The search for Hitler’s bomb

Sam Kean is a science popularist whose previous books I’ve enjoyed greatly. “The Disappearing Spoon,” the first one I ran across, was about the discovery of elements, atomic weights and the periodic table.

Kean’s gift in these nonfiction books is combining science with fascinating tales about the scientists who made the discoveries — their jealousies, idiosyncrasies, friendships, and the struggles that preceded or followed their great discoveries. He’s a great storyteller as well as a great explainer of scientific principles.

I’ve also read “Caesar’s Last Breath,” about gases, and “The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons,” about the study to understand the human brain. I haven’t yet gotten to “The Violinist’s Thumb,” about genetics.

All of these books have an episodic structure that allows you to dip in and out.

But Kean’s latest book, “The Bastard Brigade,” has a little more of a through-line to it, and more history alongside the science. It’s the story of Allied attempts to find out about, and sabotage, the Nazis’ attempt to build an atomic bomb.

I have had several Kindle e-readers over the years, and I love a dedicated, e-ink device like that for reading. But over the weekend, I bought my first-ever tablet. I plan to stick with my Kindle for books; I bought the tablet for other things, like…