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Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Books on My Fall 2025 to-Read List
Most of these books were already included in my September intended TBR but I haven’t gotten to them and we have just about a week left in the month. Hopefully, I’ll get to them some time this fall! I also realize that I have three Stephen King titles on this list, but to be fair, they are all actual buddy reads that I signed up for that have fall deadlines, plus I realized I need to amp up my Stephen King reading if I want to finish my Stephen King Constant Reader Challenge in a timely manner!
Top Ten Books on My Fall 2025 TBR
The Wedding People by Alison Espach – I have heard interesting things about this book. It seems like a light-hearted book but apparently there are some heavy themes, but it looks like there are generally great reviews for it.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston – I have read another book by the author, and I really like the sound of the plot for this book.
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman – It’s the BOTM for my in-person bookclub this month, meeting this weekend! I really hope I can finish it by then!
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab – I have enjoyed several of the author’s books, but I like some more than others. I hope this is one of the good ones!
The Devils by Joe Abercrombie – I really enjoyed The First Law Trilogy and I’d already read the first few chapters of this one and found it really intriguing too! It’s a thicker book but hopefully I can dive in soon.
A Sorceress Comes To Call by T. Kingfisher – I initially started this book a few days ago but realized that I had more time on it (library deadline) than I had on Between Two Fires, so I’m putting it down and reading the other one first!
Falling by T.J. Newman – The plot sounds fascinating when I heard it and I’m excited to get to it soon!
Duma Key by Stephen King – I have read this before and remember loving it, but I don’t remember a single thing about it. It’s a buddy read so I decided to reread it with everyone else for the discussion.
Christine by Stephen King – Another buddy read! I recently watched the movie but haven’t yet read the book. My husband has watched many of King’s film adaptations and is a fan of his works, but the only King book he has read that I have not is this one! I have to remedy that (on both sides)!
The Running Man by Stephen King – And yet another buddy read; my online bookclub has a lot of serious Stephen King fans!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Against the wishes of his mother, sixteen-year-old Ray Garraty is about to compete in the annual grueling match of stamina and wits known as The Long Walk. One hundred boys must keep a steady pace of four miles per hour without ever stopping… with the winner being awarded “The Prize”—anything he wants for the rest of his life. But, as part of this national tournament that sweeps through a dystopian America year after year, there are some harsh rules that Garraty and ninety-nine others must adhere to in order to beat out the rest. There is no finish line—the winner is the last man standing. Contestants cannot receive any outside aid whatsoever. Slow down under the speed limit and you’re given a warning. Three warnings and you’re out of the game—permanently…
“They’re animals, all right. But why are you so goddam sure that makes us human beings?”
“Any game looks straight if everyone is being cheated at once.”
“Crowd was to be pleased. Crowd was to be worshipped and feared. Ultimately, Crowd was to be made sacrifice unto.”
“They walked on, somehow in step, although all three of them were bent forever in different shapes by the pains that pulled them.”
The Narrator(s)
Kirby Heyborne. Not a big deal but there were some parts where I felt his inflection didn’t fit the part. Otherwise, it was good listening.
My Thoughts
Stephen King’s psychological horror is always so chilling to me. I’ve read this book before but had forgotten much of it and recently I’d been wanting to read it again because the movie was coming out later this year. I’d been wondering how this could be a full length book when all they do is walk and nothing else happens.
Well, never underestimate the power of King’s storytelling. There are backstories, conversations, philosophizing… in addition to the things happening directly to the plotline. It turns out reading about their walk itself is incredibly fascinating, sometimes horrifying. King is so good at describing the feel of the ground, the movement of their feet, the landscape they walk across, and so much more. But still, the best parts are the psychological thought processes as they walk.
There’s a challenge among some fans of the book where they walk while listening to the audiobook according to the rules of the story. They walk for the whole time they’re listening to the book, and they’re not supposed to go slower than the walkers in the book. It sounds “fun” and immersive, and maybe one day, when I’m a lot fitter, I’ll do it.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life.
