A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I took a road trip to his hometown, close to 3 hours away. The question: what do we listen to on the way? The last time I let him choose, he picked a book that he'd listened to already, that turned out to be a 676-page book that I totally got sucked into. The first of a trilogy, no less, and one where we're still waiting on the author to finish the third book. So I wanted some input.
He scrolled through his Audible list, and we found one we could agree on. He'd listened to it and really liked it, and I'd heard great things about it. So it was decided. The Martian, by Andy Weir.
I was a little apprehensive about it, since it's about an astronaut trapped by himself in space, and we'd watched Gravity not that long ago. Not a big fan. It wasn't bad, but it was dark. But like I said, I'd heard people rave about this book, so I agreed. And I'm so glad I did.
The astronaut who gets stuck on Mars, Mark Watney, is a smart, snarky, funny, insightful storyteller who is stuck in space all by himself, with nothing but 1970s television shows and Agatha Christie novels to keep him company. (Spoiler alert: he becomes a big fan of Mr. Furley, which I really don't understand. I liked Mrs. Roper so much better. But not Mr. Roper. He was creepy.)
It was an accident that stranded Watney on Mars--a series of accidents, actually--but it is his ingenuity that keeps him alive and sheltered. And once NASA figures out that he's alive, the story springs to life with more witty and wonderful characters. There is a certain amount of science laced throughout, but it's not distracting. It's woven in with intelligent pathos and, of course, pirate ninjas.
This one, I highly recommend. Read or listen to it as soon as possible. You'll thank me.