I'm not really a speed reader. I might read a bit more quickly than most, but the reason I read so many books is because I read constantly. If I have free time, I'm reading. When I say I read a book in one night, I mean that I stayed up for 12 or more hours reading.
my top 5 : 5 - 2001 A Space Odyssey / Arthur C Clark 4 - The Great Gatsby / F Scott Fitzcherald 3 - The War of the Worlds / H.G. Wells 2 - Jurassic Park / Michael Crichton 1 - The Dark Tower / Stephen King
I may not read 200 books per year but I still do like reading ever since I was 8 or 9, and it's enjoyable watching people gush over and talk about books.
arandy123 that's your opinion. Personally I think Harry Potter is one of, if not the best, works of fiction/fantasy in the modern world. I wouldn't be surprised if the books went on the be considered Classics in 50-100 years. They are beautiful written and are, simply put, a masterpiece.
***** Either you are dumb or just haven't read GOT. Sure, there is sex, but that is because the author wants to make the world believable and the characters real. Sex is a normal thing for people, so people have sex in the book, but it is not an every chapter thing or even near that. It is in no way medieval porn.
1.the dark tower series -Stephen King 2 . Harry Potter series -jk Rowling 3.the Lord of the rings -jrr Tolkien 4.A game of thrones -George rr Martin 5. IT -Stephen King That's my top 5 from what I have read
I watched this video not long after it came out as a 13 year old and, it inspired me to pick up Salem's Lot which is also one of my favorite books. Now I'm 22, looking at this video of you when you were 22 and just in a state of nostalgia, I don't comment often on videos but you inspired me to really dive into reading and while I have high and low points in my reading, I come back to many of the books you reviewed/recommended on this channel. Wishing the best for you man.
I didn't expect you to include Harry Potter at all, cause it seems to be depreciated by most bookish people, just because it is a huge commercial success and written for children. But I'm glad you did, because I think we are LOTS of people of our generation for whom Harry Potter was life changing. And I mean it literally . Gonna have a look at the other books you mentioned by the way!
I liked insomnia of the Stephen king series. Enders game is Great! I would recomend ready player one, i think you would like it. My top 5 books: 1. Othelo (shakespear). 2. The alchamist. 3. The gambler by Dostojevsky. 4. Harry potter 5. Heart of Darkness (spent a summer and a dictionary to get through it hated every second the reliefe of finishing the book was amazing)
I hear you man! I called in sick with the flu, and while lying in bed started to read Misery. I could not put it down, and between the sneezing and coughing and napping I finished the book that day! I consider The Stand (the unabridged version) to be Mr. King's Masterpiece. Probably one of the best books ever written about the struggle between good and evil. I like your list but you need to get some classics in there, here are some of my favorites: T.H. White- The Once and Future King. The Best telling of the Arthurian legend, by far. Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. You are a history buff, and this would be something right up your alley. Few books in America have actually changed the course of American History-this is one of them. Harper Lee-To Kill a Mockingbird. Flowers for Algernon- Daniel Keys East of Eden-John Steinbeck Slaughterhouse 5-Kurt Vonnegut (this one is waaaaaay ahead of it's time) More recent stuff: The Gargoyle-Andrew Davidson. Several publishers were fighting over the rights to this book before it was published. Not bad considering this was Mr. Davidson's first book. I believe the bidding started at 1 million...for good reason. Dune by Frank Herbert. Many critics agree that if you only read one SF book in your whole live, this may be the one. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. One of the greatest stand alone Fantasy novels ever. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Yup I am a huge fan. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. These are the excellent books that Game of Thrones is based on, but there is no way the series can capture the depth and breath of these wonderful, gritty books. The first book was published in 1996. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher-These are just great fun to read. I consider it to be the best example of Urban Fantasy done well.
This list is simply what my favorite books are. I read around 200 books a year in all different genres, including the classics--I've read all of Dickens's work, as well as Twain and Swift.
Here are my top 5.5: The outsiders(S.E. Hinton)4: The Lost World (Micheal Chrichen)3: Rasl (Jeff Smith)2: Monster (Walter Dean Myers)1: Bone (Jeff Smith)
My favourite books right now are - 1. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts 2. The Fountainhead by you know who 3. The Idiot by Dostoyevsky 4. Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 5. Martin Eden by Jack London Martin Eden I read in 2016. My God. God my.
I liked Misery but I loved Green Mile. I didn't know he wrote it under Richard Bachman. I am starting to read Abhorsen, Gods of War. I haven't read Salem's lot which is shocking to me. These 3 i shall definitely add to my goodreads to read section...Im ignorant and will wait more years before I give potter a chance. Thanks!
