Got a Favorite?

[Stephanie]

Jerry,

I remember OMNI, but sadly, I can't remember why! I admit that I avoided Stephen King when I was younger, and I still avoid the truly horrifying ones. For some strange reason, Gerald's Game really put me off his horror.

Stephanie

[Litfan]

The Stand is the first and only Stephen King book I have read so far. Hands down, one of the best books ever written. I cannot wait to read more of his work. The deeper themes touched upon in the book, of faith, good versus evil, and the depth of the characters made it absolutely addicting. After I bought and started reading it, my husband decided he wanted to reread it and we ended up fussing over whose turn it was to read because neither of us wanted to put the book down! One way that I measure the worth of a book is whether it sparks interesting discussion; The Stand certainly stirred up some deep philosophical discussions between my husband and me. I have the Dark Tower series and look forward to reading them.

[JenStar]

My favorite King book is The Stand, I have read it about five times. I also have the DVD. But I also like The Talisman and The Cell. I cannot wait to read Lisey's Story next. The first King I read was Carrie, so that holds a special place for me as well.

[Missytalker26]

Meh...I must say I loved Pet Sematary. After watching the movie i was told by my parents that it was a book. I of course just had to read it and fell in love with the wonder and hunting works behind the cover. I'm beginning The Stand soon....when ever i get a chance to hit the library. XD

[tinycutiepie]

Hi to all ! I would have to say that any one of King's early works ( 70's & 80's ) would be my favorities. I would not miss reading any of his books. Pet Semitary, Misery, and short story, Apt Pupil were great.

[TeresaF]

I haven’t read much Stephen King because I’m not really not good with horror stuff, but I just loved my audio version of some of his short stories. It was read by Kathy Bates, Matthew Broderick, Jerry Garcia, and the like. Made the mistake of loaning it out several years ago though. I’ve given up on it being returned.

Although I haven’t read The Stand, I did give it to my Mom in September as part of her 82-year birthday present. She finished it in less than a week!

[TeresaF]

Jer, my Mom use to get OMNI I think. If I recall correctly, it had really cool, really bright covers of science-type things. I didn't recall it having fiction though. Quite radical for our small farming/logging town of 1,000 people. I take it that OMNI doesn't exist any more.

[restlessreader]

I have to say, I think that the stories in Different Seasons are a cut above...it's no accident that two really great movies -- maybe the best adaptations of King besides Carrie -- have been made from "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" and "The Body." I haven't seen the movie version of Apt Pupil, so I can't judge that, but it's a great piece of short fiction too.

I haven't been as compelled by his longer work, but I've picked up Lisey's Story and I'm just beginning it now.

[bobdodd]

ummm....I would have to say my favorite book by Stephen King would be Rose Madder....and my second would be The Stand

[Stephanie]

---

restlessreader wrote:
I have to say, I think that the stories in Different Seasons are a cut above...it's no accident that two really great movies -- maybe the best adaptations of King besides Carrie -- have been made from "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" and "The Body." I haven't seen the movie version of Apt Pupil, so I can't judge that, but it's a great piece of short fiction too.

I haven't been as compelled by his longer work, but I've picked up Lisey's Story and I'm just beginning it now.

---

There is a movie version of Apt Pupil which came out in 1998. For some reason I thought it was quite a bit longer ago than that.

Stephanie

[becke_davis]

The Stand is also one of my favorite King books, and by far my favorite of the TV series/movies made of his books. I also liked The Dead Zone and Firestarter. Night Shift (short stories) was also good. I pretty much stopped reading his books with Pet Sematery (however he spelled that title). It was just too gruesome for me.

[becke_davis]

I don't normally like books on tape, but I bought a couple of Stephen King's short books on tape to listen to on the long drive from Cincinnati to Chicago. We listened to it in the dark, and Thinner was sooooo creepy that way. Something about being cocooned in a dark car, on long, empty roads listening to Stephen King -- gives me chills to think of it. I think it was a set. My favorite story on the audiotape was absolutely perfect for listening to in the car, but I can't remember the title. It was about driving a long way and the miles literally disappear. Does this ring bells with anyone?

