No, my hobby, quilting was inspired by my great-grandmother and then reinforced by my dad giving me a huge book on Quilts.
I have always been interested in bee keeping though, and plan to start when and if my children ever move away from home, LOL.

In a word, yes. Most of my favorite things to do were at least influenced by books I read, if not completely inspired.

My love of growing heirloom plants -- old roses, open pollinated vegetables, older fruit trees, comes from a moment of inspiration from the book The White Witch by Elizabeth Goudge. In it the main character talks about growing new flowers just recently available in England. I was stunned to consider that we have not always been growing the same plants. Her loving descriptions of various old roses and herbs caught my imagination, too. I went on to explore and fall in love with all sorts of older plants, from heirloom tomatoes to Ashmead Kernel apples to 19th century (and older) roses.

My loves of quilting and historic costume come not from one specific book, but I definitely got the idea from reading various historic novels and falling in love with the fabric arts portions of them. I have no interest in living in any era that lacks sanitary facilities, antibiotics, or women's rights, but I was entranced with the quilts and the clothes. I keep thinking of learning to spin or weave, but the last thing I need to one more obsessive hobby! One of these days, though, I hope to will learn to knit.

Rosefolly

Novels are my hobby!

You could say that. A few years ago, I was quite bored and I knew I needed something to occupy my mind. Books were nice but.... I needed something physical (yeah and my doctor hounding me to get some exercise may have had something to do with it as well!).

Anyway, I was reading a Rex Stout mystery (Over My Dead Body) and it involved, of all things, fencing. Well, that put the idea of fencing in my head! (No, neither Nero Wolfe nor Archie Goodwin fenced in the book)

I've been fencing since then. I now help with the teaching of some beginners' classes at one of the local clubs and have actually gone into a side business involving fencing equipment! (No, not "fencing" as in selling stolen goods!)

Fencing's quite enjoyable. I get my butt handed to me quite regularly by the MUCH younger fencers (ahhhh.... youth) but there are times when age, wisdom, and just plain wilyness (or trickery!) can beat youth, speed, and strength. ;-)

Carolyn, my thoughts exactly.

Not so much a hobby, but a brief obsession of both my DH and I - miseircords. These are the carvings found underneath the chairs in choirstalls during the middle ages. A character in The Good Husband (one of my all time fav books) makes that his hobby and I was so enthralled that on our next trip to England, the two of us went searching. I think we managed to get to every surviving set of them. They are magnificent when you realize that because they were not often scene, the woodcarvers could be creative and didn't need to stick with religious images. Many of the images are from myths and legends, and from daily life. Amazing stuff.

Rosefolly,

That same book inspired my interest in herbs. It's funny that the same book inspired both of us, although in slightly different ways! I was intrigued by the possibility that a person could grow plants that could be used to heal as well as enhance food, although it took nearly 20 years before I was able to do anything with my interest. When we bought our first house, I planted my first herbs and it's escalated from there.

Rosefolly and Rouan, I had never made the connection before but now believe it is very likely that The White Witch inspired my own interest in plants.

After all, I even took on the main character's name for RP.

Actually, it was the other way around. I started knitting, and then found novels, cozy mysteries, that involved people in knitting groups, or craft store owners, etc. Definitely not literature, it was the knitting that was the enticement.

Carol

In a way-novels set in other time periods often send me to the non-fiction stacks for personal research, which I enjoy-and any reference to hot buttered toast, muffins, crumpets, etc., sends me to the kitchen to bake and taste!

I had a little bit of interest in quilting, and made a couple of quilted items (Christmas stockings and one toddler sized quilt) over several years. Then, just as I became an empty nester, and grandmother, I read the first of the Chiaverini quilt books - and became a serious quilter. It's an obsession now...but I think it is as much because I feel very accomplished and satisfied when I piece a quilt. I have finally found a craft that I do well, and really enjoy. And those books really inspired me.

When I was about 8 years old, I read a Hardy Boys book about amateur radio. I got interested then, but it was another 7 years until I could pass the exam, and have enjoyed the hobby ever since.
Regards,
Bob

I need to snag a copy of The White Witch. My main hobby is reading, but my reading tastes are influenced many times by my other myraid interests.
Cindy-I just read about those misercordia (sp) things yesterday-had never heard of them before. There was a picture included in the article and they look facinating. How strange that I just now read about them and you mentioned them...
I think they interest me because carvings interest me. I love wooden santos also.