My first ever read and finished book is Pet Sematary. I agree, it was really emotional, traumatizing, depressing, bleak, dark etc.I love horror. But this book, gave me nightmares. Made me scared to get off my bed and made me so depressed because of those kids in the book. I felt so connected to the characters and I really felt I cared for them. It was so devastating. This book was beautifully written.
Wow! I sympathize. I had been reading his work for close to 15 yrs before Pet Sematery (I'm old) and I have never read it again. In fact I threw out my copy. It does eat into one a little. Absolutely brilliant though.
I HIGHLY recommend The Girl Who Loves Tom Gordon by Stephen King its very short and OMG FANTASTIC! its about a little girl who gets lost in the woods for a long period of time. Thats all im going to say its my favorite book of his and in my top ten favorite books of all time! And i have unfortunately NEVER heard anyone mention it besides me. Like omg its just so good and you get so attached to the little girl and its in her POV the majority of the time if not the whole book i can't quite remember if there are a cpuple chapters with her parents POV or not. Anyone who is interested in the missing 411 cases will adore this book.
I loved the book. I did not like the 2019 movie adaptation. Pet Semetary was the first King book I read all the way through this year. The audiobook read by actor Michael C Hall (main guy in the tv show Dexter) was amazing at reading the book.
King is the man! The thing I love about his books isn't just that they're genuinely scary, but that they're packed with extreme amounts of emotion and a genius understanding of the inner working of the human mind.
Pet Sematary was my first King book. My kids were 2 and 1 at the time and I'll never forget the experience of having to power through the emotions of that story.
I did not think “The Shining” was a slow burn at all.. that book to me kept pace throughout and was difficult in fact to find a spot to stop because of it. Everyone is different but I thought the shining picked up pretty quick and maintained pace well. I loved Salem’s Lot (one most do call a slow burn) and even that to me was very enjoyable as he created atmosphere and character development. For readers that havnt read king, you’ll likely find out whether or not you like the atmosphere and character development because he’s a genius at this. If you like that, then hardly any of these will feel slow to get into. If you need constant action to get immersed then there is probably better writers but hey, the character and atmosphere is what makes it so good!
Just wait for IT and Pet Sematary. Those are terrifying too! A high school teacher of mine won't touch Stephen King books anymore because of the book IT.
Excellent choice! My personal favorite. Read it several times. FUN FACT: of all his published works, The Long Walk was the first one he ever started working on, when he was still in high school. So in a way it was HIS first Steven King book too. Back when Squid Game came out everyone was talking about The Hunger Games and Battle Royale being sources of inspiration. I was like "Really? That's it?"
I read The Shining when I was back in high school during a summer break while the rest of my family were on vacation (yup home alone). Scared myself silly. Was too terrified to even leave my bedroom but also couldn't put down the book it was so good!
My first stephen king book was Under the Dome (1074 pgs). I was totally surprised about the history, because the history was extremely amazing. I loved it a lot, from the beginning to the end.
I am too much of a chicken to read any Stephen King books, BUT I can still appreciate his work and success. AND I do appreciate experiencing his books through your journey. I loved this video because it really shows the greatness of the world he’s created and made it enticing for readers 💙
Great to see a shout out for The Green Mile. My grandfather was a huge Stephen King fan and he introduced me to King through these novellas when I was a young teen. Sharing the experience of reading these with my grandfather as they came out and being able to talk about them together and being excited for the next book to come out are some of my favorite reading memories. Beyond being a fantastic story, it will always have a special place in my heart.
I started reading SK books around August of last year. I've now read Carrie, The Shining, IT, Pet Sematary, The Stand, Insomnia and am currently reading Salem's Lot. I'm now a massive fan of his work and don't know why I never a any of his books in the past.
I'm just about to finish Carrie! For the first book of his I've read it's been good and I like the lack of/different medium for splitting the content up rather than chapter 1, 2 etc. I think the next book of his I pick up will be Salem's Lot but I also really want to read Pet Sematary too. Thanks for this video!
This was such a great recommendation video! Also, I love that you mainly spoke about his books that aren't typically mentioned in a "where to start with Stephen King" video. I started reading Stephen King in elementary school. I was in a second hand bookstore with my dad and there was a paperback of "Night Shift" -- the edition with a hand on the front cover wrapped in gauze and peaking out between the loose gauze are eyeballs. I was sold (I was a weird kid according to some people). It was like $1 so my dad bought it for me. To this day it is probably my favorite short story collection. So, happy you mentioned it. I dropped off reading Stephen King for a bit and got way behind, so I decided to read/re-read all his novels in order of publication. I am 200 pages away from finishing "The Stand" and have the next three on deck. I will give a special shout out to my favorite novel (so far) that ALMOST NO ONE MENTIONS...."Lisey's Story". It is so good and unique. Not sure why a lot of people sleep on it, but if you haven't read it yet - I would highly recommend. Not super long (around 500 pages). Anyway, am excited to watch more of your videos - just found you and just subscribed.
Personally, I think another good short story collection to start off reading Stephen King with is Everything's Eventual. There are some super short good reads that get you used to his writing. There are also some famous stories/novellas in there, like Riding the Bullet and 1408.