[becke_davis]

My husband was reading over my shoulder and said to add The Green Mile to his favorites (I mentioned some of his favorites in one of my posts).

He says, "In Stephen King's novels, the true evil is never the perceived evil, it is the evil motivated by the fearful." He said Stephen King's books remind him of that classic, black and white episode of the Twilight Zone, where the neighbors turn on each other, believing there is an alien in their midst. (There is, but it's not the person they think it is, and they become worse than any perceived alien as they respond to their fear with hatred.)

[Stephanie]

Becke,

Tell your husband he and I are on the same page- I loved The Green Mile - it was, without a doubt, high on my list of recommended reads for teens. The history alone makes it worth reading. Getting a glimpse into the past and the way things were done, the way people thought, etc., is astounding to a lot of young people. It gives them some background knowledge they might otherwise not have.

There is an element to The Green Mile that makes it highly absorb-able -- I truly became enmeshed in this text. It was as if I were there, a part of it. It's rare to feel so completely involved in a story.

Did anyone else get this sense?

Stephanie

[skye_4_13]

I notice a lot of people picking "The Stand."

In the book "On Writing," Stephen King points out that there is something depressing about what's considered to be his best work being a book he wrote twenty years ago (twenty years before "On Writing" was written, that is).

My mother and I have to disagree. I've never actually read "The Stand," though I have seen the movie, and I have read a few other books, including the first four of "Dark Tower". (My mother and father are working their way through that series all over again, and I've got a zillion other books to read, so I haven't gotten around to reading the last three. I'll have to re-read the first four, as it is.)

My mother and I have decided, thus far, that the "Dark Tower" series is actually among his best work, tainted only slightly by the fact that you have to read seven books to get the whole story (as opposed to all the stand-alone novels that are intended as stand-alone).
What marks "The Stand" is that it is the scariest of his works, in that it has the highest probability of being real.
Most of his other works are highly fantastical; they could happen, but the way science "explains" things, they aren't quite as likely. "The Stand," however, is frighteningly realistic; what makes it frightening is how possible it is, how likely that it could happen, not just one day, but one day soon.

That is our opinion, anyhow.


By the way: maybe this makes me biased in favor of "certain" books, but Gunslinger was the first book by Stephen King I ever read. I'm not sure what the first my parents read was.

Message Edited by skye_4_13 on 11-15-200601:22 PM

[Jennrada]

I have read almost all of Stephen King's books, and my favorite hands down is The Stand. My mother gave it to me to read when I was a teenager - I was home sick with strep throat. Pretty perverse, huh? She says that she didn't do it on purpose, but I'm not so sure...

[Jennrada]

After reading through all the posts, I have to add The Green Mile and The Long Walk to my favorites. I read The Green Mile when it was serialized - such a fun experience. The last part came out the month my son was born. I can remember getting up to feed him in the night and staying up to finish The Green Mile. I cried and cried!

[becke_davis]

The Green Mile was one of the few examples where I saw the movie and never read the book. The movie was very powerful, and changed my thinking about capital punishment. I had been in favor of it. Now, I'm not entirely converted but I'm leaning that way.

[Stephanie]

Becke and All,

If you get the opportunity, read The Green Mile. While the movie was very good, the book is incredible. Or, rather, the books. I believe it was originally published in installments. You can buy it now as one book.

Stephanie

[Stephanie]

Skye,

I wish I could remember which Stephen King book I read first. There's a good chance it was Different Seasons (short stories), since I generally do not like to be frightened and I was probably 30 before I picked up my first King book. What I learned quickly was that many of King's books did not have the quality of horror that I avoid- and I also learned that he has an amazing way with words, an imagination beyond compare and he is the kind of author who makes you forget you're reading him, so engrossed in his story you become.

Stephanie