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11.22.63 by Stephen King - review

P eople are commonly said to remember their location when told of President John F Kennedy's assassination, but many must also wish the place they had been on 22 November 1963 was Dallas, where they might somehow have diverted the motorcade or prevented Lee Harvey Oswald from entering the Texas School Book Depository. The possibility of such an intervention must number, along with its darker twin of going back and killing Hitler, among the principal fantasies of time travel, and is explored in the 54th work of fiction by Stephen King.

In 11.22.63 , Jake Epping, a schoolteacher in Maine (a childhood reference point as recurrent in King's fiction as New Jersey in Philip Roth's), is summoned by the owner of Al's Diner, a local eaterie that has become popular but also suspect as a result of being able to sell, in 2011, burgers at near-1950s prices. The restaurateur, now mortally ill, has found a portal in his pantry that leads to a particular day in 1958, where the time-traveller can begin a stay lasting months or even potentially years, always returning two minutes later. Cancer has interrupted Al during a five-year mission to prevent the event that he believes to have misdirected American history: JFK's death. With the moral arm-lock of a dying man, Al passes on the task to Jake.

Time machines that travel backwards invite a writer towards period detail and nostalgia, and it is striking that King's device defaults to a year in which he would have been an 11-year-old schoolboy in Maine. Jake, who adopts the cover identity of real estate salesman George Amberson when he goes back, luxuriates in the unadulterated root beers and chocolate pies of an era before fast food.

"I wanted to see the USA in my Chevrolet," he sentimentally declares on the brink of one trip. "America was calling me." And, though the "temporal bedouin" from 2011 sometimes struggles with the lingo (what he calls a "motel" is a "Motor Court" there), the flashback America is largely a better one. Back in these days, baseball is played "as it was meant to be played" and Jake/George finds the prices astonishingly low except, interestingly, oranges and long-distance phone calls, both exotic luxuries at the time. Less heart-warmingly, a cancerous miasma of cigarette smoke clouds every 1958 scene and racism is standard.

The only sustained criticism of King, apart from the howls of some incurable literary snobs, has been his books' alternative use as weight-lifter's training aids and there are moments, early in this 700-page work, when we may wonder if the mission couldn't have begun in, say, 1962. But King has an advanced understanding of narrative structure and it's soon clear that his protagonist needs first to undertake a trial mission to establish the rules of intrusion. Running under the book is the question of whether we would have the moral right to dam the river of time, a dilemma explored through a fictional Hitler-like president in King's The Dead Zone (1979).

A novel about thwarting Lee Harvey Oswald is crucially different from one about killing Hitler because many readers will question whether the hero is going after the right man. Jake/George regularly frets that, even if he changes the shape of Oswald's day on 11.22.63, he may discover that the conspiracy theorists were right and JFK is taken out by another gunman from the grassy knoll or elsewhere.

This nagging doubt about the security of the history being altered is beautifully used by King, who also cleverly exploits a major fascination of time-travel or counter-history stories: the historical adjustments that result from meddling. While the latter parts of the novel deserve heavy protection against plot-spoiling, it can be said that the racist Governor George Wallace , Paul McCartney and Hillary Clinton are among those whose Wikipedia entries are intriguingly re-edited.

In a thoughtful afterword – in which King suggests that he partly intends the novel as a warning against "the consequences of political extremism" in contemporary America – the writer reveals that he first tried to write this book in 1972 but felt too close to the raw pain of the assassination. So this book makes, with the monumental Under the Dome (2009), the second recent case in which King has gone back in time to complete a project that previously eluded him.

With some senior writers, the dusting out of bottom drawers indicates creative stasis. But King, whose writing life represents among other things a model of canny career management, has waited until the right time for these novels. In these books, the reader feels the benefit of 40 years of narrative craftsmanship and reflection on his nation's history. Going backwards proves to be another step forward for the most remarkable storyteller in modern American literature.

Mark Lawson's Enough Is Enough is published by Picador.

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• John F Kennedy

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November 8th, 2011

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Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

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Author Interviews

Stephen king plots to save jfk in '11/22/63'.

Stephen King came up with the idea for 11/22/63 in 1971, but at the time he wasn't ready to take on a project of such scope. Perhaps it was for the best: "I think that the wounds were a little bit too fresh then," King says. "I'm glad that I waited." AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Stephen King came up with the idea for 11/22/63 in 1971, but at the time he wasn't ready to take on a project of such scope. Perhaps it was for the best: "I think that the wounds were a little bit too fresh then," King says. "I'm glad that I waited."

Stephen King's latest novel deals in horror — not the evil of monsters and supernatural beings, but the horror of a real national tragedy. In 11/22/63 , King tells the story of a small-town teacher who goes back in time to stop one of the watershed events of American history — the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Writing this book was a departure for the science-fiction master. "There are so many actual happenings," King tells NPR's Audie Cornish. "A lot of the characters in 11/22 are real people. That was the challenge, but it was also the fun of the book."

Down The Rabbit Hole

Fictional high-school English teacher Jake Epping lives in Lisbon Falls, Maine — the same town where King went to high school. His friend Al runs a local diner where prices are so cheap, they seem to be straight from the past. And, as it turns out, they are. In the back of Al's diner is a rift in time — he calls it "the rabbit hole." Enter the rabbit hole, and you'll always come out in exactly the same spot in Lisbon Falls, Maine — at two minutes before noon on Sept. 9, 1958.

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"At first, Al just uses it to buy groceries to sell in his diner," King says. "Then later, he gets the idea that he could actually go in the past, live in the past for five years and save John Kennedy from being assassinated in Dallas."

For four years, Al works to stop the assassination, but when he develops cancer, he comes back to the present to draft Jake for the lofty task.

"He feels like Jake would be the perfect person because he's unattached," King explains. "He's a divorced guy with no kids and no real ties. So after he convinces Jake that yes, this is the truth, he loads him up with vintage money from the '50s and sends him out on this quest."

'11/22/63 Was Our 9/11'

King first tried to write this book in 1971, back when he was teaching school in Maine. It was the anniversary of the assassination, and someone in the teachers' lounge wondered aloud what the world would be like if Kennedy hadn't been killed.

"11/22/63 was our 9/11," King says. "I'm speaking as a baby boomer now."

King thought the idea would make a great book — but he wasn't ready to write it. "My abilities at that time weren't fully mature," he says. "I wasn't ready to take on a project that was that big and that reality-based and that dependent on research."

The other problem in 1971 was that the assassination was still in recent memory. "I think that the wounds were a little bit too fresh then. ... I'm glad that I waited," King says.

To research the book, King dove into the past. He read books and watched documentaries about the assassination. He scoured the famous Zapruder 8mm movie footage of the killing. And he started to learn more about assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, whom protagonist Jake stalks throughout 11/22/63.

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Hear stephen king read an excerpt from '11/22/63', stephen king on lee harvey oswald, stephen king on time travel.

"When I went into this project, I knew very little about Lee Harvey Oswald," King says. "I could have picked his face out of a lineup, and I watched him shot to death on TV two days after the Kennedy assassination, but I knew almost nothing about him."

What he found out was disturbing: "His mother was a domineering force in his life," King says. "Lee slept with her in her bed until he was 11, and until he was 13 years old, a weekly ritual was that he would take off all his clothes so she could look at him and see whether or not he was getting manly yet."

King also depicts Oswald's relationship with his wife and their community of Russian friends. "When he married Marina, apparently he loved her very much, but he also beat her," King says. "She had no English, and he wasn't interested in having her learn English because while she was Russian and he could speak Russian, she was under his thumb."

Remembering The '50s As They Really Were

Because the time portal always dumps Jake out in September 1958, he must spend five years waiting for the day to deal with Oswald. He bides his time as an English teacher in a small town in Texas. It's a very sweet kind of depiction of 1950s life, but King says writing that time period was like walking a tightrope.

More On Stephen King And '11/22/63'

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Where were you stephen king recasts jfk's killing.

Stephen King: The 'Craft' Of Writing Horror Stories

Critic alan cheuse reviews '11/22/63'.

"I'm 64 years old now," King says. "On the date when Jake is dumped into the past, Sept. 9, 1958, I would have been just shy of my 11th birthday. There's such a tendency to look back on those times through rose-colored glasses. ... I felt that I had to go back and look at the past as realistically as possible."

King tried not to fall into sentimental traps. He wrote the '50s as a real time and place — not as a nostalgic fairy tale. But even with those pitfalls in mind, King found himself drawn into the bygone era.

"The more I worked, the more time that I spent in the past, the more things that I remembered — and that was a pleasure," King says. "It was a nice ... vacation in the way things used to be. But I love the present, too, so ... it was a great vacation. What is it they say? 'It was a great place, but I wouldn't want to live there.' "

By Stephen King

Throughout history, human beings have wondered about the possibilities and dangers of time travel. In 11/22/63, Stephen King answers the question: What would really happen if we changed the past?

About the Book

Article written by Joshua Ehiosun

C2 certified writer.

Stephen King decided to take this idea further with the book  ’11/22/63,’  a novel that creates an imagined scenario of what happens if we could change the past. Written in the first-person point of view , Stephen King takes the reader on a ride through time, making you believe anything, even time travel is possible.

