As some of you may know I love Stephen King! In fact I moderate the Stephen King Fans group on goodreads. I love to do it... it is so fun to chit chat about his books.
1. Salem's Lot. This was my first Stephen King book and totally got me into reading!
2. The Shinning. This is actually my second King book. I love this story. I remember reading it when I lived all alone in Alaska at night and a picture frame fell over in my apartment's living room for no reason!! SCARY!
3. The Dark Tower SERIES. Seriously I can't pick just one book. I remember when I started the journey with Roland the main character. Just I can't even put it into words. I love this book series.
4. Everything's Eventual. Wow... Stephen King was also my first experience with short story anthologies. This particular book is fabulous!!
5. Carrie. I really liked Carrie a lot. We read this as a group in my goodreads group and this is what actually got me to start my twitter account and the reason my twitter name is KingMod. We decided to do a social experiment and everyone participating in the discussion started one too. It was a really fun discussion!
6. 11/22/63 . Wow.. this book!! I never expected this book to be sooooo good. This book also had one of the biggest discussion on the goodreads group too. It really gets you thinking and just King back in his greatness!
7. Cujo... Oh Cujo!!! I felt sooooo sorry for Cujo. If you have only seen the movie then you have NO IDEA. Cujo in the book is just a poor dog, you actually get to read from Cujo's point of view. He gets rabies in the book looking in hole and doesn't understand what happened. He sees his owners and doesn't understand why he wants to attack them. Just amazing writing. I want to also say Pet Sematary is also in the category of a great book.
8. The Long Walk. Who knew someone could write a book about a walk and it would be good. Then entire book takes place on a walk. I don't want to spoil it, but read this book!
9. The Talisman. This book is fabulous... it's more fantasy to me. Yes King writes fantasy.. not just a horror writer. The Talisman is also one of the first King books I read. I didn't love the sequel as much but this book here is wonderful.
10. Cell. I know a lot of people don't love Cell. It's King's take on Zombies. A lot more people will learn about it since it is about to be a movie. I really liked it. It's not King's best but it's a fast read and I liked it.
BONUS! The Stand. This book is in it's own category. This book is EPIC. The tales of the characters are one I will never forget. It doesn't even belong in a category with other books, it gets it's own.
Well those are the best. He certainly has some bad ones too.. but we'll save that for another list!
I love this! It's funny, our lists are different, but similar. The Dark Tower made it as a bonus on my because it's epic and I felt if I included it it would take over the list. 'Salem's Lot is excellent, I'm glad to see it at number one. I haven't gotten to The Talisman yet and I thought Cell was only okay (although it did make my top ten list of books set in Boston). The Long Walk is definitely my favorite of the Bachman books, though I haven't read Rage or Running Man. Yet.
ReplyDeleteExcellent list.
The only Stephen King book I've read was The Dome, which I enjoyed. A lot of people have recommended The Dark Tower series though...
ReplyDeleteI tried not to end up including all of Stephen King's books in my Top Ten Horror list this week. And then I see this and wish I hadn't tried so hard!
ReplyDeleteSalem's Lot - Doesn't this have that scene with the fingernails scratching on the window? Freaked me out.
The Shining was my first Stephen King and my first horror ever. I stayed up late into the night reading and then I couldn't go to sleep at all! It remains my favourite horror novel.
I make everyone who says King is 'just another horror writer' read 11.22.63. That book was genius.
Carrie was creepy and for once, I actually liked a Stephen King adaptation. Although, I haven't seen the new one and don't think I want to!
I also felt very bad for Cujo too, but then there was something at the end, I don't recall exactly what, where King made it clear that it wasn't Cujo's fault, sort of, and that was sweet.
I'm surprised you haven't included IT or Under the Dome, which would have made it to my list! I'm reading Gunslinger now, and plan to finish the Dark Tower series before long - can't believe it took me so long to get to it.
Did I mention I love your list?
After your last WoW post, I was reminded that you moderate the Stephen King fan club on GR. I seriously need to get a jump on reading his books! I think I never picked them up because I grew up in Bangor and never wanted to be associated with him. Everything I heard about his books (that my uncle had on his bookshelf) always freaked me out. But now as an adult I guess I have to suck it up. I actually bought the giant book of The Dark Tower series for 50 cents at my favorite book place, but I moved and left it with my mom. :( His books are a plenty at every second hand place in Maine, especially in Bangor where half of them are signed.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I might take your suggestion and read The Shining first. :)
Ooh nice! Only ever read his novella Secret Window, Secret Garden or whatever that was called the movie Secret Window was based on!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
Ooh, King! I've read a few of his but none of these I think. I read some of The Shining but never finished it. My favourite King book is The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - if you haven't read it yet you must! It's really quick and a really great story.
