Welcome to Shelf Control — an original feature created and hosted by Bookshelf Fantasies.
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out my introductory post, here.
Want to join in? Shelf Control posts go up every Wednesday. See the guidelines at the bottom of the post, and jump on board!
Title: The Last Astronaut
Author: David Wellington
Published: 2019
Length: 400 pages
What it’s about (synopsis via Goodreads):
Mission Commander Sally Jansen is Earth’s last astronaut–and last hope–in this gripping near-future thriller where a mission to make first contact becomes a terrifying struggle for survival in the depths of space.
Sally Jansen was NASA’s leading astronaut, until a mission to Mars ended in disaster. Haunted by her failure, she lives in quiet anonymity, convinced her days in space are over.
She’s wrong.
A large alien object has entered the solar system on a straight course toward Earth. It has made no attempt to communicate and is ignoring all incoming transmissions.
Out of time and out of options, NASA turns to Jansen. For all the dangers of the mission, it’s the shot at redemption she always longed for.
But as the object slowly begins to reveal its secrets, one thing becomes horribly clear: the future of humanity lies in Jansen’s hands.
How and when I got it:
I received an ARC from Orbit last summer.
Why I want to read it:
I always love a good space adventure — and throw in women astronauts, especially one trying to save the world — and it all just sounds too perfect for me. My only excuse for not having read this already is that I’ve just had too much else to read, and never got around to it.
What do you think? Would you read this book?
Please share your thoughts!
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Want to participate in Shelf Control? Here’s how:
- Write a blog post about a book that you own that you haven’t read yet.
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Have fun!
Bookshelf Fantasies 
I have it as well sitting waiting to be read – it does sound good!
It’s sounds like a few of us are in the same boat. Maybe we should race to see who reads it first? 🙂
I am right there with you in the hall of shame, I received an ARC last summer too😬 I definitely want to get to this!
Well, I guess I’m glad I’m not alone! I do want to read it. (I have to admit, it’s on my mind because I’ve been using it to prop up my laptop to a better height in my makeshift home office).
The sounds exciting–like a movie 🙂
Yes! It makes me think of a combination of Independence Day and Deep Impact — I love good space/disaster movies. 🙂
That was what I was thinking too 🙂 Hope it turns out fun!
Pingback: Shelf Control #7: The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon – a hot cup of pleasure
Not my cup of tea but I hope you enjoy it. Here’s mine for the week:
https://ahotcupofpleasureagain.wordpress.com/2020/06/10/shelf-control-7-the-lazarus-project-by-aleksandar-hemon/
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Lisa! I would probably read this. I’m not really a science fiction reader, but I have a thing about Mars and space exploration. Aliens too? They can come! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love good space exploration books! I forget, have you read the Lady Astronaut books? The first one is amazing!
Hi Lisa, I haven’t. I think I remember hearing about them, maybe from you. 😉 Thanks for the recommendation!
Sounds like a fabulous plot. Not a genre I read a lot of, but I would read this. Thanks for sharing.
http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2020/06/shelf-control-june-10.html
It’s always fun to branch out and try unusual genres — while I have my favorites, I’m often surprised by how much I’ll enjoy something that’s not my typical reading fare.
Pingback: Shelf Control #8: Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra (1995) – a hot cup of pleasure