be to outer space. Cyrus has always been lost. He’s grown up haunted by the mysteries of his past, losing his mother whose plane was shot down. This tale explores how revelations and new people can change your life, whether it be for the good or the bad. 

Non-fiction –It’s Not Hysteria (Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health) by Karen Tang

Women’s health often flies under the radar. Many of us know what it is like to go to the doctors with a feminine issue, and feel unheard. It’s Not Hysteria explains crucial information about abnormal periods, PCOS, endometriosis, and fibroids, to more complex aspects of gynaecological care like fertility, sexual health, and hysterectomies. This book empowers readers to act and advocate for themselves with healthcare professionals, and get talking about reproductive health.  

Isabella Poderico

Overly enthusiastic and obsessed with everything a little nerdy, Isabella has written about everything from movie premieres to politics. She can often be found, as many writers often are, sitting in front of her laptop typing away obsessively in an extortionately priced independent coffee shop.

The post Summer book recommendations 2024 appeared first on Silver Magazine.

…it’s 3.56am. Just me, and the red numbers on my alarm clock. I see some grey light poking under the blinds. Planes start circling overhead. The milkman delivers his cargo (who still gets milk delivered in this day and age?). And now, the kicker: the birds start the dawn chorus that signals the start of another interminable day. People the world over salute the sun and I fucking hate it.

Five Years Earlier…

16th July

7 HOURS, 22 MINUTES

Two heavy Sainsbury’s bags in hand, I navigate the front door. I’m still in gym gear from my Power Plate class. This is my ‘magic Friday’ routine, when I am not in the office. I’m surprised to see my husband standing in the living room.

My husband and I have been together for 13 years, married for nine, but busy careers and the competitive tiredness caused by two children born 20 months apart mean things have started to fracture. (I am 42, he is a couple of years younger.) I know things haven’t been great for a while, but I distracted myself with my job, friends, and family. He starts speaking. I only hear part of what he’s saying – such is my discombobulation – but the upshot is this; he wants to call time on our marriage.

I have heard people talking about Sliding Doors moments, about rugs being pulled from under them. Now I know what they mean. Nothing will ever be the same again.

I can’t recall exactly what happens next but I do have one mission and I won’t be swayed from it. Our boy is having his sixth birthday party the next day and I am making a football pitch cake. (The Sainsbury’s bags contain roll-out icing, green food colouring and some little goals. I had even sketched out the lines on a piece of paper. This was going to be a major achievement; I am no baker.) Somehow, I manage to sleepwalk through the making of the cake. At some point, I call my best friend and burst into tears, but mostly I am on autopilot.

19th July

0 HOURS, 0 MINUTES

I am upset, exhausted and worried about the future. On Sunday night, I visit P, a ‘school mum’ friend who is a therapist. We have been confidantes for some time. For ethical reasons, P won’t counsel me formally, though she recommends a colleague who might. For now, I stick that in my back pocket.

P says I need to act with ‘grace’ and ‘restraint’ towards my now-former partner.

The most important thing is for me to get some sleep, she says, so I can continue to take care of the rest of my life – especially as she knows my history of insomnia.

I wonder about sleeping tablets, which I used briefly and intermittently during my Insomnia Mini-Crash. They did occasionally grab me a few hours here and there. P can’t advise me, but I resolve to see my GP the next day and ask for some pills.

20th July

0 HOURS, 0 MINUTES

I am dazed with sleeplessness. On the way to work, I stop off at the walk-in service at my local GP practice. I tell the doctor I have had some bad personal news. He is harried, in a rush. Almost without looking up, he grabs his green prescription pad and writes me a two-week prescription for temazepam, an old-fashioned sleeping pill. He then ‘ups’ my trazodone, the anti-depressant I have been taking in small doses as a sleep aid for the past four years…

…Year Eight…

10th September

0 HOURS, 0 MINUTES

…still, I don’t sleep.

From the frazzled neurons of my brain comes a thought. I’ve had insomnia for almost a decade now. There has to be a more effective treatment than drugs and the entry-level talking therapy offered by the NHS.

Maybe things have moved on since I first sought treatment…

Last week, I begged my father to help me find another way. He has heard of a private GP with a sympathetic reputation. Tonight, the doctor comes to call.

The GP tells me there is an NHS ‘sleep clinic’ based within a 90-minute drive. I am ecstatic. How come this has never shown up in my Googling before? The doctor promises to write a referral letter to the clinic. ‘We offer diagnostic tests and treatments to people with a great range of sleep disorders from all around the UK,’ reads its impressive website. This bodes well!

Miranda Levy

The Insomnia Diaries: How I learned to Sleep Again by Miranda Levy (Paperback) £9.99

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Therefore this is a far from fresh look; but even so, though I may be silver I am not stale yet, because despite everything, I have NOT got off the bus . . . still FURTHER . . . I sit hunkered down in a cafe on the edge of Edge City and I finish it for the second time, an old friend . . . The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test . . . Vale Tom Wolfe 2018 ::::::

I love reading for its own hallucinatory power. Even so there is only a handful of novels that have grabbed me by the synapses and thrown me against the wall. Melville’s colossal Moby Dick; the pure dread of Janet Turner Hospital’s Oyster; Burgess’ dystopian fairytale A Clockwork Orange; Thompson’s terrifying and hilarious Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (my first adult book, 1979) and more recently the mad The Sell Out by Paul Beatty.

And of course Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

This became more than a book to me . . . more a template for my work as an agitprop performance artist prankster

This became more than a book to me and way beyond any sort of bible . . . beyond catastrophe . . . more a template for my work as an agitprop performance artist prankster through the punk years of the late 70s to the dreadful yuppie 80s and the Generation of Swine, to the present-day swamp that is the New Dumb.

