White Pine

2011-01-28T09:43:00.002-05:00

SWIM THE FLY - This is one GREAT book! Want to get inside the brain of a teenage boy? Are you sure? If Sean, Matt and Cop are examples of typical guys, we could be in a lot of trouble :)
I guarantee you will laugh out loud at the dialogue, the crazy situations and the characters themselves. Yep, there is an underlying message, and it's a good one.

Fish tailing!

2011-01-12T17:11:00.001-05:00

Ok so this book wasnt bad but it confused me i mean everything happened so fast and then it was done it felt alittle rushed at the end but still recommend you guys to read it. only took me like half an hour to read this book! : )

The Worst Thing She Ever Did!

2011-01-12T17:09:00.001-05:00

Ok so i really enjoyed this one but i think she should have talked to her mom a little more i mean she was going through tha same thing and its not like she was completley alone still very good book : )

2011-01-10T14:38:00.002-05:00

Just finished The Worst Thing She Ever Did. Wow! I have to admit at first I wasn't liking it. The voice just sounded so...flat or somethuing. But as I read on, and the story developed, it got better and better. Written in the first person, we see the characters and events through Sophie's eyes. Little by little, as she comes to terms with what happened, she reveals more about the incident. We also pick up a few things that Sophie, in her grief, can't see. I think this is a very realistic portrayal of a teenage girl's life in the face of loss. Gotta admit, I cried at the end.

2011-01-06T15:39:00.001-05:00

I just finished Borderline and it was really great. The plot was very intriguing and complex and was next to impossible to put down. Defiantly worth reading.

Fishtailings

2011-01-05T16:39:00.001-05:00

Great Book! I loved the way it was written. The alternating point of view gave made it interesting because you knew what the characters thought of each other. Couldn't put it down.

The Second Trial by Rachel!

2011-01-05T14:57:00.002-05:00

This book is about a boy named Dylan who has to basically change everything about his life in such a short period of time. He thought everything was going fine at home. Then he finds out that the father he loved so much was abusing his mother. Now Dylan has to change his name, his town and keep his other life behind. This book was a very good read, I enjoyed it a lot and recommend it to everyone especially those who have trouble at home reading this will show you to accept what your going through because it could be a lot worse. : )

The Worst Thing She Ever Did By: Allyson

2010-12-16T21:19:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading The Worst Thing she Ever Did. At first the book is kind of slow but once you really get into it its amazing. THis book is about a girl who has lost alot, she is kind of what you would call in a depressed state of mind. She has alot of onflicts with her mom. It truly is a story of letting go of the past and moving on, but never really forgetting. I would recommend this book to all of you. Have fun reading it.

Welcome all new WHITE PINE readers!!!

2010-11-26T13:01:00.002-05:00

We have 41 people signed up so far so there should be some great discussion. I've just finished Fishtailing, and I have to say, it was moving! It was a little hard to follow at first, but when everything came together, it moved along pretty quickly. I loved the poetry. The only 'criticism' I would have is that it could have been longer so that the story and the characters could have been developed a bit more.
So tell the rest of us what you've read...and what you thought about it :)

The Book of Michael

2010-01-12T20:32:00.003-05:00

So, despite my huge reading list, I decided to pick up another White Pine book at the library...
The Book of Michael was alright. I was expecting a lot more, and when I was reading it, I loved it, but looking back, it wasn't really that great. I wanted it to dig deeper, and I was waiting for that, but it never did. Some parts you felt it was, but it was pretty much the same throughout the book.
Not saying that I didn't like it, because I did. I especially liked his grandmother. She sounded wicked cool, and it made me call my OWN grandma, just because I envied the relationship and influence she had on/with Michael.
I believe that this review is all over the place, so I apoligize.
It's a good book! A really confusing and angering ending! Sad. But angering.
Cheers,
Chelsea Dagger

Hello, again ... Miss me?

2010-01-07T09:48:00.002-05:00

Alright, so, now that I've read the rest of the White Pine books, I feel obliged to post. Feel free to comment, I'd love it if you did, but if you're going to tell me I'm crazy, don't worry, I already know.

The Book of Micheal - Not bad. Its an original take on the whole juvenile-delinquent scene. The emotions are very raw, excellently portrayed. As to whether or not I actually liked the book, the jury's still out on that one. The ending was what did it for me. Its ... hard to describe without giving it away. But I will say this - its not what you expect. And it doesn't seem very logical. It seems to run contrary to the rest of the book, actually.

