What book is so scary that it even scares master horror storyteller Stephen King? What book does he want people to think he's read but hasn't actually read? Stephen King answers those questions and more in the latest edition of 'What Ya' Readin'? #Colbert #WhatYaReadin #StephenKing
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If he released a book called "Every Book Stephen King Has Ever Read" where he literally just list all the books he's read, it would be a New York Times best seller.
Probably, but I bet if he did, he’d probably discuss what he liked and disliked about each. He can be pretty insightful about literature, and if nothing else, he can give some hilarious feedback.
@@johnschou2172 That would be amazing! I would read that for sure! I just hope it has this exact cover art
"On Writing" by Stephen King is pretty much what you described. Wonderful book, I snagged it off my brother's shelf and shut myself in for days to finish it. Never returned it.
@@ZachClossin I would read it too, and I hope it has that art, too, with the classic Stephen King font of course. By the way, what is that font? I’ve tried to find it, but for the life of me, I can’t!
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is an excellent book by King and it has what you're looking for
Stephen is my longest 'relationship' outside my family. I read The Shining at aged 9 and was hooked for life.
I grew up in the mid-west .. Louie L'amour was a staple in my house and in my teens I discovered SK and The Stand. My reading today is eclectic but SK has been and will always be favorite author!
@@notme2day The Stand was the first book review I ever wrote, in grade 7. Crazy how timeless it is!
The Shining was the first SK I read as well. It was the movie tie-in version with the yellow cover and stills from the movie inside(Australian edition). It is still my favourite of his books. I was 15 at the time.
I read Salem's Lot when I was about 9 or 10 as well and have never stopped reading SK. I guess we have a similarly long relationship with the man, but I bet he doesn't call you "Constant Reader" like he does with me! (sticks out tongue)
How old were you when you read Pet Semetary? Because Jesus Christ, that book has its reputation for a reason.
I read _Ghost Story_ while sunbathing in my grandparents’ back yard-the safest place in my entire life-and I was absolutely terrified!
Loved GHOST STORY in late 70s or early 80s. The follow-up SHADOWLAND is also excellent.
@@MichaelfromBedford Shadowland is amazing. It is totally surreal, especially the parts with the Brothers Grimm. It set the stage for dark fantasy that would become the standard of Clive Barker, especially with his novels such as Weaveworld. (I'm currently reading Barker's The Great and Secret Show. . . for the fifth time!)
Hey guyss. Should I buy the book "ghost story". Please let me know
@@anakinswife. If you like a good involving read.
@@REDchairDIARIES hmm I do like it and I love reading horror books. Most of em that I've read are a little boring so I'm just asking if this one is good or not
A living legend! His opinions on books carry weight 🤘
Yeah but I’m shocked I haven’t read even one book he listed
@@amazingsupergirl7125 no, but they are on the list now ! we love you SK !!
Stephen King makes it cool to be nerdy about books
Agreed - I even wrote down some of those books so I can remember to read them myself!
@Michael Lochlann I was about to say, at best Stephen King gives you the feeling it is ok. It was always cool to read books ;) Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so popular opinion is fickle. It is just a mean. Books take a bit of patience and effort, though. Which makes them unpopular - so be it. In most cases you should ignore popular opinion and just do what makes you feel good. Unless you are very frustrated... At any rate, people as a whole are shallow, your own happiness is worth much more! Stephen had a nice side effect to it as well: He's well known and his bank account is doing ok. Imagine if he would've been influenced by a nerdy reputation - and didn't write books at all...
@Michael Lochlann I was born with a disability, wasn't ever able to play sports or go out for recess. I remember the first time a teacher told me that reading was my sport. Never felt nerdy after that, lol.
Wow I couldn’t care any less about anyone’s opinion on how much I read
Tal vez no entiendas esto pero "nerdy" es una palabra muy estúpida que a lo largo de los años en las películas más que todo estadounidenses la han usado despectivamente, leer es genial. Y quien diga lo contrario no ha tocado un libro en su vida, leer es arte.
If you ever thought about writing or you just like Stephen King, read his book about how to write called - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.
Just a fun book in general and one that leaves me feeling motivated.
Agreed. That’s a fabulous book.