Key Facts about 11/22/63

• Title : 11/22/63.
• Writer : Stephen King .
• Book Inspiration : Stephen King’s inspiration for writing  ’11/22/63′  was curiosity, the curiosity of what would have happened if John F. Kennedy, the United States President, had not been murdered.
• Publication Date : November 8, 2011.
• Literary Period : Contemporary.
• Story Point of View : First-person point of view.
• Total Number of Pages : 849.
• Genre : Science fiction, alternate history.
• Setting : Maine, Jodie, Texas.
• Climax : The climax occurs when Jake shoots at Oswald and misses, with Oswald returning fire and Jake screaming at Sadie to duck.
• Antagonist : Lee Harvey Oswald.
• Protagonists : Jake, Al. (see more  ’11/22/63′  characters here )

Stephen King and  11/22/63

Pouring out his curiosity about what happens if the past is changed, Stephen King brought ‘ 11/22/63,’  his time-traveling and alternate history book , to life. The concept of time travel is an intriguing topic that has been with humanity since its transcendence from a primitive species to a scientifically inclined species. Stephen King not only imagined how the present would be changed by the disruption of the normal flow of time; he also imagined how insignificant actions have consequences.

Though widely recognized in the horror genre, Stephen King showed his flexibility and writing expertise. Stephen crafted  ’11/22/63′  exquisitely, crafting  a  story that did not just focus on the events and action, but the characters; this approach to writing made the story feel like recorded history and not a fictional piece of literature.

Books Related To  11/22/63

Being a sci-fi piece of literature, there are many books closely related to  ’11/22/63.’ Some of these books include:

• ‘Quantum Time,’ by Douglas Phillips, tells the story of a man from the future who tries to save the world from a nuclear holocaust.
•   ‘Now, Then and Everywhen’  by Rysa Walker is a book about two time-traveling historians who come across each other in the worst decades of the twentieth century. They both try to save the world from the total obliteration of the past.
•   ‘ The Time Machine ‘  by H.G Wells tells the story of a time traveler who narrates what happened when he journeyed 800,000 years into the future.
• ‘Time and Again’  by Jack Finney tells the story of a man, Si Morley, who enters a secret government project that sends him from the mid-twentieth century to New York 1882, where he solves a twentieth-century mystery by discovering its nineteenth-century roots.

The Lasting Impact of 11/22/63

‘ 11/22/63′  has not only influenced the way sci-fi time traveling is viewed , it has shown what writing a fictional story out of real events should be all about as Stephen King created an exceptional piece of alternate history that not only focused on the story but on the characters and how their relationship with other characters affected the story. With an excellent reception and an outstanding success, ‘ 11/22/63′  is a book with an impact .

11/22/63 Review ⭐

’11/22/63′ is a novel that captivates its reader and draws their attention with thrilling action and soothing romance. The book creates an atmosphere where the reader gets engrossed and rarely notices the lengthy pages.

11/22/63 Best Quotes 💬

’11/22/63′ is enriched with quotes that project Stephen King’s view on society, reality, the past, and love.

11/22/63 Character List 🕤

’11/22/63′ is a book that is mainly character-driven as the story is told from the first-person point of view by the main character, Jake Epping.

11/22/63 Themes and Analysis 🕤

’11/22/63′ is a book that brings out many themes like trying to fix the mistakes of the past, sacrificing for love, regret, and time.

11/22/63 Historical Context 🕤

’11/22/63′ is a book that combines the best of literary genres to give a book with an excellent historic, romantic, sci-fi, and thriller story.

11/22/63 Plot Summary 🕤

Using the first-person perspective, Stephen King made ’11/22/63′ present itself as a chronicle rather than just a book where all the action and interaction centered around the main character, Jake Epping.

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This Underrated Stephen King Miniseries About JFK and Time Travel Is Worth Revisiting

Stephen King's time-travel thriller 11.22.63 is worth revisiting for its brilliant blend of science fiction and historical drama.

• Stephen King's "11.22.63" offers a thrilling blend of science fiction, history, and moral dilemmas worth revisiting.
• The miniseries dives deep into the ethical stakes of altering history, showcasing exceptional performances by the cast.
• Underrated and overlooked, "11.22.63" delivers gripping storytelling that explores themes of love, redemption, and fate.

Although Stephen King will always reign supreme among horror scribes, the celebrated author's most underrated stories often expand beyond the grave. Stand by Me and The Green Mile are excellent big-screen examples of King's storytelling range, but there are also overlooked small-screen adaptations fans should check out. For example, the 2016 Hulu miniseries 11.22.63 is a riveting time-travel revisionist history tale that melds science fiction with romance and mystery.

Based on the Stephen King novel 11/22/63, the miniseries follows Jake Epping (James Franco), a time traveler who is given a chance to alter the course of history by going back to prevent the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. The 8-part miniseries aired between February and April 2016, and despite garnering positive reviews, the show remains underrated among die-hard King fans. With a U.S. Presidential election upcoming, it's time to go back in time and assess the merits of 11.22.63 and explain why King fans should revisit the show.

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11.22.63's Genre-Blending Plot

Adapted from Stephen King's 2011 novel 11/22/63 , the Hulu miniseries, 11.22.63, begins in modern-day Maine (unsurprisingly). The story concerns English teacher Jake Epping, who is approached by his cancer-stricken friend Al Templeton (Chris Cooper). Al reveals a time portal that takes people back to 1960 and asks Jake to time travel to Dallas, Texas, to avert the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Al also reveals that he is dying of cancer and that his terminal illness has prevented him from staying in the past for long durations. As such, Al couldn't stop President Kennedy's killer and needed Jake to finish the job.

Assuming the alias James Amberson, Jake travels to 1960 Dallas and becomes embroiled in a mysterious controversy. He begins spying on Lee Harvey Oswald's (Daniel Webber) handler, but when he returns to his quarters and finds Al's notes burned and his superintendent's son dead, Jake knows he's in danger and that someone is deliberately hiding the truth. Despite the peril, Jake settles in Fort Worth, becomes a school teacher, and befriends a Kentuckian in 1960 named Bill Turcotte (George Mackay) who helps him abort the presidential assassination. The more time Jake spends in 1960 Texas in the Hulu Original series , the more comfortable he becomes in his new life, which threatens to undermine his mission and life.

Why 11.22.63 Is so Underrated

Beyond the expert storytelling acumen of Stephen King, 11.23.63 remains underrated in its ambitious and well-executed blend of science fiction and revisionist historical drama. The dichotomy between modern-day Maine and 1960 Texas is stark, yet through Jake's time travels, King convinces viewers that the more things change, the more they stay the same. If the past is a prologue, King makes a profound cautionary statement in the guise of a fun, moody time-travel thriller with high dramatic stakes.

Produced by J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production company with top-notch production values, fans may be turned off by the slow, unclear beginning that gradually picks up steam and becomes more compelling as it progresses, fusing fantasy and history in exciting ways. At first, viewers identify with Jake, an ordinary citizen caught in extraordinary circumstances as he navigates a fish-out-of-water past. Although Franco has courted controversy, he strikes a believable balance between anxiety and earnestness that keeps viewers on their toes as he unravels a grand conspiracy.

Unless they read the novel beforehand, viewers tuning into 11.22.63 during its initial run expected the assassination date to play a larger role in the story. One of the most unheralded aspects of the show is how it uses President Kennedy's assassination as a backdrop to tell Jake's redemption tale. For instance, Jake tests his ability to alter the past by attempting to stop the murder of one of his future students at the hands of his murderous father.

Jake grapples with his moral compass, weighing the options to lash out violently or idly watch his student die. Jake's dark and violent turn is tempered by his romance with Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon), which pulls him further from his contemporary reality as a divorcee. By the end of the journey, King's thesis that humanity must accept the things they cannot change rings loud and clear, using President Kennedy's death as an apt metaphor.

Is 11.22.63 Worth Revisiting?

With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. running for the U.S. President in 2024, the Stephen King miniseries , 11.22.63, is even more timely and topical now than during its release in early 2016. However, the real reason why it's worth rewatching nowadays comes down to the compelling ethical bind Jake finds himself in during the finale. Torn between his love for Sadie and devotion to his country, Jake faces a moral dilemma that arises with the dramatic stakes of a TV finale. The personal and the historical converge with tension, suspense, and a deeply satisfying conclusion. As such, it's no surprise that 11.22.63 won a Saturn Award for Best Television Presentation.

11.22.63 is also worth revisiting for its excellent performances by Franco, Gadon, and Cooper. While some have criticized Franco's turn as uneven, he does a terrific job serving as a conduit for viewers, guiding them through a bizarre political environment in 1960 Texas that feels familiar and otherworldly. Franco also embodies an air of menacing intrigue that keeps viewers guessing what will happen next, avoiding predictable plotting and formulaic storytelling tropes. Apart from the convincing performances, 11.22.63 proves that Stephen King is often at his best and most overlooked when penning non-horror stories.

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What Stephen King Can’t Travel Without (It’s Not a Mystery)

By Nell McShane Wulfhart

• Sept. 7, 2017

The author Stephen King has several projects out this month: “Mr. Mercedes,” a television series based on Mr. King’s first hard-boiled detective novel; “It,” a film adaptation of his 1986 best-seller; and “The Dark Tower,” currently in theaters. Maine’s most famous resident, Mr. King prefers car travel to air, and has surprisingly modest requirements when on the road.

While Mr. King is best known for his horror novels featuring terrifying clowns and serial killers, his own particular fear is much more mundane. “I travel by plane when I have to — I travel by car when I possibly can. The difference is if your car breaks down, you pull over into the breakdown lane. If you’re at 40,000 feet and your plane has trouble, you die. I feel more in control when I’m driving than when I’m flying. You hope that the pilot won’t have a brain embolism and die at the controls.”

And while work occasionally brings him overseas, he’d really prefer to stay home. “I’m not a big travel buff. I do it when I have to, and I try to enjoy it — and I’ve done more of it than I want to.”