Getting the Girl - This one was very cute. A boy who is utterly emasculated at home by his young, irresponsible mother, who is obsessed with girls, gets into all sorts of trouble trying to stop an ugly practise at his school - for a girl, of course. Its light-hearted and witty, an easy read. And, as I said - VERY cute.

Half-World - OK, now, I'm a really big lover of fantasy novels. But this one? I'm not sure it can really be counted along the fantasy genre. It leans more towards the horror category, in my opinion. It was unbelievably dark. The whole thing reads like a psychotic nightmare you cant wake up from. And when you DO wake up, at the end, it isn't really anything like what can be called a happy ending. It has hope, but it also has a probability of everything crashing about the characters ears after we close the covers and leave them to the rest of their lives.

The Uninvited - This one was a touch on the creepy side. I know, I know - that was the point right? But I'k OK with creepy, as long as it isnt predictable. Which this novel as for me. And nothing kills my joy of reading so much as predictability. This one is really strange, in terms of storyline ... I was left wondering what, exactly, the plot was supposed to be. I suppose it could have had something to do with the way everyone is connected to everyone else in ways you least expect, or about what family means. Or maybe it's just taking a really good look at what a supreme @#$% up fathers can be. I'm not really sure. Anyone else gets an answer to that one, please let me know.

Mostly Happy - Ick. This one was not one Id like to read again. "Mostly Happy" is a total misnomer. It isnt happy at all. And it doesn't have a whole lot of coherence. This girls' life goes from bad to worse, but everything's OK because she's got a suitcase full of tokens from better times and can "escape" by floating out of her body to hover round the ceiling while listening to guitars? Cue raised eyebrow.

The Landing - This one wasn't bad. A touch on the bland side, but leaves any music lover wondering, exactly, where they can get a hold of some of the supposedly amazing music featured in this book so they can hear it for themselves. I found this novel a touch on the bland side; it gets a little monotonous, and the ending isnt exactly a shocker. I think I would've liked this novel better if it had been written from the point of view of the mother, or the uncle, or the rich elderly lady, because something about writing it from the teenager's perspecctive just makes it kind of ... blah. The angst, the frustration, nobody understands me ... Zzzzzzzzzzzz. Heard all that crap before.

On a general note, I would like to thank whoever put this years selection together because it was astronomically better than last years. By far. As in, like, lightyears better. There are books that I read and liked that I wouldn't have otherwise picked up, and there were some that I'd really like to never see again. But you always get that when attempting to pick a selection for a large audience. You have to cater a little bit to everyone's tastes.

~ Capt. Holly Short~

Wondrous Strange

2010-01-03T17:57:00.002-05:00

I really, really, wanted to read this book.
You don't believe how badly I wanted to.
I love good ol' Shakespeare, but this book caught me on a bad day. I got to the second chapter where they threw in some fantasy, which is expected. You really don't know what you read, and it's meant to keep you going to find out what the heck is going on, right? I don't know. As I said, it caught me on a bad day, and as I said before, fantasy isn't my turf. I never finished 'Wondrous Strange'. And I'm taking a break from White Pine for a while. Anyone see Sherlock Holmes? I just got the Entire Collection. The 1311 page Entire Collection..
See you soon, readers!
Cheers,
Chelsea Dagger

First Three Down!

2009-11-27T09:43:00.003-05:00

So I've already read 3 books since we've started and I am extremely excited to read the others!

Perfect Cut- (4 stars) This was the first book that I had read and it was amazing! I thought the main character was extremely diverse and how the story was told about him was fantastic. It was such an interesting book to read because you learn so much throughout the book about the end, and when it finally the ends, you are thoroughly impressed! I finished it in 2 or 3 nights because I just could not put it down! Although it was depressing in some parts, it was heartfelt and you really wanted everything to work out for the characters and their situations. Everyone should definitely try to get around to reading it, it is my favourite up to this point!

Cracked Up to Be- (3 stars) I will be honest, I had extremely high hopes for this book, having been told for months before White Pine that it was very good but once I read it I was a little disappointed. It was surely a good book, funny characters, interesting storyline and there was suspense throughout the book, describing the major event that caused all the... issues but I was just very frustrated with the end. I was expecting a huge happy ending and felt that I was left hanging. If you were to choose between The Perfect Cut and this, I would definitely take The Perfect Cut.

last but not least...
Sister Wife- (3 1/2 stars) I had no idea what to expect from this book. Normally when I pick out books for recreational reading, this would be one I would automatically ignore, and dispose of. When I picked this one up I was expecting something a bit boring, something I wouldn't be able to get through but I was genuinely surprised at how riveting and intriguing it was! I read it very fast, and it was just a great book. It's a topic I had never really read about in fictional stories but I am very glad I chose this one. It had some slow and awkward parts, no doubt (Nanette and Mr Neillson...) but overall, I think it was an interesting read, and a well written novel!

