My rating for books I read. Note that I’m perfectly happy with anything scoring 3 or better.
- 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
The World As It is: Inside the Obama White House by Ben Rhodes
A memoir of a senior White House staffer, Speechwriter & Presidential adviser. Lots of interesting accounts with and behind the scenes information. 4/5
Redshirts by John Scalzi
A Star Trek parody from the POV of five ensigns who realise something is very strange on their ship. Plot moves steadily and the humour and action mostly work. 3/5
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The book covers less than a year as the Ingalls family build a cabin in Indian territory on the Kansas Prairie. Dangerous incidents and adventures throughout. 3/5
Wheels Stop: The Tragedies and Triumphs of the Space Shuttle Program, 1986-2011 by Rich Houston
A book about the post-Challenger Shuttle missions. An overview of most of the missions and the astronauts on them. Lots of quotes mainly from the astronauts. Good for Spaceflight fans. 3/5
The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age by Bina Venkataraman
Ways that people, organisations and governments can start looking ahead at the long term rather than just the short and why they don’t already. Some good stuff 4/5
