The Martian, by Andy Weir

I simply loved The Martian. But take heed: I'm a science geek and if you're not also one, you might hate this book. Some portions are elaborate math problems that Weir walks you through step by step. It sounds boring, but it was actually fascinating to me because solving these problems was the only way Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut stranded on Mars, could stay alive.

What I liked best about The Martian was Watney's sense of humor. Even though he was often in impossible situations, he kept his sense of humor and always met his challenges head on, using science and his ingenuity to save himself time and again.

The book also covers events at NASA as they work to save Watney and on board the Hermes where the rest of his crew escaped to after they accidentally left him alive on Mars. These parts are also good, but Watney on Mars are the best ones.

I went to see the movie the day after I finished reading the book, and I had high expectations. Perhaps too high because I liked the book a lot better. The movie version made Watney more dramatic and lost most of his sense of humor. However, the ending of the movie where both the captain and Watney are involved in the final rescue was better than the ending of the book. In fiction, the hero always needs to be the prime mover in the resolution of the story.