February’s first reading challenge asked for a book of speculative fiction. I must admit that the term was not familiar to me, so I turned to a trusted source: Google. That’s where I ran across this definition from Wikipedia. “Speculative fiction is a broad category of fiction encompassing genres with elements that do not exist in reality, recorded history, nature, or the present universe.” Okay…..so something somewhat far flung was in order. Since I was moving into a genre that is well off the beaten path for me, I decided to pick up a copy of The Martian and give it a go. I managed to finish the work and enjoy the adventure along the way.
In case you are not familiar with the basic premise, The Martian tells the story of Mark, an astronaut who finds himself left behind after a Mars mission is aborted and he is presumed dead. Through skill, good luck, and sheer determination, Mark manages to be reunited with his crew despite attempts by the Red Planet to kill him.
Normally, I am not a fan of this type of writing. I thought this was going to be the case for the first few days of reading as well. I struggled through terminology and getting a sense of the challenges being alone on Mars would present to an astronaut. Once contact was re-established with NASA in its crudest form, I found myself drawn into the story and rooting for Mark’s survival. I suppose that exploring the impact of a failed mission on everyone involved — Mark, his crew mates, administrators at NASA, as well as the rest of mankind who watched events unfolding helplessly — made the story much more enjoyable. The fast pace of the novel also helped keep me moving and rapidly propelled me to a satisfying conclusion. If this is what speculative fiction is really all about, I’m on board. I don’t think I’ll turn to it very often, but now that I have had a good experience, I won’t be as fearful to make a return visit to the form.
What’s next in my reading challenge? This one was fun…..I’m to read a book with a bird on the cover! I selected First Comes Love by Emily Giffin on my last visit to the bookstore. I just started reading the novel this afternoon, so I don’t have too much to share yet, but I can tell you that I am already invested in the story and interested to see where these events are going to take me. Now we just have to see how attending a state music conference impacts my reading life this week. I’ll be in touch again next Saturday!
Reading for Me 
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