Barbara Kingsolver Reading Order
7 series · 58 books · Born 8 April 1955
Barbara Kingsolver is a celebrated American author known for her compelling narratives that often explore themes of nature, community, and social justice. With a diverse portfolio that spans 58 books across seven series—including the Greer Family series, standalone novels, and a variety of nonfiction works—her writing showcases a unique blend of literary finesse and deep insight. Active from 1955 to 2026, she is best recognized for her acclaimed novel, "The Poisonwood Bible," which has captivated readers worldwide.
Anthologies Series
Complete12 books (1994–2017)
Start with Mid-life Confidential, the first of 12 books in the Anthologies series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Mid-life Confidential 1994Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  The Eloquent Essay 2000Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  The Best American Short Stories 2001 2001Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  Writers on Writing 2001Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 | Touchstone Anthology of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction 2007Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 | The Maternal Is Political 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  Sisters 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 | Hope Beneath Our Feet 2010Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 |  To Eat with Grace 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  Plough Quarterly No. 4: Earth 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 | Way More than Luck 2015Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 | Letters to a Young Farmer 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
Children's Series
Complete1 book (2023–2023)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Coyote's Wild Home 2023Buy 🇺🇸 |
Faber Stories Series
Complete28 books (1955–2019)
Start with A Good Man Is Hard To Find(By: Flannery O'Connor), the first of 28 books in the Faber Stories series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  A Good Man Is Hard To Find(By: Flannery O'Connor) 1955Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | The Inner Room(By: Robert Aickman) 1968Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | Daughters of Passion(By: Julia O'Faolain) 1982Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 | Giacomo Joyce(By: Richard Ellmann) 1983Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 | Homeland 1989Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 | Shanti(By: Vikram Chandra) 1997Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 | Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine(By: Thom Jones) 1998Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 | An Elegy for Easterly(By: Petina Gappah) 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 | The Shielding of Mrs Forbes(By: Alan Bennett) 2011Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 | The Cheater's Guide to Love(By: Junot Díaz) 2012Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 | Mostly Hero(By: Anna Burns) 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 | Mrs Fox(By: Sarah Hall) 2014Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 |  Mr Salary(By: Sally Rooney) 2016Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 14 | A River in Egypt(By: David Means) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 15 |  Come Rain or Come Shine(By: Kazuo Ishiguro) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 16 |  Cosmopolitan(By: Akhil Sharma) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 17 | Dante and the Lobster(By: Samuel Beckett) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 18 | Fairy Tales(By: Marianne Moore) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 19 | Ghostly Stories(By: Celia Fremlin) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 20 |  Intruders(By: Adrian Tomine) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 21 | Mary Ventura and The Ninth Kingdom(By: Sylvia Plath) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 22 | Paradise(By: Edna O'Brien) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 23 | Terrific Mother(By: Lorrie Moore) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 24 | The Country Funeral(By: John McGahern) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 25 | The Forester's Daughter(By: Claire Keegan) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 26 | The Lydia Steptoe Stories(By: Djuna Barnes) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 27 |  The Victim(By: P.D. James) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 28 | Three Types of Solitude(By: Brian W. Aldiss) 2019Buy 🇺🇸 |
Greer Family Series
Complete2 books (1988–1993)
Start with The Bean Trees and read in order.
Non-Fiction Series
Complete5 books (1995–2007)
Start with High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never, the first of 5 books in the Non-Fiction series.
Short Story Collections Series
Complete2 books (1992–2020)
Start with Another America/Otra America and read in order.
Standalone Novels Series
Ongoing8 books (1990–2026)
Start with Animal Dreams, the first of 8 books in the Standalone Novels series.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Barbara Kingsolver written?
- Barbara Kingsolver has written 58 books across 7 series. Their published works span from 1955 to 2026.
- What is the first book in each Barbara Kingsolver series?
- Here are the first books in Barbara Kingsolver's series: Anthologies: Mid-life Confidential; Faber Stories: A Good Man Is Hard To Find(By: Flannery O'Connor); Greer Family: The Bean Trees; Non-Fiction: High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never; Short Story Collections: Another America/Otra America.
- What order should I read Barbara Kingsolver's books?
- We recommend reading Barbara Kingsolver's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Is Barbara Kingsolver still writing new books?
- Yes, Barbara Kingsolver has 1 ongoing series: Standalone Novels.