Cracked Up To Be

2009-11-25T21:05:00.003-05:00

Alright, I'm going to start this out with a personal problem that has been affecting my reading lately, and almost caused me to abandon this book completely...
I will shamefully admit that I am a judge.
Of course I don't judge a book by it's cover, but what about page format, fonts, sizes, titles and page texture??
The colour of the pages and the coarse-ness of them made my skin crawl.
Fortunately, I got over it...

'Cracked Up To Be' is your typical angsty-teenage story... If you couldn't already tell by the back (which was HORRIBLE--'but something terrible has happened and it may be her fault...'--it's so cheesey you could grate it on spagetti). But what kept me reading was the fact that you don't figure out what the terrible thing is. You really don't. You can't even guess. Or at least I couldn't. You get little pieces of it, which was pretty nice. A very pretty puzzle, which of course comes together at the end, with such a heightened climax it still kind of haunts me. Although I wanted to put the book down multiple times throughout the story, I'm glad I didn't. The ending really brings it all together.
This ones really unforgetable. The ending, at least.

Cheers,
Chelsea Dagger

The Book of Michael - Wow!

2009-11-25T16:19:00.003-05:00

Hi! I just finished reading The Book of Michael and it sure wasn’t what I thought it would be… It’s deep, I’ll say that. And raw. And there’s way more to it than the back cover suggests. Michael’s character is expertly drawn – you learn more and more about him as he tries to deal with his own grief and everyone’s reaction to his presence. Louis, a garage mechanic and Phyllis, Michael’s grandmother, both help him come to terms with his situation and provide a sort of spiritual guidance.
As much as I like and respect Michael though, I sure didn’t expect him to choose the path he does in the end. But I get it, sort of…

Half World

2009-11-24T23:40:00.002-05:00

So, for the third White Pine book I've read this year, I chose Half World.
This book has some extreme fantasy, I tell you. A little too much for my liking, but it was ok. It reminded me of the movie 'Spirited Away'... the same kind of weird situations and characters. If you've heard of the movie and liked it, you'll probably like Half World.
I enjoyed it, and all, but it definately wasn't my favourite, or a signifigant book that I've read. In all honesty, I probably won't remember this book in a few months, but hey, that's just me. If you like fantasy, go for it.
I also LOVE the drawings. Very Brett Helquist-esque.
Cheers,
Chelsea Dagger

Hello, again ... the ranter is back!

2009-11-20T10:30:00.002-05:00

OK, so, just to establish and - for many of you - confirm that I am (indeed) completely out of my mind, I've read 4 of the White Pine selection this year and am working on my 5th.

Book thoughts thus far:

The Perfect Cut - emotionally wracking, disturbing, and yet so powerful. it's absolutely gripping, and grants insight into the destructive world of self-mutilators. I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. (Warning - relentless tearjerker)

Wondrous Strange - There are no words. Really - none. To describe how amazing this novel was. (But be warned - if you dont have at least a tolerance for Shakespeare, you might want to consider another novel. I, however, would gladly and giddily read dear old Will every day, hence this novel was paradise.)

Sister Wife - I was hesitant, but the author really came through on this one. My only real criticism is that I read half, and knew how the end would play out. No real surprises. However, it is fascinatingly horrifying for the singular reason that its true - crap like that DOES happen, and IS happening - right now.

Cracked Up To Be - This novel was not all its cracked up to be. (I apologize for the play on words, buts fun). Quite frankly, I was mildly disappointed. It's a very typical, predictable story - teenage girl has problems, teenage girls' life spins out of control, loved ones reach outh to help her, ends on a note of healing. For all that, though, it IS well-writen, very direct and to the point, not a bad read overall. Most original and therefore, most interesting feature - personality of Parker Fadley, the main character.

Well, until I've read some more, (quite possibly the rest of them), I leave you to enjoy the White Pine selection. Oh, and please post. I want to know what other people thought of the novels.

