Thank you! And then tomorrow will be the exact opposite, the WORST places to start lol. There’s not actually a lot of terrible places but there are a few haha.
I love the way you broke this down. I don't remember what my first King was but my favorite of the ones I have read is Pet Semetary. I love The Green Mile too. I read that the way it came out, as a serial novel. It was so much fun anticipating the next installment each month. I still have all six, I've never bought the compilation.
I've just discovered your channel...and the very first video I watched is simply superb. So well paced and organized. Fluent delivery without any spoilers. Exceptionally well done!
Nice job, bookish drummer! You are very knowledgeable on all that is King! My very first Stephen King book was The Dark Half. While it is by no means his best book, it was definitely enough to hook me on King. I have not read all of his books yet. My favorites so far are IT, THE SHINING, MISERY, PET SEMATARY, AND HIS NOVELLA THE BODY
Thank you! The Dark Half is pretty underrated! It’s one of my favorites by him, it sort of gets lost in the mix of the rest of his great 80s novels. It’s smacked in between It and Misery in the 80s and then his big release of The Uncut version of the Stand in 1990.
@@BookishDrummer Thank you so much for replying! I really enjoy your book reviews! In your opinion, is the stand something I should read? Is it really as good as everybody says it is? The subject matter sounds a little dry to me.
@@mendisegal56 I have an unpopular opinion. Here’s the deal, lol. It’s overrated, but a lot of people absolutely love it. It’s 1100 pages, it starts out great, but the middle section is extremely over bloated and it is one of the worst endings, which is doubly bad because it takes 1000 pages to get to it. So I would skip it lol
My very first Stephen King book was The Gunslinger and I could see why so many people loved Stephen King but wasn't really that intrigued. But then I picked up It and absolutely loved the character work and menacing horror aspect and then The Shining after that which has one of the best tragic character arcs that I've read. At this point, I'm fully sold on Stephen King and want to try everything he's written.
Nice! Yes, The Gunslinger is tricky, for most people, I’d say it’s a bad place to start, it’s very atypical King writing, but IT and The Shining are great places to start. Thanks!
@@BookishDrummer I appreciate you doing this kind of video, it's awesome to have good starting places and I added a few of these to my TBR to get to soon. I'm thinking I may put off trying Dark Tower again until I've read some of the others since I've heard there are references I'd miss otherwise.
@@caitcoy So I would say the main ones I would focus on for DT are Salem’s Lot, that ties in directly with the fifth book. The antagonist in the Stand is in the DT, so that would be a good one. You’ve already read IT. Everything else is mainly just Easter eggs, not required reading. Hopefully that helps!
great recommendations for starting points. im new to the channel but i love everything ive seen so far, we seem to share fairly similar opinions on most of his books. for the record my first king book was thinner because i found an old copy in an op shop about year ago and finally finding a shorter stepehen king book gave me the motivation to give him a shot. needless to say i was immediately hooked and jumped straight into dolores claiborne (one of my top 3 favourites from him) and the Bachman books (the long walk is easily one of his best pieces of writing). since then ive read 23 of his books and haven't been able to put him down! keep up the great work, love the videos :)
I agree with you on Thinner because it was my first King book and I've been a Constant Reader ever since... However, I do not agree with you on Rose Madder no one should start with that book ever, male or female... Also, for people that like fantasy books then I would suggest starting with Eyes of the Dragon or The Gunslinger... Yes, the Gunslinger! I don't know why people tend to not like that book but I think it's a great one...
Nice video.. All great choices - I might have included Salems Lot as an early example of outright King horror. Just goes to show how many wonderful books Stephen King has written. I plan on going back and reading all of King's books in chronological order at some point.. A daunting task but so enjoyable.
My first Stephen King book was ‘Thinner’ followed by ‘Mr Mercedes’ and then ‘Needful Things’. Of the other books you have mentioned I have read ‘The Shining’, ‘’Pet Sematary’ and ‘Carrie’.
That’s a good mix of books to start out with! Needful Things is another good starting point, although it’s less known and it’s length could intimidate some people.
Revival is Amazing I still think about it even today. It's a rollercoaster of a book. You never want to put it down. I read it in 3 days I would have finished it in at least 2 days now. It was a few years ago now and it's still one of my favorite books I've ever read.
@BookishDrummer By the way I just found your channel today I'm going to start watching your videos from the beginning. I really wanted to know where to start with King in his massive universe. I didn't really care for Salems Lot.
@BookishDrummer I know your The Book Drummer but wow those in-between drum solos are so loud and distracting for me also they are louder than your book talk. It's just me but your information about the books are good.