Vacation for him means wintering in Florida — his wife flies, but he drives. “It’s so much easier now because you have Siri to guide you along the way and if the traffic gets horrible along the turnpike or something, she’ll take you around by back ways and usually there are no hillbillies that are going to eat human flesh.” And his needs are modest – he stays at Motel 6 and eats at the Waffle House. “I’m not hard to please. Give me a motel room somewhere near the Interstate with a chair out front where you can sit and read a book and I’m just as happy as can be.”

He’s not kidding around, either. He’s a Motel 6 expert. “A tip for the lonesome traveler: Always ask for a room on the end of the motel because the chances of having a party next door are a little less. Or, if it’s a three-story hotel, get a room on the top floor and then you don’t have to worry about the couple above you deciding they’re going to go at it all night long.”

And when it comes to packing, he keeps it simple there, too. “I take the basics. And I don’t have any particular requirements for shampoos, emollients, anything like that. They usually have it in the Motel 6.”

Here’s what he takes on every trip.

“I’ve got to have my audiobooks, which I keep on my iPad now, it’s much more convenient than having to drag along a CD player and earphones and all that jazz. Got to load in at least one or two movies that you really want to see so that you have something to watch. Or two or three episodes of ‘The Americans.’”

Crossword book

“I gotta have my big crossword book because you can’t always read. If you’re on an airplane flight from, let’s say Maine to Los Angeles, you have to have something to do.”

“I’ve got this old suitcase that my wife hates that I’ve been carrying around for probably 30 years now, it’s an old battered gray Samsonite suitcase. My feeling is that if you can’t get everything you need into that one suitcase, you don’t really need it. It doesn’t have any wheels. It’s old school.”

“I always carry a couple of books. There’s the book that I’m going to read and the backup in case the book is terrible. The best book that I read recently was ‘My Absolute Darling,’” which is just a knockout, maybe the best thing I’ve read this year. But you’ve got to have at least one book by someone that you trust. You don’t want to be caught short.”

Jeans and T-shirts

“I’m not very good with big bunches of people; most writers are not. We work in solitude. We’re not built for the audience the way that some actors and comedians are. So I decided that if I was going to be afraid at least I would be comfortable. And it makes it easier to pack, too.”

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10 Spots In Bangor, Maine Every Stephen King Fan Must Visit

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Beautiful Bangor, Maine , home to Stephen King, his family, and his fictional town of Derry. As an unsuspecting tourist, you can drive around Bangor and, perhaps, never even notice that you are passing by sites that every Stephen King fan is dying to visit.

As a Stephen King novice, I joined along on a tour of the most infamous King film and literary venues around Bangor. I have only read two Stephen King books, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and Carrie . After the tour, I began to think I should read another one. The question was which one? Pet Sematary , It , The Green Mile , or maybe Night Shift would be good options. Any way you turn the page, I know for certain, I will be hiding it in the freezer when the plot becomes too scary. 

Aside from King’s literary and cinematic locations, be sure to check out these fantastic things to do in Bangor, Maine . 

Some of the information in this piece was obtained during a sponsored press trip, but all recommendations are my own.

1. Stephen King Tour

I was fortunate to be a guest of Jamie Tinker, owner of SK Tours , for a Bangor Stephen King Tour. I was blown away by the eager enthusiasm of the others on the ride. It was completely contagious and I found myself giddy with expectation. I had no idea what I was getting into. The tour takes you to places where the lines between real life and the fictional town of Derry blur.

I have highlighted a few must-visit notables below. On the 3-hour tour, you will see between 20 and 30 different Stephen King literary and movie locations. Additionally, Tinker highlights the King family history, their attachment to Bangor, and the many generous philanthropic endeavors the Kings undertake.

2. The Corner Of Jackson And Union Streets

The van stops at the corner of Jackson and Union Streets which looks like many other intersections across the U.S. Tinker shouts, “Everybody out!” I, of course, had no idea why. The clown head and severed arm are artfully placed on the drain at the intersection and the tour group goes crazy snapping photos, staging tableaus, etc.

As it turns out, this is where, in the novel It, Pennywise, the evil clown, lures Georgie Denbrough with promises of candy, balloons, and a floating paper boat. Spoiler alert: Georgie doesn’t fare well in this young-boy-meets-crazy-clown scene.

3. The Bangor Waterworks

It is amazing how an ordinary brick building can induce spine-tingling chills and hair-raising goosebumps. The Bangor Waterworks was featured in King’s Graveyard Shift where it is home to a thriving army of giant mutant rats. This dark piece can be found in his short stories collection, Night Shift, which includes other short stories that are the beginnings of classic King novels.

While on the tour, Tinker was reading Night Shift and connecting the dots from short stories to novels for his eager guests. Many characters and their future stories were born in the shorts you find in this collection. It is a highly recommended read for every King fan.

4. Mount Hope Cemetery

Established in 1834, Mount Hope Cemetery is a beautiful garden cemetery that encompasses over 250 acres of land.

The famous burial scene in Pet Sematary was filmed at Mount Hope Cemetery. This outdoor stage is where King can be seen in his cameo role in the 1989 movie. King plays the minister presiding over one of the Creed family member’s burial services. In a warped way, the scene plays out full circle since King’s pen architected this untimely death and funeral.

Tinker recommends taking the Bangor Historical Society walking tour through the cemetery. While the tour isn’t King-focused, it is a beautiful historic tour through the second oldest garden cemetery in the U.S.

The Creed House in Pet Sematary is a private home in nearby Hancock, Maine. You can drive by, but be respectful of the homeowners.

5. Thomas Hill Standpipe

The Derry Standpipe featured in It is actually the Bangor Water’s Thomas Hill Standpipe , a National Historic Landmark. Tinker recalled, “I grew up next to the water tower and used to play baseball in Summit Park at the base of the tower. Living next to a landmark like that made the book It even more exciting. Stephen King made me afraid of the dark in my own corner.”

It is widely reported that King sat on the park bench at the foot of the water tower and penned much of the book. The water tower is open four times a year for visitors to climb the stairs to the promenade deck for a panoramic view of Bangor (or Derry if you choose).

6. Paul Bunyan Statue

Lumberjack Paul Bunyan , a legendary woodsman, stands 31 feet tall in downtown Bangor. He represents the history of the logging industry in Maine and is beloved by visitors and residents.

However, Stephen King had an entirely different version of Bunyan when he penned It. King’s Bunyan was possessed, stepped off his podium, and attacked Richie Tozier with his mighty ax. The gigantic Bunyan smashes the bench where Tozier had just been sitting.

When you stand at the base and look up at Bunyan, it is terrifying to think of this massive character coming to life and swinging his enormous ax your way.

7. Dysart’s Truck Stop

The short story Trucks, which was the precursor for the movie Maximum Overdrive , is believed to be inspired by Dysart’s Restaurant & Truck Stop in Hermon, Maine. Dysart’s also has a truck stop location in Bangor. When you are visiting, you should stop in for a meal. They take a classic truck stop and amp it up to the max, offering great food, a fun pub atmosphere, and gas pumps to fill up your car before you leave.

8. Bangor International Airport

If you are flying into Bangor International Airport, you will recognize its runway and terminal from the TV miniseries, The Langoliers . In the series, passengers on a flight out of Los Angeles heading to Boston discover Bangor International is their only hope.

9. Gerald Winters And Son

Gerald Winters And Son Bookstore on Main Street in Bangor is the place to find all things Stephen King. Shop for King books, including first edition and autographed copies, along with memorabilia and collectibles. 

10. Stephen King’s House

Perched on a hill high above downtown Bangor is the family home of Stephen and Tabitha King. Wrought iron bats, spiders, and other creepy guests guard the stately Victorian mansion. The foreboding gate and dark red — some would say blood red — painted house coupled with the quirky Victorian architecture present a perfect house fit for a King.

Be sure to study the chainsaw wood carving on the side lawn. The carving features cute woodland creatures and phantasmagorical beasts coming together to create a fascinating art piece.

The King’s purchased and renovated the old mansard house next to their own home. It is slated to house five authors for a writers in residence program somewhere in the future. Interested writers should stay tuned for details. 

While the King family allows respectful visitors on the sidewalk at the gate of their home, however, they do not tolerate trespassers. Please note that the King family home does not host any tours nor does the house intended for the writers in residence program.

A Chat With Jamie Tinker

Tinker is a fountain of information about Stephen King, his fictional works, and his philanthropic legacy. Tinker passed on some thoughts about King’s legacy and what is coming in the future.

When it comes to favorite books, Tinker said, “My favorite book is It; the first book that took place in the town of Derry (Bangor). That book showed me my town through the eyes of Stephen King. I know most of the locations personally, and that book scared the wits out of me.”

Tinker is instrumental in working with film crews who visit Bangor. He has the inside track on what’s happening and what’s being planned. “I know of about 30 film adaptions in the works right now. The most recent one to come out is Lisey’s Story on Apple TV. That is a great book and a great adaptation.” Tinker also noted, “An adaptation of the short story from the Night Shift collection, Jerusalem’s Lot , will come out on the Epix channel in August. That one is starring Adrien Brody and looks to be great fun. Also in the works is a very exciting documentary called King on Screen.”

“A Stephen King Dollar Baby production titled I Know What You Need, will be filming at the University of Maine,” reports Tinker. The King Dollar Baby program is a way for aspiring filmmakers to adapt one of King’s short stories to film. Young producers and filmmakers can be authorized by the King foundation to use one of the short stories for $1.

Pro Tips: While these locations are important pieces of King’s fictional legacy, they are also private homes and businesses. Please be respectful of individual privacy. You will need to book a tour with Tinker at SK Tours at least a month in advance. They book up quickly because they offer the best tour. And keep a sharp eye out for the red balloon!

