"I'm stranded on Mars. I have no way to communicate with Earth. I'm in a Habitat designed to last 31 days. If the Oxygenator breaks down, I'll suffocate. If the Water Reclaimer breaks down, I'll die of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I'll just kind of explode. If none of those things happen, I'll eventually run out of food and starve to death. So yeah. I'm screwed." 
 What is this book about? 
 Mark Watney, astronaut and botanist is stranded on Mars after a failed mission. A sandstorm blew a hole in his suit which should have killed him. His spacebuddies assume he's dead and follow protocol. They leave him behind and the whole world thinks he's dead. But then Watney regains consciousness and finds himself left behind on an uninhabitable planet with broken gear and a million ways to die. If he wasn't dead yet, he surely will be soon. 
 Why is it boring? 
 Someone is stranded on Mars, trying to survive the elements. I wouldn't call that boring, but we'll give it a shot. The book is very detailed about its science. The problems Watney needs to solve are described in detail from beginning to end, making this book a pretty nerdy one. But maybe try to pay some attention, you never know when you get stuck on Mars yourself and might need the info. Learning from books. Yeah, that is kind of boring. 
 Who would you recommend it to? 
 Everybody who loves a good sci-fi story and wonders what living on Mars would be like. Besides that, the book is also extremely funny. Watney is sarcastic and doesn't take his mortal peril all that serious. It had me laughing out loud a bunch of times, so anyone looking for something fun but exciting should definitely give this a try. And if you're planning to be an astronaut, definitely read this. It might scare you off for good, but if you can live through all these space disasters you'll be made for the job. 
 Why should I read it if it's boring?! 
 Mark Watney is the ultimate hero. When everything, and I really do mean everything, goes wrong he stays positive and does anything to ensure he finds his way out. It's pretty serious stuff being stuck on Mars, completely alone, with a million things that could kill you, but Watney never gives up. He's the coolest astronaut you'll ever meet, being annoying, stubborn, but so funny at the same time. Instead of working efficiently towards being rescued, he takes his time to leave rude messages to NASA, telling them to fuck off. Think of this book as Gravity but then with an awesome main character and every line being quotable. The science is completely accurate, Weir being a lifelong space nerd, which makes it a riveting read. It really is a page-turner and you can't help but hope that Watney will finally make it out alive. Now all we we can do is hope that the movie adaptation will do it some justice. 
 Rating: 4/5 
 Review Copy attained through Blogging For Books and Edelweiss. We also strongly advise you to give the audiobook a try. It's a blast.