What a love of a book. Truly enjoyed every single minute of reading this whale of a story, was even inspired to googlemap the cabin and was very gratified to find that the author had left a picture of the cabin on Wits End Pl. So much life and celebration and living packed into such a tiny place. I feel very lucky to have happened upon this story, and look forward to sharing it with several friends and family members who will appreciate its riches.
Will return with a proper review once the dust settles. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

*I received an ARC - advanced reader's copy - of this book in digital form from NetGalley*. The book will be published in December.

This was a fun read. I read the Outside Magazine piece, and I thought this book would flesh it out more, but it's really a prequel of sorts - how Patrick turned a general dissatisfaction with his life and desk job into owning and repairing a cabin. It's only at the end that you learn he's going into cabin building with his friend (and that's really where the Outside piece takes off).

I read this on my kindle, and I have to say there was a point when he was describing building a kitchen that I just wanted to see pictures - picture of what the ramshackle original cabin looked like, in progress, the kitchen, the waterfall, the mudslide - all of it. I find it kind of interesting that publishers treat virtual books exactly as if they were physical books - but there's such an opportunity to expand and add additional media. I searched instagram and google and found some of the new cabin they built, but nothing of the original. I hope for publication the publisher makes some level of basic website. On the other hand, there might not be pictures, which is a real shame.

This book really solidified that I just strongly prefer a book in my hand. Although there's the little percent finished line on the bottom, I just can't judge how quickly it's going or how much story is really left. I like flipping pages and looking ahead, too. I'm never at a loss for books, so this is probably the one and only NetGalley ARC for me.

Overall a good story - his growing obsession with the cabin and how to make improvements piecemeal, starting from a baseline of practically zero was compelling. The pull he felt toward physical creation (over a desk job) and the peace and calm he found in an isolated cabin felt very real. On the other hand, an entire chapter on his mushroom trip just didn't work - hallucinogenic trips simply are not that interesting to other people. A lot of the book felt very bro-y, and there's nothing wrong with that - cooking steaks and drinking beers and shooting bb guns. It all started to get a little repetitive and it would have been nice to have a little bit more of his life or more personal stories tied to the cabin, or just something else. But all in all good stuff. Hope it does well.

I loved this book. For anyone that loves HGTV and all the rehab shows, this book resonates. Going through all the trials, fails and rewards is just like a rehab show, but your reading instead of watching. The author is a good writer and tells his story well. Would recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader's copy. This was a fascinating book about having a place of one's own, away from it all. Sort of like Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond, except Patrick's haven was run-down cabin in the Cascade Mountains. Same theory, though. A place to get away from the doldrums of work and be alone with nature. I loved camping as a child with my family and there was no Wi-Fi and no television, and this brought back those memories of just sitting around the fire at night and making smores and telling stories.

Interesting read! I love learning about new things and this definitely made me think of packing everything and moving off Into the middle of nowhere!

This was a fun read. It was very relatable to me as someone in the same age bracket. If you know anything about construction or carpentry this book may make you cringe but the author is fully aware of his shortcomings and it's written in a funny way. I would have appreciated some pictures to bring it to life but it is a vividly told tale regardless.

The Cabin has an interesting beginning, but you REALLY have to love power tools and DIY to continue reading this book. A whole chapter about a chain saw. Just not the book for me, but I'm sure there's an audience for it.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC for an honest review.

Incredibly addicting- not my typical read but very well written. Feel like this book would be the perfect gift for someone who isn’t typically a reader. The adventure of owning a home/renovating a space to become your own is really approachable!

4.5 stars

I was so charmed by Patrick Hutchison's debut CABIN: OFF THE GRID ADVENTURES WITH A CLUELESS CRAFTSMAN, and of course since it takes place very close to where I live, I found it even more charming. This memoir publishes December 3, 2024.

The author works a 9-5 that he's not passionate about, but on a lark he finds a very affordable, bare-bones cabin about 90 minutes away from Seattle. When I say bare-bones, it's basically a glorified tent. There's no electricity or water. Mud slides impede getting to it for a long time. It's one of those projects that sounds whimsical and fun, but quickly turns never-ending and makes you think about how difficult every activity was back in the pioneer days (cooking without electricity, outhouses, no plumbing, etc.).

While I certainly don't have the passion the author has for renovating a house, even if it a small cabin, the author did an exquisite job of displaying his passion for off-the-grid living via his writing.

I was bummed that there weren't pictures in the galley. Hopefully, there will be in the finished product. I did some hunting on Redfin, and I "think" I found a likely candidate for the cabin centerpiece of this memoir. If it's not actually this cabin, then I think it's very, very close to this one. Doesn't it seem like the author wrote the description??? Bonus points for a book that prompts me to do an internet deep dive. :)

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Index/Wits-End-Rd-98256/home/88425133

This is really phenomenal book from Patrick Hutchison. Eventhough he has no capacity of carpentry skills at all, he can make the wonderful cabin ever in the world. I hope you can love this book, too, just like me.

Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I will start by saying I am not a biography or memoir reader. Give me Romance, give me fantasy but I was immediately drawn to this book's description. While we didn't have what this author would describe as a true "cabin" it was still off the grid, had plenty of bugs, lots of trees and no Wifi. What we did have was electricity and a toilet maybe not devoid of quirks but we had those luxuries. Reading this book brought back great memories of all the times we would head up North to relax but end up fixing something because I think the same people that made Patricks cabin also designed ours. This book will keep you entertained with the adventures or misadventures and witty comments. Everything he says about the gas cans is TRUE! and I giggled when he said he expected confetti to rain down when he finally decided to buy the chainsaw. LOL. Read the book, buy the cabin, do the things.