Im a little late to the video, but I just wanted to say this video was a breath of fresh air. All the other videos I’ve watched of where to start with Stephen King are all basically the same and this was nice to see other things recommended before The Stand and It and The Shining. Also the way you describe the books without giving spoilers was perfect. Thank you for this video and you earned a subscriber.
The Castle Rock series is great. If you read them in publication order as I did you will not get spoiled at all. Needful Things is in my top 5 King books. Cujo is great. I enjoyed The Dead Zone but it felt a little disjointed like it’s short stories about the main character thrown together but beginning and end are excellent. Dark Half is one of my least favorite king books but is needed to enjoy Needful Things fully. The Stand is my favorite. Not just favorite King but maybe favorite fiction book in general. Excellent. Some people don’t care for the ending, but once you know Stephen King based this book on the biblcal book of Revelation it makes the ending so much better.
I've been reading Kings books for so long I can't remember what my first was. I agree the Shining is a slow burn. Two that I really like are The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon(fairly short) and Geralds Game. These two are psych horrors and w/o giving away too much I like these two because they showcase Kings talent for playing with that balance between thinking your mind is playing tricks with you or maybe monsters are real.
I would recommend a new reader start with Night Shift and then Carrie. If you liked both of those books then I would recommend reading his books in publication order.
I started with 11/22/63 because im not really a horror fan... So I never thought about giving Stephen King a chance until I saw that book 11/22/63 (amazing! Got me into his writing - a perfect novel in my opinion) Salem's lot (meh - just vampires, sorry 😅) The Stand (pretty good - loved the character development - the ending got a bit dry though) The Talisman (got half way and put it down... They say it's about the journey and not the destination, yeah... But that wasn't a journey, I felt lost) Insomnia (loved the whole thing... I don't even know where to begin. That underground hideout under the tree made my skin crawl) Everythings eventual (have only read a few stories out of it... Moved on... So I can begin to read Needful Things... Too many books, not enough time)
@@matthewmedley8532 since I wrote this I have now read a few more of his novels Rose Madder Duma Key Under the Dome Needful Things Billy Summers And now onto desperation
Even though I'm already knee deep in Stephen King books, I really enjoyed this video. Wish I'd known about the map back when I first started his books, but oh well, luckily I'm not someone easily put off by spoilers. 😅
'Salem's Lot was the first King book I read. Mostly because that was about all that was around when I first picked up King. Carrie came first but I didn't read that until sometime later on.
The first Stephen King book I read was The Mist. I was a teenager who had just finished reading Goosbumps and I was at my local public library trying to look for another thriller/scary book. And The Mist is the book I picked up. Read the book in two days. Truly an increíble author. Absolutely love his books!
Ty sm for this video I recently got into his books. I’ve read carrie and I’m currently reading salem’s lot. I also found the dead zone and skeleton crew for very cheap at a book store so i’ll look forward to read them!
Reading Pet Semetery before and after having children are two totally different ball games. Horror on a whole new level. It's one of his best but probably the toughest imo
I loved 11/22/63. I was surprised that it had some fan service for people who've read IT. It's one of his best books from his later era, along with Dr Sleep.
my first two SK books I read when i was 12 years old were pet sematary and the Shining 30 plus years later I am stilled hooked. My favorite thing he has ever written is the Dark Tower Series, but I can appreciate that is a hard sell to recommend at any stage of your SK reading journey. It is such a different animal
i read misery recently and loved it so much! I compared it to the movie on my channel, and delved into how it relates to addiction. I read Green Mile as well and really liked it. I would love to own it as it was published in serial form! I've only read a few Stephen King books, and am looking to read more! This is such a helpful video!
I love to read paper-books but also don't mind reading on my e-reader. And a huge advantage of an e-reader is that books like The Stand and It won't intimidate you by its size.. 🤓
I started with The Shining and I actually agree with you. I should’ve started with something else and come to that one later. Probably would’ve appreciated it more. All these years later I think it’s time to go back. Pet Semetary is my absolute favorite of his and that one I also wouldn’t start with. Of these mentions, I’d say Misery could be the best staring point. Personally, I’ll suggest the Bill Hodges trilogy. Any reader could enjoy Mr. Mercedes. Finders Keepers is the best of the three. And then you get to End of Watch which goes in a strange direction. To me, this will actually prime you for what his others books usually have to offer.
My favorite was 'Salem's Lot. I have always loved the vampire genre and he does such a good job creating a vibe with that one! The book is so much better than the movie..
Just finished JOYLAND, one of his books for Hard Case Crime, and absolutely loved it. Highly recommended. For no real reason other than "he's always there," I never read much King. But starting last year, I read The Shining and Salem's Lot and loved them both, which led me to Joyland.
I can't even remember my first Stephen King book because I started reading his books in elementary school, lol. I was probably...8? My dad probably shouldn't have let me, but his philosophy was that if I was old enough to read such a big complicated book, then I was old enough for the content (though he told me I couldn't read them at school). If I had to take a guess at which was my first, it might've been...Desperation? I know I've read Desperation, but I can hardly remember it, so maybe that was the first.
I just decided to get started into Stephen King, I've read the Shining before ages ago but in a book haul I got like 15 of his books. After a lot of careful consideration I jumped into Needful Things because I wanted a book that people usually guarantee you're going to like. I am not disappointed, it is a great book. After this I am going to go back to the earliest order of publication that I have, which is the 2 short story compilations Night Shift and Skeleton Crew. Then I'll try and find Salem's lot, Carrie and Cujo at the library.
