Jan Karon Books In Order

Mitford Years Books In Publication Order

  1. At Home in Mitford (1994)
  2. A Light in the Window (1995)
  3. These High, Green Hills (1996)
  4. Out to Canaan (1997)
  5. A New Song (1999)
  6. A Common Life (2001)
  7. In This Mountain (2002)
  8. Shepherds Abiding (2003)
  9. Light from Heaven (2005)
  10. Home to Holly Springs (2007)
  11. In the Company of Others (2010)
  12. Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good (2014)
  13. Come Rain or Come Shine (2015)
  14. To Be Where You Are (2017)

Mitford Gift Books Books In Publication Order

  1. Patches of Godlight (2001)
  2. The Mitford Snowmen (2001)
  3. Esther’s Gift (2002)
  4. The Trellis and the Seed (2003)
  5. Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader (2004)
  6. The Mitford Bedside Companion (2006)

Mitford For Children Books In Publication Order

  1. Violet Comes to Stay (2006)
  2. Violet Goes to the Country (2007)

Mitford Collections In Publication Order

  1. Bathed in Prayer (2018)

Father Tim Books In Publication Order

  1. Home to Holly Springs (2007)
  2. In the Company of Others (2010)

Children’s Books In Publication Order

  1. Miss Fannie’s Hat (1993)
  2. Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny (2000)

Short Story Collections In Publication Order

  1. A Continual Feast (2005)

Non-Fiction Books In Publication Order

  1. The Mitford Years Reading Guide (1997)

Mitford Years Book Covers

Mitford Gift Books Book Covers

Mitford For Children Book Covers

Mitford Collections Book Covers

Father Tim Book Covers

Children’s Book Covers

Short Story Collections Book Covers

Non-Fiction Book Covers

Jan Karon Books Overview

At Home in Mitford

Jan Karon left an award winning career in advertising to settle in a peaceful village in North Carolina. There, she began writing about a small fictional town not unlike her new home. At Home in Mitford captures all the wonderful characters, special moments, and unhurried charm of life in a place many would move to if it were really on the map. When gentle, middle aged Father Tim first arrives at the rectory, he longs only for a personal and spiritual routine. But an enormous black dog responding only to scriptural commands adopts him; he acquires an outspoken young boy; and an attractive, artistic neighbor stirs up frisky feelings in his heart. Soon Father Tim is no longer a stranger. He is part of the colorful landscape of people who have both tales to tell and secrets to keep. The themes of At Home in Mitford are familiar ones: love and faith, courage and sacrifice, but through Father Tims eyes, the townspeople and the challenges they face become new again. Mitford becomes a celebration of the strength and good humor of the human spirit.

A Light in the Window

A Light in the Window: The Second in the Mitford Series. 94823 12 cassettes/16.5 hours. Copyright 1995 by Jan Karon. P 1996 by Recorded Books, Inc. Unabridged. Cover art copyright 1995 by Donna Kae Nelson. Recorded by arrangement with Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Books USA, Inc. Narrated by John McDnough. ‘When Jan Karon published At Home in Mitford RBI 94808, readers across the country fell in love with her cozy town and cast of vivid, endearing characters. Focusing on the adventures and misadventures of a gentle, middle aged rector, Father Tim, the first novel quickly bacame a national best seller. Now, in the second book of the Mitford series, Father Tim finds his heart drawn to his lovely, artistic neighbor, Cynthia. Frequently visiting each other, they make a well worn path through the hedge that separates their lawons. Meanwhile, recognizing a good catch when she sees one, a wealthy widow in his parish is pursuing Father Tim with fragrant, seductive casseroles. Like the best of storytellers, Jan Karon has an unerring feel for the rhythms and cadences of small town life. She captures all the picturesque details that draw the listener close to the people who fill Father Tim’s world. Come on in to A Light in the Window, you’ll feel right at home. ‘Karon in one of those rare writers who can depict the good and the ordinary without being…
condescending.’ Kirkus Reviews ‘John McDonough doesn’t miss a single nuance…
‘ Jan Karon’ from back case cover

