Horror Aficionados discussion
This topic is about
Bird Box
Buddy Reads
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Buddy Read-Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Sad to admit, but I haven't either. Looks interesting, so I might have to join you. :-D
Oh please do! The more the scarier. ;)
Enjoy - it's a good one!
Heehee! :)Thanks!
I'm about 15% in already. (I was supposed to be reading this with some other people, but they backed out.) I like this premise, though I admit it's hard to completely suspend my disbelief. But I'm going with it. I love the way it's written-I do love most of what I have read from this author.
I was going to offer to slow my reading down so we could all be around the same pace, but that got shot to hell when I was reading today at lunch. I just got notice that the latest Murderbot book came in for me at the library, so I figured I would read BIRD BOX at lunch and then set it aside and read Murderbot. I don't think I'll be doing that now.
I'm at 27% and (view spoiler)
I'm about halfway through! Enjoying it so far. Is anyone else coming?
I was going to try and start it tomorrow or Saturday. :-)
Last night I would have finished but I fell asleep! I'm at around 85% and the tension is so thick I can hardly stand it!
Holy moly, I can't put this book down! Love how Malerman hooks you from the start. Really enjoying it so far.
Mod
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What's in the box? Well.....
I love this book! I hope you guys are enjoying it.
Vickie wrote: "Holy moly, I can't put this book down! Love how Malerman hooks you from the start. Really enjoying it so far."I'm glad you're enjoying it so far, Vickie!
Finished, and OMGness!!! What a fantastic, thrilling read! The psychological terror...holy crap. LOVED it!
Matthew wrote: "Enjoy - it's a good one!"
Ha, I love that movie!
Bird Box is coming to Netflix, as a movie, starring Sandra Bullock: https://www.netflix.com/title/80196789
Vickie wrote: "Finished, and OMGness!!! What a fantastic, thrilling read! The psychological terror...holy crap. LOVED it!"I liked it and thought it was well written and tension filled, if not quite believable. I was wondering why (view spoiler)
Also, when (view spoiler)
Erin wrote: "Matthew wrote: "Enjoy - it's a good one!"
Ha, I love that movie!
Bird Box is coming to Netflix, as a movie, starring Sandra Bullock: https://www.netflix.com/title/80196789"
Yes, thanks. That was why I finally decided to read this book I've owned for years. Because, as we all know, you have to read the book before you see the movie. ;)
Char wrote: "Vickie wrote: "Finished, and OMGness!!! What a fantastic, thrilling read! The psychological terror...holy crap. LOVED it!"I liked it and thought it was well written and tension filled, if not qui..."
Oh yes, totally agree with what you said. Yeah if I had to complain, (view spoiler)
Read it..nor particularly impressed...now I see its a movie...
I'm so, so late to this. I will be so glad when the holidays are over. Anyway, I haven't finished the book yet, but I am definitely hooked. Now I just need to find some time to actually read it! (I'm new here, by the way, so hi folks).I bought the book ages ago, based on numerous recommendations from readers over at Book Riot. I'm not a huge horror fan. Or, rather, I should say I am not a broad horror fan--I'm into atmospheric stuff like haunted house stories and things that are mysterious and creepy versus gory and extreme. This one seems very mysterious in a good way. I have a kid who is only a year older than the children in the book, so I'm already on edge.
Jeff McIntosh wrote: "Read it..nor particularly impressed...now I see its a movie..."You gave it 4 stars but you weren't impressed? I too gave it 4 stars and I was impressed. :)
I saw the trailer last night during The Walking Dead. The film looks pretty good.
~Geektastic~ wrote: "I'm so, so late to this. I will be so glad when the holidays are over. Anyway, I haven't finished the book yet, but I am definitely hooked. Now I just need to find some time to actually read it! (I..."I'm excited to hear what you think of it!
I finished this one a couple of weeks ago. It was a pretty solid read, although the lead girl made me mad a couple of times lol. I'm interested to see how the movie is.
KilljoyEQB wrote: "I finished this one a couple of weeks ago. It was a pretty solid read, although the lead girl made me mad a couple of times lol. I'm interested to see how the movie is."Yes, me too... very curious how the movie will turn out. :-)
Ok, so I'm almost at the end, but I had to take a breather when I got to the part with (view spoiler). For whatever reason, that stressed me out way more than the "creatures" or other unseen things.
So I finished it. On my phone, at my desk at work, because it had its hooks in me good.Wow, what a ride. It may not be totally "believable" but Malerman really knows how to tap into the kind of panic you would be subject to if you were unable to see the world around you or know the "enemy". I kept thinking, what would I do if I had to try to get my kid, who is just slightly older than Mallory's, to safety? I'm like 99% sure we'd never make it.
Agreed! I was panicking just reading what Mallory was feeling. I would most likely never even get into a boat blindfolded!I'm looking forward to the film which comes to Netflix on the 21st.
