This comical memoir recounts a journalist's overly ambitious quest to restore a dilapidated mansion. His plans quickly go awry when he encounters every complication imaginable. Word to the wise for anyone considering a few renovations: Be ready for the unexpected!
Harper Collins
David Owen seeks to satisfy his own curiosities about home construction in this hilarious primer on the subject. His musings cover everything from painting a home with nuclear power plant paint to expositions on the history of paneling. It's a wacky, informative read that will leave you thoroughly entertained.
Vintage Books USA
Here's a truly funny novel about a Washington lobbyist who joins her father in Georgia to rejuvenate an old Victorian. Looking to clear her head, she instead finds herself smack dab in the middle of more mayhem ... except, of course, for the peace and fulfillment she finds in fixing up the mansion.
Harper Collins
City-dweller Mr. Blandings packs up his family and ships off to the tranquility of the country to build his dream home. Tragically, and comically, things don't quite pan out the way he'd hoped. This classic has spawned three movies—but as is often the case, the book is much better.
Simon & Schuster
A staple of many a gardener's bookshelf, Perenyi's 1981 memoir is filled with botanical-themed essays. With pieces on dozens of different plants, flowers, and gardening practices, this modern classic is sure to leave you with green thumbs each time you put it down... if you can put it down.
Modern Library
This collection of poetic parables is packed with a profusion of gardening advice gleaned from the author's 20-year bond with nature. The volume is a spiritually stimulating, soul-enriching reminder to savor every DIY moment—not just the end results.
Hachette Book Group
In this well-crafted autobiography, an architectural designer and furniture-building master muses on a lifetime of working with wood. You'll find yourself longing for your own workbench and the skill to carve bark into something beautiful.
Kodansha USA
From the best-selling romance writer comes a novel about a former child actress with a penchant for home renovations. Upon returning East to renovate her grandmother's abandoned house, she quickly discovers that some of her emotional issues could use some restoration, too.
Penguin
Dornford Yates mined his own home-building experiences for this novel about a family erecting a new abode in the mountains of France. Their meticulous approach to the task at hand is sure to get the wheels turning in your own noggin as you ponder important construction considerations.
House of Stratus
One of Bob's classic books is an illustrated guide that offers great advice on how to build or soup up your at-home workshop. Then, once your shop is revamped, why not use all that new inspiration to fashion a shelf for displaying your DIY library!
William Morrow & Co
If you're interested in more about books, consider:
Lost in a Library: 10 Epic Reading Rooms
Photo: zenandgenki.com
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