IT is an absolute banger from front to back. A great summer read, going on long walks in the sun and remembering how it felt to be a kid during those precious months off of school, just hanging out with your friends and living life.
I read Skeleton crew and Sun dog as my first stephen king books, just took something from him. I, then, read IT which i liked and now i am currently reading The Shining. I really like The Shining and the transition of Jack is very heartbreaking for me. I am going to read Misery next and continue the duology with Dr Sleep
I’m 13 and my first Stephen Ming book was Christine, I’m sorry to say it wasn’t really one of my favorites. I didn’t really like it at all. But I powered thru and got into reading The Shining! Which that became one of my faves :). I’ve now read about 10-13 of his books and plan to read more!!
@Morgan Alison Stewart I totally agree with your honorable mention of Pet Sematary because that’s one of the few SK books I have read and I must say, it was quite a lot. I mean hell, the very beginning of the book and what happened to Gage particularly the funeral scene had me in tears, it takes a lot for a book particularly as a single 25 year old male with no kids to make me bawl like a baby at child death which, no I’m not heartless, if that’s what your wondering, it just takes a lot for me to read words on a page about something like that and get emotional but I did and that’s a testament to how Stephen King can make you feel for a character.
I forgot how much Stephen King I read in my teens until this video, where I kept thinking, "Read that, read that, read that." Anyway, one that you didn't mention was the Dark Tower series. I think I've only read the first 2 b/c that's all he had written at the time, but what I read made me want to know what happens next. I should really start that back up and finish it.
Love love love Stephen king! I just read “The Shinning” loved it. I read “Carrie” and “It” both scary. Love this video girl. Thank you! Reading “Salems Lot” next.
I’ve only read 2 books by Stephen King so far, the separate novella version of The Mist, and IT. I know those are both incredibly weird places to start with, but I just started reading a lot again last year, and I wanted to read both of them because I love the movies based off them. Honestly IT is probably my favorite book of all time, and I know it’s 1,137 pages long but it’s so worth it and so so good. The Mist was great too, and I can’t wait to read more short stories by Stephen King when I can.
Whenever someone asks me where to start with Stephen King, I always say The Shining. 1. I’m biased because it’s my favorite and 2. It’s just a really good introduction to kings style. Especially with his horror, it’s not his scariest but has some real spoopy moments. 3. It’s a really popular one, everybody know the shining as a story so it’ll probably be one they’re more inclined to read because they’re somewhat familiar with it THEN AGAIN If someone wants a short king book I’d say Misery. It’s not long at all, and it’s super good But yeah The Shining is my #1 recommendation
The best way to read The Stand is through a Kindle. Trust me, you will thank the Amazon X-Ray feature in Kindle because there are so many characters introduced in the first half and you might lose track of who does what.
Depends on the mood your in. Sometimes you could fancy horror, dystopia, fantasy, claustrophobic King. Don't read them all quickly. I started 25 years ago with Cell then Firestarter, then I fancied a bit of horror so I read Carrie and Pet Senatary, Desperation, 112263. I recently fancied a detective series so I read Mr Mercedes and Finders keepers.
I really love your reccomendations. My all time favorite book is Pet Sematary, it references Cujo a little and many people think someone also has the shining. So it also connects in a very subtile way, i like that. By the way, i love your shirt. Where did you buy it? Love from the Netherlands
I've been a fan of Stephen King for probably close to 15 years, but I clicked on the video because I like to hear other people's thoughts on stuff like this. I really like your approach to recommending King to new readers and you have very solid insights. This is the third King related video I've watched today that mentioned that Stephen King is famous for short stories and that a lot of people think his shorter works shine some of the brightest. So apparently I'm in the minority, because to me almost every King novel slaps but his short stories and novellas tend to be hit or miss for me. I love Pet Sematary and the Shining but I agree that I wouldn't recommend them to new readers, but mostly because in my opinion those are his "scariest" books and I wouldn't want to traumatize new readers. Though I guess it depends on if said reader is used to horror, because Pet Sematary was the second Stephen King book I ever read, and I read it in high school, either freshman or sophomore year, and I loved it. The Long Walk happened to be my first, which is so underrated.
I started with his short stories I read It was my first novel I’ve read of his so far and I am not going to lie I had to take a break because I read it in a week and it felt like getting months of information in a short amount of time so it felt like real memories of these characters. Also it was very terrifying I’m scarred with clown phobia and it definitely came from the book. I am currently reading The stand and Gunslinger pretty much alongside each other
I started with the Firestarter audiobook as read for the blind when I was 9 but I didn't really get into his books proper until I read Skeleton Crew and then I was off to the races. 11/22/63 has the best narrator I've ever heard.
I'm reading King's works in publication order. I've read all the books up to The Gunslinger. Now I'm reading Danse Macabre and I think I actually should have read it earlier but I just somehow missed it. In my opinion, 'Salem's Lot is a lot more slow-burn than The Shining. And I prefer The Shining, it is my favorite King's book so far. I am not a huge fan of slow-burn books (most of King's books are like that and he is still one of my favorite authors lol) but in The Shining, it works but in 'Salem's Lot, not that well.