~Capt. Holly Short~

Mostly Happy

2009-11-19T21:16:00.002-05:00

Mostly Happy was a great story focused on the life of a girl named Bean. Her adventures go from sexual abuse, physical abuse, school fights, unwanted pregnancies and her internal battle with God. Pieces of her life, souveniers from the good times and bad, are kept in a red suitcase that she carries everywhere she goes.
I really liked this book. The descriptions were very clear; I could picture everything going on in my mind like an old movie. It had great character developement as well. You truly hate the bad guys and love the good guys, inside and out. Unless you're wacked. Who couldn't love her best friend Goose? Nobody, that's who.
Another great read. I like this list better than last year's.
Cheers,
Chelsea Dagger

The Perfect Cut

2009-11-19T19:19:00.002-05:00

When I got this book, I was expecting another 'Gravity Journal', where they have a great message but the plot jumps around from one thing to another. It's okay to do that if it's written well, but I wasn't convinced with Gravity Journal.
Perfect Cut was different. Bryan's story is told so vividly, so sincerely, you know it isn't someone giving it half of their effort. This is a full out piece of work. You can feel the authours enthusiasm and pain seeping through the spaces in-between the words. Beautiful.
Not everybody cuts themselves, but we all feel that same pain inside. Reading 'The Perfect Cut', I could feel that pain. He's done his research, folks.
Great read. A sad one, but a great one all the same.
Cheers,
Chelsea Dagger

Mostly Happy by Pam Bustin

2009-11-11T14:29:00.003-05:00

This book's title is a misnomer... Mostly Happy? Mostly Abuse would be a better title.
The story jumps mostly from one incident (of sexual and or physical abuse) to another in Bean's life. I did not like it because of the subject matter, the constant cycle of pain or the fact that it suggests only lower levels of society are capable of abuse. That said, it pretty much tells the truth of abuse and how it is passed down from generation to generation and depicts the fact that many endure instead of run. Sad.

WHITE PINE 2009/2010

2009-11-11T13:06:00.004-05:00

Well, hello everyone! Welcome back!
And welcome new members!
We have a whole new list of novels to read this year, and I think you're gonna LIKE 'em!
Check out the link on the right to see a description of each one, come on down to the library to sign one out, and start blogging your views.

NEWS FLASH!

2009-05-13T16:06:00.003-04:00

The winner of the

WHITE PINE AWARD

has been announced!

It is....drum roll please....

Little Brother

by Cory Doctorow.

Go to the OLA site

www.accessola

to read all about it!

Gravity Journal

2009-03-18T10:06:00.004-04:00

I just finished reading the Gravity Journal and it was really good.

I was surprised how graphic it got and how much information was included about disorders.

Near the end I did feel sad for the main character, how she tried to overcome so many problems.

I felt that the beginning was not very catchy and the end just fell through.

But the middle was really well written.

I also liked how they gave the girls point of view from her journals.

I'd recommend it to girls more than boys, because at certian points it becomes hard to understand.

But DO read it.

Tweaked and Dooley Takes the Fall

2009-03-12T12:34:00.003-04:00

Well, I've read two more books! Feeling quite proud of myself, actually. I love recreational reading and I don't usually get much done during the semester with so much else to do. You know how it is. I tend to save my book lists for summer. Anyhow...

Overall, I thought Dooley Takes the Fall was really well written. Liked the protagonist a lot and was really buying in but I felt like the ending was a bit weak. I expected more from the author - it sort of left me hanging.

Tweaked was also good - and I was torn. I wanted more hope for the protagonist - I really wanted things to improve in his situation but it just wasn't happening. The rational part of my brain understands how difficult it is to live with a meth addict and how unlikely it is that addicts will reform, however, I would have liked something good to happen in the middle of the book. I have been to Vancouver (and seen the East Hastings neighbourhood that is described in the novel) and that made the novel more meaningful and realistic for me. What did anyone else think?

Hmm...Gravity Journal.

2009-03-05T08:47:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading "Gravity Journal". I thought it was pretty good. I didn't really like some of the language used in the story, and I found some parts to be a bit graphic, but I felt that overall it was good. It shows how people with these types of disorders feel, live, and think, and also shows change for the better. We see Anise at her worst in the beginning, but she slowly heals and becomes a better person with more self-esteem and confidence with the help of so many trusted friends and examples. I think that really brings out the message "You are never alone", "There's always hope", and "Every cloud has a silver lining". Those are pretty strong messages that I think most of us need at some point or another. The author showed these messages so effectively and well. I also liked how the narration switched from 1st person to 3rd person, and how some of Anise's writing was shown. This book may be one of my considerations for my vote.

2 Down, More to go!

2009-02-28T11:53:00.002-05:00

Hey. I'm new to White Pine, and I've just read Gotcha! and Daughter of War. Those books were pretty good.

I found Gotcha! was interesting, and somewhat predictable. It did have alot of twists that I wasn't expecting though, which is what I like. I also liked how some of the story was told in email format, and how some main details in the plot weren't introduced right of the bat. I found that made me want to read on, and find out what was happenning. It did keep me guessing through most of it. I did like the message of how little things that you think don't mean anything can turn into something very unexpected, and in so doing we learn more about people, places, and stuff around us.