Everyone who loves the outdoors knows that there’s a simple, relaxing joy that comes from being out in the wilderness. Cabin captures that feeling as well as any book I’ve ever read. You can feel the way the author yearned for it when he talked about first buying the cabin, and his early days there. You can sense it in just about every story and anecdote he shares about it. It reminds you of what it feels like to breathe the mountain air, to walk beneath ancient trees, and to gather round a campfire with close friends. As the author walks you through his struggles, his missteps, and his triumphs on that humble patch of land he purchased you are reminded of what makes the great outdoors so great. And that makes for a wonderful read.

a true story of Patrick wo was tired of the daily grind and buys a cabin in the Pacific Northwest. really good read.

I received an arc from netgalley and St Martins Press in exchange for a review. It was great starting out he was tired of the office life and wanted something different so he seen this cabin for sale and jumped on it. The setting of the cabin sounds amazing and him wanting to fix it up but has no clue what he’s doing was ok because he was trying to learn and teach hisself. But about halfway through I started losing focus because you can only read so much about him not knowing what he was doing and his futon couch. The book wasn’t bad at all.

An interesting story that shows that the journey might be more important than the destination. If you are a fan of the outdoors, find yourself up late watching bushcraft stories on Youtube, or just want to find yourself lost in someone's adventure, check it out!

Imagine sitting in your backyard with some friends. Music is playing on the radio and someone is grilling up some dinner. Suddenly, your friend goes "Hey, remember that one time I bought a cabin?" and everyone looks at them like, what? So then the friend has to tell the whole crazy story about buying and fixing up a cabin. That's what reading this book is like. Simple, wholesome, down to earth.

I loved this book! I like being in the woods, hiking, and camping so that was a plus. Then, as a DIYer, I was even more intrigued!

Patrick is ready to get away from “the daily grind”. He finds a cabin in the Pacific Northwest and buys it. It was in desperate need of renovation. and, with, as he claims, no construction experience, Patrick sets out to renovate the cabin. As any DIYer knows, things do not go as planned. His account of all that can and will go wrong is hilarious!

Cabin is about getting away, improving old friendships and making new ones, learning new things and developing skills, and love for one another and nature. I’m so glad Patrick took us along on this journey!

Cabin was a book with a unique concept. By chronicling the years spent fixing up a tiny uninhabitable cabin into a barely inhabitable cabin, the author explained many, many projects in exhaustive detail. I did enjoy the overall feeling of warmth and comfort that the author and his friends obtained from their frequent visits. I enjoyed the stories of the quirky neighbors and the misadventures that happened often, I would have relished more of that and less of step by step how to instructions. I couldn’t escaped the feeling that this book was being written to bankroll the cabin project rather than to share unique insights and wisdoms.

Sentimental and hilarious. I think anyone looking for a good laugh and adventure story, will enjoy this one.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance readers copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.

<b>The Story</b>
Predicaments, challenges, and rewards of off-grid living.

For someone as myself who is quite avid in the outdoors, this felt like an introductory, 101 to life. A bit silly at times, reminding me of the hipster-Antifa types who built gardens in CHAZ/CHOP using cardboard and a sprinkling of soil over top. Second-hand embarrassment for the current state of humanity in how much some people are so disconnected from themselves, to other people, and to nature at this point. But I was cheering for the journey in this book.

Safe wording and difficulty giving into a natural and protective draw, including the inclination to owning a gun, was a last chapter for someone living in a cabin as almost afterthought, which I thought was funny in itself, as “unnecessary” notable to the BB gun, made for twice the laughter.

It was satisfying to follow the “discovery” and the innocent, yet noble willingness to experience the acquisition of skillset and authentic lifestyle of living in the woods, away from the urban luxuries and easy accommodations that not everyone gets to experience in life.

<b>The Writing</b>
I enjoyed how it was written in that it flowed well.

Lots of descriptive detail.

Heavy brand name dropping. Reads like an influencer posting for a sponsorship. Which was rather fun to read through as it captured the societal outlook and contrast between starting from scratch and zero to ultimate convenience and interdependency, separate from the dependency, determination, and sense of accomplishment when you have no one else but yourself.

A book that definitely calls your name to spend more time outside. Savor some hot chocolate and s’mores, cherish the sunrise and sunset, listen to the birds, elk bugling, and the rustling of trees.

I will look forward to reading more from this author.

<a href="https://ericarobbin.com">Blog post</a>

What a great book! I don’t know this author, but I am proud of what he accomplished! There’s nothing like getting out into the woods and listening to nature and smelling a campfire. He bought a falling down cabin and learned to rebuild it by researching and not being afraid to make mistakes. He described it so well I could picture the whole thing in my head. Currently trying to figure out how to talk about 8 of my friends into pitching in to buy a cabin to share…

(As a a side note, after reading the section on the mushroom trip, I will never be tempted to eat mushrooms 😆)

I just really enjoyed this, I hope this cabin brings the same amount of joy to every occupant as it did to the author.

Thanks to Patrick Hutchison, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the book copy.