​The Martian is a book written by author Andy Weir and published by Crown Publishing group. But before that he published his book on amazon for 99 cents per copy where it then sold 35,000 copies in 3 months on the site alone. Before that however he had the book available on his website on a chapter by chapter basis for free. In my opinion The Martian is a book that should be read by both science fiction enthusiasts and fans of just general fiction since it delivers a thrilling and suspenseful story about astronaut Mark Watney and his time trapped on mars.
 
The Martian is a story about astronaut Mark Watney who is both a botanist and mechanical engineer must survive the hostile environment of mars after his crew left him there. After Mark gets over the realization that he’s alone on mars and no one is coming to get him for a while he tries to find a way to survive on mars. He does this by attempting to grow plants in mars soil but at first has some minor difficulties with his plan. This includes mars not being hospitable planet which is why nothing grows there already, so  he has to figure out a way to grow food with the planet's soil fortunately because he is a botanist this isn't too terribly difficult. While he is trying to figure out how to live on mars his crew is on their several month journey back to earth where everyone believes him to be dead. After mark realizes that he has to wait several years before the next manned mission to mars he sets out to find a way to communicate with nasa back on earth. Mark discovers an old mars drone and uses that to communicate with nasa and sets up a plan to extend his food supply until the next manned mission to mars. Eventually after months of planning mark meets up with his crew above mars’ atmosphere and then proceeds to go back to earth. As mentioned in my thesis mark’s journey is full of suspense and thrills mainly because space is not very kind and can be brutal as well as unpredictable. For example mark is left on mars because of a random storm on mars that forces the crew to evacuate. Similar books to the martian include “Ready Player one” which is about a dystopian future where people are trapped in a matrix and virtual reality simulation of life. While it doesn’t take place on mars it is about a character who is forced to use his brain more than his brawn in various situation like mark watney.
 
In conclusion the martian is a thrilling sci-fi adventure that will have readers on the edge of their seat rooting for Mark Watney as he tries to overcome the odds of surviving for several months alone on a planet not suitable to support life.

​            Do you like space? The solar system? Mars?  How about this have you ever wondered what it’d be like to be stranded on the distant planet of Mars alone for over a year with only a limited amount of supplies and having to create a lot of your own supplies and resources?  One man named Mark Watney apart of the Ares 3 mission to mars had to do just that while waiting for a rescue plan to be formed and for that plan to actually be performed in the novel The Martian by Andy Weir.  I thought this was a very interesting, entertaining, and well written book by Mr. Weir and I would recommend this book to anyone especially teenagers interested in space and Mars.
            The main character in this novel Mark Watney is part of the Ares 3 mission to mars.  Watney and his team were forced to leave Mars when a major storm was passing and threatening there safety there.  On their escape Watney was unfortunately hit by debris and his team was forced to evacuate without him and he was left there alone.  Watney woke after the storm and somehow survived and after the shock set in Watney soon started to think instead of panic which would ultimately end up saving his life.  What Watney started to do was take an inventory and gather his supplies to start being able to succeed on this harsh planet.  Some of the things he starts doing is botany (producing food and vegetables), fire (to get water from condensation), and fertilizer with his own feces.  As he stayed there longer and longer he started getting more and more advanced and eventually was able to communicate with others.  Watney also experiences hardships as he loses everything many times.  Through all of this you see Watney’s perseverance, patience, even his humor joking around with the others on the space station, and finally his will to live.
            I think this book was a very well written book and I would recommend it to almost anyone.  While reading this book I enjoyed every part of it and had real trouble putting it down.  It is incredibly difficult to put this book down all the way from when he wakes up after the storm till he’s floating in space trying to be rescued by his Ares 3 team.  One of my favorite part of this book is when he finally has everything and everything is going well for him then there is a breach and everything get ruined.  This is my favorite part of the book because you can see how fast something could change from being great to absolutely terrible.  Another reason why this is my favorite is because after everything goes bad you don’t see Watney give up you see his perseverance and his will to survive kick in and he doesn’t give up on trying to get off of this planet alive.  Another other work of Weir’s includes The Egg.  The Egg was a short story by Weir and was his most popular short story yet.  Andy Weir one many awards for the book The Martian including the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Science Fiction.  Andy Weir is a very talented up and coming author as well.
The Martian by Andy Weir overall was a completely magnificent book and I would recommend it to almost anyone.  The way Weir portrays Watney and the trouble he’s in is amazing.  What’s even better is how Weir shows you that Watney and you could overcome anything you could ever want if you just put your mind to it and when you fail just keep trying to eventually get what you want.  This book written by Weir was such an entertaining and interesting book for teenagers and adults.  If I were to rate this book out of 10 stars I would simply give it a 10 because of how good it is.