IT was my first, I read it over the summer when I was 14 and to this day it was probably the best reading experience of my life. going to read it for the 4th time this summer
I first started reading Carrie, even though I watched the movie adaptions of Doctor sleep and IT. I really plan on reading more of his work, it’s amazing!!
Carrie was my first Stephen King book. I loved it and wanted to read more from him but that was all there was at the time. Yes, that's how long I've been reading Stephen King.
"It" is my favorite of the 43 Stephen King books I've read. I don't want to over sell it, but it's one of the best books I've yet read by anyone.The others in my top Three are "The Green Mile" and "11/22/63."
So glad I ran across your channel. Read Pet cemetery when I was in high school and loved it! Getting more into king now. Half way through fire starter and looking for the next one. Thinking Cujo and the castle rock series thanks!
My first three books from Stephen King were The Shining, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and Pet Sematary. After that I decided to read his books in publication order :) .
First King book I started reading was IT but I never finished the book yet. Then this year in 2021, I read Pet Sematary and FireStarter. I also started 11/22/63 but haven’t finished it yet as I’m waiting for a renewal of the audiobook from the Libby app. So I switched over to The Stand. Im on chapter 5 right now. I accidentally fell asleep with the audiobook playing and woke up in the middle of the night with my audiobook being from chapter 5 to chapter 10. So I had to back to chapter 5. Im trying to start my own Stephen King book collection. So far I own 10 books and one audiobook.
My first Stephen King was Carrie when I was 10. My grandpa had got it for my birthday and I got Salem’s Lot, Pet Sematary, and Firestarter 4 days later
Does anyone have any tips for convincing my parents to let me read Stephen King? My parents think his work is “horrible”, “trash”, and “not worth my time”. I’ve heard really good things about his character development and other writing skills, and I’ve really wanted to read his books, but my parents won’t even let me take one of his books into our house. They think he is an “evil man that wants to corrupt minds”. I’ve always been interested in horror and I love the genre, but my parents don’t think that I can handle it. I’d highly appreciate any tips or ideas that you have. Thanks :)
I still can’t believe i started with It and reread multiple times for better comprehension bc by the time you finish the book the beginning is a bit foggy and all that but It did get me to start a collection and read more from King
IT was the first book of Stephen King’s I ever read; Misery was the book that hooked me. I’ve read many of his titles. I would say Misery and The Shining are my favourites so far with ‘Salem’s Lot not far behind.
My first ever read and finished book is Pet Sematary. I agree, it was really emotional, traumatizing, depressing, bleak, dark etc.I love horror. But this book, gave me nightmares. Made me scared to get off my bed and made me so depressed because of those kids in the book. I felt so connected to the characters and I really felt I cared for them. It was so devastating. This book was beautifully written.
same !!!!
Same here.
Wow! I sympathize. I had been reading his work for close to 15 yrs before Pet Sematery (I'm old) and I have never read it again. In fact I threw out my copy. It does eat into one a little. Absolutely brilliant though.
@@davidrichards9898 Thats how I feel about Cujo
I hate Cujo.
My first king book was actually “The Shining”. Absolutely amazing and I was hooked on him!!! Currently reading “It” and I CANT PUT IT DOWN!
The Shining was also my first
I HIGHLY recommend The Girl Who Loves Tom Gordon by Stephen King its very short and OMG FANTASTIC! its about a little girl who gets lost in the woods for a long period of time. Thats all im going to say its my favorite book of his and in my top ten favorite books of all time! And i have unfortunately NEVER heard anyone mention it besides me. Like omg its just so good and you get so attached to the little girl and its in her POV the majority of the time if not the whole book i can't quite remember if there are a cpuple chapters with her parents POV or not. Anyone who is interested in the missing 411 cases will adore this book.
I read "It" in 3 says because I was too scared to put it down. 😂
Salem’s Lot I heard is too scary!
@@WhitneyDahlinTHAT WAS MY FIRST STEPHEN KING BOOK AND I LOVE IT
I've just started reading Pet Sematary and I'm loving it! I'm halfway through it now and it's my first Stephen King 🐱🌑
I loved the book. I did not like the 2019 movie adaptation. Pet Semetary was the first King book I read all the way through this year. The audiobook read by actor Michael C Hall (main guy in the tv show Dexter) was amazing at reading the book.
Excellent choice for SK first read.
@@DeafGirl93 I agree. I felt cringey watching that movie. My mistake was I watched it after reading the book. totally ruined it for me.
me too!! i really liked it! i’m reading salems lot rn!
@@DeafGirl93 the 2019 movie sucked. It was soo cringe and bad in general. The original 1984 movie was amazing and very much like the book 🔥
King is the man! The thing I love about his books isn't just that they're genuinely scary, but that they're packed with extreme amounts of emotion and a genius understanding of the inner working of the human mind.
Pet Sematary was my first King book. My kids were 2 and 1 at the time and I'll never forget the experience of having to power through the emotions of that story.
I did not think “The Shining” was a slow burn at all.. that book to me kept pace throughout and was difficult in fact to find a spot to stop because of it. Everyone is different but I thought the shining picked up pretty quick and maintained pace well. I loved Salem’s Lot (one most do call a slow burn) and even that to me was very enjoyable as he created atmosphere and character development. For readers that havnt read king, you’ll likely find out whether or not you like the atmosphere and character development because he’s a genius at this. If you like that, then hardly any of these will feel slow to get into. If you need constant action to get immersed then there is probably better writers but hey, the character and atmosphere is what makes it so good!