"On Writing" was a reading requirement in one of my creative writing classes, along with Strunk and White's "Elements of Style," which I had been told was the "Bible for writers" that had to be followed. Two years later, I read "Adios, Strunk and White," which showed me how to have a bit more fun with the English language. It turns stuffiness into whimsy. It's a shame the author, Gary Hoffman, whom I studied under for a semester, was a misogynistic asshat. One day the male students finally believed us women that Professor Hoffman never called on us, so they refused to raise their hands that whole class, leaving the professor furious. He still refused to have any girls answer his questions, pretending like literally no one was raising their hands. Finally, he yelled at the guys, who called him out for discrimination. Hoffman outright said, most of Western literature was written by men, for men, so the options of women are inconsequential. We reported him to the dean, but Hoffman was the head of the English department, so nothing was done. I went out of my way to avoid taking another one of his classes. I really hope that in the years since I took his class, he changed. Or at least was finally ordered to allow women to have an equal voice. Maybe even teach about female writers. (Such a concept!) So, while I highly recommend "Adios" as a balancing view to "Elements," get it used. It's full of good writing advice from a guy who's a bit of a dict...ionary.
Better than his novels.
Does he teach about proofreading?
Stephen King was the first novelist to really deliver for me, no matter what he writes. A Master of his craft.
Have you read Edgar Alan Poe?
@@ivareskesner2019 my computer is named Edgar lol.... yes. I have several editions of his complete works. However, he wasn't a novelist imo.
@@DarlaVaughan 😁 Cool. My brother's name was Edgar. But yes, he's certainly not a novelist. More a poet and a short story writer. Still. Him and King share a very similar macabre tone in their stories so I would put them in the same league narrative wise.
@@ivareskesner2019 agreed. There's a reason my computer is named after him. They are the only two macabre masters I hold responsible on those sleepless nights lol.
@@DarlaVaughan Well, may the only sleepless nights you have be the ones you spend celebrating something of note 👍🏻
My favorite author! Ever. I'm 64 years old and have been reading at least one of his novels every year since I was 25. Thanks to the Stephen Colbert show I just bought his latest, "Billy Summer". I knew that my summer was missing someone...Stephen King. I just might be his #1 fan... see what I did there? lol ;-)
I love him too but my fave? Salman Rushdie. He's in a class by himself.
King really worried me in '02 when he mentioned plans to retire .. I honestly thought I was gonna have to kidnap a teddy bear and buy duct tape at that time. 😂😂😂
Oh u dirty bird! I see it😉 He's been my favorite since high school. He kept me grounded through the teen angst period. He's my absolute favorite. At 46 I'm still a lifetime fan-girl
@@kaisha915 You have great taste! He helps me spiritually as well. BTW: I can see Kathy Bates as I type this! lol!
@@kaisha915 Amen to that! He also helps me spiritually. I can still see Kathy Bates in my mind! She's in Delores Claiborne as well as in Misery. Billy Summer is very intriguing.
This is where Mr. King is right in his element. As long as he can rave about books and give other authors a shout out, he's happy.
This guy writes brilliant stories. I've just started reading Billy Summers. Got me hooked from the first chapter. Been reading his books since I was 23. I'm 61 now.
I snuck Carrie out of my parent's bedroom after explicit finger waving instructions from my Mom, "You are NOT to read this book!" I was 11.
@@TnavresGaming this was me but with desperation!
That Stephen King has not actually read Gravity's Rainbow is at once understandable and heartening.
😆 it’s a famous book that nobody’s read!
Same
this guy is really amazing. over 60 novels and so many darn good ones. what an amazing thing to have so many stories come through you and have the ability to put them down in a way that communicates to so many people.
One of the greatest, creative, influential, storytelling minds of the 20th century along with Steven Spielberg.
I wish they could do better at translating his writing to the big screen! But I think it's because he's so descriptive is loses his touch
I'm really happy for Stephen king and his success over the years, Stephen is a very talented writer indeed.
My mom got mad at me for reading King when I was 12 and banned me from his books. So I read the Bachmann books... mom gave up.