ReplyDeleteNew Follower, hi!
Under The Mountain's Top Ten Dystopias
One of my favorite topics! (I love Cell, too - I want to smack people when they tell me they don't like that one, as their reasons are often so arbitrary. Essentially, if you enjoy ANY of Stephen King's work, then you should enjoy that one.)
ReplyDeleteFavorite novels: 1. Duma Key 2. The Stand 3. Wizard and Glass 4. It 5. Hearts of Atlantis
Favorite novellas: 1. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemptiom 2. Big Driver 3. 1922 4. Ur 5. A Good Marriage
Favorite Bachmans: 1. The Long Walk 2. Roadwork 3. The Regulators 4. The Running Man. (I guess my 5th would be Thinner, but it's a distant 5th. Whereas the distance between my other 5s and 1s is fairly marginal.)
Nice to see Salem's Lot as your #1! I've had hankering to re-read that one lately.
My absolute favorite King book is Needful Things! Intricate and scary and wonderful. I just read Carrie for the first time last year but I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI've read four of these (including the bonus pick), although I'm about to pick up a fifth. I actually wasn't a big fan of Cujo. I felt sorry for the poor dog, obviously, but the book itself just didn't do it for me. If it wasn't Stephen King I would have set it aside long before the "trapped in the car" section starts, which for me was where it finally got good.
ReplyDeleteWow! I haven't read any of those. In fact, I've never read Stephen King at all.
ReplyDeletehaha good list this week! I have just gotten Stephen King recently. I just love his books on audio! I have listened to The Shining and his two newest, which I really liked! I want to listen to Salem's Lot soon, as I have heard it's fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stoppin' by! Have a great week!
I LOVE that you did a post on Stephen King's book! <3
ReplyDeleteLet's see my favorite King books are: Talisman +Black House (I actually think I like his "fantasy" books more), The Dark Tower series (I can't pick just one book either), Thinner 11/22/63 and Joyland. And I also enjoyed Doctor Sleep. Oh, and On Writing :)
I've actually never read a Stephen King book but I need to read one eventually. I just feels like it'll make me more adult than I'm ready to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
I'm impressed how prolific he is - I haven't even heard of some of the top 10 here, and I consider myself a King fan! Thanks for the recommendations!
ReplyDeleteNeedful Things is very underrated.
ReplyDeleteYessss.... I'm one of the rare few who really liked Cell, though I'd have to sit hard to find it it was on my Top Ten. I've never been able to get through The Talisman/Black House - the time just hasn't been right yet. :) Soon.
ReplyDeleteThe Stand is almost definitely number one for me... but it can change based on my moods...
I did Top Ten Beach Reads
I've heard King describe Under the Dome as a flip flopped version of The Stand... so it makes sense. :)
ReplyDeleteI've never read King although I've been curious about Salem's Lot- I like creepy vampire stories sometimes. If I were to read him that would be where I'd start, probably. Oh and Maximum Overdrive the movie is a guilty pleasure of mine- wasn't that based on a King story? I mean the movie is so bad it's kinda fun... :)
ReplyDeleteYou grew up in BANGOR??? OMG soooo jealous. I want to go there so bad and take a picture outside of his house. Did you happen to go to school with any of his kids? (not sure your age vs their age or how big the town is).
ReplyDeleteActually too.. if you bought the book entitled the Dark Tower that is actually book 7 in the series so you would've been really confused by what was going on.
I have always loved The Shining. It really is a good good book!!
This is so true. It is similar to the Stand ONLY in the fact that you really get to know the characters.
ReplyDeleteI didn't actually read this one. I believe though that a novella doesn't really give you the feel about what King is about so you really should try something else!
ReplyDeleteI loved the Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. My mom did spoil the end for me ... but it was still great. There is a popup book of the Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon I have always wanted to read.
ReplyDeleteI actually haven't read Needful Things yet. Shocking I know! I always hear good things about it. I finally found your blog Wesley!!! I was unable to find a link to it through disqus but I was able to visit you today.
ReplyDeleteDUMA KEY!! NOOOO!! LOL! I don't know what it was about that book. Just really slow. My least favorite King book of all time is Lisey's Story. It was even a DNF for me (did not finish). I have never done that with a King book. What really blows my mind is that in an interview for Doctor Sleep King was asked his favorite book and it was Lisey's Story. WHAT!
ReplyDeleteSalem's Lot really gets number 1 because it was my first King book so it holds a special place for me.
Favorite Novellas: 1. N really neat in graphic novel form. 2. The Man in the Black Suit (terrifying! ) 3. The Moving Finger 4. The Raft 5. The Road Virus Heads North
I love all these!
