Category: Audiobooks

Truth, Lies, and O-Rings: Inside the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster by Allan J. McDonald

The author was a senior manager in the booster team who cooperated more fully with the investigation than NASA or his company’s bosses would have preferred. Mostly accounts of meetings, hearings & coverups with plenty of technical details. 3/5

The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World by Niall Ferguson

A quick tour though the rise of various financial concepts like insurance, bonds, stock markets, bubbles, etc. Nice quick intro and some well told stories. 4/5

The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe by Angela Kelly

An authorized book from the Queen’s dresser. Some interesting stories. Behind-the-scenes on typical days and regular events Okay even without photos. 3/5

Second Wind: A Sunfish Sailor, an Island, and the Voyage That Brought a Family Together by Nathaniel Philbrick

A writer takes up competitive sailing after a gap of 15 years, training on winter ponds in prep for the Nationals. A nice read. 3/5

Spitfire Pilot by Flight-Lieutentant David M. Crook, DFC

An account of the Author’s experiences as a pilot during the Battle of Britain. Covering air-combat, missions, loss of friends/colleagues and off-duty life. 4/5

Wild City: A Brief History of New York City in 40 Animals
by Thomas Hynes

A Chapter on each species. Usually information about incidents they were involved in (see “Tigers”) or the growth, decline, comeback of their population & habit. 3/5

Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and the Race to Defend Earth by Gordon L. Dillow

A history of the field and some of the characters. Covers space missions, searchers, discovery, movies and the like. Interesting throughout. 4/5

The Long Winter: Little House Series, Book 6 by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The family move into their store building in town for the winter. Blizzard after blizzard sweeps through the town over the next few months and starvation or freezing threatens. 3/5

The Time Traveller’s Almanac Part 1: Experiments edited by Anne and Jeff VanderMeer

First of 4 volumes of short stories. 14 stories, many by well known names (ie Silverberg, Le Guin). A good collection. 3/5

A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away: My Fifty Years Editing Hollywood Hits—Star Wars, Carrie, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Mission: Impossible, and More by Paul Hirsch

Details of the editing profession & technology. Lots of great stories 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

The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power by Deirdre Mask

Covered the subtitle well. I would have like some of more technical stuff that the author mentioned reading. 3/5

The Fated Sky: Lady Astronaut #2 by Mary Robinette Kowal

Set mostly in the lead-up to the first Mars expedition and the journey to Mars. Lots of interpersonal/interracial problems & fixing toilets. 3/5

Enola Gay: Mission to Hiroshima by Gordon Thomas

Mainly following Paul Tibbets and the 509th Composite Group plus some on the ground in Hiroshima. Has “minute-by-minute coverage of the critical periods”. 3/5

Pandemic by John Dryden

A 3 part radio play set before/after and during a global pandemic. Total length just 2 hours. Parts 2 & 3 felt a little cliched. 3/5

An Economist Walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager

Examples of how people in unusual situations handle risk and how you can apply it to your life. Interesting and useful. 4/5

100 Things The Simpsons Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die by Allie Goertz & Julia Prescott

Over 4 minutes per fact so plenty of depth. A Great collection of stuff for casual and serious fans. 4/5

Chernobyl 01:23:40 : The Incredible True Story of the World’s Worst Nuclear Disaster by Andrew Leatherbarrow

Chapters on the disaster and aftermath alternate with the author’s trip to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. A good intro to the disaster. 3/5

Turn the Ship Around! : A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders by L. David Marquet

The management advice is lost on me but the stories about turning around an under-performing sub crew in weeks is interesting. 3/5

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

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

Fewer books this month. At home on lockdown and weather a bit worse so less time to go on walks walks and listen.

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need by Jessica Brody

A fairly straight adaption of the screenplay-writing manual. Lots of examples from well-known books including full breakdowns of beats. 3/5

Happy Singlehood: The Rising Acceptance and Celebration of Solo Living by Elyakim Kislev

Based on 142 interviews. A lot of summaries of findings with quotes for interviewees and people’s blogs. Last chapter has some policy push but a little lights 3/5

Scandinavia: A History by Ewan Butler

Just a a 6 hour long quick spin though history. First half suffers a bit with lists of Kings although there is a bit more colour later in. Okay prep for something meatier 3/5

One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon by Charles Fishman

A bit of a mix. It covers the legacy of Apollo but the best bits are chapters on the Computers, Politics and other behind the scenes things. A compliment to astronaut and mission orientated books. 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

Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections by Patrick Smith

Lots of “you always wanted to know” & “this is how it really is” bits about commercial flying. Good fun 4/5

The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

A very tightly written thriller about a fictional 1963 plot to assassinate Frnch President Charles de Gaulle. Fast moving, detailed and captivating 5/5

Topgun: An American Story by Dan Pedersen

Memoir from the first officer in charge of the US Navy’s Top Gun school. A mix of his life & career, the school and US Navy air history (especially during Vietnam). Excellent 4/5

Radicalized: Four Tales of Our Present Moment
by Cory Doctorow

4 short stories set in more-or-less the present day. They all work fairly well. Worth a read. Spoilers in the link. 3/5

On the Banks of Plum Creek: Little House Series, Book 4 by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The family settle in Minnesota and build a new farm. Various major and minor adventures. I’m struck how few possessions people had back then. 3/5

My Father’s Business: The Small-Town Values That Built Dollar General into a Billion-Dollar Company by Cal Turner Jr.

