I truly enjoy everything that Michael Pollan has to offer, and this particular piece was no exception.

Through the seemingly simple process of building a fancy shed, I was amazed to discover just how much I could learn about architecture and design.

Pollan's detailed account takes the reader on a journey that goes beyond the mere construction of a shed. It delves into the principles and concepts that underlie good design, from the choice of materials to the layout and functionality of the space.

By following his narrative, I found myself becoming more aware of the aesthetics and practicalities involved in creating a structure that not only looks good but also serves its purpose effectively.

It was a fascinating exploration that left me with a newfound appreciation for the art and science of architecture and design.

I would highly recommend this piece to anyone with an interest in these fields or simply those who enjoy a well-written and engaging story.

I truly enjoy Pollen's writing style. It is remarkable for its complexity and depth of coverage. He manages to explore various aspects with great detail, yet still keeps it very personal and introspective. This is achieved by carefully detailing what he notices in human dynamics and his own psyche.

The reach of this project is also quite fascinating. He has chosen to construct a small writing cottage for himself on the family homestead in CT. This decision adds an interesting layer to the overall narrative.

The entire experience of reading his work is enjoyable, non-political, and extremely easy to fall in love with. It offers a refreshing escape from the chaos of the outside world and allows the reader to immerse themselves in Pollen's unique perspective and experiences.

Overall, Pollen's writing is a joy to read and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

This is a pretentiously enjoyable little book. It has a charm that is both interesting and funny.

The author's writing style is engaging, drawing the reader in from the very first page.

The stories and characters are vividly described, making it easy to imagine oneself in their shoes.

Despite its small size, this book manages to pack a punch with its clever wit and entertaining情节.

It's the kind of book that you can pick up and read a few pages at a time, or devour in one sitting.

Whether you're looking for a lighthearted read to pass the time or a book that will make you laugh out loud, this pretentiously enjoyable little book is definitely worth checking out.

You'll be glad you did.

I didn't manage to finish reading this book

because other books seemed to be whispering to me, pulling my attention away.

However, from what I've read so far, I have a hunch that it would likely be a really good book.

The story has an interesting premise that caught my eye from the beginning.

The characters are well-developed and seem to have depth and complexity.

The writing style is engaging and easy to follow, which makes it a pleasure to read.

Even though I was distracted by other books, I still found myself coming back to this one, eager to find out what happens next.

I'm looking forward to having the time to sit down and fully immerse myself in this book and discover all its secrets.

I'm confident that it will be a great read and I can't wait to share my thoughts and opinions about it with others.

I find myself in a bit of a quandary when it comes to Michael Pollen. On one hand, I want to dislike him. The life he描绘的seems almost too idyllic, as if it has been Instagram-filtered into a pristine, Berkeley hills, Connecticut farmhouse with a perfect golden hue. It's the kind of life that makes you wonder if it's even real.

However, on the other hand, his writing is just too much fun. This book had me thinking, "Huh, maybe I could do that," right alongside the ideas of owning a dairy farm or living the vanlife.

In 2022, this project may feel unattainable. But despite that, it was a great joy to listen to. Pollen's words have a way of captivating you and making you dream, even if those dreams seem a bit out of reach.

Maybe that's the power of his writing. It makes you believe that there's a world out there that's different from the one we're used to, a world that's full of possibilities and adventures. And even if we can't quite get there, it's still nice to think about.

Pollan's A Place of My Own is a remarkable book that, while not as eccentric and mind-bending as Bachelard's The Poetics of Space, offers a well-written and well-researched exploration of both theory and practice, thinking and doing.

I recently took a class on Building Construction, and I found Pollan's descriptions of materials and construction practices to be thoroughly engaging. He delves into both the good and the bad, like when a building doesn't turn out square – a humorous oops moment.

The healthy back and forth and grumbling between the architect and the contractor, with Pollan stuck in the middle, add an interesting dynamic to the narrative.

My favorite chapter was the one on Windows, especially the ingenious solutions by Greene and Greene to in-swinging windows. And the section on leaky roofs was equally fascinating, especially Frank Lloyd Wright's bold dismissal of the issue and the Kaufmanns' nicknames for Fallingwater.