I don't even know where to begin when I'm talking about favorite books. For starters, I am a huge Stephen King fan. I read 'IT' when I was in the seventh grade and it instantly became my favorite. That was when I really began to read. Stephen King serves as one of my inspirations to writing. In no specific order, my reading list is more like this: -'IT' by Stephen King -'The Shining' by Stephen King -'Misery' by Stephen King -'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King -'Lord of the Flies' by William Golding -'Catcher in the Rye' by JD Salinger -'Rose Mary's Baby' by Ira Levin -'1984' by George Orwell -'Fahrenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury -'Of Mice & Men' By John Steinback -'The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain -'NOS4A2' by Joe Hill I know, a lot of King books. Honorable mentions would be: -'Innocence' by Dean Koontz -'The Cuckoo's Calling' by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) -'Jurassic Park' by Michael Crichton -'Under the Dome' by Stephen King -The Haunting of Hill House' by Shirley Jackson -CW
reading a lot of series isn't a surprise. Authors like to write series because it makes one reader buy multiple books if they even slightly enjoy the first one.
Have you read Vernor Vinge's "A Deepness in the Sky" and "A Fire Upon the Deep"? I read them maybe 14 years ago (in translation) and I'm not shure how great he was at creating his worlds but his not human characters impressed me so much that I really cared for them. It's a bit like leaving a cinema after watching Avatar 3D, personally I was just lost. For two or three minutes I expected everybody to be huge and blue.
Im just reading Harry Potter at 31 and it’s probably one of the best series ever-no series has left me as warm and cozy as much as HP. It really is great!!!❤
Stephen King is a master at creating characters that people connect with. Ive always loved him for that above all else, even his great storytelling. My personal favorite King book is It but I have many other favorites of his and Ive loved everything he has written.
Thanks for doing my idea! Misery was the first Stephen King book I read and it's the book that made me want to read more! Really loved that book and also, the Emperor series sounds really interesting, I might check it out.
If you go down to Willow Farm, to look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies Open your eyes, it's full of surprise, everyone lies, like the fox on the rocks, and the musical box. :)
I loved ENDER'S GAME too and recently read ENDER'S SHADOW about Bean. Have you read that one? Harry Potter is incredible! I just read the first one this year and loved it! I don't care for Stephen King books though.
Several Stephen King Novels, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Last Juror, On a Pale Horse, The Terminal Man are mixed around on my top 5. I agree with your reasoning and I hope to read some of the books you've mentioned later on in my life.
I did a quick very rough calculation to estimate your words-per-minute reading speed based on hypothetically reading 'Salem's Lot' (671 pages at 250 words per page (average number of words per page in a novel)) and I came up with around 225-235 words per minute which is quite good, but not particularly fast compared to those who are speed readers. Regardless, I am still very impressed! I love reading and would love to read 200 books per year! hope you keep making videos, love your thoughts :)
My top 5 The hobbit J.R.R Tolkien - The Wardstone Chronicles Joseph Delaney - Chasers James Phelan - Cherub series Robert Muchamore - Ready player one Ernest cline -
I am totally with you on Ender's Game. I read the first book and loved it (though I was a bit iffy on the ending, it was okay...) but to have such a great book followed up with whatever the heck the author wanted to achieve just left a bad taste in my mouth. It's because of that sudden drop in interest that it's really hard for me to love the book simply because I will just satisfy myself with thinking of it as a forever cliffhanger that never got finished (I won't acknowledge the other books).
very entertaing, and you seem like a witty person. I read Mr.Mercedes, which was good. I recently finished the sequel, Finders Keepers, I did enjoy it. And i' d look forward reading the last trilogy, I think it's called The Suicide Prince. Have you read Finders Keepers? And what did you think of it?
In no real particular order 1. Animal Farm by George Orwell 2. 11.22.63 by Stephen King 3. Insomnia by Stephen King 4. Man's search for meaning by Dr Viktor Frankl 5. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami 6. Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami 7. Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world by Haruki Murakami 8. The Great Divorce by C.S Lewis 9. Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis 10. The road to serfdom by F.A Hayek Short stories I really enjoyed: Of mice and men by John Steinbeck Chess by Stefan Zweig
My top 5 are: Emperor series by conn igguldan Fifteen hours by mitchel scanlon Mission survival by bear grills Percy Jackson/heroes of Olympus (tied) by Rick riordan The stand / gone series(tied) by Stephen king and Michael grant
Good emotional review. Dude you must be an incredibly fast reader...really! And when you said Misery scared you because you are a writer and you could have an obsessed fan, I thought ya right -YOU WISH!
You seem to have the same taste as me. I loved the video where you ripped into "50 shades of grey" and ended it with the joke about "twilight" haha. I have read the Stephen King books you mentioned and loved them. Harry potter rocks. It's a good, good choice, but I'm not sure if it would be my number one. Some of the other ones I'll have to look into. Man, I would love you to review one of my novels, even if you did bash it. I'd probably deserve it. :) I'll have to check out "Bridgeworld"
Travis, I was flabbergasted to hear that you read 'Salem's Lot' in just one night, and that you read around 200 books a year. As a much ... much slower reader, I am very interested in the topic of speed reading. Can you please make a video on 'reading fast', your experience with speed reading, tips/ tricks you've learned. Reading a book like 'Salem's Lot' in just one night is a feat nothing short of magical for someone like me :)
Greatest Video! Reading is probably the only worthy habit in this entire human history. I read a lots of books and I have gained immense knowledge and i know it helps me in very important situations of my life. I use an iPhone app called "mustread" to track the books i have read, give ratings , share to friends , reminders etc
Came across a jewel about a week ago and I believe that it is a story that needs to be given life. It's called "The Kingdoms of Hairpetah." By Chiedu Obusez. I am not exactly sure why I am so excited about the story, but I feel it could be the next best hit. The book reads like a movie--I have never experienced that before. Slow start, however, a wonderful story with amazing characters. The author, I think is African, but he writes like a European. I just want to recommend it and be the first on record to make the bold prediction of its success. Thanks!