If you’re heading south after you visit Bangor, go check out this epic road trip from Bangor to Boston .

Sandi loves writing about culture, cuisine, adult beverages, cruising, golf, skiing, road trips, hiking, New England, and photography. Traveling solo, with hubby Chris, or the entire Barrett clan there is always a story waiting to be told.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

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Stephen King's Rules for Time Travel

If you're going to travel back in time, author Stephen King says, preparation is everything. The further back you go, the more you have to think about. And if you're going to try and undo a watershed event in history—the assassination of JFK, say—you had better be determined. Because the past will do its best to remain unchanged. That's the premise of King's latest novel, 11/22/63, which follows Jake Epping as he slips back through time to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from pulling the trigger. To get the details right, King talked to experts about the events leading up to Kennedy's death, and he consulted with heavyweight historians like Doris Kearns Goodwin on what might have happened had JFK lived. Wired spoke with King about the mechanics of time travel, the grandfather paradox, and the scariest thing about trying to change history.

Wired: Your main character is trying to alter the past, but everything gets in his way. He gets sick, his car won't start, he gets beaten up.

Stephen King: There's a kind of a rule that you'd express as a ratio: The more potential a given event has to change the future, the more difficult that event would be to change. If you wanted to go back and speak to somebody on a street corner so that they were five minutes late to an appointment—that might not be too hard. But if you wanted to stop the assassination of a president, that would be really difficult. The past would try to protect itself. My hero, Jake Epping, is befriended by a short-order cook who has a kind of a time bubble in the back of his diner. When you go through it, you always come out at the same time: two minutes before noon, on a day in September 1958. Originally the cook uses it to buy meat at '50s prices for his restaurant and bring it back through. He always has to buy the same meat because he goes into the store at the same time, every time.

Wired: Sounds simple.

King: Well, it's a little bit more complex than these people realize. When Al the cook tells Jake about how you can go back to 1958 and walk around and do whatever you want, Jake asks, "What if you went back and killed your own grandfather?"

Wired: The grandfather paradox.

King: Right. And Al looks at him with wide eyes and says, "Why the fuck would you want to do that?" So, in a way, we bypassed that whole idea completely. But by the end of the book, they find out that what they think is basically harmless is very harmful.

Wired: Sort of a butterfly effect thing?

King: The butterfly effect has a part in it, but my thought was that every time you go back and change something, you create an alternate timeline. There are these guardians who stand watch over all the time portals, because they understand that whenever you go back, you damage the time-space continuum. At the end Jake meets one of them, who tells him, "Every time you did this, you made the situation worse. And if you continue to do it, everything collapses." To me that's pretty horrible.

Kate O'Flaherty

Alistair Charlton

Dan Gearino

Wired: But every time Jake goes through the portal, everything is supposedly reset to how it was before.

King: The idea of the reset was one of the more interesting things about the book to me. You can get the idea from computers, where you can delete all this material and start over again and it never even leaves a mark. You just highlight everything, bop Delete, and it's gone.

Wired: Well, on a computer you think it's gone, but it's actually not.

King: It's like in the story. They think it's a complete reset, but the guardian tells Jake that it really isn't. It looked that way to you, but that stuff was still there.

Wired: If you ever came across a time-travel portal, would you go through it?

King: I guess the urge would be there, but no, I don't think I would. I'd be afraid that the past really was a house of cards and that I might knock it down. I'd be scared.

Wired: And the further back you go, the more immediately dangerous it becomes—the more likely you are to be hounded by the villagers.

King: It's another ratio: The further back you go, the more precautions you have to take. It would go right to the language—you'd have to be careful about the way you speak; the accents would be different. If you were to return to, say, 1858, you'd really have to prepare ahead of time.

Wired: How closely do you think people will analyze your time-travel mechanics?

King: As The Dark Tower series was concluding, physics grad students were theorizing online about wormholes and equations and all that. Plenty of buffs, some of whom read this magazine, will say, you screwed this up, you screwed that up. People make a hobby of that kind of thing.

Wired: Do you think you'll work with time travel again?

King: No, this is it. Absolutely not. No, that's done. It's like Apollo Creed says, "Ain't gonna be no rematch."

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Stephen King's 'The Langoliers'

What to know.

While not without its fair share of thrills, The Langoliers suffers from a meandering pace and dubious characterizations.

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50 Must-Read Books Recommended by Stephen King (Plus a Few Extra Recommendations From Me)

Katie McLain

Katie's parents never told her "no" when she asked for a book, which was the start of most of her problems. She has a BA in Creative Writing from Lake Forest College and is working towards a master's degree in library science at U of I. She works full time at a public library reference desk in northern IL, specializing in readers’ advisory and general book enthusiasm, and she has a deep-rooted love of all things disturbing, twisted, and terrifying. (She takes enormous pleasure in creeping out her coworkers.) When she's not spending every waking hour at the library, she's at home watching Cubs baseball with her cats and her cardigan collection, and when she's not at home, she's spending too much money on concert tickets. Her hobbies include debating the finer points of Harry Potter canon, hitting people upside the head who haven’t read The Martian, and convincing her boyfriend that she can, in fact, fit more books onto her shelves. Twitter: @kt_librarylady

View All posts by Katie McLain

Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors of the modern age whose last name isn’t “Patterson.” He’s written 60+ books in his career, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. Dozens of his stories have been adapted for film & TV, and even that number has been increasing over the last couple years. And even with all of these obligations, Stephen King is also an avid reader ( he reads about 80 books per year ), and as he famously says in his memoir  On Writing , “ If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”

Someone who reads this much must have a few reading recommendations floating around, and thankfully, the King of Horror is exceptionally generous with his book suggestions. Here are 50 must-read books recommended by Stephen King over the years, and if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the list, I’ve made a few of my own book suggestions for the King as well.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

“Born in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for his village’s wealthiest man, two house Pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man’s (very unlucky) son. From behind the wheel of their Honda City car, Balram’s new world is a revelation. While his peers flip through the pages of Murder Weekly (“Love — Rape — Revenge!”), barter for girls, drink liquor (Thunderbolt), and perpetuate the Great Rooster Coop of Indian society, Balram watches his employers bribe foreign ministers for tax breaks, barter for girls, drink liquor (single-malt whiskey), and play their own role in the Rooster Coop. Balram learns how to siphon gas, deal with corrupt mechanics, and refill and resell Johnnie Walker Black Label bottles (all but one). He also finds a way out of the Coop that no one else inside it can perceive.”

**Included in Stephen King’s updated reading list for On Writing .

The Blind Man’s Garden by Nadeem Aslam

“Jeo and Mikal are foster brothers from a small town in Pakistan. Though they were inseparable as children, their adult lives have diverged: Jeo is a dedicated medical student, married a year; Mikal has been a vagabond since he was fifteen, in love with a woman he can’t have. But when Jeo decides to sneak across the border into Afghanistan—not to fight with the Taliban against the Americans, rather to help care for wounded civilians—Mikal determines to go with him, to protect him. Yet Jeo’s and Mikal’s good intentions cannot keep them out of harm’s way. As the narrative takes us from the wilds of Afghanistan to the heart of the family left behind, we see all of these lives upended by the turmoil of war.”

**Stephen King says: “An eye-opening, heartbreaking novel of the war in Afghanistan. Reminded me of Conrad’s  Nostromo .”

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

“Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey–with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake–through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride.”

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

“Harper Curtis is a killer who stepped out of the past. Kirby Mazrachi is the girl who was never meant to have a future. Kirby is the last shining girl, one of the bright young women, burning with potential, whose lives Harper is destined to snuff out after he stumbles on a House in Depression-era Chicago that opens on to other times. At the urging of the House, Harper inserts himself into the lives of the shining girls, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He’s the ultimate hunter, vanishing into another time after each murder, untraceable-until one of his victims survives.

Determined to bring her would-be killer to justice, Kirby joins the Chicago Sun-Times to work with the ex-homicide reporter, Dan Velasquez, who covered her case. Soon Kirby finds herself closing in on the impossible truth.”

**Stephen King says: “No, not the twins from the Kubrick movie, but the targets of a serial killer who finds a time portal in Chicago during the Depression and jackrabbits his way through recent American history, killing women and taking trophies. Until, that is, he encounters a tuff girl who’s not so easy to do away with. It’s the black-hole version of The Time Traveler’s Wife .”

2666 by Robert BolaÑo

“Composed in the last two years of Bolaño’s life, 2666 has been greeted as his greatest achievement, surpassing even his previous work in its strangeness, beauty, and scope. Its throng of unforgettable characters include academics and convicts, an American sportswriter, an elusive German novelist, and a teenage student caring for her widowed, mentally unstable father. Their lives intersect in the desert sprawl of Santa Teresa–a fictional Juárez–on the US-Mexico border, where hundreds of young factory workers, in the novel as in life, have disappeared.”

**Stephen King says, “This surreal novel can’t be described; it has to be experienced in all its crazed glory.”

A Walk in the Woods   by Bill Bryson

“The Appalachian Trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaining guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears.”

**Included in SK’s reading list for On Writing .

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon

“For sixty years, Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a “temporary” safe haven created in the wake of revelations of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. Proud, grateful, and longing to be American, the Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant, gritty, soulful, and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish. Now the District is set to revert to Alaskan control, and their dream is coming to an end: once again the tides of history threaten to sweep them up and carry them off into the unknown. But homicide detective Meyer Landsman of the District Police has enough problems without worrying about the upcoming Reversion. And in a cheap hotel, someone has just committed a murder—right under Landsman’s nose.”