Overall, A Place of My Own is a great read for anyone interested in architecture, construction, or the process of creating a personal space.

At times, this book truly captured my interest to such an extent that the writer seemed to fade away. It was as if I was completely immersed in the story, losing all sense of the author behind the words.

However, at other moments, the pace of the book slowed down to an excruciating degree. I became acutely aware of the writer's presence, almost as if they were deliberately trying to draw attention to themselves.

Overall, despite these fluctuations, I still found the book interesting. After all, who among us hasn't entertained the idea of building a little house in the backyard, a private haven just for oneself? It's a concept that most people can relate to on some level, and the book managed to explore this theme in an engaging way.

Whether it was the moments of seamless storytelling or the more self-conscious sections, the book had enough to keep me reading and thinking about the possibilities of creating our own personal spaces.

The book, unfortunately, has a significant flaw. It could really benefit from having 50 or even more pages removed. There is an excessive amount of self-indulgence and overly detailed journaling within its pages, especially when it comes to the process of building a wood cabin on the East coast. This makes the overall reading experience rather boring.

However, there are some redeeming qualities. The fragments that are intertwined and relate the project to a broader narrative of architectural history, as well as the tensions between the profession and craftsmanship, are quite interesting. These parts manage to break up the monotony and add a touch of depth to the otherwise lackluster book.

Overall, it fails to live up to the standards set by a Michael Pollan book, which are known for their engaging and memorable content. This particular book, despite its few闪光点, ultimately falls short and fails to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Michael Pollan is truly a remarkable individual.

He has this unique ability to engage readers and make them devour hundreds of pages on topics they initially had no interest in.

Take this book for example.

I have absolutely no intention of building my own house, let alone having it constructed.

However, Pollan's account of the study he built in the woods, with the assistance of an architect friend and a part-time contractor, held my attention throughout.

As is his norm, Pollan begins with the fundamentals, providing us with a crash course on architecture - modern, post-modern, and pre-modern.

He philosophizes about the choices regarding windows, roofs, and every other aspect.

Everyone from Thoreau to Frank Lloyd Wright to Le Corbusier is mentioned in this book about a cabin in the woods.

The writing is simply lovely, captivating, and thought-provoking.

It makes you see the world of architecture in a whole new light, even if you never had any prior inclination towards it.

Pollan's talent for making the ordinary extraordinary is on full display in this book.

I first delved into this book in the late 1990s.

Recently, after enthusiastically recommending it to a friend, I made the decision to embark on a reread.

To my great delight, it was every bit as wonderful as I had recalled.

This book is not merely a history of building, architecture, craftsmanship, and materials.

Rather, it vividly accompanies an account of the hands-on experience of constructing a writing studio by an individual who self-proclaims to be accident-prone and not particularly handy.

The author's writing is beautiful, and the narrative is highly interesting, drawing the reader in from the very first page.

It offers a unique perspective on the world of construction and the joys and challenges that come with it.

Whether you have a passion for architecture or simply enjoy a well-written story, this book is sure to captivate and inspire.

It is a true gem that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an engaging and informative read.

The author's writing style is truly engaging, and his research is extremely thorough.

I have not only learned about history and current realities but also delved into the ins and outs of architecture, architects, builders, and craftsmen.

The process of building and the aesthetic of how a house influences its owner were also explored in detail.

There were some very insightful comments about the history of shelters, as well as the subtle effects on relationships with people and with nature.

All of this has made me look at our home and our cabin in a completely different light.

It has helped me understand why some rooms work or feel comfortable while others don't.

However, there were a few sections that I tended to skim as they contained more information than I was interested in knowing.

In these areas, I wished there had been more editing.

Yet, I suspect that different people may find these sections more relevant to their understanding.

Obviously, if you are planning to build a house, even if you don't do it with your own hands, this book would provide valuable insights.

But even if you are settled in your home for the long-term, I think reading this book will help you appreciate and develop a new relationship with your own dwelling.

This book accomplishes the challenging feat of being both a practical guide and a philosophical exploration.