I love your videos man, I'd really enjoy seeing you do a review of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss...if you haven't already read it I guarantee you wouldn't regret it..Who knows it might even inspire your future novels. [: Cheers
not that anyone cares, but my top 5 so far: catcher the painted bird cat's cradle ham on rye the sarah book I keep reading to knock one or two of those off that list and add something new. 6 thru 10 would be all John Steinbeck, from of mice to men to the wayward bus. the man is a god. what a joy he is to read.
My five would have to be (and this is just at the top of my head): 1. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 2. (3-way tie) Dead Babies, Money, and Success all by Martin Amis 3. Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine 4. (Tie) Filth by Irvine Welsh/ I Am Legend by Richard Matheson 5. Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
i read enders game last summer for summer reading and loved it! my favorite books are the warriors series, harry potter series of course, pendragon series, the giver, and the percy jackson series...i read a lot of series' haha
Well, I'm finishing up my Second full length novel, But I would be interested in hearing what you think about some of my earlier stories. I'm still learning and probably will be for the rest of my life. I love to read and write, I posted a link on your facbook page. Some of the longer stories I have charged $0.99, but if your interested I will send you a free coupon, if not, thanks anyways. I would love your advice and can't wait to read your novels. thanks matt
I read Harry Potter book 1 at 11 , then a few months later read book 2 . I then got book 3 at 12 for Christmas , and I got to page 50 or so and stopped reading it . I’ve never picked it up again . I couldn’t care LESS about Harry Potter despite what people think ...
1-Magic Mountain. TH.Mann 2-The Human Comedy.W.Saroyan 3-The adventures of Huckelberry Finn.M.Twain 4-Beware of Pitty.S.Zwaig 5-The Arc of Triumphe.Remarque
THANK YOU for putting Misery! My favorite SK novel of all time (ok, tied with Needful Things). I haven't read Salem's Lot because I've just grown so nauseous of the cliched vampire hype and Anne Rice clones (even though this book preceded the Twilight hubbub). Maybe I'll give it a try. I also liked "It",it's a heavy book but the chilling nostalgic horror vibe of that book is like no other.
I've just added all of those books to my list (with the exception of HP cause I've read that like a hundred times) you should read The Gone series by Michael Grant, The Fault in our Stars by John Green, a
Travis, I love S. King´s books, but, I don´t know how to start. My native languaje is spanish, I does read some book translated in past, but the translation in spanish it´s no good. I´m mexican and the translate was make it thinking only in people of Spain... I need a lot of teachers of english.
Y'know, the only "problem" I had with Salem's Lot was that the characters weren't as deep as in other Stephen King's novels, ironically... They were okay, don't get me wrong, but by Stephen King character standards they were kinda dull. But the book is still awesome!
YES!! Harry Potter is the best. Even though some may not care for the genre or writing style, there's no denying that the books are absolutely fantastic. I think that what makes them so great is the amount of depth and thought that J.K. Rowling put into them. All that detail is something that no other writer has done before. The world of Harry Potter is so intricate that nothing will ever come close to touching it.
arandy123 I actually read quite a bit, thank you. There are books I have read that's writing is better or scenes are better, etc, but I have yet to come across a book or series as in depth and well thought out as the Harry Potter series. You can argue with me all you want, but I challenge you to find me a book that has as much or more research, history, character and plot development, world building, as well thought out, and as impactful as the Harry Potter series.
Perhaps I should have phrased my comment differently. "Read better, not more." That would have been apt. If you are asking for a book that's more "impactful" (not a real word). I could name about a hundred and with a little thought name hundreds more. For starters Don Quixote basically established the form that would later become the modern novel even if we disregard things earlier like the Tale of Genji. Basically every author writing today borrows from the likes of modernist like Faulkner, Joyce and Proust who borrowed from everything to Wharton, James, Austen going all the way back to ancient Greek playwrights. These people established ideas that live in almost every aspect of our culture. Little of this appears in the Harry Potter books however, because they are written for undereducated children. That her books show imagination is granted. That they bring people pleasure is good. But the characters are thin, the plots are shallow and the writing is made for a fifth grader. As for the research and world building you think she did and does. Her world is just an iteration of our own but with magic. The research is a joke. She never researched anything. Read Moby Dick and understand that was done prior to the internet in an age where even owing a book was a luxury and then you will understand what real research means. You will find me arrogant for saying all this but if you look beyond the fact that the books are popular and well-marketed, you see that only someone delusional or poorly read can conclude that the books are really that "impactful".
