Horror Aficionados discussion
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Pines
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April 2015 Group Read-Pines
K.L. wrote: "WendyB wrote: "K.L., from what I've read it looks like the tv show will cover all three books. If this is true, it should be very fast paced."Guess I'll need to get cracking then if I want to re..."
Aw man, me too, I didn't realize that.
what I liked about Pines was it really kept you guessing and I know I really couldn't see where it was going then when it got there it was like WHOA didn't see that coming after a lifetime of reading horror it"s sometimes hard to be surprised-this one surprized me
can anyone give a brief synopsis? plz
I picked the Pines up at my library near my job, only about 20 or so pages into it. So far Crouch is a good writer who uses simple yet illustrative language. I'm also glad it is about 300 pages. After drilling through some of SK's recent works that have been thousand-pager bricks, I welcome a quick read.
K.L. wrote: "WendyB wrote: "K.L., from what I've read it looks like the tv show will cover all three books. If this is true, it should be very fast paced."Guess I'll need to get cracking then if I want to re..."
Looks like I'll need to get cracking too. I like to watch movies/series after I read them, but rarely read a book once I've seen the film adaptation.
Finished this one this morning - really enjoyed it. Definitely had no idea it was going where it did. It really should make a great TV series - lots of action. And it should be something even my wife (who doesn't care for horror) would like. It's like sci-fi with a darker edge.
I started reading this yesterday. This book definitely keeps taking a turn. I'm just over halfway through and along for the ride.
Frank wrote: "I picked the Pines up at my library near my job, only about 20 or so pages into it. So far Crouch is a good writer who uses simple yet illustrative language. I'm also glad it is about 300 pages. Af..."I hear you on that! I love King but I think he definitely overdoes it a bit at times. What I find so funny is that he claims that he cuts like 10% when he edits, which blows my mind to think of how long some of his work could be. His last couple Revival/Mr. Mercedes were definitely a bit on the shorter side (for him anyway) and I didn't think think that Dr. Sleep felt too long, but 11/22/63 … he could have cut a couple of hundred pages out of that one and it wouldn't have bothered me,
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I've read all of his books and my favorites were the Andrew Z. Thomas/Luther Kite Series. When will the Pine series air?
The more I read, the more excited I am about the TV show. It's supposed to start mid-May I believe.
Kathy wrote: "I've read all of his books and my favorites were the Andrew Z. Thomas/Luther Kite Series. When will the Pine series air?"
May 14th
Joanne wrote: "what I liked about Pines was it really kept you guessing and I know I really couldn't see where it was going then when it got there it was like WHOA didn't see that coming after a lifetime of rea..."
It is nice to be surprised by one.
I finished reading this last night. It was nothing like I expected, but I loved it. Most of the book was all over the place, but then the ending actually managed to pull it all back together. That was really fun.WendyB wrote: "When you're finished you'll want to pick up the next book in the series immediately. "
That's exactly what I'm doing today. :) I rarely read series books back to back, but this will be an exception.
Starting...now! Couldn't make up my mind which one first to read, Pines or Relic, but I think both will be a treat so it doesn't really matter :)
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Ending wasn't exactly what I was expecting and there was one thing that really perplexed me. Was this explained and I just failed to notice? (view spoiler)
superb trilogy. I fully recommend them!!!
I'm at 22%, chapter 3...and poor Ethan, this is a bloody nightmare! Wouldn't want to be in this 'lovely' psycho town...
Natasa wrote: "Wtf is going on here??? [spoilers removed]"Don't worry, it'll all make sense, eventually!
Chapter 11, 58% in...The time here works really odd, a true twilight zone...Ethan is in deepest shit so far, the chase is on. This book just brings more and more questions instead of answers and it's absolutely awesome :D
Natasa wrote: "Chapter 11, 58% in...The time here works really odd, a true twilight zone...Ethan is in deepest shit so far, the chase is on. This book just brings more and more questions instead of answers and it..."This is a fun one. And I did not expect the outcome.
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Omg I can not breath. I don't like what he's doing at all.
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I finished last night as well :) totally loved it and kind of expected it had to take a turn to a bit of scifi as well...So are we reading book 2 and when?
