The Martian

"No aliens, no invasion fleets, no superheroes or space marines. The Martian focuses on just one man — astronaut Mark Watney — who becomes one of the first men to walk on Mars and, shortly after, one of the first to be presumed dead on Mars after a freak storm forces the rest of his crew to take off and leave him behind. But Watney isn’t dead, and he spends the balance of the book using his brains to stay alive on the Red Planet. A book about a scientist using actual science to battle the alien elements — what a welcome relief."

"It was part science fiction, part philosophy, part comedy, part suspense; and above all, it had a great ending. I love endings where the good guy wins."