I recently read Misery. I really enjoyed it, it's one of the better King books I've read. Carrie was the first of his I read and I honestly thought it was brilliant. Salem's Lot is actually the least favorite of the King books I've read. I just thought it dragged on, there was too much detail at certain points, etc., but it did have a fantastic ending.
Ashley Meijer I stand to be corrected, but aren't those the "original" covers that Rowling went with originally before all the other covers? And also you wouldn't find Harry Potter for 9 dollars here unless it was on sale, I wish though.
Holly Morgan yeah, Canada's covers look the same as the original British ones. And yeah, although once I got 2 used Harry Potter books for less than 10 dollars altogether and they looked almost new. :)
+Travis McBee Hi, Travis! My 5 Favourite Books Are, - Mr Snow by Roger Hargreaves, Mr Daydream by Roger Hargreaves, Exploring The Earth and Moon by Patrick Moore, Farming Around The World by Louise and Richard Floethe, 1986 RAC Guide Book by RAC.
I am not a native English speaker. Could you please tell me. Is it correct to say "There is three books" or is it supposed to be said "there are three books"?
Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Giant, Adam Link Robot (Sci-Fi fans NEED to read this), Coraline, I Have Lived a Thousand Years, Tiger's Curse (chick flick series, but very good), The Screwtape Letters... and about a hundred other titles. :-)
I loved Ender's Game > The book I read in the 80's that made me read Orson Scott Card was written by him in 1980 and was called The Songmaster. I turned so many people onto that book and everyone raved about it and gave it to their friends.
I'm not really a speed reader. I might read a bit more quickly than most, but the reason I read so many books is because I read constantly. If I have free time, I'm reading. When I say I read a book in one night, I mean that I stayed up for 12 or more hours reading.
I can't believe people read novels.
@@sherlockholmeslives.1605 why. There’s at least one novel for everyone. Until I read The Shining, I hated reading.
@@thenewtommyrockets1180
Thanks!
I don't think Misery was a Richard Bachman novel
It wasn't
He wanted to publish it as Richard Bachman,but people found out it was a pen name earlier that year
Time stamps
5: 0:50
5 (tie) 1:46
4: 3:10
3: 4:49
2: 6:11
1: 7:24
Salem's Lot was the first Stephen King book I read... I read it in the late 70's when I was 10 years old. I was hooked! Still an avid King fan. :D
my top 5 :
5 - 2001 A Space Odyssey / Arthur C Clark
4 - The Great Gatsby / F Scott Fitzcherald
3 - The War of the Worlds / H.G. Wells
2 - Jurassic Park / Michael Crichton
1 - The Dark Tower / Stephen King
Neta Bolt the series or the final novel in it?
the dark tower as a series, but if i want to choose the best out of the series i would choose Wizard and Glass, the 4th book of the series.
Long days and pleasant nights, Sai Neta Bolt.
Co
I may not read 200 books per year but I still do like reading ever since I was 8 or 9, and it's enjoyable watching people gush over and talk about books.
Dude you need to do an updates top 5!! This has to have changed by now, and I love watching your reviews.
My top 5:
1. Blood Meridian
2. Brothers Karamazov
3. Bleak House
4. The Scarlet Letter
5. Les Miserables
try khaleed hosseini
Nerd
Nerd
"Harry Potter is a masterpiece the world has never seen before"...
Ok I think we're done here.
Harry Potter is still amazing. It's not perfect but I still consider it a masterpiece.
Calling Harry Potter a masterpiece basically negates all advancement that has been made by the human race.
arandy123 that's your opinion. Personally I think Harry Potter is one of, if not the best, works of fiction/fantasy in the modern world. I wouldn't be surprised if the books went on the be considered Classics in 50-100 years. They are beautiful written and are, simply put, a masterpiece.
Holly Morgan no game of thrones is the best work of fiction this century
***** Either you are dumb or just haven't read GOT. Sure, there is sex, but that is because the author wants to make the world believable and the characters real. Sex is a normal thing for people, so people have sex in the book, but it is not an every chapter thing or even near that. It is in no way medieval porn.
1.the dark tower series -Stephen King
2 . Harry Potter series -jk Rowling
3.the Lord of the rings -jrr Tolkien
4.A game of thrones -George rr Martin
5. IT -Stephen King
That's my top 5 from what I have read
david,anthony Ahern But Storm of Swords : Blood and Gold is way better than A Game Of Thrones.
Sedar Games I'd have to disagree
Adding GOT is a massive disrespect to that list.
I watched this video not long after it came out as a 13 year old and, it inspired me to pick up Salem's Lot which is also one of my favorite books. Now I'm 22, looking at this video of you when you were 22 and just in a state of nostalgia, I don't comment often on videos but you inspired me to really dive into reading and while I have high and low points in my reading, I come back to many of the books you reviewed/recommended on this channel.
Wishing the best for you man.
I didn't expect you to include Harry Potter at all, cause it seems to be depreciated by most bookish people, just because it is a huge commercial success and written for children. But I'm glad you did, because I think we are LOTS of people of our generation for whom Harry Potter was life changing. And I mean it literally .
