Play Book Tag discussion

Andy Weir's last 3 books are each being read by someone participating in Unofficial Trim 2022, and we parked them all at #10, which happens to be the number picked for January and matches the science monthly tag. We all decided it would be fun to discuss these works collectively. They are: The Martian, Project Hail Mary, and Artemis.

Feel free to join in the discussion even if you are not participating in Unofficial Trim!

I loved The Martian, was neutral about Artemis and am looking forward to my #10 Project Hail Mary.

My #10 is The Martian. I read and enjoyed Artemis - found it very entertaining. I will try to fit Project Hail Mary in.

I read Project Hail Mary earlier this year and found it equal to, if not better than, The Martian.

John wrote: "I read Project Hail Mary earlier this year and found it equal to, if not better than, The Martian."

Me too!

I will be reading Project Hail Mary in January.

I won't be reading him in January, but have read all three and may well participate here if it's okay that I am not doing the unofficial trim. The Martian was rounded up to 5 stars, Artemis managed 3 and Project Hail Mary 4--I just read that one in 2021.

I'll be reading Artemis. And I may also try to fit in Project Hail Mary.

I have to finish Dune for IRL book club before starting my Weir : The Martian. I also have Project Hail Mary coming from NYPL on the 8th Jan.

I already read Artemis.

I started listening to Artemis this morning and ended up leaving it on all day. I gave it 4 stars.

I enjoyed it a ton, but it's certainly not The Martian!

It was more of a caper/space opera type of story.

I enjoyed the main character Jazz Bashara, a lovable criminal. And I liked how the book ended with a bunch of loose strings pulled together.

Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I'm going to try to also read Project Hail Mary, but we'll see how my month goes.

I enjoyed Artemis a lot for the same reasons, Sue! I loved Jazz and the humor. I also love heists and capers, especially if humorous.

I think Weir has real skill with that sort of light entertainment. Which if course is perfect for someone not that interested in SciFi as Svience Fiction.

I'm finishing A Year of Marvellous Ways before starting Project Hail Mary.

At this point, I am completing A Year of Marvellous Ways, because I think that it would be good to start the year with this name, but unfortunately I'm not finding the book marvelous.

I just started the audio version of Project Hail Mary this morning and think the narrator, Ray Porter, is excellent. I'm taking it slowly since there are lots of technical descriptions that could slow me down.

While Weir isn't on my trim list, I AM reading Artemis this month. Started the audio in my car yesterday.

It seems Weir deliberately toned down the profanity in Project Hail Mary, since The Martian was (appropriately, I think ) full of it, but the ended up being of great appeal to young people. He actually had to put out a "school" edition. So for the new book, he claims that the hero, being a teacher, doesn't swear.

I am a good way into Hail Mary and really enjoying it! There's alot of "science" in it, even if Weir has invented a large portion of it. Sometimes I feel like it bogs me down, but it's also very creative.

Shelly wrote: "I am a good way into Hail Mary and really enjoying it! There's alot of "science" in it, even if Weir has invented a large portion of it. Sometimes I feel like it bogs me down, but it's also very cr..."

Yes, I liked it as well. It's very different than his first book where most of the things are invented or being worked on, etc. It leans more to classic scifi in a number of ways, but I like it better--I no longer care for much of the classic hard-cor scifi.

Robin P wrote: "It seems Weir deliberately toned down the profanity in Project Hail Mary, since The Martian was (appropriately, I think ) full of it, but the ended up being of great appeal to young people. He actu..."

Yes. One of my two complaints with The Martian was not the gratuitous swearing by one of the women on earth and the overuse of the f word (but it made sense at the beginning of the book and in certain places.

However, the characters in Project Hail Mary were also different. That said, I'm glad Watney toned down the language in both Artemis and Project Hail Mary.

I want to get back to Artemis for a minute. I read it in 2018, my first and so far only Weir. I gave it 5 stars and here's my review:

. LOVED. THIS! Humorous, a heist or 2, some intrigue, and one incredible, intelligent, kick-ass heroine named Jazz, set on the first colony on the Moon, this is one seriously entertaining read. I am not a Sci-fi fan at all. Nor have I read nor watched 'The Martian. Yet, Weir is now on my favorite authors list!

