Karen E. Bender Reading Order

8 books (2005–2022)

Karen E. Bender contributed to seven literary and non-fiction anthologies between 2005 and 2015, with the series now complete. These publications span diverse editorial projects including Granta, Ploughshares, and themed collections, best approached in publication order starting with Granta 91: Wish You Were Here. The series concludes with Love in the Time of Time's Up, representing a decade of Bender's work across various collaborative literary platforms.

Start with Granta 91: Wish You Were Here, the first of 7 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Granta 91: Wish You Were Here 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	It's a Boy: Women Writers on Raising Sons 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Ploughshares Spring 2005 Guest-Edited by Martin Espada 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Ploughshares Fall 2007 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Astoria to Zion 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Goodbye to All That 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	27 Views of Wilmington 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Love in the Time of Time's Up 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2007–2007)

#	Title
1	Choice 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2015–2015)

3 books (2015–2026)

Karen E. Bender has published three short story collections between 2015 and 2026, with the series remaining ongoing. The collections are Refund, The New Order, and The Words of Dr. L: And Other Stories, which should be read in their publication order. These literary fiction works showcase Bender's distinctive voice across interconnected narrative landscapes.

Start with Refund and read in order.

#	Title
1	Refund 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The New Order 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Words of Dr. L: And Other Stories 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2000–2013)

Karen E. Bender's two literary fiction novels should be read in publication order, beginning with Like Normal People from 2000, followed by A Town of Empty Rooms in 2013. Though published more than a decade apart, these standalone works form a complete series that explores the complexities of human relationships and everyday life.

Start with Like Normal People and read in order.

#	Title
1	Like Normal People 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	A Town of Empty Rooms 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible