If you enjoy stories that makes the skin tighten in the back of your neck, then King (9/21/47) is your man. From nearly throwing away an uncompleted draft of Carrie, he has gone one to be a household name for stories dealing with dread and the supernatural. His production ranges from story collections (Just after Sunset) to novels (11/22/63) to series (Mr Mercedes). Dig in…if you dare!

Also trending: native poet and essayist Donald Hall (9/20), muckraking novelist Upton Sinclair (9/20), science fiction pioneer H.G. Wells. and coming-if-age novelist Fannie Flagg,