A contemporary fiction book in the published in the early 2000s, this book by a male author had a male main character. It centered around a special house, a beloved house, that the main character wanted to own or live in. At some point a leather-bound book was a major plot point and the leather-bound book was hidden in the house, or possibly the walls of the house, and later found. The novel had beautiful language, and was very tightly written.
Thank you so much for your help!
Long shot — maybe THE HIGH HOUSE by James Stoddard?
http://www.james-stoddard.com/books/
https://www.sfsite.com/12b/hi47.htm
etc.
Sounds vaguely like A Sudden Light by Garth Stein, who also wrote The Art of Racing in the Rain. In it a father and son find an old journal from a relative which sheds light on family history.