These High, Green Hills

For years, Mitford’s sixtysomething rector has been happily married to his parish. Now, he’s also married to Cynthia, his vivacious next door neighbor. For Father Tim, life in Mitford has never been so full of surprises. His wife is ‘aging’ his already ancient kitchen walls, not to mention burning his draperies. The mountain boy he’s learned to love as his own makes a heartrending decision. And the agony of mastering the church computer system is as boggling as the pandemonium that breaks loose when his quiet rectory becomes a nursery. All this, however, is small potatoes compared to what happens on a wilderness camping trip that sends him home a changed man. In These High, Green Hills, Jan Karon takes her readers on a heartwarming and hilarious visit to Mitford, where her lovable characters always inspire laughter, tears, and fresh hope. For more about the heartwarming town of Mitford, read At Home in Mitford and A Light in the Window, available at your local bookstore. Jan Karon left a successful, award winning career in advertising to write about characters drawn from her North Carolina childhood. She lives in a 1920’s cottage with Bennie, an orange cat the size of a mobile home, and a dog named Rosie Potter.

Out to Canaan

Thousands of readers have come home to Mitford, the little town with the big heart, whose endearing and eccentric residents have become like family members. But now change is coming to the hamlet. Father Tim, the Episcopal rector, and his wife Cynthia are pondering retirement; a brash new mayoral candidate is calling for aggressive development; a suspicious realtor with plans for a health spa is eyeing the beloved house on the hill; and, worst of all, the Sweet Stuff Bakery may be closing. Meanwhile, ordinary people are leading the extraordinary lives that hundreds of thousands of readers have found so inviting and inspiring. Peopled with the lovable cast of characters familiar to so many, and peppered with plenty of new and colorful personalities, Out to Canaan is filled to the brim with the mysteries and miracles that make everyday life worth living, and that make Mitford one of the most memorable small towns in recent literature. More than 2 million copies in print of the Mitford Years series titles All of the Mitford books are available on audiocassette from Penguin Audiobooks.

A New Song

Jan Karon’s millions of fans can’t wait to sit down with her heartwarming and hilarious characters, who have a way of becoming family. In fact, readers and booksellers across the country kept Out to Canaan and At Home in Mitford on The New York Times bestseller list for months. In A New Song, Mitford’s longtime Episcopal priest, Father Tim, retires. However, new challenges and adventures await when he agrees to serve as interim minister of a small church on Whitecap Island. He and his wife, Cynthia, soon find that Whitecap has its own unforgettable characters: a church organist with a mysterious past, a lovelorn bachelor placing personal ads, a mother battling paralyzing depression. They also find that Mitford is never far away when circumstances ‘back home’ keep their phone ringing off the hook. In this fifth novel of the beloved series, fans old and new will discover that a trip to Mitford and Whitecap is twice as good for the soul. ‘Everything that, in the wee hours of the night, you like a book to be, warm hearted and funny, with a hero marked by…
profound inner strength’ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A Common Life

Mitford’s Lord’s Chapel seats barely two hundred souls, yet millions of Jan Karon’s fans will be there for the most joyous event in years: the wedding of Father Tim Kavanagh and Cynthia Coppersmith. Here at last is A Common Life, the sixth book in the bestselling Mitford Years series, and the long awaited answers to these deeply probing questions: Will Father Tim fall apart when he takes his vows? Will Cynthia make it to the church on time? Who’ll arrange the flowers and bake the wedding cake? And will Uncle Billy’s prayers for a great joke be answered in time for the reception? All the beloved Mitford characters will also be in the pews: Dooley Barlowe, Miss Sadie and Louella, Emma Newland, the mayor; in short, everybody who’s anybody in the little town with the big heart. A Common Life is the perfect gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, anniversaries, and for a bride or groom to give to her or his beloved. In truth, it’s perfect for anyone who believes in laughter, relies on hope, and celebrates love. There’s a little oasis of wholesomeness amid the sex and violence saturated bestseller lists: Jan Karon’s Mitford novels.’ The Wall Street Journal