​The book was published by “Bantam Books,” the place of publication was at “Moonrunner Design Ltd. UK (UK: United Kingdom),” and the date of publication was in 2001. The book was overall kind of challenging, but it was also very interesting and I learned a lot from it. I would suggest this book to anyone that had questions to how the universe started, or to anyone who wanted to know more about theories of how the universe had started.
 
            The book shows us very big points in how the universe was created and what it’s going to look like in the future; it showed how Einstein laid the foundations of the two fundamental theories of the twentieth century: general relativity and quantum theory. Also how Einstein’s general relativity gives time a shape, and how this can be reconciled with quantum theory. The book also talked about how the universe has had multiple histories in the past. It also talked about predicting the future, and if the future will be more advanced than it is now.
 
            The book says that the general theory of relativity is the theory of gravitation, which was founded by Albert Einstein in 1915. Einstein’s general theory of relativity  transformed space and time from a passive background in which events take place to active participants in the dynamics of the universe. In my opinion, I think it’s quite interesting and also an amazing theory, because this was such a big discovery, and not to mention it was one of the biggest discoveries in the universe. And if you think about it, what if this was never discovered? What would we see in our universe, or what would we see in our world? Stephen hawking explained very well in his book of how he compared and contrasted the past to the future.

​The Universe In a Nutshell, a brilliantly written piece by Stephen Hawking and published by Random House Publishing Group in November of 2001. Hawking fulfills the expectations set after composing A Brief History of Time in this explanation of quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of relativity. I find the work as a whole broken down to where the average reader can simply understand the complex ideas and information, and the author’s wit shines through his words which makes reading the 292 pages thoroughly enjoyable.
            The author breaks up the non-fiction book into 7 chapters, each containing separate ideas. This set up makes it easy for the reading to skip around from Chapter 1, A Brief History of Relativity, to Chapter 4, Predicting the Future, and still being able to follow Hawking’s ideas. Hawking focuses on the theoretical physics involved in understanding the composition of the universe. Chapters one depicts Einstein’s breakthroughs in the theories of general and special relativity. It also explains how Einstein led to the creation of quantum mechanics. Hawking goes into more detail in chapter two of general relativity and the analysis of gravity’s part in special relativity. He also goes into detail on Einstein’s work and the way it shows how space and time are essentially one entity and together they create a theoretical “shape.” The Universe in a Nutshell is the title of chapter three, and rightfully so as Hawking goes into detail on the fundamental tension between general and special relativity, and how these theories combined with Einstein’s quantum mechanics depicts the universes multiple histories, all shaped by a “tiny nut” as Hawking puts it. The information discussed in chapter four in mainly discusses whether or not physics allows the future to be predicted and how such a prediction would be affected by black holes. Physics are also the main focus of chapter five, except now Hawking discusses if the laws of physics permit time travel. He argues that an advanced civilization could theoretically travel backwards in time, but the use of probability would be infinitely miniscule. In chapter seven, Hawking expresses concern for the future of the human population and how the complex advances in technology and genetics will continue to accelerate, he predicts these changes will lead to the future being dramatically different and deeply complex. The final chapter is by far the most complex. Hawing goes into detail on p-brane theory, a proposed theory on quantum gravity. In simple terms, if p-brane theory is accurate, our present universe in all its entirety could quite possible just be a “hologram” of sorts.
            In conclusion, The Universe In a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking, is a masterfully written composition of simply explained quantum theory and the complex ideas behind general relativity. Hawking has yet again topped the charts in scientific knowledge.

