Warship

dcore military sci-fi yarn, but somewhat oversimplified perhaps. The protagonist was very well written, but the other characters were given short shrift. The main plot was interesting, but the intense focus on the main (high-stress) plot was tiring at times. A smaller subplot arc, perhaps centering on Pike, would've added color and complexity.

Goodthelife
This book is about leadership,
not needing to be friends with anyone below (but still having some)
creativity in finding solutions in the face of impossible odds
enabled by knowing the system better than anyone else
and leveraging ideas from the crew
and never, ever giving up.
It's also about bias, and doing the right thing in spite of this.
In fact, it's about ignoring everything, including politics, career, and even saving his own life, for the sake of doing the right thing.
And in the end, truly making a difference.