Stephen King likes Twitter. A lot. The King of Horror can often be found tweeting about his dog Molly (affectionately dubbed “the Thing of Evil”), TV shows, politics and—most importantly—books.
King is not only a prolific author, it’s clear from his twitter account, open new window, that he’s an avid reader who likes to share his favorites with his followers.
You are reading: Stephen king recommended books 2016
these are all the books that king has recommended on twitter. ever. (Okay, okay: Since October 2014. That was as far back as Twitter allowed us to scroll.)
The list includes everything from bestsellers to little-known gems, psychological thrillers, horror stories and suspenseful reads, including some books written by the king’s son, under the pseudonym joe hill.
are listed in chronological order with the oldest recommendations first.
many titles are available for instant borrowing from the edmonton public library in digital formats. Do you prefer a physical book? we have those too! For some titles, we also offer adaptive technologies (like large print editions and accessible audiobooks on daisy) to make reading more accessible for people with disabilities, the homebound, and older adults.
1. brutal youth of anthony breznican
what the king said, opens a new window: “love the book. hilarious prologue. in a horrible way.”
king also made a book blurb that appears on the cover of the novel. he said “if you thought high school was hell, anthony breznican has a story for you…”
brutal youth is available as an e-book, opens in a new window.
2. domain by c.j. sansom
what the king said, opens in a new window: “great alternative history novel. Nazis win, occupy Britain… take a look.”
what the king said (also), opens a new window: “that mastery of the book is fantastic. And no, this is not one of those publisher-sponsored commercials. I fell in love with him. nice and long, too.”
domain is available as book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, and audiobook accessible on daisy, opens in new window.
3. the killer next door by alex marwood
what the king said, opens a new window: “if you read alex marwood’s bad girls, his new book, the killer next door, is still better. scary as hell. great characters.”
the killer next door is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window and streaming audiobook, opens in a new window. the other novel that the king mentioned, the mean girls is available a book, opens a new window, ebook, opens a new window and streaming audiobook, opens a new window.
4. you by caroline kepnes
what the king said, opens in a new window: “hypnotic and terrifying. A little Levin anger, a little Patricia Highsmith, and a lot of serious sarcasm. cool stuff.”
what the king said (also), opens in a new window: “totally original. I never read anything like it.”
is available as book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, audiobook cd, opens in new window, and downloadable audiobook, opens in new window.
5. the secret place of tana french
what the king said, opens in a new window: “read the secret place, by tana french, when it comes out. you will understand then. great book.”
the secret place is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook cd, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
6. doing damage by kelly parsons
what the king said, opens in a new window: “the best medical thriller I’ve read in 25 years. terrifying scenes or scenes, characters with real texture.”
Do Harm is available as a book, opens in a new window and a downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window.
7. frankenstorm by ray garton
what the king said, open new window: “remember when paperback originals were great? sex, action, suspense? Try Ray Garton’s Frankenstorm. It’s old school.”
frankenstorm is available as a book, opens in a new window, and as an e-book, opens in a new window.
8. paying guests for sarah waters
what the king said, opens a new window: “ending paying guests, by sarah waters. impressive full-bodied novel. it’s like he’s saying, ‘hey, folks, that’s how it’s done.’”
paying guests are available as book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, audiobook cd, opens in new window, and downloadable audiobook, opens in new window.
9. the girl on the train by paula hawkins
what the king said, opens in a new window: “really great suspense novel. kept me up most of the night. the alcoholic narrator is absolutely perfect.”
the girl on the train is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook on cd, opens in a new window and large print edition, opens in a new window. the book is also available in chinese, opens in a new window and the film based on the novel is available on dvd, opens in a new window.
10. big lies of liane moriarty
what the king said, opens a new window: “trivia night is the climax of big lies…it’s an excellent book. funny and scary. he nails feuding mothers.”
big little lies is available as a book, opens new window, ebook, opens new window, audiobook cd, opens new window, downloadable audiobook, opens new window (from overdrive), large print edition, opens a new window and audiobook accessible in daisy, open a new window. The first season of the HBO television series is available on DVD, opens in a new window.
