| Title | : | Nana |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 120 |
| Publication | : | First published March 25, 2021 |
Meet Olly’s nana, Ivy. It takes more than clean dentures, brandy, and bingo night to keep this one happy! Nana Ivy lives in Newhaven Crescent, where most of the other residents are past their expiry date and all kinds of batshit crazy, the kind of place where you hang your sanity up at the door.
Being the matriarchal type, Ivy cares for the other residents as though they were kin, so of course, it’s of enormous concern when their veins begin to blacken and they start shedding skin, not to mention the glistening things crawling out of their hair.
They’re pushing their luck, and Nana Ivy knows it.
Did I mention she has a dark secret?
Young Olly doesn’t know what to make of it when he comes to visit, but he’s about to find out there’s more to his nana than cough drops and slippers. Oh yes, he’s in for a long night.
Nana Reviews
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Wow, wow, wow! I was taken by complete surprise by this one! The story was very original, entertaining and stunningly horrific. The entire first portion of the book, I’m questioning all of the creepiness from Edith, Janet, Benjamin and the whole crew of sadistic inhabitants of New Haven Crescent. Poor Alex had to go through so much here! The dialogue from the seniors was just a perfect balance of creepy and scary, especially putting yourself in a young child’s position. I must admit that Harry’s initial introduction with Alex had me laughing quite a bit though. And as you’re trying to figure out where everything is headed, the story just progresses and things become worse and worse, ending up being something much bigger than I could have imagined. But I loved the premise, how everything flowed, the characters, the gross details, and just all of it, topped off with an awesome writing style. From one horror author to another…bravo!!
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4.5 stars
This was my Halloween read😬. Horror is not my usual genre but once I started this novella I couldn’t put it down.
It was a good creepy story.
Told mostly in Ollys pov,it takes him down a path to the point where he doesn’t know who to trust when it comes to his own family.
One minute he’s spending the night with his Nana at the seniors centre and the next minute he’s living his worst nightmare.
Not to mention what happened to Alex and his Mums boyfriend.
Definitely a very twisted spooky story which had my attention from beginning to end.
If an author can do that then the story was worth reading. -
Olly is visiting his grandmother overnight, not what the twelve-year-old would prefer to be doing. But spending a wild evening with a cast of senior weirdos provides much more excitement and, ultimately, dread than Ollie had expected. Alcohol, nudity, nasty gas, bad jokes and a horned shadow in the background bring the night to a bloody crescendo. This is a fast-paced novella that delivers chills and queasy hints of foreboding to a very bizarre party of gore.
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'Naughty Nana goes nuts!'
A great little horror story containing plenty of chillingly tactile moments which entertained from start to finish.
Young Olly is packed off for an overnight stay with Nana Ivy while his parents spend the evening trying to patch up their marital problems. Unknown to Olly, his Nana has an action-packed evening planned for him which involves a talent show starring all the old folk from Newhaven Crescent plus one or two 'live' extra bonus acts which could possibly turn out to be dark, black and downright nasty. All is not as it seems, but will Olly and paperboy Alex survive the night and live to see the light...of dawn?
Yes, plenty of creepy, sinister vibes in this highly unusual tale, and not even a zombie in sight!
What I need now is a nice big slice of cherry pie to celebrate - and to also thank all the old folks for their warm welcome which made the evening, and ultimately this read, such a great success.
Most definitely a night to remember!
Rating: 4.2 bright stars, born from the world of yesteryear (maybe). -
Horror Bookworm Reviews
https://horrorbookwormreviews.com/
Olly is preparing for a visit to his Nana’s home. Although the weird smells and bizarre behavior make it the usual awkward visit, the young boy’s parents insist so they can work on their problematic marriage. Newhaven Crescent is a lovely little community where everyone is welcome and social gatherings are a common occurrence. Its close-knit elderly populace is one where everybody knows each other’s name and neighbors look out for each other. However, at closer look this “Stepford” community seems to manifest a slightly ominous presence. It possesses a surreal appearance, partakes in strange endeavors and has an unusual connection to a list of missing persons.
Author Mark Towse offers up a disturbing novella encircled with an aroma of rotting flesh and perfume. His book, Nana, is heavy on leaky skin freaks, uncomfortable offbeat humor and enough uneasy moments to fill a ritual scene from the movie Midsommar. With a combination of skin crawling storylines and outlandish imagery, uneasiness ebbs and flows throughout each chapter. These blood-stained pages unfold with a perfect balance of sore infested storytelling and drug induced surrealism. Youth and vigor clash with the weak and fragile making this book a gut-turning kaleidoscope of a good time.
