What are you reading: 'Sugarhouse'

Title: “Sugarhouse: Turning the Neighborhood Crack House into Our Home Sweet Home”

Author: Matthew Batt

About the author: Matt Batt's work has appeared in Tin House and on The Huffington Post and elsewhere. The Missouri Review recently called him a “heavy hitter” of nonfiction, and he's been nominated six times for the Pushcart Prize and is the recipient of an individual Artist Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Synopsis: An improbably funny account of how the purchase and restoration of a disaster of a fixer-upper saves a young marriage.

Reviewer: Amanda Zhorne of Cedar Rapids is the community relations manager at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Cedar Rapids.

I've learned you can't judge a book by its cover, but that's never stopped me choosing one based on it. The bright red cover of “Sugarhouse: Turning the Neighborhood Crack House into Our Home Sweet Home” by Matthew Batt jumped out at me from the shelf. The title quickly sealed the deal. I knew this was a book that I wanted to read. The author and his wife decide to buy a rundown house in Salt Lake City and fix it up. It's a fun read about how they grow and transform as they make the former crack house into a home.

What books are on your nightstand?

• “That's Not a Feeling” by Dan Josefson

• “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman

• “Between Shades of Gray” by Ruta Sepetys

• “Telegraph Avenue” by Michael Chabon

• “Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs

• “Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore” by Robin Sloan

What are you reading now? What are you looking forward to reading? Share your lists at features@sourcemedia.net