I would get Stephen King books from my school library and hid them from my mom
I cracked up at this.. Lol
My mum was the opposite, and encouraged me to read anything I wanted. Her bookcase was full of horror and sci-fi so there I fell in love with those genres lol. I was reading Herbert, Guy n Smith, King, Lovecraft from the tender age of 9 lol.
Haha being banned from those books just made them more pleasurable to read
Watched It (the 90s version) when I was 6. Read the book when I was 8. Been a “constant reader” ever since. Dad claims It warped my brain; I take it as a compliment.
I wrote to SK 30 years ago asking his favorite book and the response I got was Lord of the Flies 😀
A lot of things change in 30 years.
So refreshing he actually listed books I have heard of (and read) and not tried to impress With obscure, intellectual works no one understands!
The Land That Time Forgot is crazy in a good way.
I met him back in 2006 when he was promoting Lisey's Story in the UK. He was a guest on a tv show i worked on as a camera operator. Knowing he was coming in i brought in my copy of Lisey's Story and, cheekily, my copy of Misery.He signed them both. Lisey's Story to "Simon, a constant reader, best wishes Stephen King" and in Misery wrote the single best sentence ever: "To Simon, from your number one fan, Stephen King" They say never meet your heroes, well, i met mine, and he was a true gent. He shook my hand, thanked me for reading his books and left me standing there, mesmerised, tongue-tied and delighted. Ive many signed and limited edition King novels, but those two are my favourites.
The line he wrote for your copy of Misery is so cool!
The value of this 3 minute clip is immeasurable.
Popular Opinion: Every single one of y'all agrees that King made our day:
Stephen king could probably name a couple hundred or so books or more that have been an inspiration to him in his writing. But, it's nice to see that stephen is a great lover of reading and books. It's not just a job, it's something he loves, whether it's something he writes or someone else writes.
I love this gracious, talented man! What a fantastic segment!
Edgar Rice Burroughs!! One of the most fun authors of all time
Loved "The Land That Time Forgot". First major book; "The Black Stallion".
"A book that makes you happy. " "The book I just finished." Stephen says. Yes! I found the world's happiest person.
"The man in black fled across the desert ...and the gunslinger followed"
The one good thing about my 2020
Yes! It's the only opening line (apart from the one for Pride and Prejudice because it's quoted so often) that I remember.
This will be good practice for when you meet Queen Elizabeth. She is a constant reader and I have been told she often asks people, "What are you reading?"
"Sometimes dead is better." -stephen king
Lonesome Dove is one of my absolute favorites too, kinda cool
Lonesome Dove the TV series is one of the very few times that the TV version is as good as the book.
@@IMSiegfried Totally agree, an unbelievably good TV series too (IMO, of course).
The World According To Garp made me cry in Jr High! I reread that book so many times in HS
I was so impressed when Orson Scott Card made me cry on the first short page of Xenocide. What 2 or 3 paragraphs? I cried so hard reading The Color Purple I had to keep pausing until I could see.
"The world according to Garp," broke my heart, but was amazing.
Love him. At the human level, not just as a storyteller.
Gotta be honest, Lonesome Dove shocked me just a little. That said, it's a friggin amazing read.
I'd never heard of it before. Have you read it?
It made me smile when he mentioned it.
My FAVORITE Stephen King story. His little girl told him she didn't like his stories and asked him to write one for kids like her. He did. I just LOVE that story.
What did he write for her?
@@graceomalley4 The Eyes Of The Dragon 🐉 Love this Book; I just reread it last week. I read it to my son when he was little too.
Lonesome Dove and Shantaram are my two favorite books of all time.
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace 'I understood about half of it' 😂 Truth!
Aww. He’s very personable and humble.
Mr King is the Einstein of writing. And it'd not just horror either. He touches on many deep subjects.
Reading this guys work got me through alot of crap times addiction.. Depression.. Stress etc.. Love stephen Kings books.. Can never read enough of em...
Thomas Williams is a superb author and Whipple's Castle is beautiful. But I am 71 yrs old so have read many good books that are now forgotten.
Do you know Billy Collins' poem called 'Forgetfulness'? kzhead.info/sun/oZGaaKmEhoifmmw/bejne.html
i love stephen king as a person.