Cujo really surprised me to be honest. I hadn't seen the movie prior to reading so I went in totally new. I was expecting this gore fest because of the way people refer to Cujo. In reality.. the book is barely about Cujo. It is about people and who they are. So I can see you being disappointed.
ReplyDeleteFor some people he is just not their style at all. You like comics so you might like his son's series called Locke and Key by Joe Hill. Give that a go.. it's really good!
ReplyDeleteHow neat that you are enjoying King on audio. Have you listened to any that King has narrated himself? I have always been curious how those would be.
ReplyDeleteI love his fantasy books too. Those are the parts that are my favorite in the Dark Tower series. On Writing is really good. I always tell people even if you don't like King this is a nonfiction book and it's quite interesting how he talks about how to write a story. I haven't read Joyland yet but would like to soon.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Well yes.. you will read more adult topics. But Eyes of the Dragon is a good book and more fantasy then horror if you ever want to give a King book a try.
ReplyDeleteReally if you want just quick Kings you should pick up some of his short story anthologies. They are like one hour reads and usually leave you wanting more!
ReplyDeleteI am surprised Cell is on my Top Ten too. But hey, zombies. Zombies have to go on the list. I suspect that is why Cell has been chosen to be made into a movie. With all the hype lately over zombies.
ReplyDeleteI didn't love Black House. It was just odd to see Jack Sawyer grown up. Black House does have a lot of Dark Tower tie-ins so that made it worth reading.
Yes that movie is a King film. It is fun to watch. Kind of like a Sharknado experience. Cheesy but you can't take your eyes away!
ReplyDeleteI would say Salem's Lot is a tame King book... if you like vampires then it's for you!
Y'know. I think Duma Key is underrated too... but yes. Zombies are sexy right now.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these but I started Cujo forever ago. Never finished though. I might keep this as my SK guide :D
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!
Yeah, and I'm all for a book about people (especially Stephen King's way of writing about people...) but these particular characters just did nothing for me.
ReplyDeleteYeah probably! But I wanted to answer your question from my post, yes! Bitten on SyFy is "loosely" based on this book! Although since episode 7 it really hasn't been following the book too well. Still interesting, but I watch it with my mom and she keeps asking me, did that happen in the book? What's going on? And I keep telling her, from this point on, since that episode 7, I have no idea! It's all up in the air as to what will happen at this point!
ReplyDeleteBut still, I am enjoying the show. Just have to think of it as a somewhat separate entity that's only loosely based on the book! Much like I did with the movie Blood & Chocolate which was so freaking different from the book. The only thing it had in common were names! But it was still a good movie on its own. Just must not think of it as based on a book that was super incredible!
I'm so not a fan of Stephen King but I love seeing how much people like his writing. My guy loves him and I think it's awesome when an author makes people that passionate about reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my TTT post :)
-Kimberly @ Turning the Pages
THE DARK TOWER SERIES <3 <3 <3 <3 I remember starting the first book and then rushing out to buy books 2-4 and then I hard to wait for 5, 6, and 7! It's such an amazing series and I love all the references in his other books and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteAnd The Long Walk - what an amazing story. I've still got some of his books that are unread, so I'm going to try and work through them this year.
After my Project Disney series is over I am going to also work on reading the King books I haven't read yet. I might do a monthly King Feature or something. I haven't decided yet.
ReplyDeleteThe Dark Tower =amazing
Thanks!!! Cujo is good but I can see it not being what people expect.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I love when I see an author and not just a genre get people super excited to read their books. Of course King puts out 2-3 books a year so I can barely keep up with him!
ReplyDeleteHAHA! This is totally what has happened with True Blood VS the Sookie books. That show has totally just gone in another direction!
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge SK chicken, so I haven't read much of your list. But. THE STAND!!!!! One of my favorite books of all time. So amazing.
ReplyDeleteLisey's is for me too that King rarity on my shelf: the unfinished book. One of these days! But it's just impenetrable for me.
ReplyDeleteShort-storywise, I love the ones you mention (though the Moving Finger isn't a particular fave) but my favorites are either Lunch at the Gotham Cafe or Children of the Corn. They're all so good, though. He writes fantastic short stories. Underrated, definitely.
If you liked the Stand you will probably LOVE Under the Dome!!
ReplyDeleteHe's written so many books, he's bound to have some bad ones...lol but it sounds like you love most of what he writes, so that's good. I've only read Misery by him. I enjoyed it overall, but I think I'd like something better. I'll have try something from your list.
