On Washington's Olympic Peninsula, at the entrance to Puget Sound, the Port Townsend of the 1850s was perfectly situated for sailing vessels. By 1880, thousands of ships from all over the world were passing through. Optimistic investors sought fortunes in shipping, logging, lumber mills, and land speculation. While commerce flourished at sea level, citizens built fine homes, churches, schools, clubs, a respectable shopping district, and parks uptown on the bluff. The settlers of this lovely seaport enjoyed rich cultural and social lives. Port Townsend went bust after the anticipated railroad failed to arrive. It remained largely frozen in time without economic motivation to tear down and replace its fine Victorian architecture. It wasn't until the 1970s that the beautiful setting and buildings were discovered by artists, hippies, preservationists, and, later, tourists and retirees. The town is now a thriving arts and cultural community, still beautiful, still small and remote.

A Real Simple Best Book of the Year A deeply moving story of an epic home renovation in the Pacific Northwest—from New York Times–bestselling author of The Scent Keeper In this mesmerizing memoir-in-essays, Erica Bauermeister renovates a trash-filled house in eccentric Port Townsend, Washington, and in the process takes readers on a journey to discover the ways our spaces subliminally affect us. A personal, accessible, and literary exploration of the psychology of architecture, as well as a loving tribute to the connections we forge with the homes we care for and live in, this book is designed for anyone who’s ever fallen head over heels for a house. It is also a story of a marriage, of family, and of the kind of roots that settle deep into your heart. Discover what happens when a house has its own lessons to teach in this moving and insightful memoir that ultimately shows us how to make our own homes (and lives) better. “ . . . for anyone who has wondered where home is and how to find it, fix it, love it, and leave it for later as well.” —Laurie Frankel, New York Times–bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is

In Portland, Oregon, coffee is more than just a beverage, it is an essential part of the city's character. Under oft-gray skies, independent roasters and cafes flourish, providing a wide array of styles and tastes for discerning Portlanders to choose from. The celebrated Portland coffee culture attracts visitors from around the world, who come to explore the diverse options and find inspiration for bringing great coffee to their own cities. In Caffeinated PDX: How Portland became the Best Coffee City in America, author Will Hutchens tells the stories of the people and companies that pushed Portland to the forefront of the specialty coffee scene. He travels around the city, talking to a wide variety of coffee professionals and capturing their passion for roasting, selling, and brewing some of the finest coffees in the world. He attends cuppings, goes to barista school, and volunteers at barista competitions to better understand what's so special about specialty coffee. Using Portland as the model, Hutchens also explains the phenomenon known as third-wave coffee, a worldwide movement to improve coffee quality from origin to cup. Full of anecdotes and insights into the minds of Portland's coffee leaders, as well as some lesser-known personalities, Caffeinated PDX is an enjoyable read for people who love coffee, for people who love Portland, or for anyone who appreciates a good story."

Part memoir, part micro-history, this is an exploration of the present through the lens of the past--now in paperback! We all know that the best way to study a foreign language is to go to a country where it's spoken, but can the same immersion method be applied to history? How do interactions with antique objects influence perceptions of the modern world? From Victorian beauty regimes to nineteenth-century bicycles, custard recipes to taxidermy experiments, oil lamps to an ice box, Sarah and Gabriel Chrisman decided to explore nineteenth-century culture and technologies from the inside out. Even the deepest aspects of their lives became affected, and the more immersed they became in the late Victorian era, the more aware they grew of its legacies permeating the twenty-first century. Most of us have dreamed of time travel, but what if that dream could come true? Certain universal constants remain steady for all people regardless of time or place. No matter where, when, or who we are, humans share similar passions and fears, joys and triumphs. In her first book, Victorian Secrets, Chrisman recalled the first year she spent wearing a Victorian corset 24/7. In This Victorian Life, Chrisman picks up where Secrets left off and documents her complete shift into living as though she were in the nineteenth century.