Natasa wrote: "I finished last night as well :) totally loved it and kind of expected it had to take a turn to a bit of scifi as well...So are we reading book 2 and when?"
agreed about the turn, it just wasn't quite the turn I was expecting. As for book 2, I've already started it. If the TV miniseries is based on all 3 books, I want to have read them all by the time it starts.
Are we continuing the comments on book 2 in this same thread here? I won't start it straight away, as I've already started Relic, which is awesome by the way as well :)
I just finished this book. I loved it. I need to order the other 2.
Hi all, I'm a bit late to the party this month, but my (deliberately vague, spoiler-free) thoughts on Pines can be found right here.I enjoyed it, though I thought the build-up was better than the pay-off, if I'm honest. (view spoiler)
Jon wrote: "Hi all, I'm a bit late to the party this month, but my (deliberately vague, spoiler-free) thoughts on Pines can be found right here.I enjoyed it, though I thought the build-up was better than the..."
Thanks for that, Jon. I definitely agree about Ethan Burke. I thought he was a dick too - and fairly unbelievable as a character.
Your ideas about the reveal are somewhat like mine. However, I'm not as concerned about what was revealed for this story. If this were a standalone novel I would be very content with the ending. At the same time, it doesn't make me that excited about the second book.
I liked what you were saying about the trolling also, because now that I've read your review I can picture the author doing exactly what you suggest. I didn't mind the misdirection to be honest, but I think "contrived" is probably justified.
I'm about 85% into book 2 and some of the questions I had in the first book are clearer now.
Jon wrote: "Hi all, I'm a bit late to the party this month, but my (deliberately vague, spoiler-free) thoughts on Pines can be found right here.I enjoyed it, though I thought the build-up was better than the..."
I'm totally enjoying your ability to be critical...one of the big faults of Croatian educational system, they never learned us to dissect stuff, analyze, take out the good and bad and not be afraid to tell your opinion, even better write it,express yourself as a critic or make an observation!
Combine this crappy system with a total optimist personality that finds everything awesome and great anyway in everyday life in almost everything (except when I really don't like something than I'm equally very loud about my unhappiness...but this happens much more rare) and then you get my reviews here on GR that are usually (read-99%) overrated.
I've given so many 5* to some books that now thinking back - they should have been a solid 3*...at least I'm learning to be a bit more critical thanks to GR and these group reads.
In 4 years of university we had 2 seminar papers! 2!!! Of course there was big final paper, 50 pages +, don't even know how they call that...I just know that by entering the EU, my 4 years of that education is considered as a masters degree. Me being curious in absolutely everything that exists, I wanted to continue my studies. My shitty town had no MA's, but hey, I 'kind of have it already?!' so I was straight off to a PhD, nothing more or less than History of Population (excellent but with my prior knowledge, what a laugh and a money rip off...not to mention I still don't have my bloody mentor for my dissertation!!!)
And now I'm at a PhD where I'm supposed to write-yeah, right! Total writers block, combined with a death in family and my PhD is vegetating just like myself...well at least I'm reading great books ;) and just to make it clear, my 4 years of economics turned out to be 9 years (yes, we had no deadlines, brilliant right?! and not because I was lazy or stupid, that was some major theory stuff that I would forget very soon after passing the exam...some exams were like a lottery, the guy picks up a little pile from the big pile and decides these guys are passing, the other ones can wait another round...yeah, one of the 9 years studying reason!).
It was horrible and very hard to learn all that theory without everyday examples. I have a degree in economics, foreign trade and I used to say I have no clue about economics AT ALL. Thank God I got a job (my last official job) at a private university for 2 years (until my father died and I decided to quit since I was mostly 'volunteering' because the salary was late constantly for at least 5 months). I was a TA there in economic courses and I finally understand a lot more (actually a whole mountain of everything clicked...I was a TA in 4 different courses)...at least all the volunteering wasn't for nothing.
And everything was very much organised like in US universities and in EU! Our rector was from Harvard and she was just one of many great professors I had the chance to listen to, talk to, help etc. I totally envy the American universities and I'll never regret not having a chance to study somewhere abroad :(
And even though I paid 60000kn (around 10000 dollars, which for our banana conditions is LOADS of money) it's happening all over again now at my PhD, just a bit different...no deadlines for exams, but there is a deadline to finish it, no sh**!).
