I always like to use winter break as a time to catch up on my reading – or rereading, as it were. I’m a big believer in reading good books more than once. It helps you catch hidden gems in the plot or side characters you might have missed while you were racing to see how it ended. And besides, there’s nothing wrong with giving a good story a second look. One of my favorite authors to read and re-read is Stephen King, best known as the other master of horror (Sorry, Edgar Allen Poe). Through extensive travels in the book section of the local Goodwill, I’ve managed to amass quite a collection of King novels. So if you’re a fellow King fan – or just someone looking for a good read – I’ve compiled my unofficial guide to the best works of Stephen King.

"The Shining." No list of Stephen King novels would be complete without this creepy little number, the story of a man who takes a job as caretaker of an isolated hotel over a long Colorado winter – and brings his wife and young son along with him. Fans of jump scares and gruesome images will find what they’re looking for, but so will readers drawn in by the atmosphere. The sense of suffocating terror this book creates, as well as the tension in the plot as it races toward its conclusion, makes it well worth the read.

"The Stand." The apocalypse epic of the 20^th century, "The Stand" takes the reader on a dark and twisted journey through America in the aftermath of a deadly plague. As the survivors struggle to rebuild, two leaders begin to emerge; the benevolent Mother Abigail, and the “Dark Man,” Randall Flagg. The stage is set for the ultimate showdown between good and evil, and the reader who dares to crack open "The Stand" gets a front-row seat. Don’t get cowed by the door-stopper size of the thing. It’s worth every single page.

"'Salem's Lot." This novel, set in a fading New England town, is the one that drew me to Stephen King in the first place. The plot seems deceptively simple – a writer is drawn back to his old hometown and the haunted house that looms above it – but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that much more than the main character’s personal demons are at stake. Read this one at home, with the lights on. And don’t open the windows.

"The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon." In this short take on the familiar “lost child in the woods” trope, King sends a 9-year-old girl on a journey through the New England wilds. Surviving on her wits alone, and with a radio as her link to the outside world, the main character tries to make her way back to civilization as a sinister presence stalks her every move. A combination of survival story and horror novel, this book is impossible to put down.

"Doctor Sleep." This list began with "The Shining," so it seems fitting to end it with its sequel. "Doctor Sleep" follows the surviving characters from "The Shining" as they face off against a sinister threat, one bent on destroying them forever. "Doctor Sleep" dodges many of King’s previous failings – extraneous description, over-complicated plot – and as a result, it’s one of his most gripping and original novels. Make sure you have a lot of time on your hands before you start this one. It’s difficult to stop reading.

If you can only read one King novel, make sure it’s one of these. But hey, it’s winter break – why not read them all?