I think that Sandra Bullock is a little bit old for this role, but she's such a good actress, I have no doubt she'll pull it off.
Does anyone else here plan to watch the film?
I agree too. And, yes, I also plan to watch the film. Can't wait to see what it's like! I love Sandra Bullock, and even though she's older, I agree with you Char, she will be great!
Cool! It would also be cool if we popped back in here to share our thoughts after we've seen it? I hope you can. :)
Char wrote: "Agreed! I was panicking just reading what Mallory was feeling. I would most likely never even get into a boat blindfolded!I'm looking forward to the film which comes to Netflix on the 21st.
I th..."
I'm hoping to watch the movie. I struggle with films that have this level of tension because of my anxiety (it's easier to skim/skip/take breathers with books) but since I have an idea of how it turns out, I think I'm going to give it a go. I need to talk my husband into watching it with me--he likes The Walking Dead and I feel like there are some similarities between Bird Box and what zombie stories are trying to do.
~Geektastic~ wrote: "Char wrote: "Agreed! I was panicking just reading what Mallory was feeling. I would most likely never even get into a boat blindfolded!I'm looking forward to the film which comes to Netflix on th..."
I totally get where you're coming from. I'm much better dealing with horrors in books than in films, or in real life for that matter.
My main concern is the suspension of disbelief. It was relatively easy to believe while reading, I'm not sure I'll be able to do that with film.
It'll be interesting to see how they portray people seeing things that drive them into killing frenzies, but that the film can't show? Or maybe they'll show something?
Char wrote: " ~Geektastic~ wrote: "Char wrote: "Agreed! I was panicking just reading what Mallory was feeling. I would most likely never even get into a boat blindfolded!I'm looking forward to the film which ..."
Yeah, I'm wondering how they are going to show the outside world. Will the "creatures" always just be outside of frame? Will it be sort of close-3rd-person filming? I hope they can avoid showing us anything substantial--the whole thing really hinges on not knowing and allowing the imagination to run wild.
Exactly! I pray they don't show any creatures and keep us on the edge of our seat of what's outside the character's peripheral vision, so to speak. :-)Oh, and I love The Walking Dead! :-D
Corinne wrote: "Doesn't help make any more sense to me about what the "creatures" are but the author said:"fleeing from infinity because they can't look at it, they can't comprehend it, they can't try to compr..."
You're right...that doesn't really help to clear anything up, does it?
I will say if these unnamed things were shown, or described or had a defined shape or classification, this book would have been nowhere near as scary. To be honest, I don't want to know what they were.
Maybe that doesn't even make sense, but that's how I feel about.
If, indeed, the creatures are "incomprehensible" (unless you're (view spoiler)), then showing them makes the horror kind of impossible. If *we* the audience can see them and survive, then the whole thing falls apart.The book reminds me of Stephen King's short story "The Jaunt," where seeing the infinity (or something incomprehensible) that lies between two points for instantaneous space travel has a similar effect. That story is probably still my favorite of King's short works.
Corinne wrote: "What the author said doesn't make sense ... [spoilers removed]"I've wondered that myself. The only clue the author gave was the few times the characters speculate that if you were already insane, the creatures might not affect you. I'm assuming (view spoiler), but that's a generous interpretation and maybe giving Malerman a pass for laziness. On the other hand, the fact that we don't have a clear explanation for it does make it a bit creepier.
As for the blindfold thing, I really don't know how to interpret it. We never got enough interaction with the outside world to determine any good rules for physical contact or how the creatures move, their size...anything, really.
~Geektastic~ wrote: "Corinne wrote: "What the author said doesn't make sense ... [spoilers removed]"I've wondered that myself. The only clue the author gave was the few times the characters speculate that if you were..."
That was the thought I had about Gary as well. (view spoiler)
I'm interested in the movie too, though not as much as some of you. There was a lot I liked about the book, and there were some fantastic scenes, but overall I was disappointed. I never felt anything was clear regarding the threat, and I guess my suspension of disbelief wasn't as high as it needed to be. I'm honestly not sure how it will work as a movie and play to audiences in general without showing anything. I am looking forward to seeing some of the scenes though.
Michael wrote: "I'm interested in the movie too, though not as much as some of you. There was a lot I liked about the book, and there were some fantastic scenes, but overall I was disappointed. I never felt anythi..."I totally get where you're coming from, Michael.
Just wondering if anyone watched the movie, and if so, your thoughts?
Yes, I did-the night it premiered. I thought it was good and that Sandra Bullock was amazing.
What did you think?
Yes, I liked it too, but of course as usual, I prefer the detailed book over the movie. Sometimes it bothers me when they change up the movie too much. And I agree, the movie wasn't nearly as suspenseful as the book. Sandra was great as well, she always is. :-)
I was filled with tension while watching, but I do balk when things differ from the book. (Actually, I was glad that they didn't go into what happened with the dogs.)
Yay!