Before You Sleep/Some Will Not Sleep by Adam Nevill

[Vickie]

Ginger wrote: "Vickie wrote: "Just finished that one too and my thoughts exactly! Instead of being scary, they are just freakishly weird and sometimes very gross. ;-) I can't wrap my head around what kind of brai..."

Yes, it did seem that way, didn't it? SO bizarre...

[Lisa]

OK...just finished Doll Hands. WTF. (view spoiler)[ Were some people alive following some catastrophe or degradation of society, and mutated, and feeding on others? It was so odd the way that Doll Hands kept repeatedly describing his own head. (hide spoiler)] I really liked the first few that I read (Angels, Florrie, my faves, The Ancestors was pretty good), but the last few have been so weird. Twisted without being relatable at all, and hard to even figure out what’s happening. I appreciate being made to work a little bit, but when I have no idea what the situation really is or what it was caused by, it takes me out of the story. I think Nevill fancies himself artful with this tactic, but it’s losing me a bit...

[Vickie]

Wow, Lisa, that is the best way to sum up my thoughts exactly. Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading Ancestors, but I agree, it's getting harder and harder to read. I'll stick it out, but holy moly, some of these are rough!

[Ginger]

Lisa wrote: "OK...just finished Doll Hands. WTF. [spoilers removed] I really liked the first few that I read (Angels, Florrie, my faves, The Ancestors was pretty good), but the last few have been so weird. Twis..."

You nailed it Lisa. I'm thinking the same thing and it looks like Vickie is as well.
The stories in the middle of the book have just been so weird and I'm not sure what the point is for the short story. I know Nevill is super creative but that creativity needs some sort of focus or game plan as well.

[Ginger]

I just finished up To Forget and Be Forgotten.
It was going well and had potential until the end. I just didn't really understand all of the (view spoiler)[old ladies (wives), old man and kids in the jar at the end. Wha?! lol
He could of taken this another way and the story would have been so much better. Like ghosts, vampires or something equally scary. (hide spoiler)]

[Ginger]

I've got Ancestors and Florrie up next. Looking forward to reading those!

[Vickie]

To Forget and Be Forgotten... WHAT?!?! HUH?!?! My head is starting to hurt, lol. Moving on to The Ancestors and praying things get better. :-)

[Lisa]

Thanks, ladies :) It seems like we're all on the same page (haha). I'm dying to ready your spoiler, Ginger, but I didn't finish To Forget yet. Neville definitely has a great imagination, but, yes, really needs to dial it in a bit. He reminds me of Stephen King a bit with the way he goes down a rambling path, but SK has a real skill for it - I don't usually feel confused or disinterested when he does it.

[Ginger]

Lisa wrote: "Thanks, ladies :) It seems like we're all on the same page (haha). I'm dying to ready your spoiler, Ginger, but I didn't finish To Forget yet. Neville definitely has a great imagination, but, yes, ..."

I can totally see that Lisa. SK definitely will ramble in some of his books. The creativity is there for both of them and they are very similar with that.
I think that's why I like Nevill because he does have some great ideas and writing. Just needs some focus with some of these stories.

[Ginger]

Well, I just finished up The Ancestors and really liked that one! So I agree with you on that short story Lisa.
(view spoiler)[I liked all of the toys along with the parents finding all the body parts in the chimneys. I'm guessing the toys decided to make some more body parts at the end. Ha!
Do you think Maho was a ghost of another child that use to live in the house? (hide spoiler)]
This was creepy, good and had direction! :D

[Ginger]

Vickie wrote: "To Forget and Be Forgotten... WHAT?!?! HUH?!?! My head is starting to hurt, lol. Moving on to The Ancestors and praying things get better. :-)"

I thought the same thing Vickie! HUH?!! The ending ruined the whole story for me because it had promise with a security guard who's a loner working in a strange building with a bunch of old people.

[Vickie]

Now Ancestors was creepy good! That one I enjoyed. Maho definitely seemed to be a spirit to me, I'm just not sure she was a good one. :-)

[Lisa]

OK, just finished "To Forget..." Again, WTF. I thought this one had promise too, and then it escalated into a strange mess, where I didn't know what was going on. It also reminded me a tad of House of Small Shadows, with the gruesome descriptions of insane elderly people. I mean, what was going on there, and for what purpose? What's with the vestigial wings?

Ancestors is good, and I like the idea of Maho as the ghost of a child. Creepy, and gave me that panicky feeling again of wanting them to escape.

[Vickie]

Lisa wrote: "OK, just finished "To Forget..." Again, WTF. I thought this one had promise too, and then it escalated into a strange mess, where I didn't know what was going on. It also reminded me a tad of House..."

