True! I use Kindle to read in English because is more convenient for me to build up my vocabulary but when I read in my native languages I read in paperback editions.
OH MY GOD READ REVIVAL!!! It is up there with 11/22/63 in it's level of perfection. Those two books are surprisingly amazing companion reads and both are two of my favorites of King's ever. That is without a doubt King's most slept on book because whenever someone talks about recent King greatness 11/22/63 gets all the praise and just overshadows Revival.
"It" was my first SK book. I read this when I was about 30 and it scared the shit out of me. The concept of Pennywise being a "glamour" (or maybe "glammer", I can't remember the spelling now) who could shape-shift into whatever you fear and then suddenly appear out of nowhere disturbed me for a few years. The storytelling was immaculate and caused me to fall in love with Sai King to the present day.
It's funny to me that the first Stephen King book that I read, completely by chance are books that fans rate low. My first ever was Dumma Key and then I went on to Dreamcatcher. No internet, no forums, no booktube reviews I was just #called to those two books in the library and after that I was a constant reader just like that.
I'm reading Dreamcatcher as my first King book right now; I was wondering why Mike never mentions it. I don't really care what other people think of books.. So far, I'm really enjoying it. I just started it (Jonesy just brought Richard McCarthy to Hole in the Wall) but so far I'm really into it. Perhaps, since I'm unfamiliar with King novels it don't have any bias or preconceived ideas of what Dreamcatcher will be and, because of that, my opinion of it differs from King fans (so far).
Thanks for the tour! I’m a big fantasy reader, but I haven’t read any novels by Stephen King before. I resolved to remedy this egregious gap in my reading this summer by starting the Dark Tower series. I appreciate the look at his work!
Mike's Book Reviews Thanks! No need to convince me, but I’ll definitely be watching your videos on The Dark Tower series. Your content is excellent, and I enjoy hearing your thoughts.
@@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Beware. Dark Tower is not necessarily where I would start with King. If you're a fantasy lover and want to start King, I recommend Eyes of the Dragon instead. Not too long and excellent.
Emilio Rodriguez Thanks! I intend to check out Eyes of the Dragon too. I’ve heard it’s much easier to digest, so it probably makes sense to start with it.
Can’t wait for you to read/review Revival. Talk about underrated. May be his most disturbing story ever ... it’s up there with Pet Sematary. Definitely a highlight of his 2010s output.
Mike's Book Reviews That’s a fair assessment on his part. Revival is a great example of an epic King book that is not overly long. It’s only in the 400 page range, but spans several decades effortlessly.
That was the book that brought be back to King after a several year hiatus. It's classic King, but one of the things I loved most about it was the fact that it was set in SW FL, which is my neck of the woods. His locations and settings can become characters in their own right, and he did great with this book!
Great collection, hope you keep it growing, i noticed how IT has a special place in your heart, i am planning to read it in october, any advice, it is a huge book, and want to stay excited for it
Just to take your time and enjoy it. Don't treat it like a race. Accept that it's a book you're going to be reading for awhile and just lose yourself in it. Just a wonderful coming of age story.
I love dreamcatcher alot, I thought it was great. I definitely agree about IT, it's such a good coming of age story, the scene everyone hates is so short and can be skipped so I don't understand why everyone brings it up. King is my favorite author also, can't wait to see the multiverse series.
I've moved around a LOT since I first became a King fan, but there is ONE first edition I still have, and that's the 1983 hardcover original of Pet Sematary.
Gracias SO MUCH for the shout-out here Good Sir!!!!! Worried I've hyped REVIVAL too much at this point with the dreaded 'burden of expectation' I constantly mention, but what can I say beyond how much I dig the hell out of it. Haha... Definitely feel that 'Book Club Edition' pain as I look at my original version of THE STAND, even if I totally prefer the 90's Uncut Edition with that terrific Bernie Wrightson artwork. My inner OCD completist cries out. Also, 100% about DOCTOR SLEEP being superior on film. Flanagan solidified his place along with Darabont & Reiner as someone I'd feel completely confident with tackling any Sai King story. And lastly, JUST AFTER SUNSET is an intriguing collection that I hold in high regard because it takes me back to a specific time and place shortly Post 9/11 with many of those shorts. Some of his most 'Haunting' storytelling in my estimation like WILLA which is one of the most romantic things I contend he's ever written and the novella N is super legit for his musings on whether insanity can be contagious. Spectacular graphic novel of the latter as well. Great stuff as always Mike and I know you will totally appreciate a little Tower goodie I splurged on this week.
Hey, thanks for watching, my man. I'm not worried about Revival not meeting expectations since you and I seem to align on King opinions (outside of Drawing of the Three ha ha). Not only am I okay with Flanagan making any King movie, I want him to be the ONLY one making King movies at this point. He just "gets" King. I'd really like to see him helm the new Salem's Lot and think he could make Tommyknockers quite good. I'll certainly read JAS when I get to the short story parts of the ITM series. Long Days & Pleasant Nights, sir.
Why are library editions such a sin? I too have several in my book collections. I find that they are typically in better shape, especially the dust jackets, with the extra covering than the average used book.
