The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac*, by Sharma Shields, is an eccentric book, bildungsroman meets family saga meets magical realism meets domestic divorce drama. Once I got past the first two chapters, the book was tough to put down; I loved the way Ms. Shields broke up the text, noting the year before each section; it helped this multi-generational story to move along quickly. The plot follows Eli Roebuck and his family as Eli searches for the Sasquatch his mother abandoned him for when he was a boy. As it turns out, Eli isn’t the only person in his family who sees mythical creatures. Recommended if you’re interested in a lighter, more domestic Neil Gaiman-esque book.

*I received this book through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program, which did not affect the content of my review.

The Girl on the Train*, by Paula Hawkins, came packaged as the swankiest galley I’ve ever seen. It’s been billed as this year’s Gone Girl, and it is a psychological thriller featuring a missing woman and multiple perspectives, but that’s really as far as the comparison goes. It’s a page turner since Ms. Hawkins has mastered the art of doling out relevant information, but I had the main mystery figured out about a third of the way through the book. The plot: Rachel takes the same train every weekday, and has noticed a particular couple on the route; she goes so far as to imagine lives, names, and personalities for the pair. Then the woman disappears, and Rachel thinks she has information about the case, which leads her deeper and deeper into the lives of strangers, and her own.

Recommended for commute reading.

*I received a galley of this book from the publisher for review purposes, which did not affect the content of my review.