Yeah, I have no idea. And the things in the jars, WTH? Weird. I just realized I didn't do the spoiler thing in my previous comment. Did it from my Android, so not sure how to do that. ???

[Ginger]

Vickie wrote: "Yeah, I have no idea. And the things in the jars, WTH? Weird. I just realized I didn't do the spoiler thing in my previous comment. Did it from my Android, so not sure how to do that. ??? "

Hey, no worries Vickie. We seem to all be at the same pace with finishing this up. :D

[Ginger]

Lisa wrote: "OK, just finished "To Forget..." Again, WTF. I thought this one had promise too, and then it escalated into a strange mess, where I didn't know what was going on. It also reminded me a tad of House..."

Right! It had promise and then went towards a confusing end. Yeah, I can see the similarties with that short story and House of Small Shadows. Maybe Nevill has a fear of old people or just getting old? haha

[Lisa]

Vickie, I'm trying to type how you can hide spoilers if you want, but, it doesn't remain visible, it just hides the spoiler. Doh! Let's see if I can send it to you in a message...

[Vickie]

Lisa wrote: "Vickie, I'm trying to type how you can hide spoilers if you want, but, it doesn't remain visible, it just hides the spoiler. Doh! Let's see if I can send it to you in a message..."

Got it, Lisa, thanks a bunch!

[Vickie]

Well I'm finished now, phew! Age of Entitlement was a little different, not necessarily the creepy horror story, but more like a psychological thriller. Still, I enjoyed it. But I really liked Florrie, that was good and spooky. :-) I also skimmed the last chapter, About These Horrors, where Nevill explains some of the stories and where they came from, so that was pretty interesting. All in all, I'm glad I read the collection. Nevill is becoming a fast favorite of mine, and I look forward to reading some of his longer fiction stories. Thanks for the buddy read ladies!

[Lisa]

Vickie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Vickie, I'm trying to type how you can hide spoilers if you want, but, it doesn't remain visible, it just hides the spoiler. Doh! Let's see if I can send it to you in a message..."

Go..."

:) you bet

[Lisa]

I hope to finish tonight - I'm about halfway through Age of Entitlement. I'm game for another buddy read in Oct, too! Maybe something that does double duty in the Chills and Thrills Challenge... :)

[Ginger]

I also finished Vickie! I enjoyed the last stories as well.
I'll have to do a review on this and say what stories I liked the best.
I enjoyed Where Angels Come In, The Original Occupant, Yellow Teeth (just because it brought out all of my hoarding fears! hahaha), The Ancestors and Florrie (that old house and how it possessed Frank was fantastic!!).

[Ginger]

Thanks for another great Nevill BR ladies! I have so much fun doing this with you both. I would be open to another BR in October but maybe by the middle of October.
The library decided to unhold 3 books at the same time and they are all due in a month. Jesus...LOL
And I can't renew them since they are all new and published this year. *sigh*
So, I've got to finish those before I can take on another BR.

[Lisa]

I just finished too - didn't realize how close I was :) "Entitlement" was OK, but again, I was left with questions as to what caused their bleak surroundings. Was it just post-war, or was it futuristic, post-apocalyptic conditions? I liked Florrie the best, with other favorites being Angels, Occupant, Ancestors, and I did like the creepy dread that Yellow Teeth brought. And it was a nice, gruesome ending ;) Thank you both - I had a great time reading with you ladies. Ginger, you sound just like me with library issues...I need help ;) Either of you feel free to holler at me when you're ready for the next one!

[Ginger]

Lisa wrote: "Either of you feel free to holler at me when you're ready for the next one!
"

Sounds good! I should be ready sometime by the middle of October. Yeah, putting holds on library books always gets me into trouble. hahaha

[Vickie]

I pretty much liked all the same ones too. And, yes Lisa, I believe Nevill said (in that last chapter) that Enlightenment was post-apocalyptic. :-) I am definitely in for another BR in October! I actually work in a library but not a public one, lol, so vent away. ;-) It's a high school library at a private school, so if I don't have a book in stock, then I just get it on my Kindle. I have yet to ever use a public library (mainly because I'm too impatient to wait on books- haha). Thanks again ladies, this was fun!!

[Melanie]

I couldn't join this one but let me know when the next Nevill BR is and I'll be in too.

[Lisa]

Sounds good, Melanie!

[Lisa]

Vickie wrote: "I pretty much liked all the same ones too. And, yes Lisa, I believe Nevill said (in that last chapter) that Enlightenment was post-apocalyptic. :-) I am definitely in for another BR in October! I a..."

Vickie, good recommendation on the Afterword. It was really interesting, I liked getting that insight.

[Ginger]

Melanie wrote: "I couldn't join this one but let me know when the next Nevill BR is and I'll be in too."

Sounds great Melanie!! :D