...that shirt, man...all thru this vid I hear Steely Dan...thanks. 1st book, bought one week after its 1st paperback publishing, was 'Salems Lot...and i, personally, would recommend it as a great starting point. You make great points across the board, tho...you would not be steering anyone wrong if they chose any of your selections, good job, man
My first Stephen King book was Eyes of the Dragon. I was in 8th grade when I read it and I freakin LOVED it. Then I read Thinner right after (didn't know it was Stephen King) and I LOVED that too. I was definitely fortuitous to start my Stephen King journey with those two awesome books.
Good recommendations. I started with Carrie I think 2 years ago - did not like it at all. Then Fire starter,The dead zone and Christine - last week I finished my 31-st King book :)
I believe that Dolores Claiborne was my first King book. I remember buying Everything's Eventual around the same time, but I finished Dolores Claiborne first and absolutely loved it.
First Stephen King book I ever picked up was Four Past Midnight. It was 1994 and I found it at a tag sale for $0.25. The Langoliers was the first thing I ever read by King, but I still remember parts of it vividly to this day, especially the character Craig Toomey. After that was Secret Window, Secret Garden, and then Carrie.
Great video!!!!! I can't remember what my first King book was.... that was too long ago. Lol. I'd guess maybe Carrie, Christine or Pet Semetary because I remember reading those before trying The Stand.
It’s a lot of books to keep track of! Lol I used to have my original reading order, I kept track of it, but I’ve lost it over the years. I know generally which books I read first, but not the exact order.
“If you’re a bit of a scaredy-cat, this book is for you” that line sold me on the Green Mile 😂 great video! Loved the different recommendations per category.
Wanna throw someone off? Tell them to start off with Song of Suzannah. I always thought Carrie or The Dead Zone were good starting points. With Horror, Id probably recommend Misery as well.
Love both the book and the movie of The Shining but still think the book is much better. Of the 76 King books I have read, The Shining is my number 2. Wish Kubrick stuck closer to the book, especially with the ending.
Not gonna lie my first SK read was “night shift” I had so much fun reading it, but holy hell the story “last rung on the ladder” had me bawling like a baby at the end, never had an author make me do damn upset/emotional and did it in under like 30 pages…
Lol NO! Look for that on tomorrow’s video! Eyes of the Dragon is tricky because it’s a great book, but it’s also not stereotypical King writing, so I couldn’t really put it on here. Thanks Allen!
I really want to read Misery and Different Seasons, and I would love to read It but its sooooooo long 🥺Oh dang, Gerald's Game sounds really good, too!!! Was it a movie? I feel like I may have seen it, but I don't recall it very vividly. I also want to read the Mr Mercedes series, but maybe I should read a couple others first.
@@BookishDrummer idk i dont really think either of them are really overrated they get the love they deserve, but IT has been shoved down stephen king fans throats so much its kinda soured it for me, it was still an Phenomenal
Great idea for a King video! His catalogue is so vast that I can see where it might be a bit overwhelming to figure out where to start.
Thank you! And then tomorrow will be the exact opposite, the WORST places to start lol. There’s not actually a lot of terrible places but there are a few haha.
@@BookishDrummer I will look forward to it! :-)
I love the way you broke this down. I don't remember what my first King was but my favorite of the ones I have read is Pet Semetary. I love The Green Mile too. I read that the way it came out, as a serial novel. It was so much fun anticipating the next installment each month. I still have all six, I've never bought the compilation.
Yeah, that must have been a fun way to experience the novel. Very old school. Thank you!
I've just discovered your channel...and the very first video I watched is simply superb.
So well paced and organized. Fluent delivery without any spoilers.
Exceptionally well done!
Well thank you! That’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever had on my channel. Welcome! Glad to have you!
Nice job, bookish drummer! You are very knowledgeable on all that is King! My very first Stephen King book was The Dark Half. While it is by no means his best book, it was definitely enough to hook me on King.
I have not read all of his books yet. My favorites so far are IT, THE SHINING, MISERY, PET SEMATARY, AND HIS NOVELLA THE BODY
Thank you! The Dark Half is pretty underrated! It’s one of my favorites by him, it sort of gets lost in the mix of the rest of his great 80s novels. It’s smacked in between It and Misery in the 80s and then his big release of The Uncut version of the Stand in 1990.
@@BookishDrummer Thank you so much for replying! I really enjoy your book reviews! In your opinion, is the stand something I should read? Is it really as good as everybody says it is? The subject matter sounds a little dry to me.
@@mendisegal56 I have an unpopular opinion. Here’s the deal, lol. It’s overrated, but a lot of people absolutely love it. It’s 1100 pages, it starts out great, but the middle section is extremely over bloated and it is one of the worst endings, which is doubly bad because it takes 1000 pages to get to it. So I would skip it lol
@@BookishDrummer Thanks!