In This Mountain

Moving. Soul searching. Timely. In This Mountain is Jan Karon’s newest and best. Father Tim and Cynthia have been at home in Mitford for three years since returning from Whitecap Island. In the little town that’s home away from home to millions of readers, life hums along as usual. Dooley looks toward his career as a vet; Joe Ivey and Fancy Skinner fight a haircut price war that takes no prisoners; and Percey steps out on a limb with a risky new menu item at the Main Street Grill. Though Father Tim dislikes change, he dislikes retirement even more. As he and Cynthia gear up for a year long ministry across the state line, a series of events send shock waves through his faith and the whole town of Mitford. In her seventh novel in the bestselling Mitford Years series, Jan Karon delivers surprises of every kind, including the return of the man in the attic and an ending that no one in Mitford will ever forget. From the Hardcover edition.

Shepherds Abiding

Since he was a boy growing up in Mississippi, Father Tim has lived what he calls ‘the life of the mind.’ Except for cooking and gardening and washing his dog, he never learned to savor the work of his hands. And then he finds a derelict nativity scene twenty figures, including a flock of sheep, that have suffered the indignities of time and neglect. Could he give the small company new life? Restore the camel’s ear, repaint every piece, replace a missing nose on a wise man? ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks!’ he reminds himself. It’s when he imagines the excitement in Cynthia’s eyes that he steps up to the plate and begins a small journey of faith that touches everyone around him. The eighth novel in the bestselling Mitford Years series is a meditation on the best of all presents the gift of one’s heart. Lovingly written and beautifully illustrated, it seeks to restore the true Christmas spirit and give everyone a seat at Mitford’s holiday table. ‘This Mitford story presented itself to me, quite unexpectedly, and asked to be told. I hope readers will find it a perfect refuge from the holiday frenzy.’ Jan Karon

Light from Heaven

All good things even laughter and orange marmalade cake must come to an end.

And in Light from Heaven, the long anticipated final volume in the phenomenally successful Mitford Years series, Karon deftly ties up all the loose ends of Father Timothy Kavanagh’s deeply affecting life.

On a century old valley farm where Father Tim and Cynthia are housesitting, there s plenty to say grace over, from the havoc of a windstorm to a surprising new addition to the household and a mystery in the chicken house.

It s life on the mountaintop, however, that promises to give Father Tim the definitive challenge of his long priesthood. Can he step up to the plate and revive a remote, long empty mountain church, asap? Or has he been called to accomplish the impossible? Fortunately, he s been given an angel in the flesh, of course.

Light from Heaven is filled with characters old and new and with answers to all the questions that Karon fans have asked since the series began nearly a decade ago. To put it simply it s her best. And we believe millions will agree.

Home to Holly Springs

Readers of the nine bestselling Mitford novels have been captivated by Jan Karon’s gift for illuminating the struggles that creep into everyday lives along with a vividly imagined world People. They learned quickly that after you ve spent time in Mitford, you ll want to come back Chicago Tribune. Millions eagerly awaited the publication of each novel, relishing the story of the bookish and bighearted Episcopal priest and the extraordinary fullness of his seemingly ordinary life. Now, Jan Karon enchants us with the story of the newly retired priest s spur of the moment adventure. For the first time in decades, Father Tim returns to his birthplace, Holly Springs, Mississippi, in response to a mysterious, unsigned note saying simply: Come home. Little does he know how much these two words will change his life. A story of long buried secrets, forgiveness, and the wonder of discovering new people, places, and depth of feeling, Home to Holly Springs will enthrall new readers and longtime fans alike.