Gonna have a look at the other books you mentioned by the way!
I absolutely, completely agree that HP knocks up reading to a whole new level. It did the same thing for me. It just... changes you.
Can you do a proper review of the HP series? I would love to see it :)
I'm with you Travis. I think harry potter is number 1. Partly because I'm 22 as well and grew up reading the books as they came out.
trha2222 as they were released. That's what he meant.
I liked insomnia of the Stephen king series. Enders game is Great! I would recomend ready player one, i think you would like it.
My top 5 books: 1. Othelo (shakespear). 2. The alchamist. 3. The gambler by Dostojevsky. 4. Harry potter 5. Heart of Darkness (spent a summer and a dictionary to get through it hated every second the reliefe of finishing the book was amazing)
Haha I can hear the passion for these books in your voice, man you really do love Harry Potter
I hear you man! I called in sick with the flu, and while lying in bed started to read Misery. I could not put it down, and between the sneezing and coughing and napping I finished the book that day! I consider The Stand (the unabridged version) to be Mr. King's Masterpiece. Probably one of the best books ever written about the struggle between good and evil. I like your list but you need to get some classics in there, here are some of my favorites:
T.H. White- The Once and Future King. The Best telling of the Arthurian legend, by far.
Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. You are a history buff, and this would be something right up your alley. Few books in America have actually changed the course of American History-this is one of them.
Harper Lee-To Kill a Mockingbird.
Flowers for Algernon- Daniel Keys
East of Eden-John Steinbeck
Slaughterhouse 5-Kurt Vonnegut (this one is waaaaaay ahead of it's time)
More recent stuff:
The Gargoyle-Andrew Davidson. Several publishers were fighting over the rights to this book before it was published. Not bad considering this was Mr. Davidson's first book. I believe the bidding started at 1 million...for good reason.
Dune by Frank Herbert. Many critics agree that if you only read one SF book in your whole live, this may be the one.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman. One of the greatest stand alone Fantasy novels ever.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Yup I am a huge fan.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. These are the excellent books that Game of Thrones is based on, but there is no way the series can capture the depth and breath of these wonderful, gritty books. The first book was published in 1996.
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher-These are just great fun to read. I consider it to be the best example of Urban Fantasy done well.
I loved The Stand and also consider it to be one of King"s best books. We seem to have read many of the same books.
This list is simply what my favorite books are. I read around 200 books a year in all different genres, including the classics--I've read all of Dickens's work, as well as Twain and Swift.
Here are my top 5.5: The outsiders(S.E. Hinton)4: The Lost World (Micheal Chrichen)3: Rasl (Jeff Smith)2: Monster (Walter Dean Myers)1: Bone (Jeff Smith)
My favourite books right now are -
1. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
2. The Fountainhead by you know who
3. The Idiot by Dostoyevsky
4. Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
5. Martin Eden by Jack London
Martin Eden I read in 2016. My God. God my.
"Harry Potter is a masterpiece the world has never seen before" GR8 M8 I R8 IT 1/8
I liked Misery but I loved Green Mile. I didn't know he wrote it under Richard Bachman. I am starting to read Abhorsen, Gods of War. I haven't read Salem's lot which is shocking to me. These 3 i shall definitely add to my goodreads to read section...Im ignorant and will wait more years before I give potter a chance. Thanks!
I don't even know where to begin when I'm talking about favorite books. For starters, I am a huge Stephen King fan. I read 'IT' when I was in the seventh grade and it instantly became my favorite. That was when I really began to read. Stephen King serves as one of my inspirations to writing.
In no specific order, my reading list is more like this:
-'IT' by Stephen King
-'The Shining' by Stephen King
-'Misery' by Stephen King
-'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King
-'Lord of the Flies' by William Golding
-'Catcher in the Rye' by JD Salinger
-'Rose Mary's Baby' by Ira Levin
-'1984' by George Orwell
-'Fahrenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury
-'Of Mice & Men' By John Steinback
-'The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain
-'NOS4A2' by Joe Hill
I know, a lot of King books.
Honorable mentions would be:
-'Innocence' by Dean Koontz
-'The Cuckoo's Calling' by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)
-'Jurassic Park' by Michael Crichton
-'Under the Dome' by Stephen King
-The Haunting of Hill House' by Shirley Jackson
-CW
"Ender´s Game" was a really a good book. :-)
reading a lot of series isn't a surprise. Authors like to write series because it makes one reader buy multiple books if they even slightly enjoy the first one.
I love Harry Potter and 'Salem's Lot (my favourite Stephen King novel). Just wondering are you still writing?
Misery and Salem’s Lot are some of my favorites too.
Have you read Vernor Vinge's "A Deepness in the Sky" and "A Fire Upon the Deep"? I read them maybe 14 years ago (in translation) and I'm not shure how great he was at creating his worlds but his not human characters impressed me so much that I really cared for them. It's a bit like leaving a cinema after watching Avatar 3D, personally I was just lost. For two or three minutes I expected everybody to be huge and blue.
it was a good idea. thanks for giving it!
