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September always feels like a fresh notebook waiting to be opened. Even if you’re not packing lunches or standing in line at the school supply aisle anymore, that “back-to-school” buzz lingers in the air. It’s a season that nudges us to sharpen pencils, sharpen minds, and maybe sharpen our sense of curiosity.
Lifelong learning doesn’t mean enrolling in another degree program or memorizing facts you’ll never use again. It’s about noticing what sparks your interest and following that thread. Maybe it’s finally understanding why your sourdough starter keeps flopping, trying your hand at watercolor, or diving into a craft you’ve always admired from afar. Small discoveries can shift our perspective in surprising ways.
This month, I’m encouraging you to pick up a book that teaches you something—anything. It could be practical, like learning to cook with confidence. It could be playful, like doodling your way through stress. Or it could simply be about wonder: why we create, how we tinker, and what happens when we try.
DIY & Learn-Something-New Book Suggestions
Nonfiction / How-To & Popular Learning
- Adventure in Yarn Farming by Barbara Parry — a cozy deep-dive into fiber, sheep, and knitting with heart.
- The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin — a hugely popular guide to embracing creativity in everyday life.
- Bake: My Best Ever Recipes for the Classics by Paul Hollywood — approachable baking lessons from a household name.
- The Joy of Watercolor by Emma Block — beginner-friendly tutorials to get you painting fast.
- Gardening for Everyone by Julia Watkins — practical, sustainable steps to bring your garden dreams to life.
Fiction with a “Learning” Spirit
- The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner — a novel steeped in herbal lore, remedies, and hidden histories.
- Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson — a gentle reminder that learning can come through letters, friendship, and late-life curiosity.
- The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar — blends myth and real maps, showing how stories teach us to navigate.
- The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis — art, history, and the lessons tucked into creative pursuit.
- The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman — about love, resilience, and the quiet ways books and stories teach us.
📚 Your turn: What new skill, craft, or curiosity will you explore this September? Share your pick in the comments or tag me on Instagram @jhopwood80. Let’s make this a season of learning by doing.
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[…] September’s reading challenge theme was lifelong learning, and James Doty’s Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything turned out to be the perfect companion. I came across this book just as I was planning a workshop for staff on brain science and affirmations, and it was inspiring to see how seamlessly the ideas connected. […]
Thank you, Jennifer, for another remarkable topic to explore. Dorothy
Abraham Lincoln comes to mind for the topic of lifelong learning. He is quoted as saying: “I’m a learner always.” Referring to his sparse education as “learning by littles,” he was able to read, write, and “cipher.” At age 11 he focused on obtaining books to read including: “Life of Washington,” “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin,” “Robinson Crusoe,” and “The Arabian Nights.”
William Herndon, Lincoln’s law partner, recalled Lincoln’s words on reading in “Recollected Words of Abraham Lincoln,” compiled and edited by Don E. Fehrenbacher and Virginia Fehrenbacher. Lincoln said: ‘When I read aloud, two senses catch the idea: first, I see what I read; second, I hear it, and therefore I can remember it better.’
Discussing education, Herndon paraphrased Lincoln as saying that the thorough and universal education of the American people is the firmest and most enduring basis of the republic and that the intelligence of the masses is its light and life.