A mix of personal and company history. I found the early story of the company and personal stuff the most interesting. 3/5

You Can’t Fall Off the Floor: And Other Lessons from a Life in Hollywood by Harris and Nick Katleman

Memoir by a former studio exec and head. Lots of funny and interesting stories from his career, featuring plenty of famous names. 4/5

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey

75% about Big-wave Tow-Surfers with chapters on Scientists and Shipping industry people mixed in. Competent but author’s heart seemed mostly in the surfing. 3/5

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

A Reminder of my rating System

• 5/5 = Brilliant, top 5 book of the year
• 4/5 = Above average, strongly recommend
• 3/5 = Average. in the middle 70%
• 2/5 = Disappointing
• 1/5 = Did not like at all

Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Volume Two) by Michael Burlingame

2nd volume covering Lincoln’s time as president. Lots of quotes from contemporary sources. Fairly good coverage of just about everything. 3/5

Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State
by Samuel Stein

Some interesting insights although everything being about New York and very left-wing politics of the author muddle the message. Worth a read if you are into the topic. 3/5

Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean

The story of the 1949 Mann Gulch fire that killed 13 smoke jumpers. Misses a point due to lots of talking to maps/photographs but still a gripping story. 3/5

The Walls Have Ears: The Greatest Intelligence Operation of World War II by Helen Fry

The secret British operation to bug German POWs to obtain military intelligence. Only declassified in the late 1990s so very few personal recollections, but an interesting story. 3/5

I’ve decided to change my rating system

• 5/5 = Brilliant, top 5 book of the year
• 4/5 = Above average, strongly recomend
• 3/5 = Average. in the middle 70%
• 2/5 = Disappointing
• 1/5 = Did not like at all

Far Futures edited by Gregory Benford

5 Hard SF stories set it the distant (10,000 years+) future. I thought they were all pretty good. Would recommend 4/5

Farmer Boy: Little House Series, Book 2 by Laura Ingalls Wilder

A year in a life of a 9 year old boy on a farm in 1860s New Year State. Lots of hard work and chores. His family is richer than Laura’s from the previous book. 3/5

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

A quick (4h) overview and introduction of our current understanding of the universe. A nice little introduction to the big stuff. 3/5

The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West by David McCullough

The Story of five of the first settlers of Marietta, Ohio from 1788 and the early history of the town. Not a big book or wide scope but works okay within it’s limits. 4/5

1971, Never a Dull Moment: Rock’s Golden Year by David Hepworth

A month by month walk though musical (and some other) history for 1971. Lots of gossip, backstories and history changing (or not) moments. 4/5

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

A guide to cutting down electronic distrations (especially social media) to those that make your life better and help towards your goals. 3/5

Call the Ambulance! by Les Pringle

Stories from a British Ambulance driver in the late-1970s and 1980s. A good range of stories from the funny to the tragic. 7/10

Permanent Record by Edward Snowden

An autobiography by the NSA Whistle-blower. Mostly a recounting of his life, career and circumstances that led up to him leaking. Interesting. 7/10

Life in the Middle Ages by Richard Winston

As the titles describes. Unusually for English Language books it focuses on France. Not much history just daily life & only 5h long. Probably works better with pictures. 6/10

Dr Space Junk vs the Universe: Archaeology and the Future by Alice Gorman

A Mix of topics. Some autobiography & how she worked her way into the archeology of spaceflight. Plus items of Space History & comparisons with earth archeology. But it works 8/10

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Only 3h 40m long and roughly covering a year. The author describes her life (aged 5-6) and her family in a cabin Wisconsin in the early 1870s. 1st in the series. 7/10

Abraham Lincoln: A Life (Volume One) by Michael Burlingame

50h and covers up to his 1st inauguration. Not a good 1st Lincoln bio to read but very good. Some repetition as multiple sources a quoted on some points. 7/10

Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester

Starting from the early 18th century each chapter covers increasing greater accuracy and the technology that needed and used it. Nice read 8/10

The Secret Cyclist: Real Life as a Rider in the Professional Peloton by The Secret Cyclist

An okay read although I don’t follow the sport so had never heard of most of the names. It is still readable however and gives a good feel for the world. 6/10

Braving It: A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild by James Campbell

A father takes his 15 year-old daughter for two trips to a remote cabin and a 3rd trip hiking/canoeing along a remote river in Alaska. Well written and interesting. 8/10

The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America by Robert Wuthnow

Based on Interviews with small town Americans it talks about their lives and frustrations with Washington which they see as distant but interfering. 7/10

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brookes

This was the “almost” full text version. Lots of different actors reading each chapter (which are arranged as interviews). Great story and presentation works well. 9/10