Have You Read All Your Favorite Writer’s Works?
It’s a worthy endeavour — and an enjoyable one too!
Stephen King is my favourite author.
It’s not that I don’t read other writers, far from that. It would be boring to read just one person. I read a lot of books, and King’s works make up a small fraction of what I read.
He’s not the only author I admire, either. There are so many writers whose names inspire me to check their new books; it would be boring to name them all here.
Of all the writers I have read in my life, though, Stephen King is the one that comes on top when I look at my favourite stories. I like his style — his vivid characters, encompassing plots, and the wicked (and sometimes horrid) supernatural that is often woven into his tales. And I also fully admire his versatility and originality.
Stephen King has been my favourite author for a long time. I can still remember the first time I read one of his books — it was love at first sight. Or rather, love at first read. Christine will always hold a special place in my heart. The more I read of his works, the more I liked him as a writer. Until I encountered The Eyes of the Dragon, the book that cemented him as my favourite writer. It’s still one of my favourite stories (although I consider Different Seasons to hold the number one spot), and it changed how I thought about King by showing me how versatile he can be as a writer. When I think about him, of course, horror is the first thing that comes to mind. He’s not known as the master of horror for no reason. So, I was pleasantly surprised to read a fantasy tale so different from his usual stuff. It made me believe he deserved a space in my favourite writer’s hall. Since then, I’ve mostly enjoyed all of his stories that I’ve read, so he hasn’t lost his spot.
Even though he’s my favourite writer, I haven’t read all his books. The guy is prolific, having published at least one book a year since his first book, Carrie, was published almost fifty years ago. Counting novels and short-story collections, there are nearly eighty published works by the master of horror. And seeing as I like his style and stories so much, I want to read all of them.
Have you read all your favourite writer’s novels?
I was surprised to realise how many books by him I haven’t yet read. So much potential for enjoyment! Not only that, but most of King’s books I have read in the past were in Portuguese. Brazilian translators are very competent, but there’s something special about reading a story in the original language it was written.
So, last year, I decided to read all of his works, including the ones I have already read. To make things easier for me, I’m reading them in the order his books were originally published. I’m about a quarter through the list, and I’m having an amazing time. I have re-read some favourites already, some for the first time in English. I’m looking forward to re-reading other favourites, and I’m very excited to discover all those stories I haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy before.
Have you considered reading all your favourite author’s works? If you haven’t, I urge you to do so. It’s bound to bring you happiness, and you may even find some stories that might not be as famous but will get to your heart in a special way.
Do you want to join me?
You’re welcome to join me on this journey to read our favourite writer’s works in fullness. Here’s what you need to do:
- Choose your favourite writer. It can be anyone. Think about which author you like the most and what kind of stories you’d like to read more of. For me, it’s Stephen King.
- Create a list of all the books they have published. No need for anything fancy here. Pen and paper or that note-taking app on your phone will work fine. I recommend adding only published works to your list, so you can find them easily. And if you decide to add out-of-print works, make sure to take it easy if you can’t find them anywhere. I recommend checking The Internet Archive Library if you have trouble finding a title. If you decide to join me in reading all of King’s works, I have a free checklist for you at the end of this post.
- Decide how you’re going to choose which book to read next. For me, it works better to read in order of publishing. That’s because it removes the anxiety of selecting a title — it can be quite daunting when the list is as extensive as King’s. But there’s no right or wrong here, either. Whatever works for you. If you want to avoid the choice dilemma, you can go by order of publishing, alphabetical order by title, or by length, for instance. Or you can get creative and think of unusual ways of choosing your next read. And, please, consider sharing your unconventional ideas.
- Decide how often you’re going to read a book from your list. Reading only one author can be pretty boring, even when it’s your favourite writer. Variety is the spice of life, after all. Thus, I don’t recommend you read the whole list of your favourite author’s books from top to bottom without breaks. For me, what works best is to try and fit one of King’s books a month. But sometimes it goes even longer before I read another of his books. I read at least three of four other books before I go back to King.
- Enjoy yourself! The most important thing is that you enjoy yourself and have fun. Take a break from the endeavour if it’s daunting. Break your own rules. And have fun.
Who’s your favourite author? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to find out your reasoning behind your choice, too. And if you decide to join me in this journey of reading all of our favourite author’s books, it’ll be a pleasure to have such a worthy companion.
I’ve published several reviews of King’s books here on Medium. Here’s the ever-growing list:
- Cujo
- The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower Vol. 1)
- Different Seasons
- Christine
- Cycle of the Werewolf
- Pet Sematary
Join me and read all of Stephen King’s books. I have a free checklist that you can download to help you track your progress:
