Best read this year

So as an aspiring author I would be remiss to slack in my reading. Reading other peoples’ work is one of the ways we get better at constructing our stories, and most importantly it’s important to appreciate other authors’ successes.

I have had the pleasure of watching this First Novel blossom into a worldwide success. Andy Weir’s novel rose from being a blog posted collection of entries, to an Amazon self published e-book to the number one best seller he has now. It is for a really good reason because he writes in a way that draws the reader in and leaves them with bated breath as they turn the page. The story is a simple one Man vs. Nature but the whit and the often cynical way the main character deals with the twists life throws at him make it both relatable and honest. From the profanity in the opening line to the well placed mom jokes Mark Whatney makes for a character I would love to meet and shake his hand.

From Goodreads: Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him & forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded & completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—& even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—& a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Stop by Andy’s Amazon page:

Check it out!