In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs—including Jamie’s mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.
Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family’s horrific loss. In his mid-thirties—addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate—Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.
This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It’s a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.
“That’s how you know you’re home, I think, no matter how far you’ve gone from it or how long you’ve been in some other place. Home is where they want you to stay longer.”
“People say that where there’s life, there’s hope, and I have no quarrel with that, but I also believe the reverse. There is hope, therefore I live.”
“Religion is the theological equivalent of a quick-buck insurance scam, where you pay in your premium year after year, and then, when you need the benefits you paid for so—pardon the pun—so religiously, you discover the company that took your money does not, in fact, exist.”
“This is how we bring about our own damnation, you know-by ignoring the voice that begs us to stop. To stop while there’s still time.”
The Narrator(s)
David Morse. It was perfectly fine and I enjoyed it very much.
My Thoughts
I liked it very much but I’d hope to like it more. I’d heard so many people hype it up so maybe I went in with overly high expectations. The story itself was really good but not what I expected. I thought it was going to be some kind of church horror in the vein of the movie Midnight Mass, but it wasn’t. Which is completely fine, I like where the story went too!
It was very slow burn, taking fifty years to come to fruition, and it was very interesting to see the characters develop over that time; the way they grow up and grow old, the way their beliefs and values evolve, everything they do to bring them where they end up. I’ve said it before that one of the reasons I love SK’s books so much is because he’s so good at character study. This book was amazing for that, and it’s still one I really enjoyed reading, even if I don’t love it as much as SK’s other books.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.
Today’s topic is Genre freebie
I’m going with Stephen King Books that are Not Horror. I’m currently doing a Stephen King Reading Challenge, and although I’ve read several of his books, his catalog is so extensive that I’m not even halfway done yet. I don’t think I’m even a quarter-way done! He also has a lot of books that aren’t explicitly horror, even though he’s most recognized as a horror writer. Below is a list of books he’s written that I wouldn’t categorize as horror.
I haven’t read all of these, but have watched some of the film adaptations so I’m vaguely familiar with the stories, and I’m quite confident they’re mostly non-horror. If you’ve read them and don’t agree, please let me know! If you’re familiar with his works and can name more that aren’t horror, please do!
Top Ten Stephen King Books That Are Not Horror
11/22/63 – One of his best works; I have read this book twice, watched the tv series, loved both and I could probably reread it over and over again! I would categorize this as time-travel historical fiction.
The Green Mile – I’ve read the book and watched the movie, and it’s just heartbreaking drama. If there’s any horror, it’s the horror of human monsters. I cried so much for both the book and movie.
Billy Summers – I’ve only read this once a while ago so I don’t remember a lot, but I remember loving it. It reads more like a crime thriller.
Under the Dome – I read this and watched the tv series a long time ago and don’t remember much either. I mean, the dome phenomena is probably supernatural, but the monsters are only of the human kind.
On Writing – The most obvious non-horror, since it’s his non-fiction memoir. I’ve read this a couple of times and it’s always amazing listening to him talk about writing. It’s so inspiring and it makes me want to be his bff!
Fairy Tale – One of my favorite SK books; it’s like the title says, it’s more like a fairy tale than any horror story. I am enchanted by the book from the first page.
Dolores Claiborne – I watched the movie but haven’t read the book. It’s another one I would categorize as a drama. Kathy Bates acts as the titular character, and she’s amazing as usual. I’m excited to read it eventually.
Joyland – More like a coming-of-age story. SK is really good at those, and I enjoyed this one.
The Body – Also a coming-of-age story, perhaps better known by its movie’s name, Stand By Me. I think most people are familiar with the movie and know that there’s not much horror to it. I haven’t read the book. Hopefully soon.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon – A survival story, not horror unless it’s adventure horror? It stays pretty true to real life and there isn’t very many paranormal elements to it except for hallucinations that can be explained in extreme survival conditions. At least, as far as I remember.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? Would you read any of these books?