Favorite book of all time: 'An Act of Self Defense' by Erne Lewis. Honorable mention: The Earth's Children series, beginning with 'Clan of the Cave Bear' by Jean Auel.
*Dune by Frank Herbert. Then the entire Dune series.* "“Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.”" Thanks for sharing, have fun & stay safe everyone.
My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. I almost named my daughter Harper. (She's Lucy now, because of C.S. Lewis. )
That is a good one. I actuator only read it the first time because my younger sister was showed to read it and a few other books. She is dyslexic and hated reading back then. My mom loved reading and so did I so that year we read her books and told her about them. She still had to write her own reports, we didn't go that far. Cold Sassy Tree was another one I found that way that I really liked.
@@crittermama I've certainly read many more difficult and longer ones, but I feel like the moral of the story is very dear to my heart.
One of the most amazing novels ever. I would love to go to New York and see Jeff Daniels play Aticus Finch on Broadway. On my bucket list.
I named my son Scrooge. Because Christmas Carol is my favorite book.
@@lynnturman8157 I don't believe you lol
i was 19 when i started reading your stories i an now 62 and love everything you write it makes me feel alive
Carrie. Misery. Christine. Pet Sematary. It. King is a TRUE GENIUS!
You just named 4 of my 5 favorite King books. You are a gentleman and a scholar.
@@Smoove_J what's the other one?
Here's all the books he mentions. Happy reading... “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurty “Shoot” by Douglas Fairbairn “Ghost Story” by Peter Straub “The World According to Garp” by John Irving “The Land that Time Forgot” by Edgar Rice Burroughs “In Dubious Battle” by John Steinback “Whipple’s Castle” by Thomas Williams Anything by Michael Connolly “Gravity’s Rainbow” by Thomas Pinchin “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace
Thank you for the Infinite Jest honesty Mr. King!
PLEASE DO MORE OF THESE!!!!
“The Good Earth” by Pearl S. Buck, “ A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”, “As I was Young and Easy”, “Where the Red Fern Grows”, and yes, “Christine” and “Misery”.
The Good Earth yep. I was a teen and it had such an impact that at 67 I still corner young ppl to persuade them to stop paying rent and buy even a small wooded lot on land contract and put a rent to own shed on it for a rustic tiny house. Have u read A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M Miller Jr?
@@wideawake5630 No, but I’ll take your recommendation. Thank you!
Lonesome Dove... So good!
So relieved to see that this is not a comic bit. I would love it if you continued this as a series with your guests that are writers / avid readers.
As a new reader, I love to find out what other people/celebrities are reading! I really enjoyed this segment & I hope to see more of it! 📚💕
Don't ever stop reading. The written word and our ability to read are the greatest gifts ever to mankind.
@@conniejenni5504 Thank you for the encouragement. I made a New Year’s resolution to start reading & I’ve read 46 books so far, more books than I’ve ever read in my 34 years (& the only NY’s resolution I’ve ever maintained)! It’s all I want to do & my list of books to read is miles long. 🧡
I love this segment
I love that John Irving was mentioned. Something about A Prayer For Owen Meany sticks with me.
more of these! all of these!
Wow I think the world according to garp was the first novel I ever read and it made me cry too. Love this man.
Favourite book: Lonesome Dove - Larry Mcrurty Favourite line: Shoot - Douglas Fairbairn Favourite horror: Ghost story - Peter Stroud Cryer: The World According to Garp - John Irving Fall in Love with reading: The land that time forgot - Edgar Rice Burrows Favourite in high school: In Dubious Battle - John Steinbeck Favourite to reread: Whipple's Castle - Thomas Williams Happy book (current): Billy Summers - Stephen King Can't wait to read: The Dark Hours - Michael Connelly Not read: Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pincheon
Fav SK book- fire starter, twas me first book i finished in highschool.
Well thank you for that. I never heard of Whipple’s Castle. Entertaining & interesting to view this.
One of a kind ♥
I love your Mr. King and enjoy all your novels. I look forward to when I can get Billy Summers. One book of yours I've read more than once is Misery. Kathy Bates was the perfect choice for playing Annie in the movie. I never tire of the story.
