1. The Martian - Andy Weir. An astronaut gets stranded on Mars, left for dead. He's not dead, but he's alone and there's no way off. So, he improvises a life from the stuff that was left behind, and tries to find a way back to Earth. There's a ton of MacGuyver-esque bailing-wire and bubble-gum inventions, a whole lot of luck, and a bit of Earth-side politics. Fun. Four raquos: » » » ».
2. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt. One day, a boy sees a girl, loses his mother and steals a priceless painting. Then he spends the rest of the next 20 years trying to deal with those issues - mostly by making terrible decisions. It's interesting, and very well written. The plot slows at times, and I found myself thinking the main character was an total asshole more than once - the combination thereof made me want to put it down a couple of times. But I persevered. Three laquos: « « «.
3. California Bones - Greg van Eekhout . Instead of movie magic, this California's economy is driven by the magic that comes from eating the bones of magical creatures. And our magical hero and his gang of magical friends work to defeat the evil ruler lest they become the next meal. It's a big bold premise, and the story is a lot of fun. Four raquos: » » » ».
4. Understories - Tim Horvath. A collection of short stories which alternate between absurdism and boring old reality. I really liked the first third, then it started to drag and I had to put it down. I've picked it back up, now that CA Bones is done, though. Three laquos: « « «.

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