Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

Historical Fiction

A remarkable story when women made astounding discoveries, but had to remain seen but not heard (and in some cases, could not even be seen).  When women, but not yet society, appreciated an unmarried life as a freedom, as independence, as full.  A time when scientific discoveries turned the world upside down.  Amazing to think about all the things society once believed that have been proven to be untrue and it changes everything (the world being flat, the sun revolving around the earth and creatures becoming extinct)!  Chevalier has once again brought these characters and this era to life.  She leads with her heart, which what makes all her books fantastic!

Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan

New Author
The best part of this book for me was coming home.  The book takes place in a fictional town in Northeast Ohio.  There were numerous references to the places I grew up in and around:  Perry, Geneva, Ashtabula, Route 7, Route 90, Geauga Lake (riding the Gemini and slapping hands with the neighboring cars!)  While I was expecting this to be more of a suspense novel, the only thing that kept me flipping the pages was to see what "back home" reference I would find.
The characters never got off the page for me, so I had little empathy for them and what they were going through.
I had been wanting to read a Stewart O'Nan and I'm glad I did, and while I'm not giving up him I'm not going to be rushing out to get another one anytime soon.