I love humor in books like this. I adore heists and capers. I particularly enjoy when it's a woman who's kicking ass and leading the charge. I love when it all goes wrong and one's wits have to come into play and you are flying by the seat of your pants. I loved that the science was minimal, and I wasn't reading huge info dumps or pages and pages of descriptive scenery. I loved that it was action packed. Artemis had all those things and I'd re-read this in a heartbeat.

Was it great literature? Great SciFi? Interesting science? Absolutely not. But that wasn't what I was looking for or expected.

I've just started Project Hail Mary. Weir's style is as engaging as I remember.

I know already that some of the science is going to be floating far over my head as when he quickly and easily figured out that the gravity was off.

My copy of Project Hail Mary is still in transit from the library. I may have to travel for work soon so I hope it comes in time for me to read it. Very excited to read with all the praise.

Theresa wrote: "I want to get back to Artemis for a minute. I read it in 2018, my first and so far only Weir. I gave it 5 stars and here's my review:

. LOVED. THIS! Humorous, a heist or 2, some i..."

Interesting, and I wonder if this is partly because it was your first Andy Weir. I just looked back at the reviews from GR friends and I noticed two things about many of the 3 star reviews. Either they didn't think it lived up to The Martian (very different stories) or they didn't care for Jazz (but some did, obviously.)

I waited three years to read this because of various reviews. I liked Jazz a lot better than I had expected to so I can see why you loved her. One of the negative things for me was all of the swearing (just checked my review) and this is something Weir changed in the latest one (which is very good, btw). There were a few other things that brought it down to a three level like from me, but then I read The Martian in 2014 and it got 4.5 stars from me on Shelfari.

Booknblues wrote: "I've just started Project Hail Mary. Weir's style is as engaging as I remember.

I know already that some of the science is going to be floating far over my head as when he quickly and easily figur..."

One of the things I loved about him is that he is a science teacher (don't want to give away anything that might not have been revealed yet) with a broad general knowledge of science that worked well in Project Hail Mary's story.

@Karin - I am also more generous with my star ratings than you are on many books. I also am not offended by swearing in books usually and in fact have zero memory of it in the book.

I tend to be far more offended by bad writing! Hilary Mantel - I am looking at YOU! 🤣😂🤣😂

I've gotten a little more into Project Hail Mary and while some of the science sailed over my head, I'm enjoying it.

I have to say, I just love Rocky!

Booknblues wrote: "I've gotten a little more into Project Hail Mary and while some of the science sailed over my head, I'm enjoying it.

I have to say, I just love Rocky!"

I'm just halfway through the audio but I love Rocky too (yes,yes,yes) and the narration of Stratt is hilarious.

Olivermagnus wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "I've gotten a little more into Project Hail Mary and while some of the science sailed over my head, I'm enjoying it.

I have to say, I just love Rocky!"

I'm just halfway through..."

bad, bad

I can well imagine Stratt on audio. She would be a great woman's part in a film. I can well imagine her in a pencil skirt and heels.

On audio, you get to hear the notes/sounds of communication. How is that handled in the print book, are the notes printed?

Robin P wrote: "On audio, you get to hear the notes/sounds of communication. How is that handled in the print book, are the notes printed?"

printed musical notes

Theresa wrote: "@Karin - I am also more generous with my star ratings than you are on many books. I also am not offended by swearing in books usually and in fact have zero memory of it in the book.

I tend to be ..."

The main reason I don't like swearing in books is because when I read it, it comes out of my mouth more often. It's not because I don't actually use it or think it never has a place. This also goes for hearing it onscreen or in an audiobook.

I grew up by the ocean and spent time on the water, but that doesn't mean I want to swear like a sailor ;).

Robin P wrote: "On audio, you get to hear the notes/sounds of communication. How is that handled in the print book, are the notes printed?"

Booknblues wrote: "R
printed musical notes"

Yes, I loved the printed musical notes--what a great linguistic idea!

However, it didn't really show what Weir described with the chords etc, but then that would have been a lot more complicated to show and would have disrupted the flow for all who don't read music (or can't read it well.)

In the audio did you hear chords as well or just melodic passages?