I also love to have collections of books match on my shelves, so I know how you feel, but it's really lovely from an outsider perspective to see mismatched shelves! Seeing all the different editions and styles is like a nice walk through how long someone has been collecting books.
I listened to it on audiobook years ago and like all other audiobooks for me I can not remember a thing about it. I need to actually read so I can retain something.
So excited to hear that you're reading The Talisman this year! Heavy nostalgia for that book - it was my first by King. I need to reread and see how it holds up for me twenty years later.
I was a little kid on vacation with my family in Hawaii when I begged my dad to buy me the hardcover edition of The Stand Uncut. I walked around Oahu with that behemoth. Definitely in my top 5 books of all time!
What’s the one thing about IT that bothers people?? I read it about 3 years ago, loved it, remember most of it... but i can’t think of the part you’re referring to
I have a very small Stephen King collection. Most of which I bought recently. 1.11/23/63 2.doctor sleep 3. If it bleeds 4.the gunslinger 5. The drawing of the three 6. The outsider 7. The institute
I read the first gunslinger book about a two years ago and for me it was just so slow were nothing happen and I have not read a King book since then. But like you 11/23/63 is one of my all time favorite books
You will love revival if you love coming of age stories. Revival feels like real life. He explores continued growth throughout a persons life, not just in the transition between adolescence and adulthood. Highly recommend!!!
Just getting into SK. I owned Misery about 15 years ago but sold it for $$. People say his newer work since the 2000s isn’t as good, except 11/22/63. What are your thoughts? Also heard the bill Hodges trilogy was good. Am considering reading all of his books in chronological order.
I have such differing opinions on King's stuff, especially Dark Tower ending, but love to see a huge selection of so much of his works. I was actually a pretty big King hater until I read Dark Tower.
I love your bookshelves. I gave away all my king books when I moved to Baltimore, but they were mass market, so I slowly need to replace them. I miss my Dark Tower books the most. I want Trade paperbacks. I appreciate your opinions, but I hated Thinner. It's at the bottom of my King list with Dreamcatchers. Ugh.
Dreamcatcher and Cujo: the two books that made me view King as a hack for nine years. I've eased up on Cujo (and King as a whole), but Dreamcatcher is still one of the worst books I've ever read, sitting right alongside Wolfguy: Mooncrest, Grashros, some David Baldacci book I can't remember, and Akame no Kill.
Mike's Book Reviews The characters and story are some of his blandest, and I really can’t remember anything about the book beyond just, “The Gray Man”, aliens, and “The Weasels”.
I regret having read most of Stephen King books either in my native language or from the library. Now I really want to start a collection, it's crazy I own so few books from my favourite author!!!
Loving that Stephen King artwork print out. I have that same edition of Carrie. I actually don't like that book, although I love the DePalma movie. Need to re-read it someday and give it another chance. A friend's husband gave me a lot of books when clearing out space, which resulted in me getting a lot of old hardcovers of King for free, which was awesome.
And I agree with Different Seasons being his best novella collection. For regular short stories my favorite is the one with the monkey on the cover, but for novella Different Seasons is excellent. King does great drama.
For Dark Tower ending - I know many were upset. It didn't bother me as much but I was not a long-time fan that waited years between releases. I did not read the series until it was all out so it may not emotionally impact me as much. It was grim
Agreed. King is also my favourite author. I’ve no idea how he writes characters that are so real that you hate, worry and love them. Reading End of Watch at the minute and it’s unbelievably good.
Mike's Book Reviews Totally right and he does it again and again. The only author I’ve read that comes close to writing characters that are as well developed is JK Rowling under her pen name of Robert Galbraith and the Cormoran Strike books.
Carrie was the first Stephen King book I read when I was in my early teens in the mid eighties. I thought it was just brilliant. Misery was a difficult read because it just dripped with pain and torment. I enjoyed reading The Shining, but I must admit the film is my ultimate top horror film ever. Great book shelf tour 😊
I like Stephen King's books I've read The Shinning, Pet sematary, The Green Mile, Dr Sleep, Fire Starter, The Eyes Of The Dragon, Salem's Lot and one related with a werewolf that I didn't like it.
Lemme just say, Pennywise in the movies (tim curry or bill skarzgard) is NOTHING compared to Pennywise in the book, book pennywise makes movie pennywise look like a preacher, sheesh
I dont buy a lot of hardbacks for some reason. maby its the price or maby i just prefer having paperbacks. My favorite Stephen King Paperbacks are the Hodder editions. I just love how they look, feel maby even smell :P
Thanks for this. Great to see the shelf. I’m a big SK as well so this was a treat. I love that quote too and your wife did an excellent job- it looks so good in your shelf. It’s disappointing you didn’t like the ending of DT. I know the ending is divisive. But I’m currently reading the series for the first time and am only on The Drawing of the Three, which I love. I like to hear people say they loved the ending so I’m not nervous that I’m gonna spend the time it takes to read it all only to be let down. Lol.
Mike's Book Reviews gotcha. Question for you- when do you recommend reading Wind Through the Keyhole? Some people recommend waiting till after reading book seven. Others in the middle.