ReplyDeleteLauren from www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com
Great choice for a list!! I got 11/22/63 for Christmas, but haven't read it yet. I'm excited to get to it though because I've heard good things... it's just SO massive!!! I love The Shining too.. I need to read Dr. Sleep now that it's out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by My TTT
I haven't read anything by King, but this post really makes me want to now. Nice list!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Misery yet. Though I always hear all about it. The movie gets a lot of people talking about it too. So I am not sure if I would love Misery or not???
ReplyDelete11/22/63 is massive. But I flew right through it because that book was so good. It even inspired me as an adult to go and see the Sixth Floor Museum. I had been there as a teen but wanted to go back and see it again.
ReplyDeleteHe is a must author for everyone!!
ReplyDeleteNope, I am 25. His kids are a lot older. I lived about a street or two down from him for a long time. My mom would have yard sales and he would sometimes walk by early in the morning. My sister's school isn't very far from his house. The people that take pictures outside of his house are talked about frequently in Bangor. Haha. We would sometimes drive by to see who was out in front. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's kinda cool. People that aren't from there never notice him around town. (It's small enough that everything is within walking distance from end to end.) I heard the story of the corner store at the end of our street (that is really popular in the neighborhood) that an out of town couple asked where they could find his house and they were asking Stephen himself. Haha. He's usually the guy you see walking down the street around town. He's well loved and has given us a community pool, baseball field, and donations to the library. So no one has anything bad to say about him. My aunt and father-in-law were friends with him back in the day, but those are all the stories that I can think of at the moment.Other than the hospital and cemetery I know very well. I can imagine what they say about him writing about them to be true. ;)
Oh yeah, Dark Tower #7. Couldn't pass it up for the price!
Great list. I got to #10 and was afraid you weren't going to include The Stand. I think I'd add Under the Dome in there somewhere too.
ReplyDeleteI have only read 4 Stephen King books so far and have become a really huge fan of his. My personal favourites are Firestarter and Needful Things but I've only read The Shining from your top ten list
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! I haven't read a single book by Stephen King! I saw the movie IT when I was younger and never had the nerves to open one of his book ;(
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
Firestarter is another one of his that I need to read!!! I always forget about that one. Whenever I think of Firestarter I think of Drew Berrymore!
ReplyDeleteHA! OK well to be honest It is one book of King's I have avoided. I am afraid that it will scare me to death! I just need to get over my fears and read it.
ReplyDeleteI've never read any Stephen King! :/ This list will definitely help me pick out the best ones to start with though haha. Awesome list of books, hun! x
ReplyDeleteI have to admit . . . I've yet to read a Stephen King novel. I know, I know! I keep meaning to, but I always get sidetracked. I do own a copy of The Green Mile, which I started and then got sidetracked. I also started reading The Shining when I went camping once - big mistake. What kind of crazy person reads a horror novel while sleeping in a tent in the woods. For real.
ReplyDeleteI'll get to one one day - promise! :)
Hilarious! Yeah.. I might not read the Shining in the woods. Especially since it takes place in a woody area!! I haven't read the Green Mile so I don't know how good that one is. Though .. since that was an actual decent King movie it might be an excellent read!
ReplyDeleteI loved the Tailsman and would have to add Lawnmower Man and It.
ReplyDeleteooh and Dark Tower series, ah heck just add all of his books..LOL
ReplyDeleteYes.. use this list. It will help guide you I think. This is kind of the order I read King books in and discovered that I loved them!!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I know trust me. I didn't know what order to put these in. It was a tough list but one I have been meaning to do for a while now. This TTT just happened to have a topic where I could do it.
ReplyDeleteWhat choices!!! I pretty much agree with every one of these except Cujo. I just couldn't get into this book and I wasn't wowed with Long Walk either. I loved the Cell because that was my very first King book and I was hooked.
ReplyDeleteThe Dark Tower Series, I can't say enough wonderful things about that either. Not since Lord of the Rings has a series taken so much of my emotion and given me such enjoyment. I love this post, great picks.
Hooray for King :) That's all I'm going to say on this.
ReplyDeleteI think that maybe the Long Walk blew me away because... well it was about a Long Walk. That is the magic of King. He can write an entire book about a WALK!
ReplyDeleteThe Dark Tower was such an Epic journey ... one that I should do again soon!
The Stand was my very first King book and I've since read a handful of his but most of these I think are too frightening for me! My favorite was actually IT (I know, scary!) but the audiobook was fantastic. If I haven't already tried to talk you into listening to it, you must. Steven Webber is fantastic. 11/22/63 is a close second for me and I really liked Under the Dome as well. I'm interested in Dark Tower but am terribly bad at series books...
ReplyDeleteShockingly ... I have avoided it. I don't know why but I think it will be way scary. Plus it is a big book. I really need to get to that one though because it's the one all King fans love.
ReplyDelete