The Martian, by Andy Weir

I decided to read the book before seeing the movie and am glad I did.  I can see why this novel, first published on the Internet, developed a cult following among NASA and space exploration junkies.  The author seems to know absolutely everything about the science behind the adventure and it is factually correct according to those who are in a position to know.  The protagonist, stranded on Mars after his fellow astronauts have to make a rapid escape from the planet in a dust storm, succeeds in overcoming one obstacle after another in his fight to stay alive in a hostile environment.  For those less interested in the actual process of making water out of jet fuel or growing potatoes in sterile soil, just see the movie.  I enjoyed both immensely.  369 pp.

Kitchens of the great Midwest, by J. Ryan Stradal

Two other reviews made this novel sound appealing, and the locale and appearance of lutefisk early on made me want to dive right into it.  Eva, the daughter of Lars Thorvald, the lutefisk maker, and Cynthia Hargreaves, is the central character.  Soon after her birth, her mother decamps leaving no forwarding address and her father dies.  Eva, who is raised by her uncle and his wife, has been born with once in a generation palate.  The book follows her and her cooking career, but somewhat like Olive Kitteridge, she is not always the center in the episodic chapters.  Full of quirky characters and humor, with a core of Midwestern values.  312 pp.

Maggie Smith: A Biography

Maggie Smith: A Biography by Michael Coveney   353 pp.

Multiple award winning actress, Maggie Smith, has had a varied and extremely successful career on stage and both the big and small screens. Lately she as had a popular resurgence as Violet Crowley in "Downton Abbey," Muriel in "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," and the intrepid Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies. Ms. Smith is an extremely private person so most of this book consists of a litany of her performances and reviews of those performances with only her major personal life events included. There are also anecdotes about her stealing scenes and butting heads with performers like Richard Burton and Lawrence Olivier, who really disliked her. Coveney wrote the original version of this biography several years ago. This edition is an update of that volume. I think the best part of the whole book is the epilogue where the author describes a meeting he had with Dame Maggie. I have been a fan of Maggie Smith for years and found this book disappointing.

Luke Skywalker Can't Read

Luke Skywalker Can't Read: And Other Geeky Truths by Ryan Britt, 208 pages

In this short book, Britt ruminates on the role of science fiction and fantasy in his life, and spouts a lot of theories involving different sci-fi and fantasy pop culture. While a few of these were interesting to me (particularly the Doctor Who essay and the essay in which Britt discusses the implications of world without Lord of the Rings), most of these fell flat. I'm not sure, however, if this is Britt's fault: the issue is that there's not a lot of crossover in our fandoms. He's obviously passionate about Star Wars and Star Trek, but obviously doesn't care as much about the Whedonverse or Harry Potter as I do (his claim in the titular essay that reading for pleasure doesn't really exist in the wizarding world, at least outside of Hermoine, rankles me; obviously reading for pleasure exists, otherwise what would be the point of The Quibbler or Witch Weekly or Harry's favorite book, Flying with the Cannons? And how would you explain the popularity of celebrity author Gilderoy Lockhart?).

Anyway.

I'm honestly not sure how Britt's theories stack up within their respective fandoms, though as he points out in the introduction, his essays aren't meant to be the final word; they're there to spur conversations and geeky arguments. So if you're a Star Trek, Star Wars, Back to the Future, or Doctor Who fan, give this a whirl. But be warned: you're probably going to disagree with him on something.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, 870 pages

It's Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, and stuff is getting real: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, but the stupid Ministry of Magic is fighting that truth with every slimy method in its arsenal: slander, lies, micromanaging laws, and worst of all, Dolores Umbridge, one of few fictional characters that makes me want to reach inside the book and slap her silly. My son and I are rolling right through these books together, and I can't say I'm sad to say goodbye to Umbridge (or the high-pitched voice I stupidly chose to employ while reading this aloud). On to the Half-Blood Prince!

Girl Waits With Gun

Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart, 408 pages

In 1914, Constance Kopp and her sisters were driving their buggy down the street when a ruthless factory owner (and possible gangster) crashed his car into them. Despite repeated warnings from her conservative sister Norma and threats of violence and kidnapping from the factory owner, Constance doggedly pursues justice against the factory owner. Constance has nerves of steel and moxie to spare, making this a truly thrilling story.

What makes it even COOLER is that Constance Kopp was a real person, and many of the events in this novel are true. Stewart invented a secondary plot, as well as a couple characters and character traits, but most of the story is true, including the super-awesome newspaper headlines Norma is constantly clipping and sending to her sisters. Kopp is a fascinating woman, and Stewart did an excellent job bringing her to light.

The Throwback Special / Chris Bachelder, 213 pp.

Why would I like a book about football?  I have never voluntarily watched a game in my life, but I am a fan of this book, about 22 disenchanted middle-aged guys who meet once a year to re-enact the 1985 game in which Joe Theismann's leg is snapped, ending his career and morbidly thrilling thousands of viewers.

I like it because, of course, it isn't really about football, but about these slightly pathetic but likable men and their stories.  It doesn't hurt that it's also extremely funny.  The men use a super-fancy hand-crafted lottery drum to determine which player they will represent in the 'game;' three men who've all quit smoking light up together, too afraid to admit they've quit; and everyone shares their troubles with Charles, who counsels adolescent girls with eating disorders, because a counselor's a counselor, right?

My theory is that The Throwback Special is a kind of latter-day Canterbury Tales, in which a motley assortment of people enacting a poorly-understood and perhaps meaningless ritual reveal an important slice of life.  And tell bawdy stories.

A nun on the bus

A nun on the bus: how all of us can create hope, change and community / Sister Simone Campbell,  216 pgs.

I saw Sister Simone Campbell when she was a guest on "Real Time with Bill Maher" and she was very impressive.  This book seals the deal for me.  This tells of Sister Simone's early life and commitment to a religious life and her commitment to social justice issues.  A lawyer by education, she has worked in several areas to help people in poverty.  Later, she headed up NETWORK, a D.C. based Catholic lobby group that focused on passing Obama care and immigration reform.  Part of their strategy includes the "Nun on the bus" road trips to bring attention to the good works of charitable groups and point out the additional work that needs to be done and how the government can support this work.  Very interesting lady who has done a ton of good work.

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen / Lois McMaster Bujold, 344 p.

Most of the stories in the Vorkosigan saga focus on Miles Vorkosigan as the main character, but in this volume we return to his mother, Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, as one of the central character (she's also the lead in Shards of Honor and Barrayar). I can't talk about much of the plot without major spoilers for people who are at all familiar with these books, so I'll just say the story touches on concerns for older adults who are reassessing life goals. Since this is a science fictional setting, reproductive technology (uterine replicators, so that women don't have to carry children unless they wish to; advances in genetic manipulation) has vast effects, both large-scale--the evolution of Barrayaran society--and small--Cordelia's life, not least the survival of her son Miles. Some of the big decisions in the story involve using (or avoiding) various technologies.

Much of this series is space opera, with lots of action. Don't pick up this one expecting lots of external action, because it's more of a character piece. I still enjoyed it a lot.