The Dream Machine: The Untold History of the Notorious V-22 Osprey by Richard Whittle
The story of tilt-rotor aircraft & the long history of the V-22’s development. Covers defense politics and technical matters equally well. 4/5
Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet by Claire L. Evans
A series of stories about individuals, not just about the Internet but about women and early computing, hypertext, etc. Interesting and well written. 3/5
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
Lewis interviews people involved in the Obama to Trump transition at 3 major government agencies. He profiles the people, their jobs and in most cases how the Trump people underestimated the Dept’s importance. 3/5
OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind by Jill Filipovic
Mostly a stats dump with a few profiles and accounts of struggling millennials sprinkled in. With a weird tone shift to boomer-love in the last chapter. Okay I guess 3/5
Six Days of Impossible: Navy SEAL Hell Week – A Doctor Looks Back by Robert Adams
A first-hand account of a training class in 1974/75 where only 11 of the 71 starters graduated. Fun read although some interviews with non-graduates would have provided a contrast. 3/5
Three Laws of Nature: A Little Book on Thermodynamics by R Stephen Berry
Science mixed in with some history, designed for those with minimal science. The equations were simple but numerous & didn’t work in audiobook format. Try the printed version. 2/5
Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick Arthur C Clarke and the Making of a Masterpiece by Michael Benson
A detailed account of the film’s making from pre-production though to the bad reviews of the first release. Covers most aspects of the film and people involved. 4/5
The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder
Pulitzer Prize winning story of a team creating a new model of minicomputer in the late-1970s. Good portraits of the team members and aspects of the tech. 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