I liked Daughter of War a bit more than Gotcha! because of the way the story was told, and of the deeper meaning to it. I liked how the different characters were separate in their stories, but yet their different situations connect into one main story. I also liked the how the story showed how different people survive things, and how if we make it through, things will get much better. I did find the story to be very sad in some parts, but I felt it was good, and so that's why I liked it a little bit more than Gotcha!

I'm looking forward to reading some of the other books, like After River! I'll keep you posted on that. :)

New Favourite Book Alert :)

2009-02-20T15:05:00.003-05:00

After River <3
This was AMAZING.
New. Favourite. Book. :D
The twists were amazing (some I saw coming, some I didnt), and it was just one of those books you couldn't put down. I've recommended it to sooo many people, and I say that if you havent read it, READ IT. Its great.
Generally, those books give you that "feel-good-family moment" at the end. This one wasn't your generic one. I thought it was a very nice change.
This one is deffinately my favourite so far.

The Ranting Continues ...

2009-02-04T10:34:00.002-05:00

OK, so I've figured out by now that nobody really wants to hear me ranting about the books, but please allow me to point out that this blog exists specifically for book thoughts, and I cant really help it if I happen to have really strong opinions about what I read. Thus far, I have now read every book except Chanda's Wars, and thats because Im working on it currently. Honestly though, what is going on this year? I understand that books need conflict and darkness and misery and death to create interest and make the book good, but this is going too far. I understand that the authors have made great strides and its hard work to write a book and be published, and I have nothing against giving credit where credit is due ... its just ... these books all take the reader and catapult them headfirst into the bottom of the pits of human misery. I'm a teenager ... theres enough drama and misery in my life to keep me plenty depressed without reading ten depressing books additionally. I did think that Little Brother was quite good ... but I also found it kinda scary becasue that world is not so great a leap from our own. I found After River to be really, really, REALLY predictable, and I prefer a book to keep me guessing ... its more fun that way. Tweaked was just plain tragic. If I had to vote today, Im thinking that I would probably go with either Little Brother, Daughter of War, or Gravity Journal.

~Capt. Holly Short~

PS - Courtcandy --> Would you drop it with the elf thing? Its beyond old already.

The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane

2009-01-30T16:30:00.003-05:00

I just finished the corps of the bare-boned plane over the exam break. I admit at first that i thought this book would be lousy because of the way it looked and the title. But theres much more to the story. It was a pretty good story line, and the way the author wrote it using the different perspectives of the charchers, made it a unique read. I personally really enjoyed it, it was nothing of what i expected it to be, and i'm glad, cause it was good. Its a story about theses 2 girls who get shipped off to an island to live with their uncle, who are later joined by others. Thats all i'm gonna say about it haha...i'm not a fan of spoilers.

Four down...

2009-01-21T11:07:00.005-05:00

Well, I intended to post prior to this but ... better late than never!

I have read four of the selections for this year, After River, Gotcha!, Little Brother, and Gravity Journal. I have enjoyed all of them, despite their clear differences in style, characterization and plot.

I think After River was my favourite so far - it has a great plot and excellent character development. I really empathised with the protagonist and enjoyed the twists in the storyline - it even made me a little weepy near the end (I`m a softie when it comes to emotional stories!).

Gotcha did a great job of dealing with the pressures of being a teenager (Yes- I still have some vague recollection of that time in my life - however long ago it may seem!) including trouble relating to parents, peer pressure, relationships with friends and budding romance. It was a quick read and had lots of action!

I found Little Brother a little hard to get into at first (being a technologically inept thirty-something English teacher) but it was worth the effort! The content was current and relevant for our post 9/11 world - and a little bit scary! The author is a technological genius and explains the workings of computers and their trappings really clearly (so that even I got it!)

The most recent book I finished was Gravity Journal - a serious novel about a young woman with an eating disorder who self- mutilates - but strangely hopeful at the end. I enjoyed the author`s style - her poetry and word-play was clever and engaging. It was sort of disturbing but very interesting to get a glimpse into the psyche of an individual with these problems that seem to affect so many young people today.

Generally, I am really pleased with this year`s selections - I am looking forward to Dooley Takes the Fall!

Well its a start...

2009-01-15T13:26:00.003-05:00

So, this is my first year reading with the White Pine Book Club, but so far, I’ve had a good time doing so. I’m starting to wonder why I’ve never done this before actually.
Anyways, my thoughts on the books I’ve read so far….