Nana’s famous fresh baked cherry pie is the grist for the gossip mill, it professes to be available at all times and always promises something special inside each and every delicious bite. After all…Nana knows what’s best for you…me…and the reader. A five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Book Recommendation. -
Hmm....
Ok, so this was a different take on senior citizens! No beloved senior citizens in this book! Only seniors from hell, literally!! All in all, a good read -
Wow, what a truly disturbing read. This was a great debut from a talented author. Mark Towse sets the stage from the beginning that something just isn't right. The further this story goes, the stranger it becomes, until the end when all hell breaks loose. Olly's Nana seems a little off, as do the rest of the old folks in the community, but Towse does a great job to string the reader along. The end of this story is wild, but definitive. A great debut novella.
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“𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗺, 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗹 - 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁.”
Mark was kind enough to send me a digital copy of his book 𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗔.
IMMEDIATELY, my first thought was what the eff did I get myself into?!?
There’s two things that creep me right out in horror: creepy kids and creepy old people. Think the old lady in IT Chapter Two…. That alone is enough to give you nightmares for days.
𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗔 begins innocently enough with a young boy delivering papers to an elderly community. Except, every time a new character is introduced, I felt bile rising in my throat. How about a little “wee” dripping down that leg? I’ll raise you skin that looks like it’s melting off and black boils 🤢
Without giving too much away, this book took a turn that I didn’t see coming. The fricken talent show, are you kidding me? I didn’t know whether to laugh or gag for some of it. The toe nail guy, he gets a special shout-out.
Hey Mark, you’ve scarred me for life and I will never be able to look at a population of older people the same. Ever. Again.
This book was really fun and really vile. Mostly, that’s how I like my books. Because we all know 𝗡𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁.
5⭐️ -
When I was pregnant, my mother requested to be called Nana instead of Grandma. It helps her feel a bit gentler in her role and less aged I guess. So when I saw Mark Towse had written a piece of horror by the same name, I chuckled a bit. How scary can a grandma be? OMG! Towse’s 100-page horror novella is absolutely insane. It’s a heavy dose of everything people love about horror...shock, gore, barbarity. It will turn your stomach and raise your eyebrows. Towse writes scenes that you can’t unsee. The unease is intense. Nana is unlike any grandmother you have met, and my ability to eat cherry pie ever again without remembering this book remains highly unlikely.
Thank you to the author for complimentary access to the ebook in exchange for review. -
I have changed my rating not because I have spoken to Mark but because I have slept on this and whilst I seemed to have a sensitive stomach reaction to some of the content, that initial rating did not take into account the author's writing ability. Mark's writing was so good that it kept me going to the end. He really is an exceptional writer !
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wth did I just read. actually, I listened to it. I used 1.4 speed which is much slower than my usual 1.6-1.7.
anyways, I guess to children, old people can be creepy. just imagine if old people creepiness was real!!! lol. this story is equal parts humor and entertainment -
This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. Cool concept and great story.
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"She grabs four of the books and slides herself down the step, placing the stack in the centre of the first table. As she gets on with the business of delivering to each one, the face of her dead husband, Alf, flashes in her head, and she’s hit with a pang of sadness. Even after all this time, the pain is still raw, like a red-hot poker working at her insides. A lot of it is a blur, but she can still remember how weighty the knife felt as she began to work it across his neck."
Newhaven Crescent, where the elders live. Where the paperboy does not want to go. These old people creep him out, they are freaky, leaky, and crazy.
Going to grandma's house for an overnight visit is supposed to be exciting, but young Olly doesn't want to go, he despises the smell, "Nana stinks".
Right from the beginning, things are strange and the characters are kinky and kooky. Truly gave me a shiver down my spine. Nasty, naughty old people. Gross and disgusting on so many levels! I also found it humorous at times, these oldies had me chuckling with their naughty ways and fart infested homes. As the story unfolded things become darker, more disgusting and satisfyingly gory.
The imagery and characterization, the creepiness and disgusting attributes, all the grotesque and naughty bits, along with humorous moments gives this novella a perfect balance of horror goodness.