Im just reading Harry Potter at 31 and it’s probably one of the best series ever-no series has left me as warm and cozy as much as HP. It really is great!!!❤
Thanks so much :) Ive ordered a few of your recommendations to read myself:)
Stephen King is a master at creating characters that people connect with. Ive always loved him for that above all else, even his great storytelling. My personal favorite King book is It but I have many other favorites of his and Ive loved everything he has written.
The necronomicon should of been number one.
I thought of that when I saw the weird magic fantasy book tied for number 5
All those books suck. Read the book, "Kiss My Sweet Vagina Lips" by, Sir Madam Cumshot. It's a wonderful book
Thanks for doing my idea! Misery was the first Stephen King book I read and it's the book that made me want to read more! Really loved that book and also, the Emperor series sounds really interesting, I might check it out.
DUNE will always be my number 1
A flower?
If you go down to Willow Farm,
to look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies
Open your eyes, it's full of surprise, everyone lies,
like the fox on the rocks,
and the musical box.
:)
Oh, there's Mum & Dad, and good and bad,
and everyone's happy to be here.
Prog Fan Call yourself prog fan eh?
Okay Cesarini yes sir
Misery! Yes, one of my fave SK books along with: Mr. Mercedes, The Shining, Christine, Carrie, The Long Walk, The Dead Zone…..
I loved ENDER'S GAME too and recently read ENDER'S SHADOW about Bean. Have you read that one? Harry Potter is incredible! I just read the first one this year and loved it! I don't care for Stephen King books though.
I'd be glad to review your book if you sent me a copy. I don't normally review books I hated so don't worry about getting ripped.
Several Stephen King Novels, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Last Juror, On a Pale Horse, The Terminal Man are mixed around on my top 5. I agree with your reasoning and I hope to read some of the books you've mentioned later on in my life.
I did a quick very rough calculation to estimate your words-per-minute reading speed based on hypothetically reading 'Salem's Lot' (671 pages at 250 words per page (average number of words per page in a novel)) and I came up with around 225-235 words per minute which is quite good, but not particularly fast compared to those who are speed readers.
Regardless, I am still very impressed! I love reading and would love to read 200 books per year! hope you keep making videos, love your thoughts :)
My top 5
The hobbit J.R.R Tolkien -
The Wardstone Chronicles Joseph Delaney -
Chasers James Phelan -
Cherub series Robert Muchamore -
Ready player one Ernest cline -
I am totally with you on Ender's Game. I read the first book and loved it (though I was a bit iffy on the ending, it was okay...) but to have such a great book followed up with whatever the heck the author wanted to achieve just left a bad taste in my mouth. It's because of that sudden drop in interest that it's really hard for me to love the book simply because I will just satisfy myself with thinking of it as a forever cliffhanger that never got finished (I won't acknowledge the other books).
King was good in the 70's and 80's. "The Stand" was his masterpiece as far as I am concerned. Dean koontz is my all time favorite author.
I like just about every Stephen King. Recently started reading Dean Koontz. Really liked: Intensity, Lone Survivor, Odd Thomas.
I'm 30 and I still love Garth Nix. Sabriel and 7th Tower are still my favorites to this day
Saw the movie "Misery". What a performance from Kathy Bates!
Lol, harry potter is awesome. I knew it was gonna be it too, i recognized the colour of half blood prince xp
me too Grew up with Harry. Read them all in English and Chinese version！
very entertaing, and you seem like a witty person. I read Mr.Mercedes, which was good. I recently finished the sequel, Finders Keepers, I did enjoy it. And i' d look forward reading the last trilogy, I think it's called The Suicide Prince. Have you read Finders Keepers? And what did you think of it?
It is called End of Watch
is that stephen king's pic on your desktop at the back?
My top 2 books
2 the hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien
1 the Bible - King James
Lmao
The Emperor series is so good. Especially the newest one!
Is IT a good king book? I'm going to start reading it after slaughterhouse five.
How much did you cry when I killed Harry's parents?
In no real particular order
1. Animal Farm by George Orwell
2. 11.22.63 by Stephen King
3. Insomnia by Stephen King
4. Man's search for meaning by Dr Viktor Frankl
5. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
6. Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami
7. Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world by Haruki Murakami
8. The Great Divorce by C.S Lewis
9. Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis
10. The road to serfdom by F.A Hayek
Short stories I really enjoyed:
Of mice and men by John Steinbeck
Chess by Stefan Zweig
The Bible, Life After Life, The Long Winter, Eothain: Horse Warrior, and Alias Billy the Kid
A part from HP I havent read the other books but I really do want to now !!
My Favourite Book -
Exploring The Earth and Moon by Patrick Moore
Cheers - Mike.
Misery was a king book, not a Bach man book. Sorry.
My top 5 are:
Emperor series by conn igguldan
Fifteen hours by mitchel scanlon
Mission survival by bear grills
Percy Jackson/heroes of Olympus (tied) by Rick riordan
The stand / gone series(tied) by Stephen king and Michael grant
Good emotional review. Dude you must be an incredibly fast reader...really! And when you said Misery scared you because you are a writer and you could have an obsessed fan, I thought ya right -YOU WISH!