Finished the audio of Artemis - narrated by Rosario Dawson. I really liked this crime caper. Loved the main character, Jazz.

Review to come.

Karin wrote: "Robin P wrote: "On audio, you get to hear the notes/sounds of communication. How is that handled in the print book, are the notes printed?"

Booknblues wrote: "R
printed musical notes"

Yes, I love..."

I think there were chords in the audiobook.

Something I like about Andy Weir is that his books are mainly positive. Characters show great strength in difficult/impossible situations, and also people (or even beyond people!) work together to help each other.

Robin P wrote: "Karin wrote: "Robin P wrote: "On audio, you get to hear the notes/sounds of communication. How is that handled in the print book, are the notes printed?"

Booknblues wrote: "R
printed musical notes..."

Perfect! It's always great when audiobook producers pay attention to details like that.

I have tonight finally started The Martian, and I am really enjoying it. I think the journal style works so well! The wry, almost too upbeat, tone is perfect. At least for now. I am not very far but I can imagine setting out to write a journal in such a tone to keep up my positivity if it were me. And the entry where he wonders how The Cubs are doing just cracked me up.

Readingvthis, I am personally reminded of 2 things:

First is a project in a science class...probably junior high ... where we had to design a space ship and figure out quantity and storage of food, water, oxygen, etc. that would be required to keep a certain number of people alive. I loved that project. It was done in pairs I think. My oartner and I had a ball and really got into it. We had to draw the ship and everything to scale. I don't even remember our grade or who my partner was.

Second is a movie my younger sister and I went to see as part of a Christmas matine event our town movie theater did every year: Robinson Crusoe on Mars. Must have been 1964 or 1965 - I was young but my sister was very young. It was a very odd choice for a Christmas event movie, all of which in the past had been some Disney release G rated or holiday movie and geared for kids as this was a kids matinee party put on by the theater. I could not watch the movie. After the dead fellow astronaut was found, I grabbed my sister and we went out and huddled in the lobby for over an hour until movie over and mom came to pick us up. I refused to go the the theater's Christmas movie party ever again after that. I had nightmares for weeks, and I have never been able to watch that movie. (I was the kid who hid from the flying monkees in Wizard of Oz.) In the 70s, like so many small town theaters and shopping districts when big shopping malls with cineplexes opened, the theater closed down and was abandonned anyway. Ultimately it reopened and still shows movies. They did at one point resurrect the special holiday movie event and my entire family went and saw A Christmas Story - that was 1984 or 1985, while I was in law school. My brother and I completely embarassed our younger sisters and his daughter by laughing so hard we were crying. That was our childhoods up on the screen! It also nicely helped bury deeper that awful prior experience.

Theresa ... your story of Xmas matinee reminds me of the days when I was a kid and we'd go stay with Grandma for a week or two each summer. The little town where she lived had one theater and we could spend all day ... watching and re-watching the same movie. They would even stamp our hands and let us leave to go to the Dairy Queen for a burger before returning to watch the movie again!

Also, a small town just to the north of me has a movie theater "downtown". It's now owned by a family and run by community volunteers. $3 for any film they show. And they sometimes have current hits!

Book Concierge wrote: "Theresa ... your story of Xmas matinee reminds me of the days when I was a kid and we'd go stay with Grandma for a week or two each summer. The little town where she lived had one theater and we co..."

More or less same with my hometown's theater.

I am laughing at our stranded astronaut and his initial disdain over the tv media Three's Company series, then his eagerness to get back to it. Reminds me of law school. We all found ourselves enthralled with the late afternoon and late night reairs of the most awful sitcoms we never ever watched when first aired. Three's Company was one of them, Laverne & Shirley the other. We would compare notes on them between classes. Just shows the mind craves the lowest common entertainment when needs dictate.

BTW my media stick woukd be filled with all my fave rom coms, old movies, and comedy films.

FYI Project Hail Mary is on sale at Audible (for members through Jan 12). The audio isn't available to libraries yet. I wasn't planning to read it this month, but it's tempting.

NancyJ wrote: "FYI Project Hail Mary is on sale at Audible (for members through Jan 12). The audio isn't available to libraries yet. I wasn't planning to read it this month, but it's tempting."