**Included in SK’s updated reading list for On Writing .

The Troop by Nick Cutter

“Once a year, scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a three-day camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story and a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—stumbles upon their campsite, Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. An inexplicable horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival that will pit the troop against the elements, the infected…and one another.”

**Stephen King says, “ The Troop scared the hell out of me, and I couldn’t put it down. This is old-school horror at its best.”

My SOul to Keep by Tananarive Due

“When Jessica marries David, he is everything she wants in a family man: brilliant, attentive, ever youthful. Yet she still feels something about him is just out of reach. Soon, as people close to Jessica begin to meet violent, mysterious deaths, David makes an unimaginable confession: More than 400 years ago, he and other members of an Ethiopian sect traded their humanity so they would never die, a secret he must protect at any cost. Now, his immortal brethren have decided David must return and leave his family in Miami. Instead, David vows to invoke a forbidden ritual to keep Jessica and his daughter with him forever.”

**Stephen King says, “Ms. Due accomplishes the hardest thing of all with deceptive ease, creating characters we care about on their most human level.”

Sharp Objects   byGillian Flynn

“Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.”

**Stephen King says, “I found myself dreading the last thirty pages or so but was helpless to stop turning them. Then, after the lights were out, the story just stayed there in my head, coiled and hissing, like a snake in a cave. An admirably nasty piece of work, elevated by sharp writing and sharper insights.”

The Secret Place   by Tana French

“A year ago a boy was found murdered at a girlsʼ boarding school, and the case was never solved. Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to join Dublin’s Murder Squad when sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey arrives in his office with a photo of the boy with the caption: “I KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.” Stephen joins with Detective Antoinette Conway to reopen the case—beneath the watchful eye of Holly’s father, fellow detective Frank Mackey. With the clues leading back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends, to their rival clique, and to the tangle of relationships that bound them all to the murdered boy, the private underworld of teenage girls turns out to be more mysterious and more dangerous than the detectives imagined.”

**Stephen King says, “Read The Secret Place , by Tana French, when it comes out. You’ll understand then. Great book.”

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

“Days before his release from prison, Shadow’s wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.”

**Included in SK’s updated reading list for On Writing.

Deception on His Mind by Elizabeth George

“Balford-le-Nez is a dying seatown on the coast of Essex. But when a member of the town’s small but growing Asian community, a Pakistani named Haytham Querashi, is found dead near its beach, his neck broken, sleepy Balford-le-Nez ignites. And working solo, without her long-time partner Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, Sergeant Barbara Havers must probe not only the mind of a murderer and a case very close to her own heart, but the terrible price people pay for deceiving others…and themselves.”

**Included in SK’s reading list for On Writing.

Gravity by Tess Gerritsen

“An experiment on micro-organisms conducted in space goes wrong. The cells begin to infect the crew with deadly results. Emma Watson struggles to contain the deadly microbe while her husband and NASA try to retrieve her from space, before it’s too late.”

**Stephen King says, “She is better than Palmer, better than Cook…yes, even better than Crichton.”

The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber

“After his December 2003 arrest, registered nurse Charlie Cullen was quickly dubbed ‘The Angel of Death’ by the media. But Cullen was no mercy killer, nor was he a simple monster. He was a favorite son, husband, beloved father, best friend, and celebrated caregiver. Implicated in the deaths of as many as 300 patients, he was also perhaps the most prolific serial killer in American history.”

**Stephen King says, “You think Annie Wilkes was bad? Check out this chilling nonfiction account of Charlie Cullen, a friendly nurse who may have killed several hundred patients before he was caught. Now, there’s a real cockadoodie brat.”

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

“When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.”

**Stephen King says, “For pure story, this colorful, headlong tale of a Depression-era circus simply can’t be beat. Heroes, villains, romance, a wild-animal stampede! Big fun from page 1.”

Hex   by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

“Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a 17th century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters your homes at will. She stands next to your bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened. The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated with being kept in lockdown, the town’s teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting, but in so doing send the town spiraling into the dark, medieval practices of the past.”

**Stephen King says, “A wicked witch holds an upstate New York town prisoner. This is totally, brilliantly original.”

Paul Simon: The Life by Robert Hilburn

“For more than fifty years, Paul Simon has spoken to us in songs about alienation, doubt, resilience, and empathy in ways that have established him as one of the most beloved artists in American pop music history. Songs like “The Sound of Silence,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Still Crazy After All These Years,” and “Graceland” have moved beyond the sales charts and into our cultural consciousness. But Simon is a deeply private person who has resisted speaking to us outside of his music. He has said he will not write an autobiography or memoir, and he has refused to talk to previous biographers. Finally, Simon has opened up—for more than one hundred hours of interviews—to Robert Hilburn, whose biography of Johnny Cash was named by Michiko Kakutani of the New York Times as one of her ten favorite books of 2013. The result is a landmark book that will take its place as the defining biography of one of America’s greatest artists.”

**Stephen King says, “Every now and then—rarely!—a book casts a little light on the creative development of a gifted artist. Paul Simon: The Life  is one of those few. Read it if you like Simon; read it if you want to discover how talent unfolds itself.”

The Nix   by Nathan Hill

“Meet Samuel Andresen-Anderson: stalled writer, bored teacher at a local college, obsessive player of an online video game. He hasn’t seen his mother, Faye, since she walked out when he was a child. But then one day there she is, all over the news, throwing rocks at a presidential candidate. The media paints Faye as a militant radical with a sordid past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother never left her small Iowa town. Which version of his mother is the true one? Determined to solve the puzzle–and finally have something to deliver to his publisher–Samuel decides to capitalize on his mother’s new fame by writing a tell-all biography, a book that will savage her intimately, publicly. But first, he has to locate her.”

**Stephen King says, “I’m reading The Nix by Nathan Hill. Just started, but so far it’s got me laughing hysterically. First 50 pages are worth the price.”

Magpie Murders   by Anthony Horowitz

“When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alan’s traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job. Conway’s latest tale has Atticus Pünd investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more she’s convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder.”

**Stephen King says, “Want to read a great whodunnit? Anthony Horowitz has one for you: Magpie Murders . It’s as good as an Agatha Christie. Better, in some ways. Cleverer.”

Natchez Burning   by Greg Iles

“Growing up in the rural Southern hamlet of Natchez, Mississippi, Penn Cage learned everything he knows about honor and duty from his father, Tom Cage. But now the beloved family doctor is accused of murdering Viola Turner, the beautiful nurse with whom he worked in the early 1960s. A fighter who has always stood for justice, Penn is determined to save his father. The quest for answers sends Penn deep into the past—into the heart of a conspiracy of greed and murder involving the Double Eagles, a vicious KKK crew headed by one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the state. Now Penn must follow a bloody trail that stretches back forty years, to one undeniable fact: no one—black or white, young or old, brave or not—is ever truly safe.”

**Stephen King says, “Grab all 3 volumes of Greg Iles’s Natchez Burning trilogy. Pure suspense, pure backroads Americana.”

The Liars Club   by Mary Karr

“When it was published in 1995, Mary Karr’s The Liars Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level, as well as bringing about a dramatic revival of the form. Karr’s comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J. D. Salinger’s—a hard-drinking daddy, a sister who can talk down the sheriff at twelve, and an oft-married mother whose accumulated secrets threaten to destroy them all.”

**Stephen King says, “This is what the memoir is supposed to be.”

The Hunger   by Alma Katsu

“Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They cannot escape the feeling that someone–or something–is stalking them. Whether it was a curse from the beautiful Tamsen, the choice to follow a disastrous experimental route West, or just plain bad luck–the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party are at the brink of one of the deadliest and most disastrous western adventures in American history. While the ill-fated group struggles to survive in the treacherous mountain conditions–searing heat that turns the sand into bubbling stew; snows that freeze the oxen where they stand–evil begins to grow around them, and within them. As members of the party begin to disappear, they must ask themselves ‘What if there is something waiting in the mountains? Something disturbing and diseased…and very hungry?'”

**Stephen King says, “Deeply, deeply disturbing, hard to put down, not recommended reading after dark.”

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

“Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily’s fierce-hearted black “stand-in mother,” Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina–a town that holds the secret to her mother’s past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.”

The Poisonwood Bible   by BARBARA KINGSOLVER

“ The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it — from garden seeds to Scripture — is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.”

THE MARS ROOM by RACHEL KUSHNER

“It’s 2003 and Romy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, deep in California’s Central Valley. Outside is the world from which she has been severed: the San Francisco of her youth and her young son, Jackson. Inside is a new reality: thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive; the bluffing and pageantry and casual acts of violence by guards and prisoners alike; and the deadpan absurdities of institutional living, which Kushner evokes with great humor and precision.”

**Stephen King says, “Most literary fiction doesn’t last very long. This is going to be around. It’s the real deal. Jarring, horrible, compassionate, funny. BTW, Kushner reads the audio, and knocks it out of the park.”

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“One of the most cherished stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country. A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father—a crusading local lawyer—risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.”

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

“A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can choose -and change – their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.”

* *Stephen King says, “Ursula K. Le Guin, one of the greats, has passed. Not just a science fiction writer; a literary icon. Godspeed into the galaxy.”

Sunburn by Laura Lippman

“They meet at a local tavern in the small town of Belleville, Delaware. Polly is set on heading west. Adam says he’s also passing through. Yet she stays and he stays—drawn to this mysterious redhead whose quiet stillness both unnerves and excites him. Over the course of a punishing summer, Polly and Adam abandon themselves to a steamy, inexorable affair. Still, each holds something back from the other—dangerous, even lethal, secrets that begin to accumulate as autumn approaches, feeding the growing doubts they conceal. Then someone dies. Was it an accident, or part of a plan? By now, Adam and Polly are so ensnared in each other’s lives and lies that neither one knows how to get away—or even if they want to. Is their love strong enough to withstand the truth, or will it ultimately destroy them?”

