This memoir claims to focus on the importance of hobbies, specifically crafts, in helping the author navigate life’s ups and downs as she built a successful Broadway and television career. I enjoyed reading about Sutton Foster’s early theater experience, how she grew in her career, and some of the challenges she faced in her personal life. Crafting had the potential to be a unique and additive angle, but unfortunately wasn’t substantive enough. Foster’s crafting interests are broad but not deep. She enjoys experimenting more than mastery which is fine, but not what I was hoping to read about. The book was padded with the occasional family recipe, the stuff of Suttons memories rather than a burst of creativity. All in all, this book was too lightweight for my taste. ( )

A quick read. Not sure I would've classed it in "crafts" as my local library did. It's a memoir that uses crafting as a framework, and has some patterns. It also about a mother-daughter relationship, and musical theater. ( )

Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life

I Picked Up This Book Because: I’m a fan of Younger.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: CC Public Library
Dates Read: 5/2/2022 - 5/4/2022
Stars: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Sutton Foster

The title is a bit dramatic but also understandable. I had no idea Ms. Foster had such a prolific Broadway career.

The Random Thoughts: ( )

This is one of the better memoirs I've read. I can hear Foster's voice very clearly and I identify with her crafting journey. I too tie certain projects to points in my life, maybe not as concretely as she does, but I get flashes of memory when I pick up certain projects. The writing style is simple and clear, but the chapters "Owl Blanket" and "Character Portraits" truly moved me.

I can't wait to discuss this with my yarn club. ( )

What a wonderful memoir! I adore Sutton Foster even more after reading this honest, heartfelt, and funny book about her life, her career, her family, and the craft projects that got her through all the ups and downs of being on stage at an early age, having to deal with a parent with undiagnosed mental illness, fertility travails, and so on. She had a very complicated relationship with her late mother, and that is a strong thread throughout the book. It is all very well written and quite moving. I had thought there would be a lot of crochet patterns and other crafty project instructions, which I figured wouldn't interest me, but actually it is pretty much all biography and there are just a few of those (plus a cookie recipe that sounds fantastic!) at key moments. The crafts are discussed seamlessly as part of the narrative, quite fascinating and not dominating the flow. I had no idea that Sutton is quite an artist, not just a crocheter. This is a really nice book, certainly for her fans but I would think it would also be inspirational for any aspiring actor. (She pays a lovely tribute to her inspiration, Patti LuPone.) I am now doing a deep-dive for online clips of Sutton's previous musical and television work that I hadn't known about. Fun! ( )