THE SHINING GIRLS (Lauren Beukes) - May 19/20

I'll admit I didn't think I was going to get into this, as the first little bit is so baffling and so off-putting that I skimmed through it pretty hard. But it eventually settles down and focuses mostly on Kirby and Harper, and I'll admit I was pretty captivated - even if I never did get a handle on how the time travel aspect works or even why Harper was targeting the girls. (Yeah, they were "shining" but how did that info about them get into the house?) The abrupt ending was a little disappointing, but overall I'd say I enjoyed this. *** out of ****

FIRST COMES LOVE (Emily Giffin) - May 9/20

I just wanted something readable and entertaining, so I figured I'd turn back to ol' Emily Giffin. And while this book is definitely too long, I was pretty engrossed the whole way through. I found myself getting unexpectedly caught up in Josie's baby drama, and the relationship between Meredith and Nolan, and of course the Josie/Meredith relationship. Yeah, I really liked this book. ***1/2 out of ****