Reading Order List — Book Series Reading Order Guide

Kent Haruf Reading Order

4 series · 13 books

Kent Haruf was an American novelist known for his unflinching portrayals of rural life on the Colorado High Plains. His work, spanning from 1984 to 2015, centers on the fictional town of Holt, where he explored themes of faith, hardship, and human connection through closely observed characters facing genuine struggles. Haruf's sparse, deeply compassionate prose style made him one of the most respected voices in contemporary American literature focused on small-town and agricultural communities.

Anthologies Series

Complete

3 books (2001–2002)

Start with Writers on Writing and read in order.

Start this series with Writers on Writing

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#Title
1
Cover of Writers on Writing
Writers on Writing
2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2
Glimmer Train Stories, #42
2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3
Cover of Listening For God, Vol. 4
Listening For God, Vol. 4
2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

Contemporary Literature and the Life of Faith Series

Complete

4 books (1994–2002)

Start with Listening for God Reader, Vol. 1(By: Flannery O'Connor,Raymond Carver,Alice Walker,Garrison Keillor,Annie Dillard,Richard Rodríguez,Patricia Hampl,Peter Hawkins,Frederick Buechner,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins), the first of 4 books in the Contemporary Literature and the Life of Faith series.

Start this series with Listening for God Reader, Vol. 1(By: Flannery O'Connor,Raymond Carver,Alice Walker,Garrison Keillor,Annie Dillard,Richard Rodríguez,Patricia Hampl,Peter Hawkins,Frederick Buechner,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins)

Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
#Title
1
Cover of Listening for God Reader, Vol. 1(By: Flannery O'Connor,Raymond Carver,Alice Walker,Garrison Keillor,Annie Dillard,Richard Rodríguez,Patricia Hampl,Peter Hawkins,Frederick Buechner,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins)
Listening for God Reader, Vol. 1(By: Flannery O'Connor,Raymond Carver,Alice Walker,Garrison Keillor,Annie Dillard,Richard Rodríguez,Patricia Hampl,Peter Hawkins,Frederick Buechner,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins)
1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2
Cover of Listening for God, Vol. 2(By: Anne Tyler,John Updike,Tobias Wolff,Gail Godwin,Henry Louis Gates Jr.,Kathleen Norris,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins,Carol Bly,Andrew Dubus)
Listening for God, Vol. 2(By: Anne Tyler,John Updike,Tobias Wolff,Gail Godwin,Henry Louis Gates Jr.,Kathleen Norris,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins,Carol Bly,Andrew Dubus)
1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3
Cover of Listening for God, Vol. 3(By: Tillie Olsen,Wendell Berry,John Cheever,Louise Erdrich,Mary Gordon,Tess Gallagher,Reynolds Price,Oscar Hijuelos,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins)
Listening for God, Vol. 3(By: Tillie Olsen,Wendell Berry,John Cheever,Louise Erdrich,Mary Gordon,Tess Gallagher,Reynolds Price,Oscar Hijuelos,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins)
2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4
Cover of Listening For God, Vol. 4(With: Robert Olen Butler,Allegra Goodman,James Baldwin,SueMiller,Doris Betts,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins,MichaelMalone,Alice Elliot Dark)
Listening For God, Vol. 4(With: Robert Olen Butler,Allegra Goodman,James Baldwin,SueMiller,Doris Betts,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins,MichaelMalone,Alice Elliot Dark)
2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

Plainsong Series

Complete

3 books (1999–2013)

Start with Plainsong and read in order.

Start this series with Plainsong

Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
#Title
1
Cover of Plainsong
2
Cover of Eventide
3
Cover of Benediction

Standalone Novels Series

Complete

3 books (1984–2015)

Start with The Tie That Binds and read in order.

Start this series with The Tie That Binds

Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
#Title
1
Cover of The Tie That Binds
The Tie That Binds
1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2
Cover of Where You Once Belonged
Where You Once Belonged
1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3
Cover of Our Souls at Night
Our Souls at Night
2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Kent Haruf written?
Kent Haruf has written 13 books across 4 series. Their published works span from 1984 to 2015.
What is the first book in each Kent Haruf series?
Here are the first books in Kent Haruf's series: Anthologies: Writers on Writing; Contemporary Literature and the Life of Faith: Listening for God Reader, Vol. 1(By: Flannery O'Connor,Raymond Carver,Alice Walker,Garrison Keillor,Annie Dillard,Richard Rodríguez,Patricia Hampl,Peter Hawkins,Frederick Buechner,Paula J. Carlson,Peter S. Hawkins); Plainsong: Plainsong.
What order should I read Kent Haruf's books?
We recommend reading Kent Haruf's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
Are Kent Haruf's series complete?
Kent Haruf has 4 completed series.

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