What We're Reading: The Shining Girls

The book was read by Meredith Lewis, a Librarian at (mostly) the Orange County Campus Library. The library copy of this book is available downstairs in the Main Campus Library.

[caption id="attachment_3077" align="aligncenter" width="200"] The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes[/caption] Why did you choose to read this book?

I read another one of Lauren Beukes' books, Zoo City and really liked it. When I realized we had The Shining Girls in our collection, I went ahead and checked it out because I'd enjoyed her weird mix of fantasy-in-the-real-world and crime. I've been having a hard time getting into a book lately, so I wanted to stick with someone whose writing I was enjoying. Plus the description was about a time-travelling serial killer. What's not intriguing about that?

Did it remind you of any other book, or a movie?

It kind of reminded me of a fantasy-tinged book-length episode of Criminal Minds.

What feeling did the book leave you with?

Satisfied (as a reader). I like it when the bad guys get got in crime novels, so that didn't disappoint, but the resolution of the story was complex and interesesting. I also thought that, for a story that jumps around in time (though not space), it was pretty well-organized.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Anyone who likes a crime novel, but may want to shake things up a bit. It is gory in some places, so heads up on that. (I mean, it is about a serial killer.)