Why this monologue?! No clue. Sorry guys. At least you got a little insight how's it in Croatia, I'm sure you'd want to move over ;) especially to study :)
Oh, yeah. Everything's awesome, but this book is nevertheless still 5* ;)
seeing all these comments makes me want to read it again
I finished this book in like three days I simply couldn't put it down. It felt awkward at first because it was written like in phrases, but the story kept me intrigued all along.The ending was great everything explained well and left a great set up for the next book, I hope to continue the trilogy soon!
Thanks for the kind words, Caleb. I'm glad my mini-rant made some kind of sense to someone, somewhere, haha! :)And Natasa, thank YOU for such an open, honest and insightful post about the Croatian education system. And don't apologise! It sounds like you're going through an awful lot at the moment, and having the chance to get some of those bottled-up concerns off your chest is an important step in the right direction - even if we're just a bunch of strangers on Goodreads, I gaurantee that each and every one of us can relate in one way or another. And if it did you some good to vent some pent-up steam, then all the better!
For what it's worth, I'm very sorry for your loss, and I absolutely understand how impossible it can be to get your mind back into a place that cares enough about something like studying after such massive emotional upheaval. It all just seems so utterly trivial when we get hit by devastating events such as this, doesn't it? If I were in your shoes right now, I'd apply for an extension due to extenuating circumstances - or maybe even just try to retake this year next year - to give myself some much needed space and time to recover.
In any case, I hope you're doing okay (as well as you can be right now, at least) and know that people floating out here in the digital ether totally sympathise with what you're going through. Hang in there.
Thanks Jon for your nice words, they really touched me. I like to talk a lot so that's what I always think I'm doing but you're right I'm probably venting...making a huge draft would be more precise lolI'll just say that GR helped me go through some really hard times, as an interesting social network where I was able to finally start tracking what I read, then realised I'm learning of so many new and new old authors that my library never even heard off and found that there are really people and groups who love to talk about books they just read! Amazing, all my life a was a lone reader and book rider lol and if I did find someone who loved reading it was already when I've read so much that my interests changed a lot in what to read. Scifi and horror lovers, I was never lucky enough to find someone with that taste...or any taste for reading for that matter. Everybody always watched TV and movies and I even watch TV today maybe as a sneak peak 15 min...though started downloading some great TV shows and movies with my boyfriend, we're 8 years together and I'm finally a bit more educated in the filming industry lol
To finish my GR praise, the best discovery was of course this awesome community of awesome intelligent people, even complete strangers have been great comfort at times and I can say that I have the luck to have developef some truly great friendships and good friends here that are also my pen pals :) and usually suffer my rants...:)
And to have a chance to meet / talk with some of the authors now where could i get there other than here..
Too bad most of you are from US, it would be great to meet and have a coffee together :)
But you'd have to gag me in order to get in line for word...ok, I'm not that bad :)
Aerin wrote: "K.L. wrote: "Ending wasn't exactly what I was expecting and there was one thing that really perplexed me. Was this explained and I just failed to notice? [spoilers removed]"
I haven't finished t..."
That makes sense I think, thanks!
I have to say I am about 70% done with book 2 and I think I'm enjoying it more than the first one. The stories may be connected, yet book 2 feels completely different to me.
If you read all three of them it makes alot more sense.
Book 2 certainly had quite the ending. Now do I take a break from the series or jump right into book 3? Decisions decisions! Guess I'll figure it out in the morning.
So we are reading this on our own, I mean the second book, there will not be a buddy read?K.L.since you've started I could read it too...I'll post my comments here as well then...
K.L., I jumped right into book 3. I finished it yesterday. It was a good series. All three books were pretty different from one another.
I just started the second book via audiobook this morning.
Dang, I thought I had bought all 3 of the book, but turns out I only had the first 2. I'll have to rectify that oversight soon, would have done so last night but thunderstorms kept flicking my power on and off and my internet went down, so instead I started something else. I'll just have to make sure I get back to this one before the miniseries starts next month.
I loved this book. Now I need to buy the next 2.
30% done, and I still don't know what is going on with Ethan!
I can't wait to see the tv show in May!
Guess I'll need to get cracking then if I want to read through the series before the tv show starts.