**Stephen King says, “Suspenseful as hell, and [Lippman] writes like a dream…Lippman’s always good, but this is a cut above.”

One Hundred Years of Solitude   by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

“The brilliant, bestselling, landmark novel that tells the story of the Buendia family, and chronicles the irreconcilable conflict between the desire for solitude and the need for love—in rich, imaginative prose that has come to define an entire genre known as magical realism.”

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

“For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area. Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called “the Golden State Killer.” Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark —the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind.”

**Stephen King says, “It appears police have caught the Golden State Killer. Go get Michelle McNamara’s excellent book about the case, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.”

Slade House by David Mitchell

“Down the road from a working-class British pub, along the brick wall of a narrow alley, if the conditions are exactly right, you’ll find the entrance to Slade House. A stranger will greet you by name and invite you inside. At first, you won’t want to leave. Later, you’ll find that you can’t. Every nine years, the house’s residents — an odd brother and sister — extend a unique invitation to someone who’s different or lonely: a precocious teenager, a recently divorced policeman, a shy college student. But what really goes on inside Slade House? For those who find out, it’s already too late…”

**Stephen King says, “Hard to imagine a more finely wrought and chilling tale of the supernatural. One of the rare great ones.”

Darktown by Thomas Mullen

“Responding from pressure on high, the Atlanta police department is forced to hire its first black officers in 1948. The newly minted policemen are met with deep hostility by their white peers and their authority is limited: They can’t arrest white suspects; they can’t drive a squad car; they can’t even use the police headquarters and must instead operate out of the basement of a gym. When a black woman who was last seen in a car driven by a white man turns up fatally beaten, no one seems to care except for Boggs and Smith, two black cops from vastly different backgrounds. Pressured from all sides, they will risk their jobs, the trust the community has put in them, and even their own safety to investigate her death. Their efforts bring them up against an old-school cop, Dunlow, who has long run the neighborhood like his own, and Dunlow’s young partner, Rakestraw, a young progressive who may or may not be willing to make allies across color lines”

**Stephen King says, “A brilliant blending of crime, mystery, and American history (Atlanta, just after WWII). Terrific entertainment.”

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

“When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers–with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another. The girls move to Elspeth’s flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building’s other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin’s devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth’s elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt’s neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including–perhaps–their aunt, who can’t seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.”

Doing Harm  by Kelly Parsons

“Steve Mitchell, happily married with a wife and two kids, is in line for a coveted position at Boston’s University Hospital when his world goes awry. His over-reaching ambition causes him to botch a major surgery, and another of his patients mysteriously dies. Steve’s nightmare goes from bad to worse when he learns that the mysterious death was no accident but the act of a sociopath. A sociopath he knows and who has information that could destroy Steve’s career and marriage. A sociopath for whom killing is more than a means to an end: it’s a game. Because he is under a cloud of suspicion and has no evidence, he knows that any accusations he makes won’t be believed. So he must struggle to turn the tables, even as the killer skillfully blocks his every move.”

**Stephen King says, “ Doing Harm , by Kelly Parsons: best damn medical thriller I’ve read in 25 years. Terrifying OR scenes, characters with real texture.”

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

“As Dr. Marina Singh embarks upon an uncertain odyssey into the insect-infested Amazon, she will be forced to surrender herself to the lush but forbidding world that awaits within the jungle. Charged with finding her former mentor Dr. Annick Swenson, a researcher who has disappeared while working on a valuable new drug, she will have to confront her own memories of tragedy and sacrifice as she journeys into the unforgiving heart of darkness.”

**Stephen King says, “ State of Wonder , by Ann Patchett: took me awhile to get around to it, but boy, was it worth it. Highest recommendation.”

Red Moon by Benjamin Percy

“When government agents kick down Claire Forrester’s front door and murder her parents, Claire realizes just how different she is. Patrick Gamble was nothing special until the day he got on a plane and hours later stepped off it, the only passenger left alive, a hero. Chase Williams has sworn to protect the people of the United States from the menace in their midst, but he is becoming the very thing he has promised to destroy. So far, the threat has been controlled by laws and violence and drugs. But the night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge…and the battle for humanity will begin.”

**Stephen King says, “Finished Red Moon , by Benjamin Percy. A werewolf epic. Can’t stop thinking about it.”

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

“Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens — until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town’s residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenage daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state’s best witness, but she can’t remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.”

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

“Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she’s thrilled she finally connected with someone. When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar…who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can’t keep his eyes off Louise. And then Louise bumps into Adele, who’s new to town and in need of a friend, but she also just happens to be married to David. David and Adele look like the picture-perfect husband and wife, but then why is David so controlling, and why is Adele so scared of him? As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong, but Louise can’t guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets.”

**Stephen King says, “Spent most of the day reading the second half of Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. What the Brits call ‘a thumping good read.’ Bravo!”

A Sight for Sore Eyes by Ruth Rendell

“ A Sight for Sore Eyes tells three stories, and for the longest time, the reader has no inkling of how they will come together. The first is a story of a little girl who has been scolded and sent to her room when her mother is brutally murdered; as Francine grows up, she is haunted by the experience, and it is years before she even speaks. Secondly, we become privy to the life of a young man, Teddy, born of unthinking young parents, who grows up almost completely ignored. Free of societal mores, he becomes a sociopath, who eventually discovers that killing can be an effective way to get what he wants. Thirdly, we meet Harriet, who from an early age has learned to use her beauty to make her way in the world. Bored by marriage to a wealthy, much older man, she scans the local newspapers for handymen to perform odd jobs around the house, including services in the bedroom. When these three plots strands finally converge, the result is harrowing and unforgettable.”

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

“Saleem Sinai was born at midnight, the midnight of India’s independence, and found himself mysteriously “handcuffed to history” by the coincidence. He is one of 1,001 children born at the midnight hour, each of them endowed with an extraordinary talent – and whose privilege and curse it is to be both master and victims of their times. Through Saleem’s gifts – inner ear and wildly sensitive sense of smell – we are drawn into a fascinating family saga set against the vast, colourful background of the India of the 20th century.”

**Stephen King says, “1,001 children are born in India at midnight on Aug. 15, 1947; this epic social comedy follows one of them through a lifetime of adventures worthy of Dickens.”

Final Girls by  Riley Sager

“Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet. Now, Quincy is doing well. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night…That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa’s death come to light, Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.”

**Stephen King says, “The first great thriller of 2017 is almost here: Final Girls by Riley Sager. If you liked Gone Girl , you’ll like this.”

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

“Lata and her mother, Mrs. Rupa Mehra, are both trying to find—through love or through exacting maternal appraisal—a suitable boy for Lata to marry. Set in the early 1950s, in an India newly independent and struggling through a time of crisis, A Suitable Boy takes us into the richly imagined world of four large extended families and spins a compulsively readable tale of their lives and loves.”

The Terror by Dan Simmons

“The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of triumph. As part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition, the first steam-powered vessels ever to search for the legendary Northwest Passage, they are as scientifically supported an enterprise as has ever set forth. As they enter a second summer in the Arctic Circle without a thaw, though, they are stranded in a nightmarish landscape of encroaching ice and darkness. Endlessly cold, with diminishing rations, 126 men fight to survive with poisonous food, a dwindling supply of coal, and ships buckling in the grip of crushing ice. But their real enemy is far more terrifying. There is something out there in the frigid darkness: an unseen predator stalking their ship, a monstrous terror constantly clawing to get in.When the expedition’s leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. With them travels an Inuit woman who cannot speak and who may be the key to survival, or the harbinger of their deaths. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear that there is no escape.”

**Stephen King says, “A brilliant, massive combination of history and supernatural horror.”

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

“Koushun Takami’s notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan – where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller – Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.”

**Stephen King says, “An insanely entertaining pulp riff that combines Survivor with World Wrestling Entertainment. Or maybe Royale is just insane.”

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

“It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don’t know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art. As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.”

**Stephen King says, “Tartt proves that the Dickensian novel—expansive and bursting with incident—is alive and well.”

Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer

“Area X—a remote and lush terrain—has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of aggressive cancer. This is the twelfth expedition.”

**Stephen King says, “I’m loving The Southern Reach Trilogy, by Jeff Vandermeer. Recommended by an indie bookseller. Creepy and fascinating.”

The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker

“When the world ends and you find yourself forsaken, every second counts. No one knows this more than Edgar Hill. Stranded on the other side of the country from his wife and children, Ed must push himself across a devastated wasteland to get back to them. With the clock ticking and hundreds of miles between them, his best hope is to run — or risk losing what he loves forever.”

**Stephen King says, “This one’s a real find.”

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

“One postwar summer in his home of rural Warwickshire, Dr. Faraday, the son of a maid who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country physician, is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once impressive and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. Its owners—mother, son, and daughter—are struggling to keep pace with a changing society, as well as with conflicts of their own. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr. Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become intimately entwined with his.”

**Stephen King says, “This is a terrifying, engrossing ghost story set in the English countryside not long after World War II, but it’s so much more…Although told in straightforward prose, this is a deeply textured and thoughtful piece of work. Several sleepless nights are guaranteed.”

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

“Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hellish for all the slaves but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood—where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned and, though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted. In Whitehead’s ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor—engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora and Caesar’s first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven—but the city’s placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. Even worse: Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom.”