The first book I read was After River, which I actually really enjoyed. It was quite climatic and really absorbed me into the life of Natalie (the main character). For most of the book you learn about her childhood and experiences growing up and how is affects her as an adult. It’s about the journey we all struggle through in life, connecting with your family and recovering from an emotional train wreck in life. She describes that something has happened which scars her so much from her childhood, however never exactly what it is until you come to a breaking point of your curiousity. In addition, it is shocking, yet realistic. It’s not like its just one shock either; it’s more like a series of electric jolts then what happen afterwards. I’ve heard some complaints that the white pine selection does not have enough hope and too much depression; however, Natalie finally overcomes all her hidden emotional cuts and moves beyond. The hope is secure and inspiring. I actually cried a bit too at one point. Now to me, crying means that it is one good book.

The next book I’ve finished was Gravity Journal. Now this one had some potential, with a great topic of anorexia and self-mutilation, no matter how dark it may seem. However, I would have liked to read a bit more of her life before she checked into the mental ward, to understand more fully why she chooses to destroy her self in these ways. I think it would explain a lot more and a deeper connection with Anise. Although I did think it was a good look at the lives of those who are easily overlooked by our society by shame, ignorance or doubt.

Now I am moving on to Chanda’s Wars, which so far looks like a completely different book from the first two I’ve read. And looks amazing so far!

(Oh and Capt. Holly Short shouldn’t complain about being an elf when she actually is one – and not a vampire as she might wish =P And stop being so pesstimistic too. I mean, give the books SOME credit they deserve for actually being published and all.)

7 down...

2009-01-14T12:41:00.003-05:00

Alright, so having just finished my 7th book, I have a good idea of who I'm voting for (based on what i've previously read).

In the winner's circle is Gravity Journal, Dooley Takes The Fall, and Gotcha!.

Gravity Journal dealt with real issues in a manner that was fully believable, with no super happy ending, but satisfies while leaving enough vagueness to hope for a sequel.

Dooley Takes The Fall is a McClintock, and I've favoured her mysteries for years. This book is a nice escape from the Chloe and Levesque series McClintock had been writing for sometime, and surprised me not with just it's depth, but the twists and turns that tie tightly together (alliteration noted and intended) by the end.

Gotcha! I've already discussed, so I won't go into detail, but it's from an interesting perspective.

My bottom of the barrel consists of Daughter of War, which seemed like a huge plea for a forgotten horror in mankind's history. It would have been good, if it hadn't kept repeating how devastating the scenes around them were. I got it the first ten times, no need to feed me with twenty different examples of how well you can describe the chaos around you.

Another bottom barrel bookclub member is Tweaked, which I already described my frustration with the main character, and how he handled his situations. As I already said, the storyline just seemed too easy to get riled up about.

Over and out.
Linkus

P.S. I hear Chanda's War is amazing, looking forward to Little Brother, and unsure as to what to anticipate from After River

2009-01-07T11:37:00.002-05:00

I finished Gotcha! over the holiday, and thought it was an amazing read. Not only does it deal with teenage issues such as friendship, cliques, bullying and parent break-ups, it also depicts the pitfalls of a gambling addiction. The whole concept of a game which has been banned, for good reason, by school administration, is very interesting. All in all it was a realistic portrayal of the problems that ensued when the game quickly became out of control. Highly recommended!

2 down...

2008-12-18T16:02:00.002-05:00

So at this point I've finished Tweaked and Gotcha!. Between the two of them, I enjoyed the latter much more than the former.

All I wanted to do was beat senseless the main character of Tweaked... I think it could have been better if the main character had been younger, to the point where he doesn't fully understand what is going on. It would have made the story more compelling, and much more emotional (i.e. less angry) than with a brother close in age. Worst of all was the ending. It was such an obvious twist, it made me want to throw up. Reminded me of when I predicted the twist in M. Night Shyamalan's movie, The Village.

As for Gotcha!, it had a good storyline, with some great twists. But there were parts where I was just yelling at Katie (the main character) that she is an idiot. Especially the part where her dad shows up quickly (trying not to leak any info to those who have yet to read it). I wish they would have had some of the students go much further into the game than they did (it did get down to the last 45 pretty quickly), and the relationships were fairly well developed. The ending was particularly good, mainly due to it's reality: not all things were fixed, but not everything was left broken.

I get the joys of reading The Corps... (etc etc) over the holidays, but am feeling a little wary, now that I've read some of your thoughts on it. :S

New Book

2008-12-18T11:02:00.000-05:00

Alright, so I'm going to be reading Daughter of War over the Christmas break, and I'm hoping that I can (at last) find a White Pine book that I really like .... can someone give me a little insight as to what the books like?