In the Company of Others

A stirring page turner from the bestselling author of the Mitford Series. Jan Karon’s new series, launched with her New York Times bestselling Home to Holly Springs, thrilled legions of Mitford devotees, and also attracted a whole new set of readers. ‘Lovely,’ said USA Today. ‘Rejoice!’ said The Washington Post. In this second novel, Father Tim and Cynthia arrive in the west of Ireland, intent on researching his Kavanagh ancestry from the comfort of a charming fishing lodge. The charm, however, is broken entirely when Cynthia startles a burglar and sprains her already injured ankle. Then a cherished and valuable painting is stolen from the lodge owners, and Cynthia’s pain pales in comparison to the wound at the center of this bitterly estranged Irish family. In the Company of Others is a moving testament to the desperate struggle to hide the truth at any cost and the powerful need to confess. Of all her winning novels, Jan Karon says this ‘dark haired child’ is her favorite a sentiment readers everywhere are certain to share.

Patches of Godlight

Throughout his years as Mitford’s beloved Episcopal priest, Father Tim Kavanagh has been reading and also pondering two crucial questions: How can he guide and encourage his flock? How can he deepen and encourage his own spirit? The result is a wonderful collection of his favorite quotes from thinkers, theologians, poets, and philosophers from Mark Twain and C. S. Lewis to St. Paul and Wordsworth. Patches of Godlight is a stunning two color facsimile of Father Tim’s own leather bound notebook with his name gold stamped on the cover. Every quote is in his own handwriting, and scattered throughout the margins are his scribbled notes and doodles, even the occasional ink blot or coffee stain. Just as it has for Father Tim, this handsome, ‘must have’ quote book will provide wisdom and inspiration for millions of Mitford fans.

The Mitford Snowmen

It’s Christmastime in Mitford, and everyone’s favorite characters are filled with holiday spirit. In The Mitford Snowmen, a swirling snowfall brings them to Main Street for a snowman building contest complete with doughnuts, hot chocolate, and contagious good cheer. A charming small trim size and enchanting four color illustrations make this the perfect way to visit Mitford and gather a heart full of Christmas joy.

Esther’s Gift

Readers flocked home to Mitford last Christmas, making The Mitford Snowmen a New York Times bestseller. In Esther’s Gift, Esther Bolick is filled with the holiday spirit as she prepares to bake the annual batch of her famous and utterly scrumptious orange marmalade cakes. Right after Christmas Eve service at Lord’s Chapel, she and Gene will deliver a two layer marmalade to each of seven friends and neighbors, all of them favorite Mitford characters. Then Gene calculates what it costs to bake this legendary cake, and Esther is stunned. Is it worth it to spend so much money on people who haven’t always measured up to her expectations? The answer is clear. She’ll cut her list back way back. This decision makes perfect sense until the lyrics of a Christmas carol steal into her heart, and help remind her what a gift really means.

The Trellis and the Seed

In this gently told parable, Jan Karon tells a story of patience, of the special rewards that come from being a little bit different from everyone else, and of the courage to believe in oneself. In a picturesque and secluded garden, a tiny seed sits in thrilled anticipation of its destiny as a powerful vine, twisting and flowering through the white latticework trellis. But how could such a small seed ever thrive and grow into a strong, healthy, grown up plant? ‘Don’t worry,’ Mother Earth says. ‘God has planned something beautiful for you.’ But time pas*ses, and the little seed doesn’t believe it. Beautifully illustrated and filled with faith and love, The Trellis and the Seed is Jan Karon at her very best an inspiration for all ages and an important lesson on God’s love for all creatures great and small.

