If you have Atmosphere on your auto buy list for summer reading, then you’re likely to finish that book desperate for more space-faring novels that will send you into orbit. After you’ve devoured Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest exciting release, blast off into this book list.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Six people from all over the world come together to form one of the last crews on a mission to the International Space Station. For 16 days, these strangers bond as they learn how connection can feel like space, both infinite and isolating. This offers glimpses into the lives of each astronaut, as they share the intimacy of life on a space station and function as the only barricade between one another and utter loneliness in cold, dark space.
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Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Four intelligent and awe-inspiring African American women can be thanked for changing the face of space travel in the U.S. forever. These math geniuses joined NASA in 1961, where they did extremely complex calculations that made space travel possible, all while fighting racial and gender discrimination. Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden’s story is a powerful, inspiring tribute to their legacy and the quiet strength it takes to make history.
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The Love Simulation by Etta Easton
After learning that the school she campaigns for spent its budget on a new football field rather than the much-needed library improvements, Brianna dives headfirst into a new way to earn money for school improvements. All she has to do is make it through a summer-long Mars simulation program, and as the sister to an astronaut, she knows she’s got this. That is, until Roman Majors, an annoyingly charming science teacher and son of the school’s principal, joins the simulation. Brianna is convinced he was sent here to spy on her, but sees there’s more to him than she thought. Now, Brianna must decide if the prize money is worth losing the man she gave her heart to.
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Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
Thomas, a man raised in the Baptist church, longs for a world outside his small hometown in Essex. He becomes obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of a famed astronaut, and whether he can rely on his faith or science to bring him answers. As the mystery unfolds, another piece of the cosmic puzzle is discovered. His former friend Grace orbits around his life for nearly twenty years as he works to solve the mystery, making him question what is fixable, what causes change, and are some things are truly written in the stars.
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Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer
When Maxon and Sunny met, they were just two strange kids who found comfort in each other’s oddities. Now, twenty years later, their marriage is on the brink of collapse as Maxon heads off on a space mission, leaving Sunny alone with their child, pregnant with their second, and spending her spare moments taking care of her dying father. But when something goes wrong on Maxon’s mission, old betrayals come to light, pointing towards an illicit secret and a forgotten murder.
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Once Upon A Time I Lived on Mars by Kate Greene
In 2013, Kate and five other crew members went on an out-of-this-world journey to Mars, located in Mauna Loa, Hawai’i. For weeks, she lived in a Martian simulation on the Mauna Loa slopes, making her question the lessons and ideologies that are most important for survival on a new planet. While there, she conducted sleep studies with her crewmates and examined their behavior to uncover the root of the human need to explore, grow, and make their dreams of scientific glory a reality. But, amidst all this, they struggled with isolation and boredom, and they saw how the challenges in their new life mirrored those of the lives on earth.
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The Wanderers by Meg Howery
Helen, Sergi, and Yoshihiro are training to be the crew on Prime Space’s maiden voyage to Mars. While training in a hyper-realistic simulation for over a year, the three grow close as they continue to act as the ever-in-control and professional astronauts, all while under the watchful and critical eye of Prime Space “Obbers”. They are tested physically, emotionally, and psychologically in their claustrophobic space. As reality blurs with rehearsal, the crew grapples with the lives they left behind and the personas they’ve adopted for survival, giving readers an introspective look at identity, ambition, and the limits of human endurance.
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The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
When Cal’s father is chosen for a NASA mission, Cal and his family move to Houston and pretend to be the perfect family for the news casters covering the mission. Caught up in the media frenzy, Cal feels like his life is getting completely uprooted, and as he is about to float away, he meets Leon, another teen whose mom is also on the space mission. The two boys find company and understanding in each other, and Cal starts to fall for Leon, the one person who has any idea of what he is going through. But when Cal hears the real reason behind the space mission, he must find a way to share the news without hurting the people he cares about the most.
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