The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit - Michael Finkel ------------------ 4 Stars

 The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit is a really great title. I find the idea of hermits fascinating, and once I heard a little about this story, a Maine man who lived in the woods by himself for twenty-seven years, I felt I had to give it a try. The book was not a disappointment.

As noted, this book is about a Maine man, who, at 20, decided he wanted to live in the woods of Maine. He did not have a real plan nor a willingness do die; rather, he felt disconnected and uncomfortable in modern society and was seeking relief. As he was arrested 27 years later for stealing food, his adventure came to an end and his story became public. The author, who had a deep interest in his story since it was first publicized, eventually began corresponding with the hermit and eventually interviewed him numerous times. Based on those letters, interviews, and conversations with others, wrote this story.

While not long, this book moves at a nice pace and is an enjoyable read. The author has a simple but engaging style that appropriately moves the reader along while filling in many questions about the past and current status of the main character. I find the later chapters, which focus more on the psyche of this person, to be the most interesting. As he goes deeper into the reasons the hermit made this choice many years ago, the reader quickly becomes aware of the deep longing he has to remain in the woods and how comfortable he is in that setting. As the reader learns more about the hermit's current status and some of the challenges facing the author as he gets closer to this individual, I couldn't help by sympathize with both of their situations. In addition, many philosophical and existential questions are raised in the last parts of the book. These questions do not have easy answers and seemed to be perfectly placed as a great juxtaposition to so much of the prior novel (which is much more focused on the "what/how" and not the "why".)

While there was nothing I particularly disliked about this book, I also found the story-telling often perfunctory. Some of it was slightly repetitive and not as engaging as other parts. That may be in part because of the difficulty of the subject matter - the story of the prior 27 years in the woods lacks excitement (the hermit only said one word to another human during that entire time).

If nothing else, this book is a fascinating look at a true recluse and hermit (although that term is debated about its appropriateness in this case - read the book to figure out why). As a person who values nature and understands the allure, I found this book engaging, and the quest to understand his motivations, fulfilling. 

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir ---------------------- 4.5 Stars

I presume most of you know about the movie the Martian, which I found entertaining and enjoyable. You may not know that it was based on a book by Andy Weir. After seeing the movie and hearing good things about the novel I picked it up along with his first book, Artemis (here is my review of those books). So, it was only natural I check out his new novel, Project Hail Mary. Wow, I am really happy I did!

So, I'll start with a quick note - these books are not pure science-fiction that many people assume. While the books do depict things that are fantasy and certainly are fiction, I find them different than some of the more traditional science-fiction novels that seem totally disconnected from our human existence. Rather, one of the pleasures of these books, is how relevant Weir makes the characters and their human experiences vis a vis these unbelievable things happening to them.  It's so fun when he puts his very real and human characters in experiences that seem unreal. How would someone survive on a foreign planet? What would it be like meeting an alien? Things that seem fantastical are juxtaposed with all realness of being a human from Earth - it's fun to read!

This book isn't dissimilar from this last two; it's still about incredible adventures and unbelievable challenges that need to be overcome with some amazing science. In this book, the world is going to end due to a slow lessening of sunlight coming to earth and a team of scientists need to be sent many light years away to the one place they can find an answer to the problems. Once there, hilarity ensues. Well, not so much hilarity I guess. Really, almost dying ensues. Over and over and over. But, the almost dying is really entertaining.

As I alluded to early, the joy in this read is how well the author is able to make so many of the interactions and scenes have a playfulness to them. I think that is why Weir's style is so attractive to readers. While he is describing incredibly complicated and difficult science (from what I understand, is 99% accurate), he quickly offers some very real and explanatory human responses. Often, these happen to be very funny; which helps as well.

Finally, for as much as the characters are great, his storytelling is super fun, and it's a pretty easy book to engage with, the plot is fantastic. He has a gift of pulling in the reader from page one, keeping the plot moving forward at a steady rate (neither too slow or too fast), and ensuring the plot is something relatable that the reader cares about.

As you can see, I am huge fan of this book.  It almost got a 5 star rating though I tend to save that for epic, longer reads that end up needing more investment (and offer more reward). For pure entertainment value, this book is near the top of the list. On many occasions, I slowed myself down from consuming large chunks knowing how much I enjoyed it and savouring the read. I urge you to give it a try!