I just read The Long Walk (my first Stephen King book) and I’m scarred for life, lol. Such a terrifying, yet well-done story IMO!
Just wait for IT and Pet Sematary. Those are terrifying too! A high school teacher of mine won't touch Stephen King books anymore because of the book IT.
@@rubeuspotter719: It scared her?
@@floogelhornzzz4770 yeah
@@rubeuspotter719 my old library teacher coulnt sleep with lights out when she read pet cimtary
Excellent choice! My personal favorite. Read it several times. FUN FACT: of all his published works, The Long Walk was the first one he ever started working on, when he was still in high school. So in a way it was HIS first Steven King book too. Back when Squid Game came out everyone was talking about The Hunger Games and Battle Royale being sources of inspiration. I was like "Really? That's it?"
I read The Shining when I was back in high school during a summer break while the rest of my family were on vacation (yup home alone). Scared myself silly. Was too terrified to even leave my bedroom but also couldn't put down the book it was so good!
I wish I could get that scared from a book lolol. Love the Shining
My first stephen king book was Under the Dome (1074 pgs). I was totally surprised about the history, because the history was extremely amazing. I loved it a lot, from the beginning to the end.
I am too much of a chicken to read any Stephen King books, BUT I can still appreciate his work and success. AND I do appreciate experiencing his books through your journey. I loved this video because it really shows the greatness of the world he’s created and made it enticing for readers 💙
Have you ever watched "The Shawshank Redemption"? Or "The Green Mile"?
You should try The Green Mile, it’s not a horror and it’s super good
I avoided Stephen King because I am not a horror fan...
I however am so glad I picked up 11/22/63 ... So good!
I also loved insomnia
Maybe you would like his fantasy novels, Dark Tower :) .
Great to see a shout out for The Green Mile. My grandfather was a huge Stephen King fan and he introduced me to King through these novellas when I was a young teen. Sharing the experience of reading these with my grandfather as they came out and being able to talk about them together and being excited for the next book to come out are some of my favorite reading memories. Beyond being a fantastic story, it will always have a special place in my heart.
I started reading SK books around August of last year. I've now read Carrie, The Shining, IT, Pet Sematary, The Stand, Insomnia and am currently reading Salem's Lot. I'm now a massive fan of his work and don't know why I never a any of his books in the past.
I’ve just started reading SK and I’ve decided to read the books in order. I’m now half way through Salem’s lot. I’m just loving it.
My first SK book was Misery. I read it the first day of summer vacation after 8th grade. I stayed up all night to finish it.
I hope you've read them now because you can't call yourself a Stephen King fan without at least reading one of the two😳
I'm just about to finish Carrie! For the first book of his I've read it's been good and I like the lack of/different medium for splitting the content up rather than chapter 1, 2 etc. I think the next book of his I pick up will be Salem's Lot but I also really want to read Pet Sematary too. Thanks for this video!
That makeup look with that shirt and the topic! Love it!
This was such a great recommendation video! Also, I love that you mainly spoke about his books that aren't typically mentioned in a "where to start with Stephen King" video. I started reading Stephen King in elementary school. I was in a second hand bookstore with my dad and there was a paperback of "Night Shift" -- the edition with a hand on the front cover wrapped in gauze and peaking out between the loose gauze are eyeballs. I was sold (I was a weird kid according to some people). It was like $1 so my dad bought it for me. To this day it is probably my favorite short story collection. So, happy you mentioned it. I dropped off reading Stephen King for a bit and got way behind, so I decided to read/re-read all his novels in order of publication. I am 200 pages away from finishing "The Stand" and have the next three on deck. I will give a special shout out to my favorite novel (so far) that ALMOST NO ONE MENTIONS...."Lisey's Story". It is so good and unique. Not sure why a lot of people sleep on it, but if you haven't read it yet - I would highly recommend. Not super long (around 500 pages). Anyway, am excited to watch more of your videos - just found you and just subscribed.
11/22/63 is one of my favorite Stephen King books. One of my others is The Dead Zone which I think was the first book I read by him.
SO GOOD!
Personally, I think another good short story collection to start off reading Stephen King with is Everything's Eventual. There are some super short good reads that get you used to his writing. There are also some famous stories/novellas in there, like Riding the Bullet and 1408.
i’m a big fan of just after sunset but everything‘s eventual is a pretty good recommendation as well.
Im a little late to the video, but I just wanted to say this video was a breath of fresh air. All the other videos I’ve watched of where to start with Stephen King are all basically the same and this was nice to see other things recommended before The Stand and It and The Shining. Also the way you describe the books without giving spoilers was perfect. Thank you for this video and you earned a subscriber.
I just started reading 11/22/63 as my 1st book, and I am absolutely hooked.
The Castle Rock series is great. If you read them in publication order as I did you will not get spoiled at all. Needful Things is in my top 5 King books. Cujo is great. I enjoyed The Dead Zone but it felt a little disjointed like it’s short stories about the main character thrown together but beginning and end are excellent. Dark Half is one of my least favorite king books but is needed to enjoy Needful Things fully. The Stand is my favorite. Not just favorite King but maybe favorite fiction book in general. Excellent. Some people don’t care for the ending, but once you know Stephen King based this book on the biblcal book of Revelation it makes the ending so much better.