It delves into the process of building a house, or something very similar, while also contemplating the nature of shelters, their evolution, and their significance to us.

Filled with thought-provoking remarks about houses and shelters, it also touches on our activities within them, such as reading, thinking, and living.

Moreover, it encompasses other aspects like how we perceive landscapes, the pleasures of reading, the satisfaction of collaborating with others to complete a task, and the uncertainties that accompany becoming a new father.

There is a wealth of content in this book, presented so gently and smoothly that you hardly notice when the path to building the hut is diverted and then returned to.

The impetus behind the book is a kind of midlife crisis. Author Michael Pollan decides to construct a writing retreat on his property in Connecticut, where he and his pregnant wife have relocated from years in New York City.

He acknowledges that it is partly due to the numerous changes he is experiencing simultaneously – moving from the city to a rural setting, becoming a father, and leaving a stable job as an editor to pursue writing books.

Many of us writers dream of a private space to read and write, yet few of us actually do it. (I have a shed in my backyard that I considered converting into a writing nook, but I didn't even progress as far as moving a chair out there.)

Even fewer of us approach it the way Pollan does, which is to engage an architect to create a unique design and then build it himself with the assistance of an experienced handyman.

This book chronicles his endeavors and the many ideas that emerged over the two-plus years the project endured.

Pollan admits that his writing house is more elaborate and fancier than necessary, commencing with months spent traversing the acres behind his house to discover the perfect location for the hut.

He then hired an architect friend who had designed the upgrade of his home, and they spent months refining the design of what would become an approximately 8-by-11-foot space with a pointed roof, numerous windows, and bookshelves.

Subsequently, he hired a local handyman to build it with him, and they toiled over every stage of the custom design, devising unique solutions to questions such as how to position the house on a post foundation while making it appear as if it were emerging from the rock, and how to create inward-swinging windows that didn't leak.

It's a captivating story, told with sufficient information (and a few very useful drawings) that you can follow along, but without getting mired in endless, tedious details.

This is not a book by an architect, and having read several such books over the years, I can attest that this one is far more readable than those treatises.

Regarding treatises, I would say that Pollan complains a bit too much about modernist and postmodernist architecture, as well as the literature that supports those movements.

He dislikes both movements and repeatedly explains that they shift the focus of homes from their function to prioritizing the architect's creativity.

However, I believe he argues too forcefully, as the architects and architecture he criticizes represent only a tiny fraction of the iceberg that matters only to a small number of people who read architectural magazines and vote on awards.

They have no relevance to his building, even as he attempts to connect them, and the book would be equally informative without those digressions.

On the other hand, I appreciate his digressions about the history of homes, dating back to the writings of Roman engineer Vitruvius.

A home is essentially a cave or a grove of trees constructed with sticks leaned against each other and on top.

The story of how we progressed from that to a colorful Victorian or a Sears Roebuck home is fascinating, and Pollan incorporates the history of revolutionary technologies, such as 2-by-4s in Chicago in the 1840s.

That material is excellent. But when he discusses how modernists and postmodernists abandoned many of those traditions and emphasized signs and images over function, I become bored.

It was fine to hear it once, but Pollan returns to it several times, and the digressions seem unnecessary and even border on being insulting.

In addition, Pollan makes a few statements that seem White male Eurocentric, and I suspect he might rewrite them today.

For instance, he claims that all homes in all cultures use pitched roofs because they keep out rain. What about pueblos in the US Southwest or mud structures in parts of Africa and the Middle East?

He also says that all homes have four corners because it's the most efficient design for fitting things along the walls – what about igloos or teepees? And so on.

I think all the reading he did about homes was European, causing him to overlook a few things.

Nevertheless, these are minor criticisms. Overall, this is a thoroughly engaging book.

As Pollan becomes more proficient in using a saw, chisel, tape measure, etc., you can envision yourself in his position and experience the triumphs and failures (such as the building not being perfectly square).

The result is a book that is as cozy as the kerosene stove in the hut, as warm as the pine and ash used for the interior, as magnificent as the view down the hill to the pond and garden, and as sturdy as the large stone just outside the structure.