Pimpin'
Heavenly Ambitions by Joan Johnson-Freese Yes, it's scholarly, but it's not dry. Johnson-Freese discusses the evolution of the US space program (and other countries') and then launches into discussion of the militarization of space vs. a necessarily cooperative nature of current and future space missions.
Lots of interesting ideas if you are likely to write near-future SF.
Currently $20 at Amazon, because it's listing as a pre-order. It'll be available within a week or so.