Jan Karon’s Mitford Cookbook and Kitchen Reader

Millions of Mitford fans around the world will agree it’s easy to put on a pound or two reading a Mitford novel. Scene after scene of the bestselling series colorful characters enjoying tantalizing dishes can immediately start a craving. Then, before you know it, you ve read several pages by the glow of the refrigerator lightbulb. Packed with more than 150 recipes from the Mitford novels and from the author s own recipe box, Jan Karon s Mitford Cook book & Kitchen Reader is loaded with tips, hints, jokes, culinary quotes, and delightful side dish sidebars guaranteed to start a stomach rumbling. From Miss Sadie s Apple Pie to Puny s Cornbread, from Emma s Pork Roast to Marge s Sweet Tea with Peppermint, beloved characters come alive through their own favorite recipes. Here, too, are Karon s reminiscences of her own family s food traditions and as dessert four stories never before published in her books. Jan Karon s Mitford Cookbook & Kitchen Reader is a charming companion to the Mitford series that will have readers clamoring to bring into their own kitchens the aromas and flavors that swirl within the little town with the big heart.

The Mitford Bedside Companion

A must have companion to the bestselling series Jan Karon’s Mitford Years series is a publishing phenomenon that, since 1996, has sold more than twenty five million books and attracted millions of devoted readers around the world. With the series now complete, Karon s fans have raced through nine novels and then sat down and read them again and again. For all those who love returning to Mitford, this gorgeously packaged companion will be the perfect book to curl up with. What was that Uncle Billy joke about the census taker? Where was that beautiful prayer Father Tim offered? The Mitford Bedside Companion will make it easy to find the greatest of the countless gems that grace each of Karon s novels. Featuring favorite scenes, casts of characters, Mitford crossword puzzles, plus a hilarious read aloud scene and lots of trivia questions for fan gatherings and family get togethers, and much, much more, The Mitford Bedside Companion is an enchanting collection. Here, too, are new essays from Karon on everything from the life of a writer to her grandmother s secret to good health. Beautifully packaged and filled with eye catching art, The Mitford Bedside Companion is a book that any fan will cherish, relishing favorite scenes from each book and, in one volume, fondly reliving the best times spent in the little town with the big heart.

Violet Comes to Stay

No Mitford collection is complete without the Violet books Violet Comes to Stay is the first in a series of storybooks inspired by Cynthia Coppersmith, Father Tim’s wife from Jan Karon s bestselling Mitford Years series. Jan Karon s legions of fans will love this timeless story about the endearing white kitten named Violet, charmingly written by Melanie Cecka and beautifully illustrated by Caldecott Medal winning artist Emily Arnold McCully. Karon searched for three years to find a storytelling voice and art style authentic to Cynthia Coppersmith. She was personally involved in every step of the creation of this book. In Violet Comes to Stay, Violet s search for the perfect home leads her to a plant nursery, a bakery, and finally a bookstore the one place where the gentle cat isn t expected to be a mouse hunter.

Violet Goes to the Country

Violet Goes to the Country is the second in a series of bestselling Mitford Storybooks inspired by Cynthia Coppersmith, a character from Jan Karon’s Mitford Years series.

Violet and her owner, Alice, are off to the country for a visit. Violet is as excited as can be, but she keeps getting in the way of Alice s uncle Leo who is ‘not much of a cat person’. Violet Goes to the Country will warm the hearts of Jan Karon fans and cat lovers alike.

Home to Holly Springs

Readers of the nine bestselling Mitford novels have been captivated by Jan Karon’s gift for illuminating the struggles that creep into everyday lives along with a vividly imagined world People. They learned quickly that after you ve spent time in Mitford, you ll want to come back Chicago Tribune. Millions eagerly awaited the publication of each novel, relishing the story of the bookish and bighearted Episcopal priest and the extraordinary fullness of his seemingly ordinary life. Now, Jan Karon enchants us with the story of the newly retired priest s spur of the moment adventure. For the first time in decades, Father Tim returns to his birthplace, Holly Springs, Mississippi, in response to a mysterious, unsigned note saying simply: Come home. Little does he know how much these two words will change his life. A story of long buried secrets, forgiveness, and the wonder of discovering new people, places, and depth of feeling, Home to Holly Springs will enthrall new readers and longtime fans alike.

