The Martian

I enjoyed this book. It's a well-researched tale of an astronaut left behind on Mars when a mission goes wrong and has to abort early.

The book is filled with humour and ingenuity, as well as actual number-crunching, and is mostly very readable. I believe it was originally published episodically, which might explain why the dramatic tension is a bit uneven.

I liked it, though. The main character is engaging and smart, and you can't help rooting for him. If the subject matter sounds at all appealing, then I'd definitely recommend it.