3 Stephen King book recommendations that you should've read by now and how I would rate them. Some are horror books and some aren't. It's no surprise that Stephen King is exceptional at writing both types of books.
1. IT
There is no doubt that this book should be on the top of the list and that it is one of the best Stephen King novels. In case you've never read it—or watched the movie. IT is a horror fiction book that follows the stories of six kids from a town called Derry who become friends and form The Losers Club. We see with details the relationship of each one of them with his family, and, believe me, you'll find ones that are beyond belief. The six kids start to form strong friendships with each other, and IT doesn't like it. In 1957, Derry witnessed some horrible incidents, and the rate of disappearances of children is increasing in an endangering way, but people don't understand why. However, our protagonists might have an idea of what's going on. We then follow the same characters 28 years later, and we see how each one has gone his own way. The story keeps going back and forth between the two timelines smartly and creatively. This is a chunky 1000-page horror book that is definitely worth your while.
I rate this book 9/10. It is a highly recommended read.
2. The Institute
This one is my absolute favorite; it is from King's latest book releases, and it is from the best Stephen King non-horror books in my opinion. The institute talks about an institute—obviously—that selects the smartest kids and those with special talents and abilities to kidnap. Luke Ellis is one of those kids. Luke gets kidnapped, and his parents get killed by the people working at the institute. This is a step that will change the fates of both the boy and the institute tremendously.
Even though The Institute won the best horror book of 2019 award on Goodreads, this book is not considered a horror book. However, it is a Stephen King book that you should check out.
This book easily gets a 10/10 from me; it is one of Stephen King's masterpieces.
3. The Green Mile
The Green Mile is another one of Stephen King's non-horror books. This book was an emotional read for me, and its story is just so unique. The book can be heartwarming at times and cruel at other times. The Green Mile talks about a prisoner called John Coffey who is accused of a horrifying crime, but he is as unexpected as someone can be. Paul Edgecombe, a prison guard at Cold Mountain Penitentiary, believes that trouble will come with Coffey, and he's not wrong. However, the truth unfolds in front of him, and he takes it upon himself to fix everything, but is that something that he is capable of doing?
This book was adapted into a movie starring Tom Hanks. The movie is as beautiful as the book. Despite the fact that this book is not receiving now as much hype as it did when it first came out, it is a Stephen King book recommendation that I can't stop talking about. Here's the movie trailer, make sure to check it out.
Fun fact: Did you know that this book was actually first published in 1996 over six months, one volume per month?
I also give this book a 10/10; it was just an exceptional read for me.
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