My library has the audio ... on CD and digital through overdrive

I did all Andy Weir's books on audio. They lend themselves well to it, in that they are first-person accounts.

As far as neighborhood movies, when I was around 14, I would babysit every Saturday for 2 kids, about 6 and 7 years old. Their single mom worked Saturdays. She would give us money for a nearby movie theater that showed kid movies. I always looked young for my age, so we all got in for kid's prices. One at Christmas time was something like Santa Claus vs. The Martians. I don't think it was particularly scary, it was clear the good guy would win.

In those days, most people dropped off their kids or the kids walked to the theater. I don't think there were many parents in the theater, even of little kids. Now I doubt that kids under 12 or so go without an adult.

NancyJ wrote: "FYI Project Hail Mary is on sale at Audible (for members through Jan 12). The audio isn't available to libraries yet. I wasn't planning to read it this month, but it's tempting."

Thanks for the heads up on Project Hail Mary. My library doesn't have the audio, and the e-book has a couple month waiting list.

Robin P wrote: "I did all Andy Weir's books on audio. They lend themselves well to it, in that they are first-person accounts.

As far as neighborhood movies, when I was around 14, I would babysit every Saturday ..."

You are right! Mom would just drop us off. No parents stayed. Would never happen now.

NancyJ wrote: "FYI Project Hail Mary is on sale at Audible (for members through Jan 12). The audio isn't available to libraries yet. I wasn't planning to read it this month, but it's tempting."

No audiobook available to download at the 3 NYC branches, just ebook. Hold wait isn't bad.

Since NYPL seems to default to only getting audio if available on these newer books, I suspect licenses not available yet.

BC - could your library have a pirated copy? 😉

Theresa wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "FYI Project Hail Mary is on sale at Audible (for members through Jan 12). The audio isn't available to libraries yet. I wasn't planning to read it this month, but it's tempting."

No..."

I double checked. The CDs - ONE copy in one suburban library, currently checked out and due back on Jan 27. And already has two holds on it.

Digital - only available in SPANISH! and the hold list wait time is approximately 6 MONTHS.

I have them all from Audible but I don't think there is any way for another person to access my audiobooks unless you were to physically load them onto a device from my computer. That is a drawback of "buying" books from Audible. I imagine there is some way to put the file onto a chip or CD but I don't know how.

I am loving The Martian! I'm about 2/3rds in and it's got me smiling, even laughing out loud, while totally captivated. I definitely plan on watching the movie soon after finishing reading. I just hope it's as good as the reviews and trailers made it look and stands up to my pleasure in the book.

I love love love the wry, gallow's humor, tone of so much. I adore all the dissing of 70's era tv and music. Weir does such a fantastic job in both this and with Jazz in Artemis of making the main character engaging, fully rounded, and someone you would enjoy knowing.

I also have a strong desire to watch Apollo 13 again -- so many of the mission control scenes feed my imagining of those in the book. Of course, another Tom Hanks movie comes to mind as well: Castaway.

I see so many influences - wonder how many actually were influences on Weir - but yet he has written something fresh and new. I know this will seem a weird analogy, but I see Weir as similar to Horowitz. Both have taken well know tropes - one in Sci Fi and one in crime fiction -- and made them new with interesting plots, lots of humor, fun characters, and turning some things on their head.

I will be reading Project Hail Mary very soon after finishing The Martian.

I bought the audio for Project Hail Mary when it was on sale, so will be joining you all in reading this book soon.

I've read The Martian (twice, actually) and about one-third the way through Project Hail Mary. I plan to read Artemis shortly thereafter.
When I finish Project I'll be able to join the conversation as well.

I can’t resist after all the applause - I’m listening to Project Hail Mary on audio and it is completely awesome!!

I finished The Martian which was my #10 Trim read that started the whole 'let's have an Andy Weir Buddy Read' thread.

Loved, loved, loved it! Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I have read only one other book with lots and lots of science and tech in it that was beyond my comprehension where I did not skip over it or knock off a rating star or two because of it. That was The Hunt for Red October.

After a brief sojourn in Westeros, I'll be returning to outspace with Andy -- already downloaded Project Hail Mary from the library.