In Defense of Dabbling: The Brilliance of Being a Total Amateur (Broadleaf Books) by Karen Walrond is the Trinidad-born writer and leadership coach’s third book. Like its predecessors, it hovers pleasingly between the genres of personal essay and self-help — in this case, exploring the value of being an “intentional amateur.” Curiosity, mindfulness, selfcompassion, play, zone-stretching, connection, and awe are the attributes Walrond pursues as she throws herself into passionate and deliberately unremunerative hobbies like pottery, photography, surfing, and playing the piano. She asks: what joy might we find if we simply started doing the things we love?