**Stephen King says, “Terrific novel of escape, sacrifice, and redemption.”

Now, when I was putting this list together, I had a harder time finding authors of color than I expected. Stephen King is a big fan of “good stories,” so naturally I had to wonder a little about what constitutes a “good story,” for him, and what types of stories most frequently end up on his bookshelf. Since reading books written by authors from different races, ethnicities, and cultures is one of the best ways to enhance your reading experience, I wanted to pass along a few suggestions of my own that I thought the King might appreciate, so Stephen, if you happen to have your eyeballs on this post, here are a few titles you might enjoy, from one Constant Reader to another!

My Sister, the Serial Killer   by Oyinkan Braithwaite

“When Korede’s dinner is interrupted one night by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola, she knows what’s expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. This’ll be the third boyfriend Ayoola’s dispatched in “self-defence” and the third mess that her lethal little sibling has left Korede to clear away. She should probably go to the police for the good of the menfolk of Nigeria, but she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. Until, that is, Ayoola starts dating a doctor at the hospital where Korede works as a nurse. Korede’s long been in love with him, and isn’t prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back: but to save one would mean sacrificing the other…”

**Katie says, “A blistering, multi-layered satirical gut punch of a novel that is both darkly humorous and deeply disturbing.”

IQ  by Joe Ide

“East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the neighborhood’s high crime rate. Murders go unsolved, lost children unrecovered. But someone from the neighborhood has taken it upon himself to help solve the cases the police can’t or won’t touch. They call him IQ. He’s a loner and a high school dropout, his unassuming nature disguising a relentless determination and a fierce intelligence. He charges his clients whatever they can afford, which might be a set of tires or a homemade casserole. To get by, he’s forced to take on clients that can pay. This time, it’s a rap mogul whose life is in danger. As Isaiah investigates, he encounters a vengeful ex-wife, a crew of notorious cutthroats, a monstrous attack dog, and a hit man who even other hit men say is a lunatic. The deeper Isaiah digs, the more far reaching and dangerous the case becomes.”

**Katie says, “A gritty crime series that’s like if Sherlock Holmes grew up in the projects.”

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

“When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules–a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger, knows all too well. Deeply ambivalent about growing up black in the lone star state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him home. When his allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small town of Lark, where two murders–a black lawyer from Chicago and a local white woman–have stirred up a hornet’s nest of resentment. Darren must solve the crimes–and save himself in the process–before Lark’s long-simmering racial fault lines erupt. ”

**Katie says, “Attica Locke’s writing completely transports you to this tiny, dusty Texas town, where racial relations have been simmering menacingly for decades. It’s a complicated mystery, with an even more complicated story behind, and it’s absolutely brilliant.”

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

“ Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.  So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.”

**Katie says, “This book is a beautiful look at family, cultural expectations, fitting in, and what happens when the family dynamic is shattered forever. The writing is lyrical, yet razor sharp, and it’s incredible on audio.”

There There by Tommy Orange

“ There There  is a relentlessly paced multigenerational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people. It tells the story of twelve characters, each of whom have private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death and has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle’s memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time. There will be glorious communion, and a spectacle of sacred tradition and pageantry. And there will be sacrifice, and heroism, and unspeakable loss.”

**Katie says, “An unflinching look at urban Native American life and the way that heritage and memory get passed down through the generations. It’s a book that deserves to be read multiple times.”

Want more Stephen King? Check out some of these other books he’s recommended over the years , or bask in the wisdom he’s shared with 70 Stephen King quotes to commemorate his 70th birthday.

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Stephen King addresses similarities between Baby Reindeer and his own ‘nerve-wracking’ psychological thriller

Stephen king has addressed similarities between baby reindeer and one of his own creepy thrillers.

Michael Slavin

Stephen King has addressed the similarities between Netflix’s newest sensation Baby Reindeer and some eerily similar work of his own.

He is arguably the king (no pun intended) of scary stories, so for Richard Gadd’s show to be addressed by him is an honour in and of itself.

Though Baby Reindeer appears to have clear influences from King’s story, Gadd's own story is actually based on his own terrifying real-life experiences. Check out the trailer – if you haven’t seen it yet, run to Netfilx:

King commented in a review of the show – where he felt about Baby Reindeer basically exactly how everyone else on the planet did.

He called it ‘one of the best things’ he had ever seen and said: “Like 13.3 million other Netflix subscribers, I tried it and found myself sucked in, unable to look away.

“My first thought was to thank God my novel came first, or people would assume I’d stolen it from Richard Gadd.”

The iconic horror novelist went on to address comparisons that had been drawn between a book of his and Baby Reindeer , with the book also having a film adaptation with a near perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.

The book in question is Misery , a psychological thriller from 1987 in which a female deranged fan becomes obsessed with a male romance novelist.

He ends up in a car crash, and finds himself being trapped as he is rescued by his number one fan and unable to move – as she insists he has to write one final novel, one all for her.

Misery was adapted into a film in 1990, starring Kathy Bates and James Caan, which continues to be one of the best horrors out there.

The concept is different enough to Baby Reindeer , but you can understand why King is thankful his came out first.

Before you worry too, as Baby Reindeer is based on Gadd’s own life – no one is accusing him of stealing from King.

The novelist said of the likenesses between the two: “Then comes Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning), who appears one day in the pub where Donny works. It’s a showstopper of an entrance, hands down the equal of our introduction to Misery’s Annie Wilkes.

“The difference between Paul Sheldon ( Misery ) and Donny Dunn is to some extent physical, because Sheldon has been badly hurt in a car accident.

“He doesn’t give Annie a cup of tea — in fact would probably only give her a passing glance if she turned up in an autograph line. Donny, on the other hand, invites the devil in, however unknowingly.

He goes on to say: “In Misery Sheldon — bedridden, held prisoner both by a growing drug addiction and Annie herself — reluctantly comes to the conclusion that Annie is right about his new novel.

“She says it isn’t very good, and she’s probably right. In any event, she burns it. She is the doer; Paul Sheldon is the helpless watcher.

“In Baby Reindeer Donny finally takes action himself, knocking his sad suitcase of props to the floor and getting honest — brutally so — with his audience.”

I think I’ve found the perfect double feature for my weekend.

Topics:  Stephen King , Baby Reindeer , Netflix , Film , TV and Film , TV

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Gov. Josh Shapiro Uses Pennsylvania’s State Plane Much More Than His Predecessor

Spotlight PA  is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania.  Sign up for our free newsletters .

HARRISBURG — The two-engine, eight-seat Beechcraft King Air 350i took off from a small regional airport across the Susquehanna River from Pennsylvania’s state capital at 3:22 p.m. on Aug. 17.

After a two-hour flight, it arrived at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, a ritzy vacation spot known for beaches and golf courses, to meet its passenger — Gov. Josh Shapiro.

The next day, the plane left Hilton Head at 7 a.m. for a flight back to Pennsylvania, bringing Shapiro to Scranton. It then deposited the Democrat back in South Carolina a little before 3 p.m.

One last two-hour flight returned the plane to Harrisburg, where it arrived around 5:40 p.m. on Aug. 18.

The four-leg journey cost taxpayers just over $13,000, and was the longest and most expensive of 113 trips that Pennsylvania’s state-owned plane made during Shapiro’s first year in office.

All told, the plane accrued more than nine days of flight time ferrying Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, Attorney General Michelle Henry and other state officials around the commonwealth and the country in 2023. The total bill to taxpayers was $410,000, the most they have paid for state flights since 2011, according to available data.

August’s journey, revealed in publicly available logs analyzed by Spotlight PA, shows the heavy use the Shapiro administration has made of the plane as he has barnstormed the state. The aircraft has sometimes touched down in as many as seven airfields around the commonwealth in a single day.

As many as two-thirds of the costs of those flights were accrued directly by the governor’s office, a dramatic increase in plane travel compared to Shapiro’s predecessor, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

But Shapiro’s administration, as well as former executive branch staffers, have argued that the plane connects people with their government officials.

According to an administration spokesperson, such outreach includes when Shapiro became the first governor to  visit Punxsutawney  for Groundhog’s Day since 2012; a May visit to  White Haven  to open a new state park entrance; and an October stop in  Kinzua Bridge State Park  to announce hundreds of thousands of dollars in state investments for the region.

“Pennsylvanians expect their Governor to be out in their communities listening, learning and delivering — not just sitting behind a desk in Harrisburg,” Shapiro’s spokesperson Manuel Bonder said in a statement, “and that’s why Governor Shapiro has always kept an aggressive and rigorous travel schedule that has taken him to every county in our Commonwealth several times over.”

In his first year in office, Shapiro surpassed Wolf’s busiest air travel year, racking up $270,000 in fuel, maintenance and personnel expenses during almost 150 hours of flight time in 2023. Wolf used the aircraft most in 2018, the last year of his first term, in which he spent a little more than 77 hours in the air, costing $136,000. Former GOP Gov. Tom Corbett’s busiest flight year was 2014, in which he spent almost 84 hours in the plane, costing taxpayers $103,000.

There are some caveats. The state’s flight data, which it must report under a 2012 law, lump together trips by day. An official may be listed as a passenger even if they took just one leg of a day’s flight plan that covered multiple stops.

The reasons for the trips aren't always clear despite a state law requiring agencies to report their “public purpose.” But piecing together Shapiro’s incomplete public schedule, public media reports and flight logs shows that he has used the plane to travel to a mix of public announcements, private meetings with officials across the country and  even a Phillies playoff game .

Some government watchdogs say the resulting travel expenses are way too high.