11. carsten stroud’s niceville trilogy
what the king said, opens a new window: “reading the final book in carsten stroud’s niceville horror/thriller trilogy, the reckoning. .. my god, what an achievement. ”
niceville, the first book in the niceville trilogy, is available as a book, opens in a new window and downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window. The second book, Homecoming, is available as a book, opens in a new window, and as an e-book, opens in a new window. the reckoning, the third and final in the series, is available as a book, opens in a new window.
12. day four by sarah lotz
what the king said, opens a new window: “sarah lotz’s new novel, day four, is really good…it’s the cruise from hell “.
the fourth day is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, and audiobook cd, opens in a new window.
13. the man in the photo by susan hill
what the king said, opens a new window: “the book in the picture is the man in the picture, by susan hill. the evil thing must not eat it. it’s too good.”
the man in the image is available as a book, it opens in a new window.
14. the repairman by joseph finder
what the king said, opens a new window: “a great film noir line in joseph finder’s new novel, the fixer: ‘she had a body harder than Chinese arithmetic’”.
the repairman is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook cd, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
15. past world by dennis lehane
what the king said, opens in a new window: “dennis lehane’s past world is the best gangster novel since the godfather. Fabulous story, devastating conclusion.”
The Past World is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook cd, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
16. bad c.b country mckenzie
what the king said, opens a new window: “fantastic crime/suspense/mystery novel, but the real revelation is his fresh and original voice”.
bad country is available as a book, opens in a new window.
17. the blind man’s garden by nadeem aslam
what the king said, opens in a new window: “a revealing and heartbreaking novel about the war in afghanistan. reminded me of conrad’s nostromo.”
The Garden of the Blind is available as a book, opens in a new window and an ebook, opens in a new window.
18. the quick by lauren owen
what the king said, opens in a new window: “a fabulous (and terrifying) novel about the walking dead in london. completely immersive, impossible to leave.”
See Also: 19 Best Books for 10-Year-Olds (2022 Picks) – MomLovesBest
The abstract is available as a book, opens in a new window, e-book, opens in a new window, and audiobook cd, opens in a new window.
19. close your eyes by michael robotham
what the king said, opens a new window: “michael robotham’s best novel so far. once I got to the last 100 pages, it was really impossible to put it down.”
close your eyes is available as a book, opens in new window and audiobook cd, opens in new window.
20. burning city by garth risk hallberg
what the king said, opens a new window: “dickensian, tremendously entertaining, the closest thing to a great American novel this century has produced.”
city on fire is available as a book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, audiobook cd, opens in new window, and downloadable audiobook, opens in new window.
21. fiona barton’s widow
what the king said, open a new window: “if you liked the girl that left and the girl on the train, you might want to pick up the widow, by fiona barton fascinating. suspense.”
the widow is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook cd, opens in a new window and large print edition, opens in a new window.
22. brighton by michael harvey
what the king said, opens a new window: “helluva boston whodunit. excellent novel, period. if you liked the deceased, you’ll like this.”
brighton is available as a book, opens in a new window, and as an e-book, opens in a new window.
23. hex by thomas olde heuvelt
what the king said, opens in a new window: “a wicked witch is holding a prisoner in upstate new york. this is totally and brilliantly original.”
hex is available as a book, opens a new window and as an e-book, opens a new window.
24. fireman joe hill
what the king said, open a new window: “warm up your spring reading with joe hill’s the fireman. It will pique his interest and it will roast his nerves.”
the firefighter is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook cd, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
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25. disappearance at devil’s rock by paul tremblay
what the king said, open a new window: “paul tremblay’s super spooky sequel to a head full of ghosts…don’t miss it” .
king also praised tremblay’s other work, tweeting, opens new window: “a head full of ghosts, by paul tremblay: scared the hell out of me, and i’m pretty hard to scare.”
Disappearance at Devil’s Rock is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
The other book mentioned by the king, A Head Full of Ghosts, is available as a book, opens in a new window, an ebook, opens in a new window, and a downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window.
26. white bone by ridley pearson
what king said, opens in a new window: “ridley pearson’s new thriller, white bone, is on sale now. perfect for summer. you couldn’t do better.”
white bone is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, and audiobook cd, opens in a new window.
27. peter carey amnesia
what the king said, opens a new window: “i enjoyed peter carey’s wonderful novel, amnesia, mostly because it brought back memories of playing zork “.
amnesia is available as a book, opens in a new window, and as an e-book, opens in a new window.