I am by no means a student of Tom Wolfe. There are many of his works I ain’t read, but maybe it was my childhood desire to be an astronaut, or maybe it was my late teen desire to rebel that drew me to Wolfe and The Right Stuff, his expose of the early American Space Program, and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, his expose of the early American LSD program.

Both books dealt with opposite ends of the American Dream. The Super Straight world of the American Astronaut to the Super Freak world of Ken Kesey and The Merry Pranksters. Both these subjects have informed all my work as an artist, from the sheer prankster joy of bringing civil disobedience to the stage, and the daring bravery that is necessary to take a revolutionary stance while all around the innocence and enlightenment of the 60s and 70s was being stomped by Thatcherism and Reaganism and the reactionary world of profit and the free market.

WTF . . . even the coppers wear Day-Glo NOW . . . KAPOW!

Tom Wolfe dies . . . immediately I am moved to read The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test again. I was gifted a first edition copy by my wife Cathy this century as she, more than anyone, was aware of The Merry Pranksters and Ken Kesey’s influence on my work. Almost simultaneously this very mag, Silver, approached me to do a review of this classic. In the early 60s in the world of Tom Wolfe’s masterpiece this would have been called ‘beyond coincidence’ — the ‘collective consciousness’ — ‘intersubjectivity’, BUT cynical old 21st-century me knows it’s because I posted condolences to Tom Wolfe on Facebook.

No need for Cosmic Collective Consciousness, our metaphysics has been turned inside out like a gutted animal . . . it’s called the social network . . . nothing cosmic about algorithms . . . pure mathematics . . . like rolling news . . . rolling soullessness 24/7. . . DM me.

WTF . . . even the coppers wear Day-Glo NOW . . . KAPOW!

So . . . a review . . . Ha! I can honestly say I have never seen a review of the Bible or the Quran or the Torah or the Talmud or the Tripitaka or the Upanishads. They are taken as read. As an Anarcho-Utopian Neo Pagan, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is sacred text . . . a masterpiece of New Journalism that looks at the transition from not only beatniks to the birth of hippy, but also the very discovery of LSD itself and its mind expanding abilities to reopen the human doors of perception that modernity was quickly fusing shut with a slam.

An amphetamine-fueled, embedded ride on Ken Kesey’s Magic Bus as it careened and giggled in and out of control down the metaphysical superhighway of modern America

For the new psychedelic generation, Tom Wolfe had quite literally created the beatnik Kerouac’s On the Road on acid. An amphetamine-fueled, embedded ride on Ken Kesey’s Magic Bus as it careened and giggled in and out of control down the metaphysical superhighway of modern America . . . It is a trip, an innovative literary masterpiece capturing those heady Head days of the American Freak that would eventually seep into the collective consciousness of a whole generation and spawn the Hippy Movement, a movement that had the power to warp culture . . . The Counter Culture . . .

WTF . . . even the coppers wear Day-Glo NOW . . . KAPOW!

Reviewing this book creates similar hazards that Wolfe faced when writing his account of Kesey’s adventures with ‘The Pranksters’. How do you describe an LSD trip? How do you describe the first LSD trip? How do you describe a whole commune on LSD before the world even has a whiff of its existence. . ? KAPOW . . . When I read this book at 19 years of age it was all about Kesey and the Pranksters. I was enthralled and wanted to, like Kesey, go beyond acid and spread the enlightenment amongst all. But . . . but . . . but 40 years on?

The reading is all about the genius and bravery of Wolfe to create his own style, an amphetamine stream of consciousness spiked with LSD. Joyce on Acid . . . and by God, hang on tight . . . because it takes all ones intellect and spirituality to Keep up . . .
. . . Keep up
. . . Keep up…

Are you on the bus . . ? Or are you off the bus . . ? KAPOW!

I was born in 1959 and I have never identified as a baby boomer. As a late ‘boomer’. I identify more as a punk than a hippy of yore. Except for these hardcore frontier people, these hipsters who stir a similar feeling that punk did for me as a teenager.

Brave, adventurous pioneers with a sense of danger and fun as they ploughed new cultural furrows. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a story of daring

Brave, adventurous pioneers with a sense of danger and fun as they ploughed new cultural furrows. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a story of daring by those who dared. Only by daring in the face of the Right can they wipe away the smear and the ugly stain of fascism that was seeping back into the culture. Wolfe’s book also comes with a warning. BEWARE THE NEW RIGHT. . .They will stomp or steal every nuance the counter culture creates.

WTF . . . even the coppers wear Day-Glo NOW . . . KAPOW!

So if you haven’t already, come and meet The Pranksters, Babbs, Hassler, Mountain Girl, The Hermit, Gretchin, Mal Function, Cassady (the driver), Augustine Owsley Stanley the Third (the Chemist of the World’s most righteous acid of the day), and of course, Chief Broom, Ken Kesey himself, as he hovers over the cuckoos’ nest as the Neil Armstrong of LSD aboard an old 1939 International Harvester school bus daubed in Day-Glo paint and innocence.

The Pranksters shake the very foundations of conservative modern America off their gourds on LSD, speed and marijuana. It is a trip . . . not only a trip down memory lane but also a trip of possibilities for a future rebellion against the new modern conservative America . . .

Take the Test . . . Take back your freedom . . . KAPOW!

Mark Little

The post Mark Little picks up The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test again and finds… WTF . . . even the coppers wear Day-Glo NOW . . . KAPOW! appeared first on Silver Magazine.