“The governor does not need a taxpayer-funded air force to travel,” Eric Epstein, a longtime good-government advocate, told Spotlight PA, arguing Shapiro could take more remote meetings.

“You don’t build relationships or get a budget done by racking up frequent flyer miles,” he added.

‘Not easy to get around’

PennDOT currently owns one aircraft, the King Air 350i, which it bought in 2019 for $7.75 million.

According to the website of Wheels Up, a private charter flight company, the King Air 350i is “ the perfect private plane for short-haul flights. ” The company praises the plane’s advanced noise cancellation technology, inflight Wi-Fi, ability to land at small airfields and “room for all.”

Maintaining the plane costs about $487,000 a year between the cost of a hangar lease at Capital City Airport — a 320-acre, two-runway airstrip in York County that mostly handles single-engine aircraft — a maintenance contract and salaries for the agency’s three pilots.

According to PennDOT’s written policy, “use of state aircraft can often be the most economical means of travel, particularly if several senior staff members are traveling more than a 2 1⁄2 hour drive from Harrisburg.”

The plane, the policy adds, can be used when commercial flights “are not available to reach the travel destination”; when commercial flights do not accommodate state officials’ time constraints; when those traveling “must conduct Commonwealth business enroute,” or when “security, threat level or operational requirements preclude use of commercial airlines or other forms of transportation,” such as in emergency and disaster situations. The policy also says that the plane may not be used to commute.

Despite the policy, it's hard to pinpoint why officials took each 2023 ride. State law requires agencies to report the “public purpose of the trip,” but in practice, they do not. PennDOT listed every flight as either “business” or “maintenance” last year. Shapiro also doesn’t release  a complete public schedule .

The governor has top priority in booking flights, followed by the lieutenant governor, then statewide elected commonwealth officials, members of the governor's cabinet and senior staff, board and commission chairs and legislative leadership — all on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The plane’s single busiest day last year, according to PennDOT records, was Oct. 24. It took off from Capital City Airport at 8:11 a.m. and did not return to its hangar until almost 11 hours later, just after 7:15 p.m.

Along the way, it made seven stops — including in Philadelphia; York; Pittsburgh; Indiana, Pennsylvania; and Wilkes-Barre — with Shapiro, PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger and staff listed as passengers.

While Shapiro does not release his entire schedule, his website notes he attended two public events that day: the opening of an Amazon fulfillment center in York at 10:15 a.m. and Westinghouse’s announcement of new nuclear technology outside Pittsburgh at 1:30 p.m.

(The latter event was originally planned for June but was delayed to allow Shapiro to appear at the announcement, according to an email acquired by Spotlight PA through a public records request.)

Driving more than halfway across the state would have taken three and a half hours. But Shapiro was able to get from York to Pittsburgh in 40 minutes on the plane, according to flight records.

All told, the plane spent a little more than four hours in the air that day and cost taxpayers $8,200.

That day highlights why the plane is necessary, said Adrian King, a top staffer for former Gov. Ed Rendell and ex-director of the state’s emergency management department.

At 300 miles east to west and nearly 200 miles north to south, Pennsylvania is “not easy to get around.”

“In my experience, Pennsylvanians want to see their elected leaders doing their job, be that at an economic development event, a policy announcement or an emergency,” King told Spotlight PA. “The state plane is a tool that the governor can use to efficiently travel and interact with his constituents statewide.”

The approach has seemingly paid dividends. A recent Franklin & Marshall poll found that Shapiro had a 54% approval rating, the highest of any Pennsylvania governor at this point in his first term since the 1990s.

The plane hasn’t only been used for in-state travel. PennDOT’s records reveal four out-of-state trips, including the one to Hilton Head.

In May, Shapiro took the plane to New York to deliver the commencement address at his alma mater, the University of Rochester.

In September, Shapiro flew to Washington, D.C. for a six-hour stop during which he had private meetings with congressional leaders and spoke for a half-hour with  The Atlantic , an administration spokesperson said.

And in October, Shapiro and the first lady flew to Springfield, Illinois, to meet with Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The Hilton Head trip, the administration contended, was also state business. Shapiro was on a personal trip when the mother of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) died, and he attended  the funeral  in his official capacity as governor, then returned to South Carolina.

The plane has also been used for building relationships. Flight logs show Shapiro was joined by state Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) and Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) for a May 1 flight from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg.

Shapiro, Ward and Pittman attended an event in Westmoreland County to plug  an $81 million advanced manufacturing facility  in New Kensington. The three then flew back to Harrisburg together, arriving in time for the two legislative leaders to attend a scheduled voting session.

Then in July, amid stalled budget negotiations, Shapiro and top legislative staff flew to Indiana, Pennsylvania, in Pittman’s district, accompanied by the state Senate leader’s top staffer.

Shapiro also used the plane to attend at least two sporting events last fall. While tickets for both of those games were purchased by an outside nonprofit,  Team PA , taxpayer dollars helped facilitate Shapiro’s attendance.

First, Shapiro was listed as a flight passenger on a multi-leg October itinerary in which the plane crisscrossed the state.

Records show the plane traveled between Harrisburg, Erie and Philly, touching down in the latter so Shapiro could throw  the first pitch  at a Phillies playoff game.

A month later, Shapiro attended a Nov. 11 Penn State University home football game with two of his sons. The three of them were all listed as plane passengers that day, which saw the state aircraft travel from Harrisburg, to University Park in time for a noon kickoff, to Philadelphia, and back to Harrisburg. The day’s flights cost more than $4,500.

40 years of flights

A 1984 Pennsylvania law first authorized PennDOT to own a plane. Since then, governors, legislators, cabinet officials, state commission members and other bureaucrats have all used it to carry out official business.

Former Gov. Tom Ridge, a Republican, holds the record for most flights in a year, according to  PennLive ; the Erie resident took 196 flights in 1998, a year when the commonwealth had two planes in use. Rendell, a Philadelphia Democrat who served from 2003 until 2011, averaged 56 flights a year in his first term, according to PennLive.

The plane received increased attention during Rendell’s tenure, after  a lobbyist joined the governor’s chief of staff  on a flight. The incident sparked  an audit  of the plane’s logs, which found that PennDOT wasn’t maintaining complete records on the plane’s use by state officials and potentially violating federal aviation law.

The audit, which looked at the plane’s use between July 2002 and March 2007, also found that the aircraft had taken at least 1,083 flights in that period, costing almost $2.2 million.

In response, lawmakers approved a  2012 law  mandating that PennDOT log and make available the date, destination, length, purpose, cost and passengers on any flight using a state-owned or leased aircraft.

“When the state plane is used, the information required will answer the basic questions taxpayers want to have asked, like, is it legal, is it ethical, is it financially justifiable?” then-state Sen. Lloyd Smucker (R., Lancaster), the bill’s sponsor, said of the proposal on the chamber floor. “Here and elsewhere, that sort of disclosure discourages abuse.”

For a while, the expanded disclosure appeared to tamp down elected officials' use of the state plane. State records show just 13 flights in 2011, the first year of the Corbett administration. However, use of the plane began to creep back up in the second half of Corbett’s tenure and then under Wolf. Corbett totaled 85 flights in his single term, costing almost $210,000; Wolf racked up 263 of them over eight years, costing almost $660,000.

Shapiro also played a role in the plane's increased use in the latter half of the decade.

First elected as attorney general in 2016, he took his first state-funded flight in 2017. As attorney general, Shapiro’s office paid for 73 flights costing $265,000. PennDOT’s records only go back to 2011, and Shapiro was the only attorney general to use the plane during that time. The 2007 audit found the attorney general’s office had used the plane just once.

Shapiro’s successor Michelle Henry has also used the plane, albeit far less. Her office paid for eight flights in 2023, costing $31,000.

Brett Hambright, a spokesperson for Henry, told Spotlight PA that ground transportation is Henry’s “primary method.” When she flies, the decision “involves multiple factors, including time restrictions and safety considerations.”

Three of her flights went out of state — two to Delaware and one to Washington, D.C. Hambright said those flights were to meet “government officials” without specifying who.

Neither of the state’s two other row officers — Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Auditor General Tim DeFoor — have caught a state flight.

Erik Arneson, a spokesperson for Garrity, told Spotlight PA that she “has not used the state plane, and we can’t currently envision a reason for her to do so.”

Instead, the Bradford County Republican either uses a state vehicle or her personal vehicle. If the latter, Arneson said, she does not submit for mileage.

DeFoor, a Republican from Dauphin County, also uses a state vehicle, said spokesperson April Hutcheson, which she argued is the most cost-effective option.

“There has not been a need for us to use the state plane,” Hutcheson told Spotlight PA. “We bundle trips to different regions to use the most effective travel methods and use of his time.”

BEFORE YOU GO…  If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at  spotlightpa.org/donate . Spotlight PA is funded by  foundations and readers like you  who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.

The post Gov. Josh Shapiro Uses Pennsylvania’s State Plane Much More Than His Predecessor appeared first on StateCollege.com .

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11/22/63: A Novel Paperback – Illustrated, July 24, 2012

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• Print length 880 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Scribner
• Publication date July 24, 2012
• Dimensions 6 x 2.2 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10 1451627297
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; Illustrated edition (July 24, 2012)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 880 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1451627297
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1451627299
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL810L
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.39 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 2.2 x 9 inches
• #6 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books)
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• #283 in Suspense Thrillers

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Stephen king.

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, MR MERCEDES, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both MR MERCEDES and END OF WATCH received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.

King co-wrote the bestselling novel Sleeping Beauties with his son Owen King, and many of King's books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including The Shawshank Redemption, Gerald's Game and It.

King was the recipient of America's prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife Tabitha King in Maine.

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