God bless this man
Lonesome Dove - Larry Mcmurtry Shoot - Douglas Fairbairn Ghost Story - Peter Straub The World According to Garp - John Irving The Land That Time Forgot - Edgar Rice Burroughs In Dubious Battle - John Steinbeck Whipple's castle - Thomas Williams Any book by Stephen King (One of my favorites is Insomnia) The Dark Hours - Michael Connelly Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace Thank you! 👑📚🙏
Big fan of Robert Browning. Gordie Dickson's Childe Cycle was also inspired by the Childe Roland unto the Dark Tower Came.
My first Stephen King novel was Pet Semitary. Friggin brilliant. Read that in '86 and been a fan ever since.
Just finished re-reading that one, it's such a delight!!!
Ghost Story scared me too! At one point, I actually jumped when something (I won't say what it was) happened! That had never happened to me while reading a book 😳
Me too. The only time that happened to me was when I was reading my very first King book. When I read Salems Lot , someone walked into the room and my book flew out of my hands. lol
When I was a kid, I picked up Ghost Story because Stephen King mentioned liking it. I still remember that to this day.
I'm intrigued but I'm a little scared... I think I'll read it anyway
It was a good book. But the movie was disappointing
Loved this.
Love this.
The book I can't wait to read is the next book Stephen King writes! I just love him.
He has a new book coming out this month. :)
Billy Summer, cannot wait to find it in the Library, i know, but i can;t afford them any more : (
My favorite non-fiction book: Pedagogy of the Oppressed - Paulo Freire Fiction: The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons
Stephen... you are the King...love you buddy, lot, lot, lot of respect man.
Eyes of the dragon is one of yours that I read again and again. I can't wait to read it with my kids too.
I love that book to bits!! I'm in the middle of re-reading it once again. Such a splendid and enjoyable story.
Bless ya Mr. King!
MY MAN! The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe got me into reading, first one I remember reading.
My fav is The Regulators… absolutely loved that book👍🏼
When I saw this video I bought and read 'lonesome dove' and I fully agree!
I read The Land That Time Forgot many times growing up. What a great escape.
Two come to mind, "November 22, 1963" and "On Writing". The former is very close to a short story I wrote in the 1990s about stopping Kennedy getting shot and the latter got my juices flowing into writing.
I just finished reading "Billy Summers" by Stephen King. It's the first one of his that I read and I absolutely loved it! It was so amazing! I can't wait to get started on my Stephen King reading journey.
I would recommend you to read Duma key or Revival.
Love this
My favorite book is A Prayer For Owen Meany and my favorite author is John Irving. Interesting that his The World According To Garp made him cry❤️
I just love him.
I feel ya, Stephen. I tried reading Gravity's Rainbow years ago and just couldn't get into it. Now I remember it as the confusing fever dream of a book that I never finished.
I love him. He's a wonderful storyteller and listening to him speak is a joy, always has been. Stephen King truly does stand up to his last name and goes above and beyond. Class act always.
One of my fav books is also The Phantom.
So proud that he's from Maine!
I'm really starting to read again and have written down all these books! 🙏🏼 Nearly halfway through The Dark Tower Wastelands! Not only is his imagination incredible, the dude's pacing of this story is just phenomenal. Literally, it feels like you're reading "one story, spread over several books".
That is probably my favorite story of his! Hope I'll get the series reread some year.
I like that he likes Ghost Story. I started reading it because he co-authored The Talisman with Peter Straub and that got me into Straub's books. I've read it about 3 times and love it. The movie is good as well. I've read the Talisman like 5 times too. That and Needful Things are probably my 2 favorite King books. I've read about 55 of his novels so I'm almost read them all
My Hero. Now and Forever.
My mother introduce me to this man forty years ago, he scared the shit out of me then, and he scares the shit out of me now. I hope to meet him in person one day. "It," sold me.
The King. Man I don't care bout lots of people but this guy is special. Hope he lasts forever.
"His fingernails ripped off like wet decals" the Stand SK 😵
He’s such a likable fellow!
thank u so much stephen you have inspiring me to read more
So modest. So unpretentious. This is why we all (whether I read him or not now, into my 60s), consider King a master in his field and pop-icon.
Perfect.
Any book that can scare the pants off of Stephen King- WE ARE HERE FOR IT!