Rose Daniels saw the single drop of blood on the bed sheet and knew she must escape from her macabre marriage before it was too late.
But escape was not as easy as fleeing to a new city, picking a new name, finding a new job, lucking out with a new man. Her husband, Norman, was a cop, with a cop’s training, a cop’s technology, a cop’s bloodhound instincts. And even worse, Norman was – well, Norman. Rose knew she had been married to a savage brute. Now she realized she was being tracked down by a terrifying monster – but the only place she found to hide could be the most dangerous of all…
I’m reading all of King’s books and this one was very highly recommended.
The Quotes
“But she stayed where she was a moment longer, like an animal which has been kept in a cage so long it cannot believe in freedom even when it is offered.”
“This man saw women like her all the time, women hiding behind dark glasses, women buying tickets to different timezones, women who looked as if they had forgotten who they were somewhere along the way, and what they thought they were doing, and why.”
“For gals like these, paranoia was a lot more than a way of life; it was full state-of-the-art.”
“It’s best to be ruthless with the past. It ain’t the blows we’re dealt that matter, but the ones we survive.”
The Narrator(s)
Stephen King, and Blair Brown. Blair Brown does most of the narration, but Stephen King does the parts where we see from the eyes of the MMC. I loved both of them.
My Thoughts
This one came highly recommended even among Stephen King fans and I got curious. I know it’s about a battered and abused woman, and knowing that King’s works tend to explore the human psyche, I really wanted to see how he wrote about this very important and sensitive topic. I was not disappointed.
It’s interesting to me that some critics have said that King doesn’t write women well, because I haven’t found that to be the case in many of the books I’ve already read, and with this book focused on Rose as the main character and seeing things from her POV, I thought it was written incredibly well. All the fear, the hypervigilantism, the little things that women do to protect themselves that men never think twice about; they’re represented very well here.
As I said about King’s storytelling tendencies, this isn’t an action-packed, plot-heavy story but rather, an exploration of the human psyche, and in this case, the battered woman and the abusive husband. We see a lot of their thought processes, we feel a lot of their feelings, the evolution of their relationship instructs the evolution of their feelings, thoughts, and then actions. It’s scary and thrilling, but also really emotional. I loved reading about Rose as she navigated her journey. This book deserves its hype.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life – and what comes after – that would change his world forever.
A riveting story about love and loss, about growing up and growing old – and about those who don’t get to do either because death comes for them before their time. It is at once a mystery, a horror story, and a bittersweet coming-of-age novel, one that will leave even the most hard-boiled reader profoundly moved.
People say this is a good one (but they’re all good!).
The Quotes
“When it comes to the past, everyone writes fiction.”
“When you’re twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It’s only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect that you’ve been looking at the map upside down, and not until you’re forty are you entirely sure. By the time you’re sixty, take it from me, you’re fucking lost.”
“It’s hard to let go. Even when what you’re holding onto is full of thorns, it’s hard to let go. Maybe especially then.”
“My father had taught me – mostly by example – that if a man wanted to be in charge of his life, he had to be in charge of his problems.”
The Narrator(s)
Michael Kelly. No complaints, I enjoyed it.
My Thoughts
This one was interesting because I had such a feeling of nostalgia while reading it even though it’s my first time reading it. There’s just this feel to the story and the writing, and maybe it’s because the setting is in an amusement park and that always brings back memories of when you were a child.