28. the deep by nick cutter
what the king said, open a new window: “if you want to cool off this summer with a good horror novel, hunt in the depths, by nick cutter. scary as hell, and well written, for starters.”
king also did a book blurb, opens a new window for nick cutter’s first book, the troop, saying “it scared the shit out of me and I couldn’t put it down. he also called it ‘old school horror at its finest “.
the deep is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
29. david mitchell slade house
what the king said, opens a new window: “hard to imagine a more chilling and finely crafted story about the supernatural. one of the great rare.”
slade house is available as a book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, and audiobook cd, opens in new window.
30. the colson whitehead underground railway
what the king said, opens in a new window: “fabulous novel of escape, sacrifice and redemption. reminded me a bit of larry mcmurtry”
The Underground Railroad is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, CD audiobook, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window. also available in French, opens a new window and Chinese, opens a new window.
31. lake wilde by laura lippman
what the king said, opens in a new window: “laura lippman’s latest novel, wilde lake, is a coup de grace. you should do well.”
wilde lake is available as book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, cd audiobook, opens in new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in new window, and large print, opens in new window.
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32. nathan hill’s nix
what the king said, opens a new window: “I’m reading the nix, by nathan hill. I just started, but so far it has made me laugh hysterically. the first 50 pages are worth the price.”
the nix is available as a book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, and downloadable audiobook, opens in new window.
33. promise falls triology by linwood barclay
what the king (also) said, opens in a new window: “loving at twenty-three, by linwood barclay. you should enjoy the entire promise falls trilogy.”
broken promise, the first book in the promise falls trilogy, is available as a book, opens in a new window, an ebook, opens in a new window, and a large print edition, opens in a new window. the second book, far from being true, is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window and large print edition, opens in a new window. and finally, the third book, the twenty-three is available as a book, opens in a new window and ebook, opens in a new window.
34. final girls by riley sager
what king said, opens in a new window: “the first great thriller of 2017 is almost here: final girls, by riley sager. if you liked missing girl, you’ll like this.”
final girls is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, and downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window.
35. you will know me by megan abbott
what the king said, opens in a new window: “what an excellent novel. It gave me the creeps in the best possible way.”
you will meet me is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
36. dark city by thomas mullen
what the king said, opens in a new window: “a brilliant combination of crime, mystery and American history (Atlanta, just after the second world war) . excellent entertainment.”
darktown is available as a book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, audiobook cd, opens in new window, and downloadable audiobook, opens in new window.
37. behind her eyes by sarah pinborough
what the king said, opens a new window: “I spent most of the day reading the second half of behind her eyes by sarah pinborough. what the British call ‘a good hard-hitting read’. bravo!”
behind their eyes is available as a book, opens new window, ebook, opens new window, audiobook cd, opens new window, and downloadable audiobook, opens new window.
38. the force by don winslow
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what the king said, opens a new window: “the strength of don winslow… is fascinating, a triumph. thinks the godfather, only with police. it’s that good.”
(more of) what king said, open new window: “besides being compulsively readable, nowhere in don winslow will you find the force ‘for a long time’ or ‘for some reason’”.
the force is available as book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, cd audiobook, opens in new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in new window, and large print, opens in new window.
39. deon meyer fever
what the king said, opens in a new window: “united kingdom. readers, a pleasant surprise awaits you. no not brexit, fever, by deon meyer. reminds the tribune and the passage. big deal.”
fever is available as a book, opens in a new window
40. golden prey by john sanford
what the king said, opens a new window: “the best lucas davenport story so far. the man has a good touch for outlaws…get it. over and out.”
golden prey is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook on cd, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
41. fiery natchez trilogy by greg iles
what the king said, opens a new window: “what a good summer read? Get all 3 volumes of Greg Iles’ Burning Natchez Trilogy. pure suspense, pure american backroads.”
natchez burning, the first book in the trilogy, is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook cd, opens in a new window, and downloadable audiobook., opens in a new window book two, the bone tree, is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook cd, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, streaming audiobook, opens in a new window and large print edition, opens in a new window mississippi blood, the third book, is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook on cd, opens in a new window and large print edition, opens in a new window.
