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yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
Dee Williams was living the American dream, she had a college education, a well paying job, a mortgage and friends. She thought she was happy she should be right, she had it all. When a health crises slams into her she is faced with a new reality and must find what really matters to her.
Her house, her stuff, they are anchors with barbs. She has struggled for years to refurbish her home to mow the lawn to maintain the little things. The time it takes is her life times, her hour, minutes and seconds. She misses having time to live, to just look up at the stars without the pressures of always having so much she needs to do.
She has always believed in the magic of books, everything is there if you look. She is not afraid to pick up a wiring book and self teach electrical wiring or any other subject. So when she meets a man who lives simple in a tiny home she starts absorbing information, reading books and starting to believe. She could do this ! She jumps and places a down payment of the first piece of her amazing future.
This book was so much more than I expected. I thought it would be about the nuts and bolts of small home building and living. It was, but it was more about a woman with a broken heart who roars like a lion at life. She has heartbreaking moments, moments that had me in tears. Her friends are the kind of people we should all be so lucky to have in our
lives. After reading her tale I looked around at all my stuff, all the time I give to it and while I'm not ready to go to that extreme now I do want less time stolen by unloved things. I am so glad this book picked me while I was shelf surfing the library.
Her house, her stuff, they are anchors with barbs. She has struggled for years to refurbish her home to mow the lawn to maintain the little things. The time it takes is her life times, her hour, minutes and seconds. She misses having time to live, to just look up at the stars without the pressures of always having so much she needs to do.
She has always believed in the magic of books, everything is there if you look. She is not afraid to pick up a wiring book and self teach electrical wiring or any other subject. So when she meets a man who lives simple in a tiny home she starts absorbing information, reading books and starting to believe. She could do this ! She jumps and places a down payment of the first piece of her amazing future.
This book was so much more than I expected. I thought it would be about the nuts and bolts of small home building and living. It was, but it was more about a woman with a broken heart who roars like a lion at life. She has heartbreaking moments, moments that had me in tears. Her friends are the kind of people we should all be so lucky to have in our
lives. After reading her tale I looked around at all my stuff, all the time I give to it and while I'm not ready to go to that extreme now I do want less time stolen by unloved things. I am so glad this book picked me while I was shelf surfing the library.
heidihaverkamp's review against another edition
3.0
A fun book about a woman who built herself a tiny house on wheels. She's a childlike sort of person. I could never figure out how to do something like this, and it's fun to look over her shoulder as she tries to figure it out, making fun of herself as she goes. She also details what it's been like living in the backyard of friends, both the ups and downs.
mschrock8's review against another edition
3.0
A sweet story of a woman and her adventures building, moving and living in a tiny house.
Never have I heard so many mentions of pee and peeing your pants.
Borrowed on Hoopla through JCPL.
Listening length six hr, 39 min
Never have I heard so many mentions of pee and peeing your pants.
Borrowed on Hoopla through JCPL.
Listening length six hr, 39 min
justicepirate's review against another edition
3.0
Dee is adorable, for sure.
This book is about a woman who was inspired to build a tiny house and to move out of the nice large house she had been living in with roommates. She talks about the struggles she faced with a heart condition, what her life was like during the time, a little about her family, and what the process was like for her to build her tiny house.
As the book shares the completion of her tiny house, she moves in and talks about life moving around to friends' backyards and what things were like for her regarding interactions with the community and more.
This book was very well written and I give it 3.25 stars. I took longer reading this than I anticipated, but it was good. I wasn't wowed or anything, but it was cute, just like Dee seems to be. She does talk about her skivvies and swears here and there too. I guess I didn't like those parts, but I did my best to ignore all the language and to not laugh too hard picturing her running out of her tiny house in superhero panties during an emergency.
This book is about a woman who was inspired to build a tiny house and to move out of the nice large house she had been living in with roommates. She talks about the struggles she faced with a heart condition, what her life was like during the time, a little about her family, and what the process was like for her to build her tiny house.
As the book shares the completion of her tiny house, she moves in and talks about life moving around to friends' backyards and what things were like for her regarding interactions with the community and more.
This book was very well written and I give it 3.25 stars. I took longer reading this than I anticipated, but it was good. I wasn't wowed or anything, but it was cute, just like Dee seems to be. She does talk about her skivvies and swears here and there too. I guess I didn't like those parts, but I did my best to ignore all the language and to not laugh too hard picturing her running out of her tiny house in superhero panties during an emergency.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
Very similar to Wild but Dee Williams's life is slightly less f'd up than Cheryl Strayed's. Really interesting life choice to live in a tiny house. I respect the downsizing elements but I wanted her to live in her tiny house out in the boonies, rather than her friend's backyard where she had access to real life anytime she needed. Seemed less authentic that way. Fascinating read though and a fast one. Recommend it.
alexasaltzman's review against another edition
4.0
I’m surprised to have enjoyed this book as much as I did. Dee is a phenomenal writer, bringing in humor, relatability and humanity I didn’t expect for a book on the topic of Tiny House building and living. I was shocked to be near tears and laughing out loud throughout the book. A great read, regardless of your interest in tiny houses!
sammishgirl's review against another edition
4.0
I don't usually read memoirs, so I was a little surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It wasn't a straight, to the point, book about exactly how to build a tiny house and here are the nitty gritty details of what it's like to live in one. Instead, I learned about the author's life before the house, how she dealt with her medical crisis, the importance she placed on people and relationships, her stubbornness, and how her current life has allowed her to slow down and be more present.
simplymary's review against another edition
4.0
I really grew to love this quirky author. She thinks differently than anyone I've ever come across, and has unique metaphors, examples, and crazy stories. She's a pioneer in the tiny house world and the best writer I've found to describe it. She doesn't hide the hard stuff, and lets you know the nitty gritty of downsizing to a 84-sq-ft house (that doesn't even include a shower). Some language.
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
3.0
This is a strong three stars. The only reason I didn't bump it up to four stars is that I really wanted to know more about the house and how things functioned and worked in it. She talks a little about it, but really just enough to make me even more curious.