I don’t necessarily like Devin’s character – he seemed a little too girl-crazy, but at the same time that’s pretty on point for a young 21-year-old and I’d be a hypocrite if I said I wasn’t affected by hormones at that age too. He was relatable though, and honestly, all the things that annoy me about him are probably things about myself in my 20s that I cringe to remember. Perhaps that’s the reason why this book feels so familiar and nostalgic even though I’m reading it for the first time.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, SK has a real knack for storytelling and pulling you into the story. I don’t consider him a horror writer, he transcends genres and can write anything. I love this one because it gives so much even though it’s one of his shorter novels. The angst of a teenager, the mystery of a serial killer, the found family aspect (and you know I love found family stories!), the friendships and connections, all of it and more.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
‘Salem’s Lot is a small New England town with white clapboard houses, tree-lined streets, and solid church steeples. That summer in ‘Salem’s Lot was a summer of home-coming and return; spring burned out and the land lying dry, crackling underfoot. Late that summer, Ben Mears returned to ‘Salem’s Lot hoping to cast out his own devils… and found instead a new unspeakable horror.
A stranger had also come to the Lot, a stranger with a secret as old as evil, a secret that would wreak irreparable harm on those he touched and in turn on those they loved.
All would be changed forever—Susan, whose love for Ben could not protect her; Father Callahan, the bad priest who put his eroded faith to one last test; and Mark, a young boy who sees his fantasy world become reality and ironically proves the best equipped to handle the relentless nightmare of ‘Salem’s Lot.
It was a buddy read with my online bookclub, and I’m also doing a personal challenge to read all of Stephen King’s books!
The Quotes
“If a fear cannot be articulated, it can’t be conquered.”
“Only library books speak with such wordless eloquence of the power good stories hold over us.”
“At three in the morning the blood runs slow and thick, and slumber is heavy. The soul either sleeps in blessed ignorance of such an hour or gazes about itself in utter despair. There is no middle ground.”
“The town knew about darkness. It knew about the darkness that comes on the land when rotation hides the land from the sun, and about the darkness of the human soul”
The Narrator(s)
Ron McLarty. No notes, it was great!
My Thoughts
This is a reread and I had very fond memories of reading it the first time during a thunderstorm. I loved the vibes but I think I remembered the vibes more than I remember the details of the book, so I had a lot of fun rereading the book and being surprised and shocked all over again!
I’ve also watched the latest adaptation of the book but didn’t like it very much. It felt very rushed, and rereading the book, one of the things I appreciate about it is that it takes its time. The slow burn was just perfect; the feeling of dread and futility, the anticipation of what’s happening and what’s going to happen, the desperation of trying to do something about it. Oooh, shivers down my spine!
The characters are another wonderful thing about the book. They are all so compelling. Stephen King is so good at getting inside their heads and giving us glimpses of their lives and who they are. I also really love how he writes about “regular” people and show us that sometimes the real monsters are here amongst us.
I also feel like I appreciate SK the more I read, and reread, his books. I tend to miss a lot when I read but every reread helps me to see more details and there is so much to get from SK’s books. This one was such a great reread, and I love it even more now than I did the first time.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
I’m not normally a reader who feels the need to read an author’s full catalog, but I’ve read and enjoyed so many of Stephen King’s books and I feel like if I was going to do it, his catalog would be the way to go. I’ve actually already read many of his books, but for the sake of this challenge, I will be re-reading them again. They are considered done when I’ve written reviews for every single one of them here on my blog.
I’m not putting any time limit on this challenge. It’s just a personal challenge for myself that I want to have fun with, but also keeping in mind that the list is probably going to grow the longer I take, because Stephen King is going to keep churning out those books!
Feel free to join me if you’re a fan of SK and want to do the challenge too! Post a comment with a link to your challenge page/reviews and I’ll check them out!
An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. At a time when the King brand has never been stronger, he has delivered one of his most unsettling and compulsively readable stories.
An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens. He is Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon add DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.
As the investigation expands and horrifying answers begin to emerge, King’s propulsive story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can.
This is a reread and a buddy read on my online bookclub. I’m also planning a Stephen King reading challenge, so I’ll be going through his works including the ones I’ve read before!
The Quotes
“If you can’t let go of the past, the mistakes you’ve made will eat you alive.”
“People are blind to explanations that lie outside their perception of reality.”