I've been reading Kings books for so long I can't remember what my first was. I agree the Shining is a slow burn. Two that I really like are The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon(fairly short) and Geralds Game. These two are psych horrors and w/o giving away too much I like these two because they showcase Kings talent for playing with that balance between thinking your mind is playing tricks with you or maybe monsters are real.
I liked Geralds Game too.
I would recommend a new reader start with Night Shift and then Carrie.
If you liked both of those books then I would recommend reading his books in publication order.
I started with 11/22/63 because im not really a horror fan... So I never thought about giving Stephen King a chance until I saw that book
11/22/63 (amazing! Got me into his writing - a perfect novel in my opinion)
Salem's lot (meh - just vampires, sorry 😅)
The Stand (pretty good - loved the character development - the ending got a bit dry though)
The Talisman (got half way and put it down... They say it's about the journey and not the destination, yeah... But that wasn't a journey, I felt lost)
Insomnia (loved the whole thing... I don't even know where to begin. That underground hideout under the tree made my skin crawl)
Everythings eventual (have only read a few stories out of it... Moved on... So I can begin to read Needful Things... Too many books, not enough time)
Try mr Mercedes’ trilogy, joyland and billy summers. Crime thrillers and all very good.
@@matthewmedley8532 since I wrote this I have now read a few more of his novels
Rose Madder
Duma Key
Under the Dome
Needful Things
Billy Summers
And now onto desperation
@@bradleymcdonald6273 some good reads there.
@@bradleymcdonald6273 his short story collections are great also try Different Seasons and Bazaar of Bad dreams.
Can't wait until you start The Dark Tower series.
Even though I'm already knee deep in Stephen King books, I really enjoyed this video. Wish I'd known about the map back when I first started his books, but oh well, luckily I'm not someone easily put off by spoilers. 😅
I personally recommend to start with Gerald’s game
My first Stephen King was Christine and I loved it now I have two boxes full of King's books
'Salem's Lot was the first King book I read. Mostly because that was about all that was around when I first picked up King. Carrie came first but I didn't read that until sometime later on.
The first Stephen King book I read was The Mist. I was a teenager who had just finished reading Goosbumps and I was at my local public library trying to look for another thriller/scary book. And The Mist is the book I picked up. Read the book in two days. Truly an increíble author. Absolutely love his books!
Ty sm for this video I recently got into his books. I’ve read carrie and I’m currently reading salem’s lot. I also found the dead zone and skeleton crew for very cheap at a book store so i’ll look forward to read them!
Hope you like them!
Always nice to hear others opinions. You really MUST read IT though.... wow... you will LOVE it...!
Reading Pet Semetery before and after having children are two totally different ball games. Horror on a whole new level. It's one of his best but probably the toughest imo
I read a few books of Stephen King books, The shining, Doctor sleep, Carrie and a few others. Looking forward to reading more from him this fall ☺️
I loved 11/22/63. I was surprised that it had some fan service for people who've read IT. It's one of his best books from his later era, along with Dr Sleep.
my first two SK books I read when i was 12 years old were pet sematary and the Shining 30 plus years later I am stilled hooked. My favorite thing he has ever written is the Dark Tower Series, but I can appreciate that is a hard sell to recommend at any stage of your SK reading journey. It is such a different animal
i read misery recently and loved it so much! I compared it to the movie on my channel, and delved into how it relates to addiction.
I read Green Mile as well and really liked it. I would love to own it as it was published in serial form!
I've only read a few Stephen King books, and am looking to read more! This is such a helpful video!
I love to read paper-books but also don't mind reading on my e-reader. And a huge advantage of an e-reader is that books like The Stand and It won't intimidate you by its size.. 🤓
I started with The Shining and I actually agree with you. I should’ve started with something else and come to that one later. Probably would’ve appreciated it more. All these years later I think it’s time to go back.
Pet Semetary is my absolute favorite of his and that one I also wouldn’t start with.
Of these mentions, I’d say Misery could be the best staring point.
Personally, I’ll suggest the Bill Hodges trilogy. Any reader could enjoy Mr. Mercedes. Finders Keepers is the best of the three. And then you get to End of Watch which goes in a strange direction. To me, this will actually prime you for what his others books usually have to offer.
My favorite was 'Salem's Lot. I have always loved the vampire genre and he does such a good job creating a vibe with that one! The book is so much better than the movie..
Just finished JOYLAND, one of his books for Hard Case Crime, and absolutely loved it. Highly recommended. For no real reason other than "he's always there," I never read much King. But starting last year, I read The Shining and Salem's Lot and loved them both, which led me to Joyland.
finally someone mentions Joyland.
It’s the book i always wanted King to write too, Circus/Fair Park themed.
The Stand is my favorite. It's so long but worth every minute!
Loved 11/22/63! You make me want to read Green Mile but I've already watched the movie.
Salem's Lot was the first Stephen King book I read in middle school when I was 13 in 1979 I am giving away my age
My all time favorite is Cycle of the werewolf!
Silver bullet is a great movie as well
Your eye makeup is STUNNING. I cannot stop looking at it!!!
