The Martian by Andy Weir (Crown, 2014)
Our Christmas present from the library: we made the top of the wait list for The Martian. It was worth the wait and with one exception ranks as one of the best books I've read this year.
The exception? The profanity is even worse than in the movie. Unlike the movie, there's sexual innuendo, but nothing graphic. There's no violence at all, unless you count all the explosions that happen. Still, definitely NSFG (not safe for grandchildren). Which is a pity, because I know one, maybe three, who would love it. (This conundrum is the only drawback I know to having early and eager readers.)
That aside, The Martian is the perfect engineering nerd book, yet perfectly engaging for less technical folk. It's also incredibly well-written, and I'm picky that way. I'm guessing Andy Weir aced both the Math and the Verbal sections of his SAT's.
Having read the book, I can enthusiastically endorse the movie, which is remarkably, though justifiably not completely, true to the book. So go ahead, watch the movie. But don't stop there: read the book. There's more to the story.
