I don’t anticipate finishing off any books in the next couple of days, so I’m posting this early to make room for all the obligatory end-year posts, which will follow in the days to come. First up, I HIT MY MOUNT DOOM GOAL! The month was marked by an obsessive focus on it, and I’m delighted to announce that it paid off. And yes, I did technically hit the limit by deciding to discard a few more that I could find in my university library. The 80-title goal I had doesn’t account for every single book, but now the remaining books are a scant few, a mere handful, hardly noticable. Or, they will be, when I actually cart them off to goodwill. Mostly what’s happened is that they’ve migrated from my shelf into boxes sitting on the shelf. Now, a bookful news: on a whim, I wrote to one of my favorite authors, Bill Kauffman, to bid him a merrie Christmas. I’ve mentioned here that he’s the author I’d most like to have a beer with, and — upon his writing back — I learned that he and his wife are pondering a trip Southward to pay homage to Eudora Welty and other southern writers, so I may yet enjoy a pint or two with him. We shall see!
Climbing Mount Doom:
A Craftman’s Legacy: Why Working With Our Hands Gives us Meaning, Eric Gorges and Jon Sternfield
The Victorians, A.N. Wilson. A first: this one got destroyed by rain when I forgot the backpack it was in wasn’t my waterproof one. I was 140 pages in. Enjoyable enough as far as I’d gotten, though I was preparing to rip into the author upon review for referring to Adam Smith’s ethics as being the basis for Scrooge. Never heard of the Theory of Moral Sentiments, Mr. Wilson?
The War of 1812, John Mahon. A very detailed but quite readable history of the 1812-1815 conflict between the US and Britain, which incorporates the Napoleon and Creek Wars as well.
The Commercial Revolution, 1000 to 1500, Joseph Gies. Considering how much I love reading the Gies’ medieval social histories, this was a surprising struggle — perhaps because of the tight focus on banking.
Swimming with Serpents, Sharmon Ramsey. An unusual but disappointing historical fiction novel set in colonial Alabama, about two young people whose love is interrupted by the Fort Mims massacre during the Creek War.
All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren
The War on Boys, Christina Hoff Summers.
Cemetery Road, Greg Iles
The Master Switch, Tim Wu. Review to follow. Fascinating history of how technological innovations are often delayed by corporate obstruction for decades.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. My library has a copy, so away it goes.
McMafia. Gave this is a try and could see reading it in the future. In the future I can get it from the university library. In the present I want my shelf cleared, kthxbai.
The End of Power: Why Being in Charge Isn’t What it Used to Be, Moises Naim. Started reading this one, wasn’t into it, saw I had library access to it if I change my mind. Ciao!
The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories, J.L. Heilbron. Did a little readin’, did a little skimmin’.
Reading Dixie:
Wooden Churches: A Celebration
Swimming with Serpents, Sharmon Ramsey
The War of 1812, John Mahon
All the King’s Men, Robert Penn warren
Cemetary Road, Greg Iles
Reading Freely 
That’s so funny what you say about Adam Smith. This year I read a bio about him because I plan to begin his Wealth of Nations, but I was even more intrigued with his Theory of Moral Sentiments. From the sound of it, I wonder if it would have been his best work had he written Wealth of Nations first. But I don’t know, except that I’d like to read it someday.
To be fair, I only even know about Theory of Moral Sentiments because of Russ Roberts’ “How Adam Smith Can Save Your Life”. 🙂
BTW, it’s me Ruth from With Freedom and Books. I’m forever in WordPress purgatory. I can’t comment on WP blogs w/o major issues. I’m surprised it showed up at all.
Thanks for the clarification. I’ve been having WP issues, too, since the new authentication system went into effect..
[Sorry if this is a repeat comment. I’m trying to remember how to comment on WP blogs, and hopefully this works.]
That’s so funny what you say about Adam Smith. This year I read a bio about him because I plan to begin his Wealth of Nations, but I was even more intrigued with his Theory of Moral Sentiments. From the sound of it, I wonder if it would have been his best work had he written Wealth of Nations first. But I don’t know, except that I’d like to read it someday.
If you want to ease into it, I’d reccommend Russ Roberts’ “How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life”.
Well done on Mount Doom!! That’s very inspiring. I’m doing something similar right now with “read what I own,” and plan to continue through the new year.
Very cool that Mr Kauffman wrote back to you as well. I hope you do get to meet him!
Thanks! Some of it was persistence, some of it was “I give up I just want them gone”. 😉
And yes! I was surprised to see that return address, but delighted to know there exists a writer with worse penpanship than my own.