Do you like adventure? Do you enjoy Greek mythology? Is so, the Percy Jackson series may be the perfect book series for you. The book Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan was a thrilling, relatable story that kept the reader on their seat.
In the story, Percy Jackson, a twelve year old with a knack for misbehaving, discovers that he is the son of a Greek God. After encountering several monsters, and discovering that his best friend is actually a satyr (half-goat, half-human), he travels to a summer camp for the children of gods, called Camp Half-Blood. Before he arrives, though, his mother disappears after being captured by a minotaur, which Percy then kills. At camp, he discovers his father is Poseidon, and befriends Annabeth, daughter of Athena. Just as Percy settles into his new home, an issue arises. Or, descends, rather, down from Mt. Olympus. Zeus’ all-powerful lightning bolt has been stolen. Because Zeus and Poseidon had been fighting, the gods believed that it had been someone under the sea-god’s influence. Someone named Percy. Though Percy hasn’t stolen it, he decides to embark on a quest to find the missing lightning bolt and return it to Zeus. Along with Grover (the trusty satyr) and Annabeth, he sets off recover it before the summer solstice, in order to prevent a war between the gods. Assuming the thief is Hades, Percy travels great distances to recover the bolt, along the way encountering many monsters and mortals alike. When they arrive in the Underworld, the three young heroes discover that there is something much more evil stirring.
The way Riordan portrayed the characters made them appear as if they were actual people, not just characters in a book. The relationships between them were so realistic, as was the dialogue. For example, in one scene, Percy and Annabeth have to go on a ride called the Tunnel of Love. Both of them are embarrassed and awkward about it, which the reader could picture themselves as in the same situation. Annabeth and Percy exchange insults back and forth, but in the end they care about one another. This relationship is similar to many brother-sister relationships. The dialogue seems as though it would be said in real life.
The plot was riveting and fast-paced enough so that the reader was never bored. There was always a new problem and new events in every chapter. The chapter titles were interesting and humorous to read, and added anticipation for the reader.
Riordan expertly created a story that allows readers to picture themselves in each situation. He created a balance of serious happenings and humor, and added just the right amount of danger. The Percy Jackson series is very popular among teens, and by reading the first book, it is clear to see why.

The Lovely Bones is a great story written by Alice Sebold. It is fictional and has an interesting plot that makes you want to keep reading. In my opinion, this book is a great read for teenagers and will make the reader not want to put it down.
    This book is about Susie Salmon who is a teenage girl who lived a normal life but dies suddenly. She was walking home when her neighbor, Mr. Harvey, talks her into going into a hidden shelter. He then kills her, and she tells the rest of her story from heaven. Susie’s elbow is found near the spot where she was killed and her family assumes the worst. More evidence is found such as Susie’s school notes and a love letter written to her, which leads to the fact that Susie is dead. While she is in her heaven, she is able to watch over everyone and follow her murderer to see what he is doing. Mr. Harvey hides her body, and her family is not taking the news well. Susie tries to tell her father that Mr. Harvey is her murderer, and more people start to question Mr. Harvey. Throughout this whole process, Susie’s family is getting further from each other, and they are getting older. Mr. Harvey comes back to the neighborhood after many years of being nowhere to be found. He never gets punished for his crimes but instead dies at the end of the story.
The Lovely Bones has many elements to it that make my opinion of the book very good. The characters in this story make it realistic and lets the reader connect with the story. Having Susie in heaven throughout the book caused the story to have more detail and made it very interesting to read. Also, in the very beginning of the book before she gets killed, there is a lot of suspense and not knowing what will happen next. It was a great way to start of the story and get the reader engaged in the book. This hook also made me want to keep reading to see what would happen to Mr. Harvey and if he would get caught. The plot events throughout that lead up to the end of the book were very descriptive, and I think they flowed well to create a great story.
There  is a prominent theme of good vs. evil in this book. It is between the two main characters, Mr. Harvey and Susie. Mr. Harvey is the evil and Susie is the good force who is trying to stop the evil from doing any more harm to anyone else. Also, she doesn't want him to be able to live his life guilt free and “innocent” to other people. So throughout the story she tries to give hints. For example when her dad is helping Mr. Harvey, Susie sends messages down and her father gets suspicious. This is how good vs. evil is incorporated into the plot of this story.
All together this was a great book, and I would recommend it be read by many people. It allows you to wonder what is happening to the victim and how the murderer is getting away with it. I believe that that is what kept me entertained and made this story interesting and a  good read.

