Book Recommendations

If there is one thing I do enjoy as a reader, it's reading outside of my typical reading interests. And sci-fi is one of those for me. It's strange really because outside of reading, I do take an interest in space and I also find it fascinating learning new things about it. But sci-fi is not a genre I really gravitate towards when reading. But this year I picked up Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, with the upcoming release of the film, and I was a little nervous going into it.

I had heard so much hype and good things about this book before reading it. Every time I mentioned it on my book accounts, someone mentioned how great they had found it, and whilst that is always lovely to hear, I always worry if people saying these things are then setting me up for failure with higher expectations than I should have. So instead I read this book under the perspective of 'the film is coming out and I would like to go see it but I would like to read the book first'. And that's exactly what I did.

This book for me was incredible. It lived up to every single bit of hype someone had given me for it. And I was not disappointed in the slightest. And because of my outsider knowledge and enthusiasm for things relating to space this book felt magical to read. I do believe that there are 'right times' to read books, and the timing in which we read certain things shapes and influences our very own reading experiences and I think this happened for me and when I had chosen to read it. As I mentioned, I was spurred on to pick it up with the release of the film getting closer and closer, but also around the same time of both of these things, the Artemis II was launched into space with four astronauts aboard on a journey around the moon. At the time, my life felt completely consumed by space things and it felt incredible.

One thing I will say against my own rating of this book is that, I have seen multiple pieces online about how some people aren't understanding why this book is getting so many high reviews. And there are also a number I have seen that have completely DNFed the book altogether. I think there are many factors for this: it's not the book for them, these people would prefer the film to the book and the book itself is pretty science heavy. That was a little difficult for myself too and I do think without the space interest, I could have also been a little put off with the beginning of this book. But for me, it got better and better with every single page.

This was my first 5 star rating of the year, and actually my first 5 star rating in around 2 years so, that says something also. I felt every single emotion when reading this book: I laughed, smiled and sobbed. Physically. I cried. This is also the first book that I have ever actively annotated and tabbed when reading, and it also taught me a lot about that practice. It made me realise not every book requires me to do that, but the ones that feel right will allow me the space to do so and enjoy it in the process. I wanted to remember every single thought and feeling I had while I was reading this book. I wanted everything to be within these pages and I have all of that to look back on.

The rest of my reads for the year will be trying to live up to this book that completely consumed my entire being and became my personality for weeks. And whilst I don't see anything living up to it, that is completely fine because truly, I don't want anything else to. I want this to be everything it is to me. And everything else can have its own moment. But this one definitely deserved the spot it got when it did. It even made it onto my favourites self on my bookshelves.