The Martian by Andy Weir

Andy Weir's The Martian (wikipedia) is one of the best things I've ever read.  And I say that right after raving about Annihilation.  I can't imagine being a publishing house getting this story and passing.  I picture a reviewer getting to the end and thinking, "This isn't a good book about Mars.  There are no Martians or discarded Martian artifacts to save him and show we're not alone in the universe."  To which I can only express my sincere gratitude to Weir.

I blew through this book.  The blurbs on the back are from Hugh Howey, Larry Niven, and Chris Hadfield.  That Chris Hadfield.  The Canadian. The singer of Space Oddity.  The author.  The Astronaut.  He liked The Martian.

It's not very often a book makes me regret a decision in my life.  But The Martian had me pining for the days when I thought I'd be a materials engineer for NASA.  No space for me, obviously, but a damn sight closer than my current role.

The hardcover has been out for about two weeks, so it might be hard to come from your local library and if your library is like mine, the reserve list means you can't renew it, but it's a fast, riveting, read.