The Martian : a novel / Andy Weir.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Imagine being left on Mars by a space exploration
crew who wrongly think that you have died.
Mark Watney is alive and has no way of communicating this to
anyone. When I first started reading the
novel, I thought that it would be a monologue, but (not to give away any
spoilers) it is far more than that. I
agree with Booklist’s review: “…the novel is a tightly constructed and
completely believable story of a man's ingenuity and strength in the face of
seemingly insurmountable odds. Riveting.”
I didn’t always understand all the technical details in the book, but
that didn’t affect my reading enjoyment.
There are more and more developments in the story, until the real Wow
ending!

One of the things I really appreciated about the book was
that all the characters are conscientious, dedicated people who treat each
other respectfully. There is no violence
or x-rated content, and only mild profanity.
And, refreshingly, women play an important part in all the events.

Library
Journal Review: “Weir combines the heart-stopping
with the humorous in this brilliant debut novel about an astronaut stranded on
Mars. When its mission is scrubbed as a result of a powerful windstorm, the
team of Ares 3 move from their habitat to the ascent vehicle. In transit, Mark
Watney's spacesuit is punctured by debris, knocking him unconscious and
disabling the suit's biosign monitor so that he appears to be dead. When he regains
consciousness, Mark realizes that his crew has left him: "I'm pretty much
fu*ked." Now all he has to do is survive, reestablish communications, find
a source of food, and last until the next mission to Mars. Like TV's MacGyver,
Mark does have a few potatoes, lots of duct tape, and plenty of
resourcefulness. If only Mars would stop trying to kill him and the crew had
left behind something other than disco music and 1970s sitcoms for
entertainment. VERDICT By placing a nail-biting life-and-death situation on
Mars and adding a snarky and wise-cracking nerdy hero, Weir has created the
perfect mix of action and space adventure. Mark is hilarious, which makes the
terror of marooned death on Mars not just bearable but downright fun.”