An Introduction to My Hobbies

I really enjoy trying new things, and there are many hobbies I’d like to try in the future. In fact, my current hobbies tend to change depending on the time of year, my mood, and the amount of free time I have. However, there are a couple of hobbies that I either always enjoy doing or constantly go back to after a hiatus.

First and foremost, I absolutely adore reading books. My mother claims that when I was a young child, I was averse to learning how to read initially, but once I started I couldn’t stop. For me personally, reading is a wonderful way to let your imagination run wild and escape from reality. Of course I love movies, TV shows, and computer games as well, but when I read a book I can use the author’s descriptions to create my own version of a character or place.

I think the reason mentioned above is why I particularly love reading fantasy and sci-fi novels by an assortment of authors, such as J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, Marion Zimmer Bradley, C. S. Lewis, Philip Pullman, Jules Verne, and so on. One of my all-time favorite series is Harry Potter ? in fact, I’ve read the first few books in the series too many times to count. I enjoyed watching the Harry Potter movies as well, but I felt that the adaptations could have been a little more faithful to the books.

Aside from science fiction and fantasy, I also enjoy reading mystery books and my favorite mystery writer is Agatha Christie. The first book I read by her was Murder on the Orient Express and I immediately fell in love with her detective character, Hercule Poirot. My grandmother is one of the reasons that I am fond of Agatha Christie. We would always talk about murder mysteries together, and in later years, I would read her favorite Christie novels to her. I really enjoy Agatha Christie because she also had a lot of influence on the detective mystery genre. One of her works, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, leaves the reader at the end doubting everything that has been told to them throughout the whole story. If you enjoy stories with a twist, I highly recommend this novel.

Even though I could continue to talk about books, I’d like to mention another hobby that I have enjoyed since I was a child. When I was in the first or second grade at elementary school, I began to learn the piano. I do not have a piano here in Japan so I can’t play as often as I’d like nowadays, but it still remains as one of my favorite hobbies. I find that playing the piano is very relaxing, and in addition to classical music, I enjoy learning my favorite movie and video game themes. I have dabbled with other instruments throughout the years (such as the flute and guitar for a short time), but I always go back to the piano. Unfortunately I’ve gotten a bit rusty since moving to Japan!

Those are two hobbies that have remained favorites of mine since I was a young girl. What are some hobbies that you’ve kept up with?

Molly

Vocabulary

hiatus (n) ? a pause or break
first and foremost (phr.) ? most importantly
averse (adj.) ? having a strong dislike of something
adaptation (n) ? a film, television show, or stage play that was originally a written work
dabble (v) ? to take part in an activity in a casual way