I can't even remember my first Stephen King book because I started reading his books in elementary school, lol. I was probably...8? My dad probably shouldn't have let me, but his philosophy was that if I was old enough to read such a big complicated book, then I was old enough for the content (though he told me I couldn't read them at school). If I had to take a guess at which was my first, it might've been...Desperation? I know I've read Desperation, but I can hardly remember it, so maybe that was the first.
I just decided to get started into Stephen King, I've read the Shining before ages ago but in a book haul I got like 15 of his books. After a lot of careful consideration I jumped into Needful Things because I wanted a book that people usually guarantee you're going to like. I am not disappointed, it is a great book. After this I am going to go back to the earliest order of publication that I have, which is the 2 short story compilations Night Shift and Skeleton Crew. Then I'll try and find Salem's lot, Carrie and Cujo at the library.
IT is an absolute banger from front to back. A great summer read, going on long walks in the sun and remembering how it felt to be a kid during those precious months off of school, just hanging out with your friends and living life.
I read Skeleton crew and Sun dog as my first stephen king books, just took something from him. I, then, read IT which i liked and now i am currently reading The Shining. I really like The Shining and the transition of Jack is very heartbreaking for me. I am going to read Misery next and continue the duology with Dr Sleep
Pet Sematary was the first SK I read but I think my favorite is Four Past Midnight or Rose Madder.
I've ordered my first SK as The Stand. I know it's massive but I love post apocalyptic so seems a good place for start. hope I like it
He is most known for his novels, but I think he excels at short stories.
I’m 13 and my first Stephen Ming book was Christine, I’m sorry to say it wasn’t really one of my favorites. I didn’t really like it at all. But I powered thru and got into reading The Shining! Which that became one of my faves :). I’ve now read about 10-13 of his books and plan to read more!!
@Morgan Alison Stewart I totally agree with your honorable mention of Pet Sematary because that’s one of the few SK books I have read and I must say, it was quite a lot.
I mean hell, the very beginning of the book and what happened to Gage particularly the funeral scene had me in tears, it takes a lot for a book particularly as a single 25 year old male with no kids to make me bawl like a baby at child death which, no I’m not heartless, if that’s what your wondering, it just takes a lot for me to read words on a page about something like that and get emotional but I did and that’s a testament to how Stephen King can make you feel for a character.
IT was my first SK book, but only bc I was 15 when the second movie came out and I really liked the two together
I forgot how much Stephen King I read in my teens until this video, where I kept thinking, "Read that, read that, read that." Anyway, one that you didn't mention was the Dark Tower series. I think I've only read the first 2 b/c that's all he had written at the time, but what I read made me want to know what happens next. I should really start that back up and finish it.
Love love love Stephen king! I just read “The Shinning” loved it. I read “Carrie” and “It” both scary. Love this video girl. Thank you! Reading “Salems Lot” next.
Bought 11 22 63 today.....my 1st king novel.....Hope i like it....
My first stephen king book was Pet Semetary!
the way i hurried and shut my eyes at the misery scene lmfaooooo
I’ve only read 2 books by Stephen King so far, the separate novella version of The Mist, and IT. I know those are both incredibly weird places to start with, but I just started reading a lot again last year, and I wanted to read both of them because I love the movies based off them. Honestly IT is probably my favorite book of all time, and I know it’s 1,137 pages long but it’s so worth it and so so good. The Mist was great too, and I can’t wait to read more short stories by Stephen King when I can.
Whenever someone asks me where to start with Stephen King, I always say The Shining. 1. I’m biased because it’s my favorite and 2. It’s just a really good introduction to kings style. Especially with his horror, it’s not his scariest but has some real spoopy moments. 3. It’s a really popular one, everybody know the shining as a story so it’ll probably be one they’re more inclined to read because they’re somewhat familiar with it
THEN AGAIN
If someone wants a short king book I’d say Misery. It’s not long at all, and it’s super good
But yeah The Shining is my #1 recommendation
The first SK book I ever read was The Shining and I always recommend that and the older short story collections to start!
The best way to read The Stand is through a Kindle. Trust me, you will thank the Amazon X-Ray feature in Kindle because there are so many characters introduced in the first half and you might lose track of who does what.
Depends on the mood your in. Sometimes you could fancy horror, dystopia, fantasy, claustrophobic King. Don't read them all quickly. I started 25 years ago with Cell then Firestarter, then I fancied a bit of horror so I read Carrie and Pet Senatary, Desperation, 112263. I recently fancied a detective series so I read Mr Mercedes and Finders keepers.
I really love your reccomendations. My all time favorite book is Pet Sematary, it references Cujo a little and many people think someone also has the shining. So it also connects in a very subtile way, i like that. By the way, i love your shirt. Where did you buy it? Love from the Netherlands
I've been a fan of Stephen King for probably close to 15 years, but I clicked on the video because I like to hear other people's thoughts on stuff like this. I really like your approach to recommending King to new readers and you have very solid insights. This is the third King related video I've watched today that mentioned that Stephen King is famous for short stories and that a lot of people think his shorter works shine some of the brightest. So apparently I'm in the minority, because to me almost every King novel slaps but his short stories and novellas tend to be hit or miss for me.
