Exceptional Read: The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memoir by Dee Williams

I define an Exceptional Read as a well written book that shakes me up, emotionally or mentally. It stops me in my tracks for some reason; challenges me to consider things that really - in my ordinary existence -  make no difference. An Exceptional Read challenges my thoughts, emotions, and spirit. I'm convinced, even if only for the span of the book, it should matter to Every Being in the Universe.  There are qualifiers to exceptional reads.  The label I apply depends on my mental engagement and my emotional response.  Your mileage may vary.

Note:  I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
My Experience:  Beyond A+
Synopsis:  Dee Williams’s life changed in an instant, with a near-death experience in the aisle of her local grocery store. Diagnosed with a heart condition at age forty-one, she was all too suddenly reminded that life is short, time is precious, and she wanted to be spending hers with the people and things she truly loved. That included the beautiful sprawling house in the Pacific Northwest she had painstakingly restored—but, increasingly, it did not include the mortgage payments, constant repairs, and general time-suck of home ownership. A new sense of clarity began to take hold: Just what was all this stuff for? Multiple extra rooms, a kitchen stocked with rarely used appliances, were things that couldn’t compare with the financial freedom and the ultimate luxury—time—that would come with downsizing.

Building a house 8.5 feet by 13.5 feet on a utility trailer doesn’t sound like a major accomplishment.  That is until you learn that an individual, not a factory, did so and lives there year round, all the time.  Oh, and the builder is a woman, 40ish, with a rhythmically challenged heart and more zest for life than many toddlers. Dee Williams’ story is about building her home and the transitions in life we all confront, and so, oh so much, more.  

Non-Fiction: Kaspar Hauser

This started out as a review of a book.  The story of a young man that appeared in 1828, approximately 16 years of age with a traumatic tale of a childhood spent in a dungeon.  Like many books, it led me to dig deeper and wow! What mysterious stuff I found.  So, this probably fits both the non-fiction & topic label.  I won't apologize for my insatiable curiosity, only ask for indulgence.