Thanks!
~Capt. Holly Short~

2008-12-17T13:30:00.002-05:00

Mustang Sally here again! I finished Mountain Girl River Girl last night and I found it really revealing about what life is like in China. At first I thought it was set a little while in the past, but when they referred to the Olympics in Beijing, I realized the horrible conditions of the common people is still very much going on. The story touches on the treatment of women, government restrictions, poverty, prostitution and sweat shops. I was pretty skepitical about the whole 'fox stink' issue, but after reading the author's blurb at the back, was surprised to hear that it is an actual condition. Anyway, an interesting read...

2008-12-15T11:25:00.001-05:00

The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane
I don’t know who picked the cover for this book because it sure gives a different impression of the contents. I was expecting a riproaring adventure with maybe a few bodies. What I got was a story of an eccentric uncle who has isolated himself on his island for years and knows nothing about teenage girls or life in general. The girls themselves were brought up in very different ways and their only commonality is they have both lost their parents. As for the old lady who comes to be the cook what is all that about? It is four characters in search of a plot . Miss Horvath attempted to weave the story lines together and came up with a sweater with three arms. You can wear it but do you want to?

Book Thoughts

2008-12-15T11:21:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading Dooley Takes The Fall .... And I have to say that I'm really disappointed overall with the book selection this year. It makes me really sad because last years was fantastic ... I'm going to keep reading (my goal is read all the books this year) because I'm holding out hope for a book that I actually LIKE. So far, Gravity Journal was OK. Gotcha! wasn't bad either. If the worst comes to pass, it'll be one of those two that gets my vote.

Signed,
A Very Disgruntled
~Capt. Holly Short~

Dooley Takes The Fall

2008-12-12T20:00:00.003-05:00

Me again...
I finished reading Dooley Takes a fall last night. Here's my thoughts on the book: IT WAS AWESOME! This book was about a boy named Ryan Dooley. Dooley, as he prefers, lives with his uncle and attends a new school. Throughout most of the book, the reader is trying to figure out why Dooley is living with his uncle, why everyone at school is afraid of him and what happened in his past. At the start of the book, Dooley finds the dead body of a boy from school. The rest of the book follows Dooley as he tries to solve the death of the boy from school, with the involvement of the police. Along the way, he meets Beth, the dead boy's sister, whom Dooley has a crush on. As well, many characters, major and minor are introduced. The reader also gets to terms with Dooley's past. The ending of the book takes a twisted and unpredictable turns. I could not put down this book once I started reading.
Today, I took out The Corps of The Bare-Boned Plane and just got into it. The book has absolutely nothing to do with the front cover. So far, so good! I'll keep updating throughout the weekend. Ciao

2008-12-10T18:35:00.003-05:00

And I'm back! Just gonna finish up on my last post. And I'm sure most of you have read some of the books so I won't bother outlining the plots
Little Brother: overall the book was... ok. I didn't really understand alot of the technological aspect of the book. Little Brother didn't really keep me on an 'edge' like i thought it would. The book was fairly long and I had some trouble getting through it. What I like about the book is the title. Weird, I know. After reading the book I found that the plot was very similar to George Orwell's 1984(one of my favourtie books in the world). In 1984, there is someone called Big Brother that watches over everyone in the book. Thus the tile, Little Brother. As I said before, the book was ok but not one of my favourites this year.

Gravity Journal: I thought gravity journal was a bit too whiney for me. I mean, I know she's going through a tough time and stuff but it seems like she brought on that stuff herself. Anise thought she could make everything better if she did something about it. She can't change everything and she has a hard time realizing that. I generally like to read books about topics like depression, self-mutilation, anerexia/bulmia, drug/alcohol abuse, and so on, but Gravity Journal just didn't make the cut for me. It was a quick read though.

Tweaked: I actually really liked tweaked. I thought the author put a good spin on the topic of drug abuse by getting a family member's perspective. It just made the story seem more real, and even sadder. I aslo liked the ending because it wasn't your usual drug abuse book. Overall I really liked it.

Like I said before, I am currently about half way through Dooley Takes a Fall. I like it so far because it's a sort of mystery type book. Feel free to make comments or give your opinions on books!

