Teaser Tuesday (Man of Iron)
If the story of Mayor Cleveland’s inaugural message to the city council had to be summarized with one fact it would be this: it so outraged his adversaries that midway through its reading there was a motion to prevent the clerk from finishing it.
Today’s TTT is a total freebie, so I am going to go with……My Favorite December Reads of the Last Ten Years. I’ll begin with 2024 and work backwards.
The Last Decade’s December Favorites!
(1) The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, Anna Johnston (2024). A charming story about a bankrupt and elderly man who literally stumbles into someone else’s life.
(2) The Office BFFs: Tales of The Offic eFrom Two Best Friends Who Were There, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey (2023)
(3) The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry, ed. Paul Kingsnorth. 2022. My introduction to Kingsnorth!
(4) Ava’s Man, Rick Bragg. 2021. A memoir about Bragg’s grandfather, Charlie Bundrum. I love Bragg’s writing:
He was blessed with that beautiful, selective morality that we Southerners are famous for. Even as a boy, he thought people who steal were trash, real trash. He thought people who would lie were trash. “And a man who’ll lie,” he said, even back then, “will steal.” Yet he saw absolutely nothing wrong with downing a full pint of likker—a full pint is enough to get two men drunk as lords—before engaging in a fistfight that sometimes required hospitalization. He saw no reason to obey some laws—like the ones about licenses, fees and other governmental annoyances—but he would not have picked an apple off another man’s ground and eaten it.
(5) . The Awakening of Miss Prim, Natalie Sanmartin Fenollera 2020.
(6) The Only Plane in the Sky, Garrett Graff. An oral history of 9/11, and one of the best books I’ve ever read.
(7) Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson
(8) The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China, David Eimer.
(9) You Have the Right to Remain Innocent, James Duane. I only read eight books in December 2016.
(10) Forgotten Ally: China’s World War 2, Rena Mitter . 2015.
Reading Freely 
The Only Plane in the Sky looks interesting.
Yes, it recounts the day “as lived”. Very immersive.
The Only Plane in the Sky is an amazing read. I agree; it is probably one of the best books I’ve ever read.
I really want to read The Only Plane in the Sky, I’ve seen it get tons of praise and seems highly important! Awesome list!
Thanks! Yes, it’s THE book I’d reccommend to someone who grew up not experiencing 9/11.
Ooh well I experienced it but it still sounds worth reading!
oh great idea of posts!
Your #3 is on my TBR.
Here is mine, I have done that for several years for the December freebie: https://wordsandpeace.com/2025/12/02/top-ten-2025-books-with-one-word-titles/
I hope you enjoy it once you get to it!
I read and enjoyed The Borrowed Life of Fredrick Fife earlier this year. I think it’s one of my favorite reads for the year.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!https://readbakecreate.com/december-2025-holiday-tbr-will-i-read-them-all/
Nice list!! Lisa @ Captivated Reader
I thought The Only Plane in the Sky was excellent. I also enjoyed The Borrowed Life of Fredrick Fife. Nice choices, interesting choice for a topic this week.