Stephen King’s Reading List Part II

Stephen King’s Reading List Part II 10 April 2014 — 1 Comment Stephen King's Reading List Last month we shared Stephen King’s Reading List for Writers, a collection of 96 books recommended by King in his acclaimed guide, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. When a tenth anniversary edition of On Writing was published in 2010, King included a new reading list. It was published in the afterword with the following introductory note: At the end of the original edition of On Writing, I listed about a hundred books which entertained and taught me. The publisher’s suggested I update the list for this new edition, so here are eight-plus more – the best things I’ve read between 2001 and 2009. As I said in the 2000 edition of the book… you could do worse. Peter Abrahams, End of Story Peter Abrahams, The Tutor Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger Kate Atkinson, One Good Turn Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake Mischa Berlinski, Fieldwork Benjamin Black [pseudo.], Christine Falls Peter Blauner, The Last Good Day Roberto Bolaño, 2666 David Carr, The Night of the Gun John Casey, Spartina Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union Lee Child, The Jack Reacher novels, starting with Killing Floor Michael Connelly, The Narrows Mark Costello, Big If Michael Cunningham, The Hours Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Richard Dooling, White Man’s Grave David Downing, Zoo Station Andre Dubus, The Garden of Last Days Leif Enger, Peace Like a River Frederick Exley, A Fan’s Notes Joshua Ferris, Then We Came to the End Jonathan Franzen, Strong Motion Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections Neil Gaiman, American Gods Meg Gardiner, Crosscut Meg Gardiner, The Dirty Secrets Club William Gay, The Long Home Robert Goddard, Painting the Darkness Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants Steven Hall, The Raw Shark Texts Mark Helprin, A Soldier of the Great War Charlie Huston, The Hank Thompson Trilogy Denis Johnson, Tree of Smoke Garrison Keillor (ed), Good Poems Sue Monk Kid, The Secret Life of Bees Chuck Klosterman, Fargo Rock City Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo John le Carré, Absolute Friends Dennis Lehane, The Given Day Elmore Leonard, Up in Honey’s Room Jonathan Letham, The Fortress of Solitude Laura Lippman, What the Dead Know Bentley Little, Dispatch Bernard Malamud, The Fixer Yann Martel, Life of Pi Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men Ian McEwan, Atonement James Meek, The People’s Act of Love Audrey Niffenegger, Her Fearful Symmetry Patrick O’Brian, The Aubrey/Maturin Novels Stewart O’Nan, The Good Wife Joyce Carol Oates, We Were the Mulvaneys George Pelecanos, Hard Revolution George Pelecanos, The Turnaround Tom Perrotta, The Abstinence Teacher Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes DBC Pierre, Vernon Little God Annie Proulx, Fine Just the Way It Is Michael Robotham, Shatter Philip Roth, American Pastoral Philip Roth, The Plot Against America Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children Richard Russo, Bridge of Sighs Richard Russo, Empire Falls Dan Simmons, Drood Dan Simmons, The Terror Curtis Sittenfeld, American Wife Tom Rob Smith, Child 44 Scott Snyder, Voodoo Heart Neil Stephenson, Quicksilver Donna Tartt, The Little Friend Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace Joseph Wambaugh, Hollywood Station Robert Warren Penn, All the King’s Men Sarah Waters, The Little Stranger Mark Winegardner, Crooked River Burning Mark Winegardner, The Godfather Review David Wroblewski, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road

Last month we shared Stephen King’s Reading List for Writers, a collection of 96 books recommended by King in his acclaimed guide, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

When a tenth anniversary edition of On Writing was published in 2010, King included a new reading list. It was published in the afterword with the following introductory note:

At the end of the original edition of On Writing, I listed about a hundred books which entertained and taught me.  The publisher’s suggested I update the list for this new edition, so here are eight-plus more – the best things I’ve read between 2001 and 2009.  As I said in the 2000 edition of the book… you could do worse.

1. Peter Abrahams, End of Story
2. Peter Abrahams, The Tutor
3. Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger
4. Kate Atkinson, One Good Turn
5. Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake
6. Mischa Berlinski, Fieldwork
7. Benjamin Black [pseudo.], Christine Falls
8. Peter Blauner, The Last Good Day
9. Roberto Bolaño, 2666
10. David Carr, The Night of the Gun
11. John Casey, Spartina
12. Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
13. Lee Child, The Jack Reacher novels, starting with Killing Floor
14. Michael Connelly, The Narrows
15. Mark Costello, Big If
16. Michael Cunningham, The Hours
17. Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves
18. Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
19. Richard Dooling, White Man’s Grave
20. David Downing, Zoo Station
21. Andre Dubus, The Garden of Last Days
22. Leif Enger, Peace Like a River
23. Frederick Exley, A Fan’s Notes
24. Joshua Ferris, Then We Came to the End
25. Jonathan Franzen, Strong Motion
26. Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections
27. Neil Gaiman, American Gods
28. Meg Gardiner, Crosscut
29. Meg Gardiner, The Dirty Secrets Club
30. William Gay, The Long Home
31. Robert Goddard, Painting the Darkness
32. Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants
33. Steven Hall, The Raw Shark Texts
34. Mark Helprin, A Soldier of the Great War
35. Charlie Huston, The Hank Thompson Trilogy
    
36. Denis Johnson, Tree of Smoke
37. Garrison Keillor (ed), Good Poems
38. Sue Monk Kid, The Secret Life of Bees
39. Chuck Klosterman, Fargo Rock City
40. Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
41. John le Carré, Absolute Friends
42. Dennis Lehane, The Given Day
43. Elmore Leonard, Up in Honey’s Room
    
44. Jonathan Letham, The Fortress of Solitude
45. Laura Lippman, What the Dead Know
46. Bentley Little, Dispatch
47. Bernard Malamud, The Fixer
    
48. Yann Martel, Life of Pi
49. Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men
50. Ian McEwan, Atonement
51. James Meek, The People’s Act of Love
52. Audrey Niffenegger, Her Fearful Symmetry
53. Patrick O’Brian, The Aubrey/Maturin Novels
54. Stewart O’Nan, The Good Wife
55. Joyce Carol Oates, We Were the Mulvaneys
56. George Pelecanos, Hard Revolution
57. George Pelecanos, The Turnaround
58. Tom Perrotta, The Abstinence Teacher
59. Jodi Picoult, Nineteen Minutes
60. DBC Pierre, Vernon Little God
61. Annie Proulx, Fine Just the Way It Is
62. Michael Robotham, Shatter
63. Philip Roth, American Pastoral
64. Philip Roth, The Plot Against America
65. Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children
66. Richard Russo, Bridge of Sighs
67. Richard Russo, Empire Falls
68. Dan Simmons, Drood
69. Dan Simmons, The Terror
70. Curtis Sittenfeld, American Wife
71. Tom Rob Smith, Child 44
72. Scott Snyder, Voodoo Heart
73. Neil Stephenson, Quicksilver
74. Donna Tartt, The Little Friend
75. Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace 
76. Joseph Wambaugh, Hollywood Station
77. Robert Warren Penn, All the King’s Men
78. Sarah Waters, The Little Stranger
79. Mark Winegardner, Crooked River Burning
80. Mark Winegardner, The Godfather Review
81. David Wroblewski, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
82. Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road