“Thinking that if a person did begin considering supernatural possibilities, that person would no longer be able to think of himself as a completely sane person, and thinking about one’s sanity was maybe not a good thing. It was like thinking about your heartbeat: if you had to go there, you might already be in trouble.”
“Terry gave him a look of which only high school teachers are capable: We both know you’re an idiot, but I will not embarrass you in front of your peers by saying so.”
The Narrator(s)
Will Patton. I’ve mentioned I loved Will Patton as a narrator for Stephen King’s books, and that is still true, but this audiobook was difficult to listen to. I see it as a production issue rather than a narrator issue; the volume mix was inconsistent and there were times when the narration was almost inaudible and I had to raise the volume, and then it suddenly got louder and hurt my ears. My copy was published by Simon & Schuster Audio, I’m not sure if the same issues exist with other publishers.
My Thoughts
I read this book first out of all the books that feature Holly Gibney, without context at the time about who Holly was, but I remember loving the book and it becoming one of my favorite SK books. Now that I’ve read more of SK’s books, too many of them are becoming favorites and I feel he’s just getting better and better. I’ve also since read all of the other books that feature Holly and it was really interesting to revisit this story knowing her history.
One of the things I loved most about this book is the conversation about how there is no end to the universe and that we must accept the impossible when there’s no other explanation. I love the initial buildup of the story with Terry Maitland, which was painful to read about and so intense, but such a testament to SK’s mastery of telling a story. A lot of things happen in this book that make you feel… a lot of feelings; the injustice of the law enforcement system, the corruption of the people in power, the tragic suffering of so many innocent people. This book just gives so much.
The supernatural aspect of this story is scary and terrifying, and I remember it creeping me out so much the first time I read it. This time I wasn’t as freaked out, maybe because I know what to expect now, but also because, I think, the real life implications are more horrifying to me this time around. Things like this happen in real life, and it’s human beings doing it to other human beings. There are monsters amongst us, and often we can’t do much against them. In a way, this scary horror story is a comfort because in fiction, the heroes win and the monsters are defeated. Maybe it can be an inspiration too.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special 12-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.
On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless – mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky 12-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”
Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted fans of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.
The sequel to The Shining, which I read recently, and I’m reading everything Stephen King! Book by book.
The Quotes
“There came a time when you realized that moving on was pointless. That you took yourself with you wherever you went.”
“The silence wasn’t uncomfortable or hostile but exhausted–the quiet of people who have a great deal to think about but not a hell of a lot to say.”
“We’re only as sick as our secrets.”
“You don’t have to live this way if you don’t want to. You CAN, of course… but you don’t have to.”
The Narrator(s)
Will Patton. He’s one of my favorite narrators for Stephen King books!
My Thoughts
I watched the movie for Doctor Sleep a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I meant to read the book then but hadn’t gotten around to it until now. The first time I read The Shining (and watched the movie) was even more years ago and by the time I watched the Doctor Sleep movie, I’d pretty much forgotten everything about The Shining except for the regular pop culture references.
The Shining was the BOTM for my online bookclub in October, and I loved revisiting the story again so after it was done, I decided to go ahead and jump into Doctor Sleep next. I’m so glad I did because it was brilliant!
I’m a huge fan of SK’s books so I may be a bit biased, but I love how he tells a story. The transition from Danny Torrance being little boy in The Shining to a full adult in Doctor Sleep is so smooth and expertly written. I loved seeing him as an adult; reflecting on his childhood, his experience in the Overlook Hotel, the loss of his father, and what happens next. That in itself is brilliant!
And then there’s the story itself! Abra is another little girl with the Shining and there are evil forces who want to possess her Shine. Danny plays a part in thwarting the evil forces, and I love how things come a full circle in the end. The character development in SK’s stories are always so incredible, and as I’ve said so many times, I’m a character-driven reader, so it’s no wonder I love his books. I will never not recommend SK’s books!
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?