Loved it! -
When Olly has to spend the night at grandma Nana's place he doesn't want to, but has no choice. At least Nana always makes Olly his favorite fresh Cherry Pie. Nana lives at Newhaven Crescent with a bunch of other old residents who are all a bunch of weird gross freaky people. Olly wasn't sure what Nana had planned for entertainment, but it ends up being some creepy talent show that everyone has to perform in. By the end of the night, things take a bizarre scary turn for the worst, and has Olly wondering if he and Alex the paperboy will survive the night or is it all part of the show? Horrors abound in this one!
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This was trippy, creepy, good fun. My first by this author, but not my last.
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Jesus Christ this was a crazy one!
We follow Olly as he gets to spend a night at his grandmothers house and, well, it gets crazy from there!
I will say when I first started reading this the writing felt stiff but as it went on it started to loosen up. I was not expecting the story to take such a crazy turn. The author does a great job at showing how disturbing? crazy? unkempt? old people can be. They do such a great job at making you uncomfortable with their descriptions of all the old people. They also give each of the elderly a little something that makes them each different and this attention to detail is great.
Such a genuinely horrifying book I would highly suggest it to any horror fan! It definitely made me quite uncomfortable and queasy at parts! -
Nana is the debut novella of Mark Towse and it will make you screw your face up at how gross it gets, make you have to get tweezers to get your eyebrows out of your hairline when things get sideways and generally make you fear getting old.
I enjoyed the hell out if it, though. Do I regret starting it right before making dinner? YES. Mark Towse is too good with his descriptions. Too good. *cringes in remembrance* To sum it up as simply as possible as to avoid spoilers, the author takes the typical fear kids/young teens have of old folks (the saggy skin, hair in the wrong places, their smell) - harnesses it - cranks up the knob on the intensity dial and lets this story go. There was absolutely no way to know where it was going, but you literally can't help but to keep going to see.
Characters - remember when I said how good Mark Towse was with descriptions? It was of all the characters that he worked his magic (unfortunately? lol) Even with this being a novella and having a metric ton of characters, he managed to give them all their own personalities and described them in a way that made them stand out apart from one another.
Atmosphere - Man, I tell you, I could see the street where these folks lived and the little newspaper boy delivering papers and having these little small talk conversations. I also keep thinking I was getting a wiff of these geezers...but that could have been my dog's breath because he's been on a turd-eating kick lately and it's just been awful. I digress.
If you enjoy horror, especially horror that takes something you likely suffered at a kid by being a little leery and scared of old folks, you might would like this book too. I tell you though, if you weren't afraid of aging....you will be after this one! -
This was a creepy and fun read. I think it would have been even better if it had been told from one perspective (Olly, the MC) instead of multiple perspectives, that’s why I’m giving it 4 stars instead of five. Otherwise I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of this author’s work.
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I have very quickly come to love this author work and Nana is no exception!
I had never heard the term 'geriatric horror', but now I'm well versed in its disgusting grossness.
Nana is strange and twisted... but I could not put it down. -
Absolutely brilliant. Just the right amount of dark humour and toe curling imagery.
Highly recommended. -
Well.....that was disturbing! This is a short a story about Olly's nana....and she is no ordinary nana. This story was dark, humourous and...vivid to say the least. What a wonderfully twisted story! Mark Towse is one sick puppy!
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Well that was a wild ride! Mark sent me a copy in exchange for a review and it didn't disappoint! I was howling with laughter. Such a great story. A more in depth review to come on my blog at peaceandloveandveggies.com
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"Old people freak him out in a big way, make him feel unbearably uncomfortable. They're like an alien species to him, full of weird ways - and the smell - well, it's like someone has taken a bag of scented candy and pissed all over it."
Welp... I don't think I'll be making eye contact with my grandparents ever again.
You know when you read a book and just keep thinking 'is the author okay?' Or 'what's wrong with this author'? Well this is one of those times. But as we all know, those authors usually tell the best stories. And then when we enjoy those books we think 'what's wrong with me'?
I went into reading this completely blind. I read the synopsis ages ago and just thought: creepy old people; sounds like my kinda read. Well I really wasn't prepared for any of this book to be honest.
I won't lie, I'd kind of guessed early on what direction we were heading in. Kind of. Because while I was right, the story took some right weird turns to get there.