42. killers by howie carr
what king said, open new window: “While you’re waiting for the next big boston crime movie, pick up a copy of howie carr’s killers. It’s a fabulous read.”
killers is available as a book, opens new window, audiobook, opens new window, and audiobook accessible on margarita, opens new window.
43. my absolute love for gabriel tallent
what the king said, opens a new window: “This is an impressive book that cannot be put down. both shocking [and] tender. read it.”
my absolute love is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
44. weird weather by joe hill
what the king said, opens in a new window: “it is a jewel. I’m prejudiced, of course, but Kirkus says ‘perfect pitch’; pw touts “emotional resonance”.
strange weather is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook cd, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
45. paul tremblay’s doomsday cabin
what the king said, opens a new window: “the new one by paul tremblay, the cabin at the end of the world, comes out in june. You should mark it on your calendar, it’s that good. exhilarating and terrifying.”
the cabin at the end of the world is available as a book, opens in a new window and ebook, opens in a new window.
46. in the black nothing by meg gardiner
what the king said, open a new window: “excellent. you know the drill, bookstore near you. buy now, thank me later.”
into the black nowhere is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
47. the chalk man by c.j. Tudor
what the king said, opens a new window: “Do you want to read something good? you won’t find it on your bookstore bestseller table, but it’s new and it will be there… if you like my stuff, you’ll like this.”
the chalk man is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, audiobook cd, opens in a new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
48. sunburn by laura lippman
what king said: , open new window”thriller as hell and she writes like a dream. has a great james m. cain vibe. lippman is always good, but this is a cut above.”
sunburn is available as a book, opens in new window, audiobook cd, opens in new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in new window, and large print edition, opens in new window.
49. hunger for katsu soul
what the king said:, open a new window“deeply disturbing, hard to put down, not recommended to read after dark.”
hunger is available as a book, opens in a new window and ebook, opens in a new window.
50. alex marwood’s darkest secret
what king said:, opens a new window “if there’s been a better mystery-thriller written in this decade, I can’t think of it.”
The Darkest Secret is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, and audiobook streaming, opens in a new window.
51. i’ll go in the dark: one woman’s obsessive search for the golden state killer by michelle mcnamara
what the king said: , opens new window”looks like the police have caught the golden state killer. go get michelle mcnamara’s excellent book on the case.”
i’ll be gone in the dark is available as a book, opens new window, e-book, opens new window, audiobook cd, opens new window, and downloadable audiobook, opens new window.
52. magpie killings by anthony horowitz
what the king said: , opens a new window”…a great joke. she’s as good as an agatha christie. better, in some ways. smarter.”
the magpie murders are available as a book, opens new window, e-book, opens new window, audiobook cd, opens new window, and downloadable audiobook, opens new window.
53. paul simon: the life of robert hilburn
what the king said: , opens a new window”occasionally, rarely!, a book sheds a little light on the creative development of a talented artist… read it if you want simon; read it if you want to find out how talent is deployed.”
paul simon: life is available as a book, opens in a new window and as an e-book, opens in a new window.
54. rachel kushner’s room on mars
what king said:, opens a new window “most literary fiction doesn’t last very long. this will continue to exist. it’s the real deal. jarring, horrible, compassionate, funny. by the way, kushner reads the audio and knocks it out of the park.”
mars room is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window and downloadable audiobook, opens in a new window.
55. how it happened by michael koryta
what the king said, opens a new window: “excellent mystery and suspense novel. page turner. perfect reading for the summer.”
how it happened is available as a book, opens in a new window, ebook, opens in a new window, and large print edition, opens in a new window.
56. those chevy stevens girls
what the king said: “tired of thrillers with ‘girl’ in the title? so was i until i found those girls…unbelievably scary and suspenseful “.
those girls is available as book, opens in new window, ebook, opens in new window, cd audiobook, opens in new window, downloadable audiobook, opens in new window, large print edition, opens in new window, and daisy accessible audiobook, opens a new window.
if you’re looking for something that fits the “a recommended book for you” theme of the 2018 epl reading challenge, open a new window, any of the king’s picks would be a perfect choice!
Do you feel like reading some of King’s books more? epl has them.
read stephen king, open in a new window
See Also: Dani Pettrey – Book Series In Order