I love Pet Sematary and the Shining but I agree that I wouldn't recommend them to new readers, but mostly because in my opinion those are his "scariest" books and I wouldn't want to traumatize new readers. Though I guess it depends on if said reader is used to horror, because Pet Sematary was the second Stephen King book I ever read, and I read it in high school, either freshman or sophomore year, and I loved it. The Long Walk happened to be my first, which is so underrated.
Loved the Shining, the best book I've read so far this year.
I started with his short stories I read It was my first novel I’ve read of his so far and I am not going to lie I had to take a break because I read it in a week and it felt like getting months of information in a short amount of time so it felt like real memories of these characters. Also it was very terrifying I’m scarred with clown phobia and it definitely came from the book. I am currently reading The stand and Gunslinger pretty much alongside each other
I started with the Firestarter audiobook as read for the blind when I was 9 but I didn't really get into his books proper until I read Skeleton Crew and then I was off to the races. 11/22/63 has the best narrator I've ever heard.
Nice scene from the movie for Misery, but of course, it wasn't a sledge hammer she used in the book.
I'm reading King's works in publication order. I've read all the books up to The Gunslinger. Now I'm reading Danse Macabre and I think I actually should have read it earlier but I just somehow missed it. In my opinion, 'Salem's Lot is a lot more slow-burn than The Shining. And I prefer The Shining, it is my favorite King's book so far. I am not a huge fan of slow-burn books (most of King's books are like that and he is still one of my favorite authors lol) but in The Shining, it works but in 'Salem's Lot, not that well.
I read pet sematary a couple months ago, not knowing my cat will die right a day after i finished it :(
IT was my first, I read it over the summer when I was 14 and to this day it was probably the best reading experience of my life. going to read it for the 4th time this summer
My first was Rita Hayworth, then The Stand. Don't know why I literally went from his shortest to longest pieces of work but I loved them both!
Loved If It Bleeds. Ended up reading the Bill Hodges Trilogy because of that collection.
I first started reading Carrie, even though I watched the movie adaptions of Doctor sleep and IT. I really plan on reading more of his work, it’s amazing!!
The Shinning, Pet Sematary, Desperation, and just started Salem's Lot so far! Any recommendations for the next one after that?
Carrie was my first Stephen King book. I loved it and wanted to read more from him but that was all there was at the time. Yes, that's how long I've been reading Stephen King.
"It" is my favorite of the 43 Stephen King books I've read. I don't want to over sell it, but it's one of the best books I've yet read by anyone.The others in my top Three are "The Green Mile" and "11/22/63."
So glad I ran across your channel. Read Pet cemetery when I was in high school and loved it! Getting more into king now. Half way through fire starter and looking for the next one. Thinking Cujo and the castle rock series thanks!
My first book by King was The Long Walk which I read when I was 13 years old. I absolutely loved it at that time
My first Stephen king book was misery, really made me. Appreciate his style going forward into his other work.
My first three books from Stephen King were The Shining, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and Pet Sematary. After that I decided to read his books in publication order :) .
i’m reading Salem’s Lot rn and i love it!! but it’s not that short 😭😭 my copy is 654 pages! but i’m really enjoying it
The first Stephen king book I read was the mist, reallly good cosmic horror
First King book I started reading was IT but I never finished the book yet. Then this year in 2021, I read Pet Sematary and FireStarter. I also started 11/22/63 but haven’t finished it yet as I’m waiting for a renewal of the audiobook from the Libby app. So I switched over to The Stand. Im on chapter 5 right now. I accidentally fell asleep with the audiobook playing and woke up in the middle of the night with my audiobook being from chapter 5 to chapter 10. So I had to back to chapter 5. Im trying to start my own Stephen King book collection. So far I own 10 books and one audiobook.
One of the best, honest, relevant and interesting introductions to the Universe of Stephen King. Thank You 👍🏻📚👻😃
My first Stephen King was Carrie when I was 10. My grandpa had got it for my birthday and I got Salem’s Lot, Pet Sematary, and Firestarter 4 days later
First movie i saw with Stephen King, was children of the corn 3.
evil children and a grandmum
11/22/63 was my second book of kings, fairytale being the first and let me just say I think of these books everyday
Does anyone have any tips for convincing my parents to let me read Stephen King?
My parents think his work is “horrible”, “trash”, and “not worth my time”. I’ve heard really good things about his character development and other writing skills, and I’ve really wanted to read his books, but my parents won’t even let me take one of his books into our house. They think he is an “evil man that wants to corrupt minds”. I’ve always been interested in horror and I love the genre, but my parents don’t think that I can handle it. I’d highly appreciate any tips or ideas that you have. Thanks :)
i dont agree with your parents Kings horror is quite tame compared to many other writers....how old are you?
In all honesty just read it in secret, use your library at school or just your local one.
The Eyes of the Dragon is a perfect start
I still can’t believe i started with It and reread multiple times for better comprehension bc by the time you finish the book the beginning is a bit foggy and all that but It did get me to start a collection and read more from King
i am on a Stephen King spree right now and i started with The Stand! lol. jumped right in lol
I totally agree that The Green Mile is a great place to start!
IT was the first book of Stephen King’s I ever read; Misery was the book that hooked me. I’ve read many of his titles. I would say Misery and The Shining are my favourites so far with ‘Salem’s Lot not far behind.