My very first Stephen King book was The Gunslinger and I could see why so many people loved Stephen King but wasn't really that intrigued. But then I picked up It and absolutely loved the character work and menacing horror aspect and then The Shining after that which has one of the best tragic character arcs that I've read. At this point, I'm fully sold on Stephen King and want to try everything he's written.
Nice! Yes, The Gunslinger is tricky, for most people, I’d say it’s a bad place to start, it’s very atypical King writing, but IT and The Shining are great places to start. Thanks!
@@BookishDrummer I appreciate you doing this kind of video, it's awesome to have good starting places and I added a few of these to my TBR to get to soon. I'm thinking I may put off trying Dark Tower again until I've read some of the others since I've heard there are references I'd miss otherwise.
@@caitcoy So I would say the main ones I would focus on for DT are Salem’s Lot, that ties in directly with the fifth book. The antagonist in the Stand is in the DT, so that would be a good one. You’ve already read IT. Everything else is mainly just Easter eggs, not required reading. Hopefully that helps!
Thanks! Very helpfull!
great recommendations for starting points. im new to the channel but i love everything ive seen so far, we seem to share fairly similar opinions on most of his books.
for the record my first king book was thinner because i found an old copy in an op shop about year ago and finally finding a shorter stepehen king book gave me the motivation to give him a shot. needless to say i was immediately hooked and jumped straight into dolores claiborne (one of my top 3 favourites from him) and the Bachman books (the long walk is easily one of his best pieces of writing). since then ive read 23 of his books and haven't been able to put him down!
keep up the great work, love the videos :)
Love this! Thank you!
Great video, very helpful. Great picks for firsts.
I agree with you on Thinner because it was my first King book and I've been a Constant Reader ever since... However, I do not agree with you on Rose Madder no one should start with that book ever, male or female... Also, for people that like fantasy books then I would suggest starting with Eyes of the Dragon or The Gunslinger... Yes, the Gunslinger! I don't know why people tend to not like that book but I think it's a great one...
Good points
Nice video.. All great choices - I might have included Salems Lot as an early example of outright King horror. Just goes to show how many wonderful books Stephen King has written. I plan on going back and reading all of King's books in chronological order at some point.. A daunting task but so enjoyable.
Yes Salem’s Lot is a great example. But I wanted to only include 19 books. For reasons… lol
My first Stephen King book was ‘Thinner’ followed by ‘Mr Mercedes’ and then ‘Needful Things’. Of the other books you have mentioned I have read ‘The Shining’, ‘’Pet Sematary’ and ‘Carrie’.
That’s a good mix of books to start out with! Needful Things is another good starting point, although it’s less known and it’s length could intimidate some people.
I've been reading through King's fiction in publication order, so I started with Carrie. I'm currently in the middle of book #8, The Dead Zone
The Dead Zone is my all time favorite!!!! Yay
Revival is Amazing I still think about it even today. It's a rollercoaster of a book. You never want to put it down. I read it in 3 days I would have finished it in at least 2 days now. It was a few years ago now and it's still one of my favorite books I've ever read.
Totally
@BookishDrummer By the way I just found your channel today I'm going to start watching your videos from the beginning. I really wanted to know where to start with King in his massive universe. I didn't really care for Salems Lot.
@@Dragondarkness30 nice! Thank you!
@BookishDrummer I know your The Book Drummer but wow those in-between drum solos are so loud and distracting for me also they are louder than your book talk. It's just me but your information about the books are good.
@@Dragondarkness30 my earlier videos have terrible sound quality haha I had no idea what I was doing
...that shirt, man...all thru this vid I hear Steely Dan...thanks.
1st book, bought one week after its 1st paperback publishing, was 'Salems Lot...and i, personally, would recommend it as a great starting point.
You make great points across the board, tho...you would not be steering anyone wrong if they chose any of your selections, good job, man
Thanks Peter!
My first Stephen King book was Eyes of the Dragon. I was in 8th grade when I read it and I freakin LOVED it. Then I read Thinner right after (didn't know it was Stephen King) and I LOVED that too. I was definitely fortuitous to start my Stephen King journey with those two awesome books.
Good recommendations. I started with Carrie I think 2 years ago - did not like it at all. Then Fire starter,The dead zone and Christine - last week I finished my 31-st King book :)
Thank you! Interesting. What was it you didn’t like about Carrie? Also, that’s a lot of King books! What’s been your favorites so far?
@@BookishDrummer maybe I was over expecting from Carrie. I will give it another try after some time. My favourite is The dead zone definitely.
@@stoyantonchev7983 Nice! That’s my favorite as well!
Great Video. I love the way you classified those books. Maybe I will start with Carrie or Firestarter.
Thanks! I hope you enjoy them! Glad to have you here.
13:08 U2- Sunday Bloody Sunday. U2 is my favorite band!!!
