Book Review: The Shining Girls

The Shining Girls is a mix of genres (Sci-Fi, Mystery, Horror), but overall it's Suspense. Sure...there's time travel, but I soon realized that wasn't why I kept reading. I almost gave up on the book about 50 or so pages in. It just didn't grab me in those first few chapters. But then a few additional POVs were introduced and that created a bigger world and I wanted to know all of these people connected. Plus...I discovered Kirby didn't like The Giving Tree and that made me like her even more.

At first, it felt like the time travel was slowing me down, but eventually it kind of fell to the side and I stopped trying to figure it out. Once I did that, the story really kept me interested. Kirby's hunt for her attacker and the way both sides of the story unfold was fantastic. The time travel, of course, reminded me of The Time Traveler's Wife (there the time travel REALLY confused me...with this one the confusion happened less). I recommend reading the physical book instead of an eBook for easy flipping back and forth (because you know you're gonna forget the date of something).

Once I finished the book, I was very happy that I had stuck with it. Great ending, great characters, and great suspense. - Melissa (Downtown)

Special event - Reading Recs - Get book suggestions from a librarian

Looking for a good book to read? Try our new Reading Recs program! One of our librarians will be live on Facebook today, 7/24, between 12:30pm and 2pm. Post a few books you've enjoyed and we will recommend another book you might like. See you then!

Summer Reading - The Last Week!

There's still time to participate in the Summer Reading Program at the Chandler Public Library!  The last day to log books (or pages or time for kids) is July 27. The last day to pick up a prize is August 4. The last day to redeem a book voucher is August 10. Visit the Summer Reading Website for more information or to sign up before it's over!


Here are some last-minute favorites from other library users:

Dark Places
After reading Gone Girl I was looking for the twist. It was there but not where I thought it would be. Flynn does a great job creating flawed characters that you can't help but care for - even if you'd never want to be friends with them. Great read.
Tricia

Hawaiian Sunrise
This story of a struggling single mother with a young son takes place in Hawaii. Involves working out relationships (abusive ex-husband, strained relationship with father, learning to trust others). Good read. This author has written many other great books.
Laurie

How to Win Friends and Influence People
While the setting and stories in this book reflect the world as it was nearly a century ago, the advice and lessons are timeless. The key ideas of listening more, having a genuine interest in others and helping others are still applicable and relevant today.
Angel

Inferno
Another thriller by Dan Brown. Inferno is full of plot twists and turns right to the very end! Robert Langdon is back as the central character but Brown has created a diverse supporting group that makes this book so much fun to read.
Jan

I’ve Got Your Number
A fun easy read from Sophie Kinsella again. Her British humor and charm come across as pure delight in this quirky romantic novel. As always this author tells a story that keeps you guessing how the "mess" the main character (in this case Poppy) has gotten herself into can possibly be resolved. I was so entertained by this one I finished it in record time!
Gloria

Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Kids
Fantastic lessons to teach your kids plus books and movies that support these lessons: own a library card, learn to play an instrument, be on time, follow through, be respectful, etc.
Melissa

Chandler Parade of Lights - Open for entries now!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Or it might - if you're planning to enter this year's Parade of Lights. Sign-ups are now being accepted for parade entries: floats, walking groups, dancing groups, vehicles, marching bands and more! Chandler's Parade of Lights will take place on Saturday, December 7, 2013.

Visit the City of Chandler website for more information, to download and print a brochure and entry form, or to submit an application for your entry online. Your library branch may also have entry forms while supplies last - ask at the Information Desk.


The deadline for entries is Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 5pm or when all entry space is reserved.

More Summer Reading Picks

Three more weeks left for the Summer Reading Program! Kids, teens, and adults still have time to register online and log their books. Once you've logged your books online and earned prizes, come in to the library to pick them up. Summer Reading ends July 27.

Here are some more books that library users are reading this summer:

The Astor Orphan

The author was born into a rich family that owned a huge estate in New York but had no money to live on. This bizarre family barely keeps it together and the daughter writes about her strange childhood. - Liane

Echoes of Titanic
This was a very entertaining book. I really enjoyed how they wove together the stories from the past and from the present. The characters were well developed, and I enjoyed the mystery. - Christine

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

I enjoyed reading about the conflicts and achievements of Civil War era as told through the eyes of Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker. Elizabeth Keckly was a woman of color and she bought her freedom. She was an excellent seamstress and made many beautiful gowns and outfits for Mary Lincoln and other important ladies of the time. Elizabeth also became a friend of the family and shares some insight into the tragedies and successes of the Lincoln family. - Lynn

Revenge Wears Prada
The devil is back! I usually only read one fiction book a year and when I saw there was a sequel to The Devil Wears Prada, I knew this had to be it. It was a great, fun, easy summer read that would be perfect for the beach or sitting around by the pool. The only downside to reading a sequel to a book that's been made into a movie (which you've seen several times) is that you automatically picture the people from the film in your head while reading. No longer can I read about Andy or Miranda without thinking of Anne Hathaway or Meryl Streep. Still, you don't want to miss this one. It's too good to pass up! - Amanda

This Dame for Hire
I've always enjoyed the "hard boiled detective" genre of the 1940's. This was a new twist with the hard boiled detective being a woman who has assumed the principal position in a detective agency while her employer is off serving in WWII. I enjoyed the dialog of the period. - Kent

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls

When we first meet Thea Atwell, she is on her way to The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls -- not for a summer break and not because she wants to go, but because she's done something that has caused a rift in her family. We slowly discover what this "bad thing" is as Thea tells the story about her year at Yonahlossee and the year leading up to her being sent away. It's a wonderful story about being a girl, consequences, and family -- and while there are lessons learned along the way, it's far from preachy. - Melissa

(Reviews have been edited for spelling and grammar.)

Book Review: The Beautiful Land

Tak, a down-on-his-luck former star of a TV survival show, gets a call that will change his life... and everyone else's. The Axon Corporation and their brilliant scientist, Charles Yates, have invented the impossible: a machine that can transport people through time and into alternate realities. But they don't know how to use it, and they've hired Tak for his adventuring skills, to explore the new dimensions. When Tak discovers that the Axon chairmen intend to override Tak's reality with one in which Axon controls the entire world, he knows they must be stopped - because in that world Samira, the woman Tak has loved since childhood, has died. As Tak races to stop the machine and save Samira, he discovers that Yates has his own agenda - one even more terrifying than what Axon has planned.

The Beautiful Land is a slick, edgy futuristic story and the winner of the Breakthrough Novel Award for new writers. The novel presents a clever solution to the time-travel paradox (what happens if you go back in time and kill your own grandfather?). But it also draws its main characters in wonderful detail: Tak, the thrill-seeking loner with much to regret, and Samira, an Iraq War veteran suffering post-traumatic stress. It's an engaging, suspenseful tale with a suprising depth. - Michelle (Sunset)