What Are We Reading?: The Martian, Andy Weir

Language is an elegant tool of communication, for touching the hearts and minds of others. So when I saw the title of this book was "The Martian" and the entire blurb consisted solely of "The adventures of an astronaut stranded on Mars", I had to have it.
 
 
 Wonderfully, Mr Weir's unshakable confidence that his story should stand alone (without anything so mundane as marketing) is entirely justified. The Martian was a joy to read.
 
 
 Stranded in a terrible situation, astronaut Mars Watney is brave, upbeat and heartwarmingly funny, although at times he comes across a bit like a male Bridget Jones. As a pocket survivalist I was with him every step of the way as he struggled to turn a fatal disaster into a triumph.
 
 
 Not short on science, The Martian is definitely a book for those who like their laugh-out-loud spiced with intelligence and fraught with tension.