Yes! I love when people can guess what song I'm playing! One of my favorite drum intros!
This is a GREAT video, thank you!
My first Stephen King book was Revival. It is easily one of the great books of the 21st century. A modern classic.
Nice!
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.
Nice!
I believe that Dolores Claiborne was my first King book. I remember buying Everything's Eventual around the same time, but I finished Dolores Claiborne first and absolutely loved it.
Nice!!! I’m glad you loved it! What’s your favorite King book now?
@@BookishDrummer of the ones I have read, 11/22/63.
@@JLynnEchelon nice!
First Stephen King book I ever picked up was Four Past Midnight. It was 1994 and I found it at a tag sale for $0.25. The Langoliers was the first thing I ever read by King, but I still remember parts of it vividly to this day, especially the character Craig Toomey. After that was Secret Window, Secret Garden, and then Carrie.
Nice!
Great video!!!!!
I can't remember what my first King book was.... that was too long ago. Lol. I'd guess maybe Carrie, Christine or Pet Semetary because I remember reading those before trying The Stand.
It’s a lot of books to keep track of! Lol I used to have my original reading order, I kept track of it, but I’ve lost it over the years. I know generally which books I read first, but not the exact order.
I love your Stephen King videos
I definitely remember the first book from Stephen king that I read full dark no stars and then I read under the dome 🤔🙀
Nice! Hopefully you enjoyed those books lol Full Dark No Stars is great, Under the Dome is fantastic except for the ending lol
Have you ever watched the movie adaptation of thinner just curious 🤔
Yes
@@BookishDrummer I haven't I didn't even that it had been adapted I only found out about it a few weeks ago 😆😂
@@cynthiaholmes5124 yes, it’s sort of a cheesy 90s version of it. It’s fun and surprisingly faithful, but it’s not fantastic by any means.
“If you’re a bit of a scaredy-cat, this book is for you” that line sold me on the Green Mile 😂 great video! Loved the different recommendations per category.
Awesome! 😂 Thanks! I hope you like Green Mile if you decide to pick it up!
Finally had time to watch that video 🤣 definitely have to read Dolores Claiborne. Not sure about Mystery now though 😳
Wanna throw someone off? Tell them to start off with Song of Suzannah.
I always thought Carrie or The Dead Zone were good starting points. With Horror, Id probably recommend Misery as well.
Agreed! Haha
Was just waiting for you to get to the Tommyknockers and declare it the greatest SK novel of all time... lol
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hi! friend. What about The stand, shall I read it. Please do reply.
Just saw this, you can read it! A lot of people love it, I think it’s overrated, but I have the unpopular opinion
Love both the book and the movie of The Shining but still think the book is much better. Of the 76 King books I have read, The Shining is my number 2. Wish Kubrick stuck closer to the book, especially with the ending.
Yeah it can divisive among King fans. Glad to hear from someone that loves both!
My first stephen kings book was 11.22.63.
How did you like it?
@@BookishDrummer It was great I loved it and recently I finished The Shining and I liked it too.
@@Zombie443-r2t excellent, yet another constant reader 😀
I started with Pet Semetary and absolutely loved it! ☺️
Not gonna lie my first SK read was “night shift” I had so much fun reading it, but holy hell the story “last rung on the ladder” had me bawling like a baby at the end, never had an author make me do damn upset/emotional and did it in under like 30 pages…
Great video but some things wrongs about your description of misery
I absolutely loved Misery. Annie is so terrifying. On the other hand, I hated Pet Sematary. It takes so long for anything to happen imo.
What?? I was SURE you'd put the Talisman on here! 😛
My first King was Eye of the Dragon!
Lol NO! Look for that on tomorrow’s video!
Eyes of the Dragon is tricky because it’s a great book, but it’s also not stereotypical King writing, so I couldn’t really put it on here. Thanks Allen!
I really want to read Misery and Different Seasons, and I would love to read It but its sooooooo long 🥺Oh dang, Gerald's Game sounds really good, too!!! Was it a movie? I feel like I may have seen it, but I don't recall it very vividly. I also want to read the Mr Mercedes series, but maybe I should read a couple others first.
My next will be cell
My first was carrie
Carrie was the first one I read! I got something right as a 15 year old 😆
@@andreabknight nice!
It's a good list. I've recommended 11/22/63 and it's been well received by noobs and bad-first-impressioners alike
Nice! That’s great
The stand aint over rated, IT is though
I think the stand is more overrated than IT, but that’s just my opinion. Why do you think otherwise?
@@BookishDrummer idk i dont really think either of them are really overrated they get the love they deserve, but IT has been shoved down stephen king fans throats so much its kinda soured it for me, it was still an
Phenomenal
I started with Pet Sematary on audio
That’s a good life decision lol