That time I accidentally read a Sci-Fi novel (a book review)

I like to read. I love to read. The struggle for me is finding the time/energy to do so as well as finding great books to read. My motto when it comes to reading is that if I can put a book down, I'm going to, and I'm probably not going to pick it back up again. The book has to suck me in or I'm not going to spend my time on it. I read both fiction and non-fiction. I read a lot of young adult dystopian novels, books about education and parenting, memoirs and stories about women living in ancient China or Japan. In recent years, I read a lot of just general fiction, I guess you would call it.  I also spend a ton of time reading books out loud to my kids.

The other day, my friend (thanks Rachel!) posted a link to a list of Kindle books that were on sale for $1.99 each. Lydia was sick and it was raining so I decided to splurge on a book. I had read and enjoyed many of the books on the list already so I was excited to find something good to read.

After reading reviews on Amazon, I settled on The Martian by Andy Weir, downloaded it, and began reading. I finished it in two days.

The book is about an astronaut named Mark Watney who accidentally gets stranded on Mars. He and his crew were supposed to be working there for about a month, but after a few days, something goes wrong and they have to abort the mission in a rush. Just as they are leaving, Watney is injured, and the crew, thinking he is dead, leave without him. The story is told primarily in log format as Watney tries to figure out how to stay alive and somehow, make it back to Earth.

So, I think I need to tell you at this point that this book is hard science fiction. Hard science fiction, I've learned, is science fiction that is logical and scientifically accurate. Humorously, I did not know this about the book until I was about 1/3 of the way through. How is that possible, you ask? Well, I am kind of slow, apparently. 

I was talking to Tim about it and commented that the book talked a lot about the mechanics of space travel and "a lot of other science and mathy stuff" and he replied that it sounded like science fiction. In case you haven't figured it out by now, that's a genre I don't typically read from. He quickly looked it up and told me that not only was the book science fiction, but it was categorized as hard science fiction, which I think should be called hard-core science fiction, because that sounds cool. 

Anyway, the point is that I'm kind of a dumb dumb. And I probably would not have bought this book if I had known what I was getting myself into, because I like to read as a relaxing experience and I don't always want my brain to be overly involved. I'm tired at the end of the day! I get into the habit of reading books that are similar to each other because if I liked one, I'll probably like the others, right?

I'm glad I read it though. It definitely required more brain power than watching Friends reruns (what doesn't?) but I feel good about it. The scientific details challenged me because I've forgotten/never properly learned or understood physics or chemistry very well, but the dictionary and Google helped me whenever I got stuck. The author did a nice job of explaining concepts and writing in a way that was clear and easy to follow. The book was a real page turner, and I found myself racing to the end to see what would happen to Watney. I was on the edge of my seat (more like, I sat up in bed instead of laying down) during the last 10% of the book and found the ending pretty satisfying. I love a book that I can't put down.

I'm glad I bought the book as a Kindle edition, because I found myself looking up scientific terms (and other words I should probably know by now) pretty often. Since my Kindle has a built in dictionary, that was as easy as pushing on a word until the definition popped up. It would've been annoying to have to look things up with a paperback. I feel like I actually learned a lot about space and science in general from this book. There were some parts that got a little slow, but Watney is a funny character and I appreciated the laughs. I found his will to live despite all odds beings against him inspiring, and he was a super smart and innovative character. Later in the book, there are some changes in perspective that I found to be refreshing.

They are making a movie out of this, starring Matt Damon. It comes out in October. I'm interested to see how they can translate it into an interesting movie since a lot of the book is detailed description of "sciencey stuff", and plan making. Might need to grab it at Redbox.

All in all, I give the book 4 out of 5 stars. I'd recommend it if you like sci-fi, or even if you don't. Now that I know I can read and enjoy sci-fi, I think I will do so more often. In fact, I just downloaded another sci-fi novel off the $1.99 list, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Look at me being all adventurous! So far, I like it, but I'll let you know how it goes.

Bottom line: don't judge a book by its genre. Read outside your comfort zone!