Is it possible for readers to empathize with one of today's most intelligent minds? When that mind belongs to astrophysicist Sara Seager, the answer is a resounding yes. In this absorbing and candid memoir, Seager describes her rising success engaged in the scientific search for possible life on other planets when her own life comes apart. Following her husband's death, she struggles with grief and coping as a single mom of two young boys while trying to pursue the demands of the career she loves. Despite misgivings, she finds solace and wisdom from a local group of women, "The Widows of Concord."

Popular writer, Caroline Leavitt, returns with a timely tale about rebuilding hopes and dreams in the aftermath of catastrophe. Stella and Simon are facing the ultimate challenge to their twenty-year relationship when a horrendous incident upends their lives. Aside from several too obvious coincidences and foreshadowing, the story effectively portrays the complex emotional burdens people endure as they attempt to reconstruct their lives.

My major criticism is that the characters, specifically identified as being 42-years old, often appear to think and act like twenty-somethings. Then again, most of us are on unknown ground when trying to recover from disaster. In the final analysis, those actions and decisions will provide rich fodder for thoughtful readers and will make for lively group discussion.