I still need copies of Wizard and Glass and Different Seasons for my SK hardcover collection. I managed to track down all my other favourites for reasonable prices, but those two might be like 200$ total.
@@mikesbookreviews I wouldn't be surprised if he's planned ahead and left a few manuscripts for posthumous publication too! Plus there's always Joe, Owen and Tabitha!
Do you have The Green Mile in the 6 installment editions? I have an old hardcover planner calendar from several years ago from the former Quality Paperback Books that has a King theme with trivia.
11/22/63 is in my top five SK novels for sure. Such a great read. You have an amazing collection there. I’ve got 55 hardcover books by him and most are first editions (I actually had a first edition Carrie and made the mistake of lending it to someone who never returned it, lesson learned). I keep line in publication order, but I’m OCD so that’s just me. Heck, I like library editions as they have that nice plastic jacket on them. I just purchased The Bachman Books in trade size paperback for $5 at a local book shop and it’s work but still intact. I’m looking forward to your review of Four Past Midnight in June as it’s got two of my favorite novellas in it. Keep up the great work you’re doing 👍
10:25 I hate that so much. It's really dumb when you consider all the fucked up shit that happens in that book. Don't we love the guy because he doesn't shy away from edgy stuff? It just seems really dumb to me if you can't get past that 'controversial' scene
They have the dark tower comics on book outlet for 40 dollars for the entire set I’m also a Steven King fan I ordered the 10 inch Funko pop for penny wise I also found the Steven King funko pop holding a book in Walmart
Revival is still one of the most amazing books I've ever read I felt like I was in the book almost like watching a movie in your head it's been a couple of years and I still think about it. Great book. Stephen King is an amazing author I like that even though his name is big in the reading world he has not let it get to his head. I need to get more of his books soon.
I’m a life long Stephen King fan who surprisingly hasn’t yet read all of his books. I went through a period where I stopped reading altogether. I’ve been catching up on the ones I haven’t read. So on that note, two things - I read Duma Key for the first time just last year. Great book! Beautifully haunting and heartbreaking. I can’t reread that one anytime soon. But oh man, what an experience! The second thing is Revival. Loved that book as well. What a kick in the teeth that book was! That book, especially the ending, has stuck with me since I read it. I think about it a lot, even now, which I think is about six years post-publication. Love your videos and freaking awesome book collection!!!
You can make shims to put under the bookclub size books. 1x1's painted black. 'Eyes of the Dragon' is horrific. It is the only King book I ever read and has kept me away from him. My mother has a similar King collection though so maybe you will change my mind one day and I can borrow/inherit from her.
The Long Walk. Best ever. I started reading Stephen King at an early age.. probably younger than I should have if my parents knew what they were about. I do remember one night.. reading Pet Cemetery in my bedroom.. I was around 12 I think.. 6th grade.. and my parents were out doing their game night with their friends. I actually got up and turned on every light in the house. Fun times.
Man, you should really read Lisey's Story, as a life long Stephen King fan I think it is his most beautiful book, it goes deep into "fantasy" in the sense of that world to which we escape through books
Had a chuckle when you mentioned Insomnia; for me it almost fell into a did not finish, barely got 1/4 way through the first time, but I hate not finishing something, especially from an author I love so much. So I went back to it a few years later and pushed through that point where I was going to abandon it again. Turns out I'm so glad I did as I really ended up enjoying it quite a bit. It's become one of my favorites of his underrated novels along with Bag of Bones, Firestarter, Dreamcatcher, Duma Key and Lisey's Story. Have fond memories of reading all of them, and while they may be odd or problematic, I enjoyed them in the end. There are some of his books I don't even want in my house I hated them so much...Cell for one, and I look forward to your words on Tommyknockers (hehehe)
Impressive collection! The different heights of the books is really bugging me though lol. I haven't tried and Stephen King books but I have some of the Dark Tower books on my shelf to be read soon.
I think I know why Insomnia was not a hit for you, it seems you like the coming of age stuff and Insomnia focuses on a very senior protagonist. I do love the way the real world seems to creep into King's books, he seems to do it with out being too heavy handed.
You mentioned King writes the best coming of age stories and those stories are your favorites. If you like those types of stories I think you’ll really like the manga Oyasumi Pun Pun. I don’t know if you read manga and if you don’t see the appeal it’s fine but Oyasumi Pun Pun is one of the best coming of age stories I’ve ever read.
Mike's Book Reviews I strongly encourage Oyasumi Pun Pun, but it’s not horror or fantasy. It’s very depressing and if you’re struggling mentally I give as an advice that you should hold off on it. Another manga named Berserk (you must’ve heard that name a lot) is dark fantasy. Both are my favorite mangas ever.
Hi, I noticed you said you haven't read "Just After Sunset." When you get to it, I'd love to know your thoughts on "N." I think it's one of his absolute best short stories. Brilliantly written, and I found it to be very unnerving and scary.
Hey Mike, seriously awesome collection! Question, do you ever use or consider using archival clear jacket covers to protect the older books? Something like the brodart just-a-fold 3 rolls? Was thinking about using it myself on the first edition older stuff. Curious if it would look good in all it's glossy glory or perhaps it's just over the top.
