From the Bookshelf of EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club

The Martian
by
Start date
December 1, 2016
Finish date
December 31, 2016
Discussion
MODERN / POPULAR READS
Why we're reading this
Group Pick for Dec '16 - Modern Classic/Popular…more

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What Members Thought

Carrie
Sep 11, 2017 rated it it was amazing
Most definitely one of the best books I've read this year!!!!! ...more
Jennifer Ozawa
Jul 24, 2015 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
This was one fun, quick read. I enjoyed it immensely, and that's saying a lot, because the novels that have been ridiculously hyped recently (Gone Girl, Girl on the Train) have done nothing for me. This was a pleasant breath of air. ...more
Laurel Bradshaw
Robinson Crusoe in space. Set a few years into the future, when the U.S. is sending manned missions to Mars. Mark is a likeable character, and I found his ingenuity and inventiveness kept me interested - for about half of the book. Then it just got too predictable as it went from one event that should have killed him to another. It was very heavy on the science, which didn't go over too well with my women's bookclub. On the whole, it's a decent story, and an uplifting one as nations work togethe ...more
Susannah
This audiobook was terrific, and, frankly, I don't think I could have kept with it if I were reading the printed book. The discussion of how Mark Watney and all the NASA folks keep him alive after he's marooned on Mars - the way Mark uses science to save himself and the procedures that he follows - is a little too first-I-did-this-then-I-did-that to have kept me fully engaged as a reader. As a listener, however, it was fine. Three stars for the story, four stars for the audiobook performance, th ...more
Amanda
Aug 26, 2015 rated it liked it
Mixed feelings. Good overall plot. Interesting enough premise to keep me reading through the Very dry sciency parts which is good because those parts are long and many.
Also it's hard to know without a degree in astrophysics if it's accurate or a bunch of bs. While reading I naturally tried to understand or make sense of the calculations and complicated survival strategies. I would need to re read try to absorb or contemplate information but most of it was over my head, what with me not being a
...more
Amy  Ellis
Nov 12, 2015 rated it it was amazing
I loved this book so much. The ending paragraph is probably one of the best paragraphs I have ever read. If you can suck it up and get over the technical-speak and the many F-words (the guy is stranded on Mars--I would swear, too), you will be greatly rewarded. I loved so much about this book, but what I loved most is that Watney, the stranded astronaut, remains positive and with a great sense of humor throughout. He gets right to work, and there is no "I'm isolated and starving" monologue. Also ...more
Sunflower
Jun 05, 2015 rated it really liked it
What happens if you get left on Mars and your fellow astronauts think you are dead? If you are me, you really would be dead in short order.However, if you are the highly intelligent botanist-fixit-man of this book you McGyver your way to survival, in the face of enormous odds, over and over again because anything that could possibly go wrong seems to do just that. Some of the solutions are ingenious, and some just require plain repetitive back-breaking work. The book is frequently quite mathemat ...more
 Marla
Funny and very techie. What a wonderful read, but I realize that some people would find it dull since it's a lot of science and killing time.

Likes:
* Mark Watley's humor
* Mark not blaming Ares 3 crew
* Mark is botanist and mechanical engineer
(view spoiler)
...more
Jenn
Jul 29, 2015 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AMAZING.
Ashley
May 14, 2015 rated it really liked it
Savanna
Jul 08, 2015 marked it as to-read
Shelley
Sep 10, 2015 marked it as to-read
Shelves: mmdsummer, jbsummer
Melissa (So Cal Gal)
Dec 27, 2015 rated it really liked it
Darcy
Feb 18, 2016 rated it really liked it
Stephanie
Feb 25, 2016 marked it as to-read
Abigail
Mar 29, 2016 marked it as to-read
Carrie Smith
Mar 16, 2018 rated it liked it
Matt
May 01, 2016 rated it really liked it
Alan
Dec 27, 2016 marked it as to-read
Liz
Nov 18, 2017 rated it it was ok
Cindy
Dec 07, 2018 rated it really liked it
Mimi
Dec 21, 2017 marked it as to-read
Kathy Jo
Apr 29, 2018 marked it as to-read
Dana Arbelaez
Aug 22, 2018 marked it as to-read
Melissa
Aug 26, 2018 marked it as to-read
Lindsay
Nov 15, 2018 rated it it was amazing
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EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up...