In the Company of Others

A stirring page turner from the bestselling author of the Mitford Series. Jan Karon’s new series, launched with her New York Times bestselling Home to Holly Springs, thrilled legions of Mitford devotees, and also attracted a whole new set of readers. ‘Lovely,’ said USA Today. ‘Rejoice!’ said The Washington Post. In this second novel, Father Tim and Cynthia arrive in the west of Ireland, intent on researching his Kavanagh ancestry from the comfort of a charming fishing lodge. The charm, however, is broken entirely when Cynthia startles a burglar and sprains her already injured ankle. Then a cherished and valuable painting is stolen from the lodge owners, and Cynthia’s pain pales in comparison to the wound at the center of this bitterly estranged Irish family. In the Company of Others is a moving testament to the desperate struggle to hide the truth at any cost and the powerful need to confess. Of all her winning novels, Jan Karon says this ‘dark haired child’ is her favorite a sentiment readers everywhere are certain to share.

Miss Fannie’s Hat

The star of Miss Fannie’s Hat is based on Jan Karon’s own grandmother. ‘My grandmother, Miss Fannie, was so wonderful I wanted to share her with everyone,’ says Jan Karon. ‘I wrote Miss Fannie’s Hat to give both children and adults a sense of family, to give them the grandmother or great grandmother they never had, or always wished they had. Briefly, the story is about sacrifice and the rewards that can come when we give with a willing heart.’

Ninety nine year old Miss Fannie has lots of hats, and she loves them all. But her favorite is the pink straw hat with the silk roses. That’s the one Miss Fannie has worn on Easter Sunday for the past thirty five years. When Miss Fannie’s preacher asks her to donate one of her precious hats to the church auction, choosing which one to part with is no small task. This heartwarming story about the rewards of unselfish love will enchant readers young and old.

Jeremy: The Tale of an Honest Bunny

Millions of readers have fallen in love with Jan Karon’s Mitford, the little town with the big heart. Now Jan Karon brings the same loving spirit of the Mitford books to her first chapter book for young readers. Jeremy is a handmade English bunny with honesty sewn into his very being. So when he learns that he was made for someone in North Carolina, Jeremy hops right off to deliver himself to his new owner. But North Carolina is a long way from England, as Jeremy quickly learns. Before he can be safely home, Jeremy must rely on help from many people. There’s old Mr. Pruneholt, who shows Jeremy where to find America; the kindly sea captain and his chattering parrot, Jethro, who see Jeremy across the water, and the unforgettable Village Dear. Most important of all are the family of young bunnies who teach Jeremy how wonderful it is to be needed. Though he’d love to stay with them, Jeremy can’t forget that he has someone waiting for him and must keep moving until he arrives at her doorstep. Jeremy, the Tale of an Honest Bunny is a story of adventure and friendship, full of humor, inspiration, and joy. It is the story of any child who is away from home and the miracles found on the way to being safe at last.

A Continual Feast

For years, Mitford’s Father Tim Kavanagh has transcribed into his dog eared journals words of wisdom, faith, and encouragement gleaned from favorite thinkers.

Indeed, A Continual Feast contains lively ideas, common sense, profound wisdom, and plain good humor from the likes of C. S. Lewis, Emily Dickinson, William Blake, Helen Keller, G. K. Chesterton, and Will Rogers. To name but a few.

Want to know a surefire way to read someone s true character?

Check out what Goethe has to say.

Strive to be that rare individual who labors to serve others, and what will you have? ‘Little competition,’ according to Andrew Carnegie.

This entertaining and useful handbook is for all those who relish a good ‘Aha!,’ including authors, clergy, speechmakers, dog lovers, and anyone who enjoys provocative insight into everything from the righteous to the ridiculous.

Together with its companion volume, Patches of Godlight, Father Tim s latest quote journal is sure proof of what Lord Byron once penned:

‘A small drop of ink produces that which makes thousands think.’

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