In the confines of my parents’ home, and in hundreds of other students’ no doubt, is an archaic bookshelf tucked away in a corner, the books citing copyrights from the 80s. While the contents differ per parents’ reading habits, one author remains among them – Stephen King.

Stephen King is a name as infamous as his nineteenth century counterpart, Edgar Allan Poe. But because of the lucrative business of turning books into films, the books King is still dishing out probably go without so much as a page turn, with the exception of his most dedicated readers (and my mom). But King’s works are as captivating and scary as they ever were.

Without a doubt, the 1977 classic “The Shining” is still among King’s best works and is well known because of Jack Nicholson’s interpretation of its anti-hero, Jack Torrance. But the film, while a gut-wrenching and entertaining watch, lacked all of the depth of a true King novel. For example, the film takes out the character development of Torrance and his relationship with his abusive father, the very motivation for his cabin fever behavior. So some advice – drop the BluRay and pick up the novel. Your heart will be racing just as fast, if not more, as your imagination creates its own horror out of King’s words.

Furthermore, the film industry hasn’t picked up a King adaption aside from the 2013 remake of “Carrie” in ages. This means one book remains relatively unknown – the 2013 “Dr. Sleep.” “Dr. Sleep” matters for one reason and one reason only. It’s the closest thing to a “Shining” sequel all King-junkies could ever hope for. The novel follows Danny, the “REDRUM” yelling child telepath of “The Shining,” into his middle aged life and all the wonderful horrors awaiting him.

So if cheap horror films aren’t cutting it for you or if character development including laconic and honest insights sounds alluring, grab a Stephen King book. Or if the school schedule already has you busy, his short story book, “Everything’s Eventual: 14 Dark Tales,” is just as riveting as his better-known novels.