You seem to have the same taste as me. I loved the video where you ripped into "50 shades of grey" and ended it with the joke about "twilight" haha. I have read the Stephen King books you mentioned and loved them. Harry potter rocks. It's a good, good choice, but I'm not sure if it would be my number one. Some of the other ones I'll have to look into. Man, I would love you to review one of my novels, even if you did bash it. I'd probably deserve it. :) I'll have to check out "Bridgeworld"
Travis, I was flabbergasted to hear that you read 'Salem's Lot' in just one night, and that you read around 200 books a year. As a much ... much slower reader, I am very interested in the topic of speed reading. Can you please make a video on 'reading fast', your experience with speed reading, tips/ tricks you've learned. Reading a book like 'Salem's Lot' in just one night is a feat nothing short of magical for someone like me :)
Greatest Video!
Reading is probably the only worthy habit in this entire human history. I read a lots of books and I have gained immense knowledge and i know it helps me in very important situations of my life. I use an iPhone app called "mustread" to track the books i have read, give ratings , share to friends , reminders etc
Review the giver. I know it adolescent and part of a series, but it's probably the best book I read as a kid
Came across a jewel about a week ago and I believe that it is a story that needs to be given life. It's called "The Kingdoms of Hairpetah." By Chiedu Obusez. I am not exactly sure why I am so excited about the story, but I feel it could be the next best hit. The book reads like a movie--I have never experienced that before. Slow start, however, a wonderful story with amazing characters. The author, I think is African, but he writes like a European. I just want to recommend it and be the first on record to make the bold prediction of its success. Thanks!
Rowling is a genius. There used to be a picture of a page of her notes which was just incredible. That website is interesting, thanks for sharing.
King didn't write Misery as Richard Bachman.
+Jesse Day that was The Dark Half
+BikeMontreal What? He didn't write The Dark Half as Bachman either.
:)
Your right .he wrote misery and the dark half as Stephen King
King was going to publish Misery under the Bachman name, but by then it had been revealed that the two were one.
I love your videos man, I'd really enjoy seeing you do a review of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss...if you haven't already read it I guarantee you wouldn't regret it..Who knows it might even inspire your future novels. [: Cheers
not that anyone cares, but my top 5 so far:
catcher
the painted bird
cat's cradle
ham on rye
the sarah book
I keep reading to knock one or two of those off that list and add something new. 6 thru 10 would be all John Steinbeck, from of mice to men to the wayward bus. the man is a god. what a joy he is to read.
My five would have to be (and this is just at the top of my head):
1. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
2. (3-way tie) Dead Babies, Money, and Success all by Martin Amis
3. Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine
4. (Tie) Filth by Irvine Welsh/ I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
5. Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
i love salem's lot and its my fav of king's novels,it also includes the cycle of the werewolf of his novels
I actually picked up salems lot a couple days ago. I'm almost done. Can't put it down
Nice job Travis. I haven't read Harry Potter... but all the rest. I own it though... lol
I bought salem's lot AGES ago but never read it! Now I definitely will :)
i read enders game last summer for summer reading and loved it! my favorite books are the warriors series, harry potter series of course, pendragon series, the giver, and the percy jackson series...i read a lot of series' haha
Well, I'm finishing up my Second full length novel, But I would be interested in hearing what you think about some of my earlier stories. I'm still learning and probably will be for the rest of my life. I love to read and write, I posted a link on your facbook page. Some of the longer stories I have charged $0.99, but if your interested I will send you a free coupon, if not, thanks anyways. I would love your advice and can't wait to read your novels. thanks matt
5. Lord of the Flies
4. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
3. Paradise Lost
2. Anna Karenina
1. Ham on Rye
I read Harry Potter book 1 at 11 , then a few months later read book 2 . I then got book 3 at 12 for Christmas , and I got to page 50 or so and stopped reading it . I’ve never picked it up again . I couldn’t care LESS about Harry Potter despite what people think ...
1-Magic Mountain. TH.Mann
2-The Human Comedy.W.Saroyan
3-The adventures of Huckelberry Finn.M.Twain
4-Beware of Pitty.S.Zwaig
5-The Arc of Triumphe.Remarque
THANK YOU for putting Misery! My favorite SK novel of all time (ok, tied with Needful Things). I haven't read Salem's Lot because I've just grown so nauseous of the cliched vampire hype and Anne Rice clones (even though this book preceded the Twilight hubbub). Maybe I'll give it a try. I also liked "It",it's a heavy book but the chilling nostalgic horror vibe of that book is like no other.
I've just added all of those books to my list (with the exception of HP cause I've read that like a hundred times) you should read The Gone series by Michael Grant, The Fault in our Stars by John Green, a
Travis, I love S. King´s books, but, I don´t know how to start. My native languaje is spanish, I does read some book translated in past, but the translation in spanish it´s no good. I´m mexican and the translate was make it thinking only in people of Spain... I need a lot of teachers of english.