“Looking for Alaska” by John Green, is probably one of the best books I have read. Like most John Green books, it includes its fair share of romance, some comedy here and there, and of course; a tragic ending. However, of all the novels I’ve read so far by this extremely talented author (which is quite a lot), “Looking for Alaska” was a very well thought out piece of literature. It amazed me how even the titles of each chapter had meaning. The novel was surprisingly philosophical from what I had expected. There was so much meaning behind every line coming from a character’s theoretical mouth. Every beautifully unique character had their own background that all tied into the story at one point. The story is told from the point of view of Miles Halter, a teenage boy from Florida, keen on remembering significant people’s last words. He decides to attend the boarding school in the middle of Alabama that his dad had gone to in his younger years. All this in attempt to discover a Great Perhaps, Miles needed to find adventure. Upon arrival, Miles meets his roommate Chip Martin, but goes by “the Colonel”, a name awarded by the one and only Alaska Young. Miles is also adorned with the nickname of “Pudge”, completely out of irony. He is the absolute opposite as his nickname implies. In the reality of it all Miles is a lanky, skinny, slightly awkward, seventeen year old teenage boy. As the chapter names indicate, all of the events are counting down to a most likely tragic event, starting at having 136 days. Over the course of these one hundred thirty-six days and decreasing, Pudge, the Colonel, and Alaska become inseparable. Although the breathtaking and insightful Alaska does not make the best of decisions, she helps Pudge step in the right direction to finding his Great Perhaps. Does he find the oh-so desired Great Perhaps? The answer is unclear. Personally, I believe Miles (Pudge), finds just what he is looking for the nanosecond he laid eyes on Alaska Young. Over a very bumpy road of Alaska’s terrible driving, pranks, almost expulsions, love, and the unknown, Miles and his newly acquired group of friends learn the true meaning of living in the moment. “Looking for Alaska” is a poetic and absolute genius novel. John Green wrote an emotional and deep story, definitely one that really gets you to think. I would read it and thousand times over.

    For my independent reading this term, I read Looking for Alaska. The author was John Green. I am very passionate about this book and was quick to read because it was so hard to stop reading.
    From the beginning of this book, I knew it would be interesting. It starts off with a boy named Miles, a junior in high school, wants to find his Great Perhaps (a turning point in his life) which includes him going to a boarding school. When he gets there he meets Chip, nicknamed “the colonel”, who he becomes good friends with. Then he meets Alaska Young who he instantly likes and then everything leads up to one day before. Once the after days go by, he finds his Great Perhaps. The most interesting part of the book is the setup of it and how it is unlike any other books. Instead of chapters, it has days before and then when it reaches up to that day, it starts saying days after. I also like how each character in the book is unique in their own way. Some other books John Green has written are The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, and many others.
    This book is composed very well. While I was reading this book, I didn’t feel like I had to because I would have read even if I didn’t have to. This is by far one of the best books I have ever read and I like how different it is from other books. I recommend this book to girls.

“Paper Towns,” by John Green was a different book, but also so astonishing and compelling. Everything was like trying to put together a puzzle piece which made it such a phenomenal book. As you probably know, John Green writes a whole lot of romance, but this definitely includes a little more comedy than most.  Also like most of his books, it has a very bittersweet ending. It’s about a boy named Quentin Jacobsen who’s in love with his neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman. Margo never really noticed him because of the fact that she was surrounded by all her “friends” and her boyfriend who she later finds out doesn’t really care for her. Margo finds out that her boyfriend, Jason, has been sleeping with her one of her best friends, Becca. Margo later thinks that Lacey, her other best friend, knew and didn’t tell her. This obviously made Margo feel extremely betrayed. Have you ever felt this way? I think we’ve all had someone or even multiple people in our life that haven’t been true friends to us or even betrayed us. Unlike most people, Margo later makes a whole scheme of revenge for those who haven’t been real friends. One night, the night of her retaliation, she climbs into Quentin’s window asking for his help. That’s where their story begins. He helps her, she then disappears only leaving behinds clues, and he goes to look for her. Along with Quentin, his two best friends Radar and Ben and Margo’s best friend Lacey help him search for her. What makes the book so much better though is how opposite Margo and Quentin are. Quentin is the son every parent wants. He never rebels against his parent’s wishes, does good in school, and is a  bit boring, but is overall a great kid. Margo is such a mystery, which adds to the intensity of the book. Do you have any friends that you can relate to Margo or even Quentin? She’s always surprising in anything she says or does, she lives on the wild side, and is anything but boring. She likes to feel the rush and excitement in everything while Quentin has a heart attack going against the rules. The book really has you wondering what’s going to happen next and the outcome always surprises you. Once you start reading it, it’s hard to put it down. If you like romantic comedy with a little mystery, this is a great choice.