Ami's Hoard

I have seen the cover of this book on my timeline several times, especially during the Goodreads Readers Choice Awards last year; but I never really cared about it because, well, it was sci-fi. Sci-fi is the least favorite genre of mine. But I have been in a book funk when it comes to romance genre lately and I needed something different. Several days ago, I watched the trailer for the movie. Thought it looked intriguing and it was mainly the reason for me to pick up this book.

Well, hell, it was the most fun I had in reading for quite a while now (maybe since "Ready Player One").

The key of everything would be Mark Watney -- seriously, if I have EVER stranded in Mars, I want him with me! From the very first page, I just fell in love with his 'voice'. I loved his tenacity to stay alive in Mars, using his knowledge as a botanist and mechanical engineer (fear the botany power!!). Come one, his survival skill was excellent! He survived 18-months in MARS! He would be a chick magnet when he returned to Earth *LOL*

Another winning point was how Mark Watney, while being very resourceful and positive throughout, was able to maintain his sense of humor even when Mars decided to threw him all kind of obstacles. It felt weird to laugh over his problem, but darn Mark Watney was one FUNNY guy, even if at times he might sound like a juvenile. His one liners were precious (I had so many favorites but the most precious was probably "My asshole is doing as much to keep me alive as my brain"). I found myself chuckling and guffawing when I read this, or at least had a HUGE smile on my face. The commuter train passengers who shared the trip with me yesterday must thought I was a little crazy *lol*

I admit that my eyes glazed over the mathematical / scientific equations and just read between the lines from what Watney was explaining (I stopped wanting to be a mathematician when I realized that I hated algebra and trigonometry :p) . But everything else was really entertaining to read. Probably because Watney felt so accessible for a scientist. His voice was very down-to-earth and I couldn't help rooting for him until the very end (this would be the moment to say that I love Matt Damon and I thought he was a perfect choice for movie-Watney. #justsayin').

The book was not perfect -- every other characters beside Watney felt paper-thin. I also thought the 'monologue-narration' style was better (and far more superior) compared to the third-person description or the dialogues between the characters. But in the end, it was the pleasurable reading experience that won me over. Now I can't wait to see the movie adaptation. Hope it lives up to my expectations.

PS: You should read "8 Tips for Surviving on Mars from Andy Weir at the Amazon's page of this book. My favorite would be number 5.

5: You’re going to need food.

Just eat Martians. They taste like chicken.