A lot of times they have spoilers, especially for classics. I have been burned too many times by this. Now I’ll read the book first, and if it made an impression I’ll see what the intro has to say.

A lot of folks here saying if you don’t like “The Shining,” you won’t like King in general. I’m going to say that this is false - out of King’s books, “The Shining” was kind of dull for me. I much prefer “Salem’s Lot,” “The Stand,” and “11/22/63.”

I have many more of his to read, but don’t let anyone tell you that thinking “The Shining” is super great is some kind of litmus test for how you’d like the rest of his body of work. He’s published enough that any fan of his is bound to dislike just as many books as they love.

I’m in my late 30s, and Harry Potter was like that for me too, for a long time. I would rarely read a new book, and instead I’d reread the HP series, and occasionally The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. These I would do more or less yearly. I knew I liked them and I’d always pick up something I had missed before.

PS - my condolences on your loss.