The Martian

I hadn’t heard of The Martian by Andy Weir before they made a movie out of it.  Not having seen the movie I was intrigued enough to pick up the book and found it a very rewarding experience --- in fact it drove me to the theater to see the film --- something I don't generally do.  The premise of the book is simple enough, a manned mission to Mars encounters a sandstorm severe enough that the mission is aborted and in the rush to escape one man is left behind.  The book follows both the man’s attempts to survive and everyone else’s attempts to rescue him.  Truly fascinating and highly recommended.