A Book of the Year 2024 Nick Harkaway Daily ExpressA Radio 4 Book of the WeekSturdy advice delivered with humour and the occasional splinter GuardianGorgeous . . . contains fascinating insights about working with your hands the nature of talent and how to create a meaningful life A. J. Jacobs bestselling author of The PuzzlerExquisite purposeful absorbing . . . a book with much to teach us all Ayad Akhtar Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Homeland ElegiesPeople think Im a genius because I remember my high school mathWhen Mark Ellison left high school no one thought he would go anywhere. A selfproclaimed serial dropout Mark spent his young adult years taking work where he found it. Who would have thought that forty years later he would be regarded as a great carpenter making a living out of building homes for the rich and famousFull of warmth wisdom and irreverent humour this is the story of what carpentry can teach us about the satisfaction and joy that comes from doing something well for a long time. From staircases that would be deadly if built as designed to algaeeating snails boiled to escargot in a penthouse pond Mark exposes the messy wiring behind the pristine walls and the mindset that any of us can develop to build our own impossible things. Written with refreshing candour this is an essential book about building life on your own terms and the possibilities that await when we forge our own path.