ScaredyKIT September 2025 - Stephen King and family

Left to right: Joe Hill, Tabitha King, Kelly Braffet, Owen King, Stephen King, and Naomi King. Proudly in front is Molly, the Thing of Evil.

This month, we are celebrating Stephen King during his birthday month. His birthday is September 21st (my odd connection is that this is also my son's birthday).
You may read one of the many books written by the master himself, the newest being Never Flinch. He will also be releasing this month a rendition of Hansel and Gretel, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. You may even choose one of Mr. Sendak's books if nothing else strikes your fancy.
You may also read a book by his children or extended family.
Tabitha King is an author of 10 books, including Small World and Candles Burning
Naomi King does not write books but instead writes sermons as a Unitarian Universalist minister; however, her wife, the Reverend Thandeka, has written Love Beyond Belief, Learning To Be White, and The Embodied Self
Owen King has several books, including Sleeping Beauties, and his wife, Kelly Braffet, is also an author of several books, including The Unwilling.
Joe Hill is one of my favorite authors, with my favorite being Horns. He is married to Gillian Redfearn. Ms. Redfearn is a deputy publisher at Gollancz, which has several authors, including Brandon Sanderson and Leigh Bardugo. A complete list is here

Please let us know how your reading month went and don't forget to add to the WIKI

I will be buying and reading the Hansel and Gretel book. I will also be reading The Shining, which I have never read.

Edited to add link for book 9/4.

I was unaware that King had written the book that the movie The Shawshank Redemption was based upon. I will be reading that: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

I’m planning to read either The Fireman by ‪Joe Hill, which I have on audio, or finally get around to the classic Pet Sematary.

I'm planning on reading King's short story collection, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams.

I still own the paperback edition of Carrie that started it all for me when I was a teenager at the mall with babysitting money burning a hole in my pocket. Maybe I’ll start with that one.

I have the new one, Never Flinch, so yay! Let's read!

>4 Charon07: I have read this and can highly recommend it
>6 KaterinaBead: I thought I had read this, but when I reread it this year, I found I did not remember most of it. I concluded that I must have read a Reader's Digest condensed version, which my dad was always buying at auctions for me.
>7 sturlington: My husband is currently reading this.

I think I would like to read Horns by Joe Hill

The Outsider is available on Kindle Unlimited and I have Holly on audio. However, I always wanted to read The Shining as my first Stephen King read, so I think I'll check my library for a copy of that first.

Posting so I can keep up. I haven't picked my read yet.

>3 Tess_W: This novella is good.
>9 Tess_W: My favorite Joe Hill book so far
>10 beccac220: I am reading The Shining this month. I have been starting at the beginning and reading the ones I have never read in order.

>12 lowelibrary: I requested it from my local library today. I look forward to reading it alongside you!

Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King ★★★★½

Let Stephen King, global bestselling and award-winning author, and Maurice Sendak, beloved creator of the Caldecott Medal–winning Where the Wild Things Are, guide you into the most deliciously daring rendition of the classic Grimm fairy tale yet. But will you find your way back out?

Despite the added speculation of what Stephen King would do to the tale, this is a traditional telling of the story. I found almost no deviation from the Grimm story that I knew from childhood. The beautiful illustrations from Maurice Sendak make this book worth viewing. Stunningly detailed.

I have NEVER FLINCH on the shelf to read this month. I’ve enjoyed all the books featuring HOLLY starting with MR MERCEDES

I finished The Fireman by Joe Hill. I might have liked this better at another time. Today it strikes me as unrelentingly grim and depressing. Too harrowing for too small a payoff.

>5 whitewavedarling: This is a collection I have not yet read
>12 lowelibrary: I never made it to this book. I will try to get to it in October
>15 nrmay: My husband is reading this right now
>16 Charon07: I read this years ago. I can imagine it is a different book nowadays.

Thanks to everyone who participated this month.

I finished Never Flinch. Unfortunately, it did not blow me away. The Holly Gibney books are never going to be favorites of mine, I'm afraid.

The Shining by Stephen King ★★★★½

Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

I loved the pace of the book, and the story itself kept me interested. The only thing I knew about the book was the snippets of the movie that are shown everywhere. The book contained none of those. Pleasantly surprised.