The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff
A good warning of the dangerous designs and goals of firms like Facebook and Google. Sometimes a bit wordy. 3/5
The Calculating Stars: Lady Astronaut Volume 1 by Mary Robinette Kowal
Alternate timeline SF. A meteorite hits the US. The Space program accelerates so humans can escape earth. Our hero faces lots of sexism & other barriers to becoming an astronaut. 3/5
By the Shores of Silver Lake: Little House Series, Book 5 by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The family move to De Smet, South Dakota. The railroad and then a town is built about them over a year. A good entry in the series, some gripping passages. 3/5
The Restaurant: A History of Eating Out
by William Sitwell
A non-exhaustive history. Bouncing through ancient times before focusing on Britain since 1945. But plenty of fun and interesting bits. 3/5
Broadway: A History of New York City in Thirteen Miles by Fran Leadon
A mile by mile coverage from South to North. How each section was added to the street and developed. A range of interesting stories and history. 4/5
My Scoring System
- 5/5 = Brilliant, top 5 book of the year
- 4/5 = Above average, strongly recommend
- 3/5 = Average. in the middle 70% of books I read
- 2/5 = Disappointing
- 1/5 = Did not like at all