Y'know, the only "problem" I had with Salem's Lot was that the characters weren't as deep as in other Stephen King's novels, ironically... They were okay, don't get me wrong, but by Stephen King character standards they were kinda dull. But the book is still awesome!
My top 5
5: Hitchhikers Guide (thf)
4: The Road
3: No Country For Old Men
2: 2001 A Space Odyssey
1: Blood Meridian
Sorry I like Cormac McCarthy
No Child Of God? My first Cormac read. So fun.
would a game of thrones fit on this list now that you have read it?
YES!! Harry Potter is the best. Even though some may not care for the genre or writing style, there's no denying that the books are absolutely fantastic. I think that what makes them so great is the amount of depth and thought that J.K. Rowling put into them. All that detail is something that no other writer has done before. The world of Harry Potter is so intricate that nothing will ever come close to touching it.
In the future Yes there will be stuff that skim it.
Dandelion Fire If you seriously think that you have not read much at all.
arandy123 I actually read quite a bit, thank you. There are books I have read that's writing is better or scenes are better, etc, but I have yet to come across a book or series as in depth and well thought out as the Harry Potter series. You can argue with me all you want, but I challenge you to find me a book that has as much or more research, history, character and plot development, world building, as well thought out, and as impactful as the Harry Potter series.
Perhaps I should have phrased my comment differently. "Read better, not more." That would have been apt. If you are asking for a book that's more "impactful" (not a real word). I could name about a hundred and with a little thought name hundreds more. For starters Don Quixote basically established the form that would later become the modern novel even if we disregard things earlier like the Tale of Genji. Basically every author writing today borrows from the likes of modernist like Faulkner, Joyce and Proust who borrowed from everything to Wharton, James, Austen going all the way back to ancient Greek playwrights. These people established ideas that live in almost every aspect of our culture. Little of this appears in the Harry Potter books however, because they are written for undereducated children. That her books show imagination is granted. That they bring people pleasure is good. But the characters are thin, the plots are shallow and the writing is made for a fifth grader. As for the research and world building you think she did and does. Her world is just an iteration of our own but with magic. The research is a joke. She never researched anything. Read Moby Dick and understand that was done prior to the internet in an age where even owing a book was a luxury and then you will understand what real research means. You will find me arrogant for saying all this but if you look beyond the fact that the books are popular and well-marketed, you see that only someone delusional or poorly read can conclude that the books are really that "impactful".
Have you read the Lord of the Rings. Harry Potter is vague compared to them.
I recently read Misery. I really enjoyed it, it's one of the better King books I've read. Carrie was the first of his I read and I honestly thought it was brilliant. Salem's Lot is actually the least favorite of the King books I've read. I just thought it dragged on, there was too much detail at certain points, etc., but it did have a fantastic ending.
Salem's lot was so boring for me
It just felt so basic. The way it read was like a cheesy B grade movie 😂
Is he going to cry ??
Yassine Dinia hahaha exactly
Hi! I'm a new subscriber but I would love if you could do a review of the russian novel "war and peace", I admire your abilities as a reader!
Conn Iggulden did a great series on Genghis Khan as well.
how come HP and blood prince is 9 dollars ? here i found in bookstores for 35 dollars
It's 9 pounds. That's a British edition.
Or Canadian dollars, we have those covers in Canada as well. But I doubt it.
Ashley Meijer I stand to be corrected, but aren't those the "original" covers that Rowling went with originally before all the other covers? And also you wouldn't find Harry Potter for 9 dollars here unless it was on sale, I wish though.
Holly Morgan yeah, Canada's covers look the same as the original British ones. And yeah, although once I got 2 used Harry Potter books for less than 10 dollars altogether and they looked almost new. :)
+Travis McBee Hi, Travis! My 5 Favourite Books Are, - Mr Snow by Roger Hargreaves, Mr Daydream by Roger Hargreaves, Exploring The Earth and Moon by Patrick Moore, Farming Around The World by Louise and Richard Floethe, 1986 RAC Guide Book by RAC.
I am not a native English speaker. Could you please tell me. Is it correct to say "There is three books" or is it supposed to be said "there are three books"?
Thank you very much *****
I like your book reviews, it' very
Have you read "The Lies of Locke Lamora" by Scott Lynch?
Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Giant, Adam Link Robot (Sci-Fi fans NEED to read this), Coraline, I Have Lived a Thousand Years, Tiger's Curse (chick flick series, but very good), The Screwtape Letters... and about a hundred other titles. :-)
A good book that I recently read is Ripple Effect by James V
i love harry potter too. Its a fantastic book I have ever seen before.
Enders game one of the best books ever totally agree, it may seem a mainstream teenage book but wait until you read it to make your opinion!
I loved Ender's Game > The book I read in the 80's that made me read Orson Scott Card was written by him in 1980 and was called The Songmaster. I turned so many people onto that book and everyone raved about it and gave it to their friends.
I am not fond of this list because lotr is not present.
Liked the moment you said Harry potter