I really did enjoy this one and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. -
*Paperback
What the hell did I just read!? It’s a cross between a fever dream and Black Mirror. In fact, Black Mirror should make this an episode.
The story starts off with poor Alex, the 12 year old paperboy and his strange encounters with his customers along the paper route. Clearly something is going off about the people in his neighborhood.
There’s hyper sexual Harry and Alex’s encounter with Harry is so cringeworthy that I couldn’t help but laugh bc I was so uncomfortable reading it. Then just when I think Harry was the worst of the creepy neighbors…they just keep coming (but not in the way Harry would describe 🤣😂🤣).
Theres a neighbor who wants you to “guess how many” guess how many what you ask? Toenails…in a lunchbox. 🤮 Then the neighbor proceeds to say “they aren’t my toenails, that would be weird….” So many questions…but I don’t really want to know either lol. Despite “not wanting” to find out…I kept going. What in the…🤯
Some parts of the book were so insane that I was cracking up trying to read it aloud to my husband…his response “you read some weird sh!t.”
There was a lot packed into these 88 pages. If you wanna read some weird sh!t and/or you like Grady Hendrix but you wanna amp it up a bit…you should absolutely check this out. -
I am SO glad my grandmothers are long buried. I used to call them both Nana. This book wrecked that sweet memory for me forever. It's a quick read and you should read the book for yourself. You'll see. Don’t go into this one with sweet thoughts about your Nana. The book’s cover alone should be enough to warn you off of that. Equal measures of gross and funny went into this cherry pie of a tale.
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My own mortality was never on my mind as a child. Exuberance and life to the fullest for me. But the older I get the more I think about getting old. My own aging is disconcerting to me, but it doesn't hold a candle to the disturbing contents of Mark Towse's creepy debut novella.
Although I have fond memories of my grandparents, there is something subconsciously unnerving about old people. Here the fear of aging and the elderly is taken to the extreme. The story plays out mostly through the eyes of a 12 year old boy, trapped for the night in a suburban community where his Nana resides. There is something very wrong with residents, but the author allows the mystery to build until it reaches a breaking point in the final act. The book cycles through a large cast of characters in a relatively short amount of time, but I never felt lost or confused. Towse does a great job of painting them each with their own personalities and quirks. He also does a great job of describing the aging process in excessively gross ways. Thanks for the queasy stomach Mark!
I loved the restrained pacing of this one. It takes its time introducing you to the main characters as we follow the boy on his paper route around the community. Then we head off to a certain "community event" and that's when things really get wild. There are some moments that drag a little, but they are punctuated with enough shock and hilarity (seriously, laughed out loud in parts) that it didn't bother me too much. And the story builds to a climactic scene that simply has to be read to be believed. So get reading! -
Don’t mess with Nana!
“Our perception of Hell is based on horror movies. We have no idea what awaits on the other side...”
“Nana” by Mark Towse gets a 4 out of 5 stars.
Like every 12-year old, Olly is annoyed that he has to spend the night at his Nana’s house while his parents are out for a night to themselves. He thinks Nana’s house is smelly, weird and plain ‘ol boring. This particular night turns out to be beyond anyone’s imagination but important for Olly.
Aside from the weirdest “talent show” imaginable, the elderly residents of Newhaven Crescent are also known for their grotesque appearance. Each resident, including Nana, has their own strange quirks, but it all pieces together.
Towse serves up rotting grandma with musty perfume and cherry pie. There is some grotesque and skin crawling moments that will make you definitely go “ewww” and/or chuckle as the events that unfold. Overall, this is a fast-paced, entertaining novella that will make any one think twice about the cherry pie.
“IT GETS MY F*€KING GOAT!”
Please visit my GoodReads profile or instagram for more reviews. Thank you! -
Olly is less than thrilled to be spending the night at his Nana's. To make things even worse, the other seniors on Newhaven Crescent are putting on a talent show that very same night.
Olly is about to discover that the big finale isn't at all what he expected and the seniors, including his Nana, aren't as innocent or harmless as they seem.
What a gory and unexpected visit to Newhaven Crescent, home to a group of very unusual seniors. The humor, gore and strangeness really came together to make a great gross but interesting story.
I was expecting things to go in a different direction but was pleasantly surprised with how things ended up turning out.
Although the ending could have had a bit more action / gore / big finish, it was still a 5 oozing, dripping stars read for me.