2008-12-10T17:26:00.002-05:00

hey guys, welcome back to this year's White Pine Book Club! I do have to agree that this year's book is really dark. I've read Gravity Journal, Tweaked, Gotcha!, After River, Little Brother and I am currently reading Dooley takes a fall. I have to say my favourite book so far would be After River. It is a fantastic book about love, family, relationships and everything you would find in a book. Reading After River, I fell in love (corny, I know), I cried and just about every emotion there possibly is. After river is a love story, and a mystery. I would definately recommend to EVERYONE (yes even boys)! Here's my thoughts on the other books:

Gotcha!: From other members' posts you will probably know the plot of Gotcha!, so I'll spare you the bore of reading it again. When i first saw the cover of Gotcha!, I immediately thought to myself that this was going to be one of 'those books'. You know, the teenage-chick-with the bright cover type of book. As i was reading it, I never gave it too much thought about the novel. But! After reading it i founf that there was so many issues covered in that book that are present in everyday life. Such as conformity, trust, competitiveness and so many others. Gotcha! was a nice, fun, light read.

Gotta go, dinner! I'll be back to talk about the other books!

Thoughts on Book Selection

2008-12-10T13:58:00.003-05:00

I have thus far read Gravity Journal, Mountain Girl River Girl, and Gotcha! and I have to say that I am not impressed with this years selection of books. Gripe #1 - NO FANTASY. I understand that its not a genre that all love, but many do. Pretty please include just one fantasy in the selection? Gripe #2, and this is the major one - the books are so DARK! I dont mean just dark as in death, but I;m talking about the pits of humanity, the lowest of the lows of human existance. In Gravity Journal, you have Anise, who deals with depression, self-mutilation and anorexia; the end holds hope but no promise. In Gotcha! Katie's life goes horribly awry between the banned game of Gotcha, the lengths players will go to, and the whole mess of her family life. Mountain Girl River Girl I simply despise. The writing is choppy, alternating between Pan-pan and Shui-lian's points of view at crucial moments, causing the flow of the story to be hard to hold. In addition, this novel is also incredibly dark; including running away, forced marriage, prostitution, homelessness, gang rape, social stigma and crushed hope. The one chance where it might have been redeemed - the end - I was bitterly disappointed. There is no hope for the future for these two girls. There is no epilogue or note on how their lives turned out ... for all the readers know, they were both beaten, raped, robbed, murdered, and left in a ditch! Can I please, please, PLEASE hear from someone that there is at least one White Pine novel for 2008-2009 that will not depress me? Enough of eating disorders, depression, war, rebellion, rape, strife, and suffering....
~ Capt. Holly Short~

Gotcha!

2008-12-10T09:02:00.002-05:00

I just finished reading Gotcha last night...it's basically about Katie, a straight A, popular member of student council who is part of a traditional grad game-"Gotcha!" The prinicipal bans it for being too dangerous, so they take the game underground. Things go into a downward spiral for Katie, who also has family problems to sort out.

There are plot twists galore in this book, and a brush with expulsion...but just when it seems like it can't get any worse-there's a happy ending! I really enjoyed this book!

tweaked

2008-12-09T22:38:00.003-05:00

Tweaked, I just stared this book today and I'm about half through it, it's an easy read. Through his brother going to jail and his brothers dealers coming after him, his kid brother.To his parents selling everything they can to bail his brother out of jail for being stung out and bashing a guy over the head with a beer bottle. To his secret crush. This is defiantly a book to read and just to think I'm only half done. Check it out

2008-11-27T09:28:00.002-05:00

Mustang Sally here again - I just finished After River. I really enjoyed reading this novel, and liked the twists and turns the author weaves into the story. Ultimately, it is a story of family love, mistakes made, reconnecting and redemption - very moving and hard to put down.

2008-11-24T13:01:00.002-05:00

It has been quite a wait but the new White Pine reads are here and I wasted no time at all getting started.

The first book I read was the Gravity Journal by Gail Sidonie Sobat.

It is the story of a young anorexic girl , Anise, written in journal form. It is a great read and a close look into the darkness of the journey many girls/boys take when self destruction takes the driver's seat.The simple assumption that the only problem anorexics have is not eating is dispelled in Anise's journey through depression, purging, and cutting . I learned a lot from Anise 's journal, including the fact that there is hope.

Little Brother

2008-11-22T15:11:00.003-05:00

The white pine books are looking good this year. I've just finished reading Little Brother. I thought it was a decent book. Many technological aspects that got confusing at times. But it was good read and a nice story to follow.

2008-11-21T16:06:00.007-05:00

Hello all White Pine Book Club members for 2008-9!
We are off to a great start with over 40 students signed up already!So now we can start discussing the books...I've just finished Gravity Journal - Life is hardly worth living for Anise. After all, she is in an institution for anorexia and self-cutting, her brother is a druggie, her parents are loathsome and witless, and she's falling in love with a guy who is bi-polar. Well, the darker the better for me, so I loved it!