Christian novelist Karen Kingsbury has become a household name, as her novels have climbed to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. When her novel “A Thousand Tomorrows” becoming a Pure Flix exclusive and AFFIRM Originals series, we’ve also become some of her biggest fans.
And thankfully the Karen Kingsbury fandom doesn't stop there! Based on Karen Kingsbury’s novel, “Like Dandelion Dust” is an award-winning film about the sacrifices parents must make for their kids and is now streaming on Great American Pure Flix.
Jack and Molly live an idyllic life with their young, adopted son, Joey. But their world comes crashing down when Joey’s biological father is released from prison, learns about him, and decides to get him back. After exhausting all legal avenues, they’ll be prepared to lose everything to protect their son. Along the way, they’ll learn that God’s plans are better than they could have imagined for both their son and his biological parents.
If you're just starting to discover the plethora of books by the author, we’re bringing you a list of additional Karen Kingsbury books to foster the fandom.
Before we dive into a long list of her works, we wanted to share more about how faith impacted Karen’s life personally. Growing up in a loving household, Kingsbury and her family didn’t attend church, nor did she read the Bible.
Things changed for Kingsbury when she met a man who asked to bring a Bible and read it together on a date. As this pattern continued, Kingsbury was unsure what to think.
“I was like, really, this is just exhausting … I felt uneasy,” she said, now realizing this awkwardness was movements of the Holy Spirit. “After three months, we had this big fight about it.”
The fight ended with his Bible ending up on the ground, the binding split down the middle. Kingsbury resolved that she didn’t need this man nor his Bible to prove that her way of life wasn’t right. So she bought herself a Bible to prove him wrong.
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Unfortunately, reading the Bible did the exact opposite of what she intended. Instead, the Holy Spirit pierced her heart and she clung to the words she was reading.
“I began to read, and it was speaking straight to my heart,” she explained. “And I could hear God say, ‘Karen, you have a choice. This is a crossroads in your life. You can either hold onto your man-made ways, and you can fall apart with them, or you can grab onto my word and never let go.'”
Kingsbury gave her life to the Lord at that moment and went back to the man who introduced her to the Bible, who forgave her. The rest, well, is like an ending to one of Kingsbury’s own novels.
“We’ve been married 35 years and Jesus is everything to us,” she said. “And our life and our worldview and our storytelling and everything we do is anchored on His Word.”
Kingsbury has some novels that should, indeed, be read in order. One of her most famous series is about the Baxter family. While each novel highlights a new protagonist who is interconnected with the Baxter family, it is important to read these books of Kingsbury’s in order so as to not have any spoilers!
Kingsbury’s Redemption series focuses on the Baxter family as they journey through loss, healing, desire and redemption. This series kicks off with “Redemption,” which spotlights the life of Kari Baxter Jacobs, then continues with “Remember,” “Return,” “Rejoice” and ends with “Reunion.”
After the “Redemption” series, read the “Firstborn” series. Meet the famous people whose lives are intertwined with the Baxter family particularly Dayne Matthews and Katy Hart. We meet Dayne Matthews in the first book of this Kingsbury series, “Fame,” followed by “Forgiven,” “Found,” “Family” and finishes with “Forever.”
As we learn more about the lives of the Baxter family, Karen Kingsbury’s “Sunrise” series builds on top of who we meet and the characters in “Firstborn.” This series introduces the Flanigan family and explores trials that test the faith of Kingsbury’s beloved characters. The “Sunrise” series starts with “Sunrise,” followed by “Summer,” Someday” and “Sunset.”
In the “Above the Line” book series by Karen Kingsbury, we meet Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison in addition to all the characters we already know and love by Kingsbury and the Baxter family. Set in Hollywood, this Kingsbury series is as follows: “Take One,” “Take Two,” “Take Three” and “Take Four.”
Bailey Flanigan, who we meet in the previous Baxter family series, becomes the star of this series by Karen Kingsbury. Bailey takes center stage as she ventures to New York City, where she moves out of her comfort zone and into new feelings and experiences she never thought possible. Follow Bailey along through Kingsbury’s titles, “Leaving,” “Learning,” “Longing” and “Loving.”
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“Coming Home” is often debated about being a standalone book - but in actuality it’s a book in a bigger part of the overarching Baxter series. Karen Kingsbury interweaves the lives of all the characters we’ve met thus far together for a story about unprecedented loss and familial love.
If you still want to learn and enjoy the characters of the Baxter family without the commitment of an entire series, Karen Kingsbury wrote some standalone novels featuring the Baxter family that can be read in any order, at any time: “A Baxter Family Christmas,” “Love Story,” “In This Moment,” “To the Moon and Back,” “When We Were Young,” “Two Weeks,” “Someone Like You,” “Truly, Madly, Deeply,” and “Forgiving Paris.”
Last but not least, before we move on to other Karen Kingsbury books, we must mention the Baxter Family Children series. This series is aimed at middle school readers who are looking for faith-affirming stories and are entertained by childhood stories about the children of the Baxter family. The series is as follows: “Best Family Ever,” “Finding Home,” “Never Grow Up,” “Adventure Awaits” and “Being Baxters.”
Karen Kingsbury has written seven other series, including the Cody Gunner series which starts with “A Thousand Tomorrows.”
The first two novels in this Karen Kingsbury series introduce two separate couples navigating hardships. The third installment brings their paths together in an ending full of healing. Start with “Waiting for Morning,” before reading “A Moment of Weakness” and end with “Halfway to Forever.”
A couple is on the cusp of divorce in this Kingsbury book series. Will their love survive or will they perish? Find out in “A Time to Dance” and “A Time To Embrace.”
As a bestselling Christian author, Karen Kingsbury couldn’t forget about writing novels set at Christmastime! If Christmas is your favorite time of year, you’ll devour the “Red Gloves” series. Each of the four books in this series - “Gideon’s Gift,” “Maggie’s Miracle,” “Sarah’s Song” and “Hannah’s Hope“ - all spotlight a Christmas miracle.
There’s something tender and more endearing about romance that takes place during a time of tragedy. Karen Kingsbury explores this theme in her “9/11” series with the main character Jake Bryan, a New York City firefighter. Read “One Tuesday Morning,” followed by “Beyond Tuesday Morning” and “Remember Tuesday Morning” to complete this series in order.
If you can’t tell by now, Karen Kingsbury’s novels tend to make the lives of her characters cross paths in unexpected ways. The same can be said for the “Lost Love” series. Themes of love and loss are woven throughout three characters’ stories that unfold in “Even Now” and “Even After.”
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We all ask for a little divine intervention, and Karen Kingsbury’s “Angels Walking” series highlights exactly that. A team of angels are assigned by God to help a group of friends in their own walks of life – and a miracle might just save them all. Read “Angels Walking,” “Chasing Sunsets” and “Brush of Wings” to find out more.
Of course, we couldn’t leave the Cody Gunner series off our Karen Kingsbury book list. The first novel is what the newest AFFIRM Originals and Pure Flix exclusive series is based on. Find out Cody’s origin story and his wild romance with Ali Daniels in “A Thousand Tomorrows.” After tragedy strikes, see what Cody’s future holds for him in “Just Beyond the Clouds.”
Karen Kingsbury has fourteen stand-alone books that can be read at any time by any of her fans! Pick one of these up if you’re too afraid to commit yet to one of Karen Kingsbury’s series of books. Find a list of Karen Kingsbury's stand-alone books on her website.