The House in the Pines Book Club Questions and Discussion Guide
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Sugar Pine is one of the tallest wild pine species in California. They grow in coastal mountain ranges from Oregon, through California, and into Baja, California. They have soft needles in bundles of five and produce the longest cones of any conifer species. Sugar Pine cones are regularly inches long but can exceed two feet in some cases. These trees grow quickly but are dormant during the winter months.
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The cones are so enormous that they are nicknamed “widowmakers.” The trees prefer dry, rocky soil and full sun to partial shade lighting. The Shore Pine is a subspecies of Lodgepole Pines that grows primarily along the Northern coast of California. It can grow in a wide range of elevations from sea level up to over 11,000 feet. They have higher water requirements than many California pines, hence their coastal location.
Things That Didn’t Make Sense to Me About House in the Pines
The suspense is minimal, with no sense that Frank is coming for Maya or that it actually matters whether these crimes are solved. Brenda Edwards met Jairo Ek Basurto while on a missionary trip in Guatemala; he was murdered at the age of 22 before Brenda even knew she was pregnant. He left behind an uncompleted manuscript which Maya translated around the time she met Frank but then stuffed in a drawer; it turns out to have inspiration for her now.
White Bark Pine
In California, it grows naturally only in San Diego County and the Channel Islands and is listed as endangered. In the early 20th century, the wild population of this tree dropped as low as 100. The Torrey Pine grows in dry, sandy environments and requires little water to survive.
Pine House Kitchen & Bar opens in former Wally's Tap House in Tiverton - Fall River Herald News
Pine House Kitchen & Bar opens in former Wally's Tap House in Tiverton.
Posted: Thu, 04 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Coulter Pines are a coastal mountain species found primarily along the Central and Southern California coastline and as far north as San Francisco. It is a slow-growing tree that produces the largest and heaviest pine cones of any species. They can weigh 4–10 pounds, although they are not as long as Sugar Pine cones.
Though no one believed her, Maya thought her ex-boyfriend Frank was responsible. When everyone blamed Maya’s accusations on a grief-induced psychosis, Maya was prescribed the addictive anti-anxiety drug Klonopin. All in all, I think this is a good and entertaining thriller. There are uneven parts but it really does try to cover many different topics from friendships, mother/daughter relationships, jealousy, addiction and more. A big component is that Maya has gaps in her memories of her time with Frank and what happened with Aubrey. So with that, she becomes somewhat of an unreliable narrator and the reader has to decide if what Maya is relying is actually the truth.
Frank would also tell Maya about a cabin he was building in the woods behind his father’s home. Frank never showed anyone this cabin, saying he wanted Maya to be the first to see it. Frank often showed Maya his key to the cabin, playing with it while telling his stories.
No, The House in the Pines is not based on a true story. But Maya, the main character, shares several things in common with the author, Ana Reyes. Both Ana and Maya have struggled with Klonopin withdrawal, and both are half Guatemalan. Deep in these woods, there is a house that’s easy to miss. Most people, in fact, would take one look and insist it’s not there.
This novel tackles heavy topics such as addiction, family trauma, abusive relationships, and the fragility of our own memory. But, it also portrays the power of friendships, family ties, and self-discovery. There’s so much to explore here and our The House in the Pines book club questions will guide thoughtful discussion going. The Knobcone Pine grows in dry, rocky mountain soil, primarily in Northern California, with a few populations scattered in the mountains of Southern California as well.
That said, I was not a fan of a woman lead character, once again, harboring alcohol and drug abuse. The House in the Pines is a stand-alone psychological thriller. Maya yearns for that time in her own life, not out of some need to escape reality—reality is fine—but simply because she was born that way. Born to yearn, as some people are, for more magical times.
This is her fourth acid trip, so she knows about the sadness of coming down, the sense of God having vacated the garden. As an author, Reyes struggled with Klonopin withdrawal, and that part of the book felt incredibly real and intimate. Reyes is also half Guatemalan, like Maya, who knows what it’s like to be abruptly cut off from her heritage. Small-town claustrophobia and intimacies alike propel this twist-filled psychological thriller. Most of them are retired; many of them have limited writing experience. Reyes said, “I have one student in her 90s who survived the Blitz in London.
Someone calls Frank “Gary.” Maya finds a mixtape made for Frank by someone named Ruby. Maya tells her mom that she’s afraid to tell Dan about her drug addiction. Maya’s mom is worried about her daughter going off the drugs, as she says benzo withdrawal makes people paranoid. And, while many of the camp’s activities and traditions have remained the same for more than 80 years, all of the main buildings and cabins have been remodeled and upgraded over the years. Each cabin at Friendly Pines Camp now comes equipped with its own bathroom and shower. Plus, while many of the same classic camp foods continue to be served, the kitchen staff is willing and able to accommodate any child’s dietary needs or restrictions.
I think this book could have been so interesting as a sort of magical realism/horror/trauma book but it never got there. It tried to be a Girl on the Train book and that I think is what left people confused and disappointed. I love your review even though you gave way too much ink to book that did not deserve it. I can’t believe I actually read 70% of this POS before giving up. To me it read like a very sad story of a girl coming to terms with the fact that a creepy older guy took advantage of her.
The trees attract many insects and grow in full sun to partial shade. In this captivating, eerie psychological thriller, Maya is haunted by gaps in her memories surrounding the death of her high school best friend nearly seven years ago. After watching a viral video of a young woman suddenly dying mysteriously in a diner, she’s desperate to put the pieces together. Foothill Pines are native to California, where they are found in all regions of the state. The tree is accustomed to growing in poor soil conditions and can be found at elevations up to 4,500 feet. In the wild, it grows slowly and tends to remain shorter.
A complimentary barbecue lunch with hot Dutch oven biscuits and shaved ice will be served. Before Instagram launched Stories, before the creator economy boomed into a billion-dollar industry, before influencers became experts, there was the viral craze of blogging. It's 2014, and a newly graduated Shelby Vanhoy launched a home decor and lifestyle blog titled Pretty in the Pines as she pondered what post-grad life looks like. On evenings and weekends, she updated her content with local travel recs, personal style advice, and apartment decorating tips. What began as a fun side project for creative expression transitioned into a monetized social channel for interior design and DIY hacks.
However, the spell broke when she realized she was missing hours of memory. She left the cabin covered in dirt, unsure of how it got there, and a sense that something was terribly wrong. Maya also self-medicates with alcohol as she tries to move on and forget what happened to Aubrey. However, when she is 25 years old, a viral online video catches Maya’s attention and brings her trauma back to the surface.
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