With the exceptions of Dark Tower, Green Mile, and Talisman/Black House... are there any orders to the Stephen King books or are they pretty much all stand alones?

I'm thinking...no, I don't think so. You'll find crossovers in most of his books, but nothing you really need to read in order outside of the ones you've mentioned. But for the true King "experience," why not just read them in chronological order?

Boy, I miss the days when I couldn't wait for the next King book to come out.

Thanks, Maya! :)

I was a hardcore King reader in high school but I haven't really read much King-wise since then, I've been pretty focused on Vampire/Paranormal books such as Laurell K. Hamilton and such.

Today I was looking at my Stephen King section on my bookshelf and thought I should re-read and catch up on my King reading. I remembered that there were links, couldn't remember if certain books HAD to be read in front of others. And chronological order is actually a good idea, I think I'll do that.

I don't think you have to read them in any order.  He does mention Castle Rock characters in other books, but it's usually just a line or two.   I remember one of his books or short stories mentioned some characters in Cujo and will allude to their fate, but I can't remember which book it was. I think this happens again in The Dead Zone.

Many people and places overlap in different stories. I like reading the stories looking for the connections. No real order needed in my opinion with the exceptions noted.

The more you read, the more connections and insight you get. I find that I really like a story or really not with Stephen King. There are a couple web sites that show connections and a couple books that detail the connections. Many King books are on the keeper shelf (and well worn) from rereading and checking the details listed in some of the stories.

You will learn alot more detail about the Tower series from other books and short stories. This adds to the Tower books but I would not skip the series just to read all the other books. If you have not read the Tower series yet, do not let the first book turn you away. If you have a tough time with it, go to the next book and start there. As you learn more about mid-world, you will be able to pick up more from the first book (my least fav, can you tell?). I skipped the series for many years while reading everything else I could find before I got hooked on the Tower quest. Now I need to read a few other stories that connect to the books that are by other authors