Guide to Katherine Center Books in Order

Book Summary

After the unexpected death of her husband, Libby and her two children moved in with her hypercritical mother. When her crazy Aunt Jean finds out about this, she offers Libby the chance to stay at her farm in the Texas Hill Country.

While the goat farm requires strenuous work, Libby also finds peace in the deep quiet of the country. Between the gruff farm manager, formerly-famous feed store clerk, and eccentric aunt, Libby realizes that family can look different than she expected. But this might be just what she needed to thrive again.

Book Summary

Helen is recovering from a miscarriage followed by a divorce. Her younger brother wants to help her heal, so he convinces her to attend a wilderness survival course in the Absaroka Mountains of Wyoming (pronounced “Ab-soar-kas”). She’s ready to take the time out to pull herself together, but then she finds out that her brother’s annoying best friend will also be on the trip.

In a period of three weeks, she’ll have to face both fears and annoyances, but through those experiences, she also learns more about herself and how to be brave.

Book Summary

After a tragic accident immediately after becoming engaged, Margaret is stuck in a hospital bed trying to face her new reality. Her previously perfect life is changing in every way.

When she’s assigned the toughest physical therapist at the hospital, her nurse doesn’t think it will be a good match. Margaret understands when she realizes the other therapists are smiling and encouraging and Ian is…not.

But can he still help her heal?

Book Summary

Cassie Hanwell was a firefighter in Austin and loved her job. But when her mother asks her to move to Boston despite their strained relationship, Cassie’s experience at the new fire house couldn’t be more different.

With a lack of funding, poor facilities, and an old-school hazing culture, the firehouse is not happy to have a woman join their crew.

Book Summary

This short story brings together Margaret from How to Walk Away and Cassie from Things You Save in a Fire, creating a bridge between these two novels.

It is a retelling of the first chapter of How to Walk Away told from the point of view of Cassie, the firefighter who saved Margaret’s life.

Book Summary

Samantha is a school librarian who loves her job at her current school and who has a bold zest for life…but she hasn’t always been that way. Duncan, the new school principal is very regimented and unwilling to stray from the rules…but he hasn’t always been that way.

Sam and Duncan have met before. They worked together at another school years ago, back when they were both very different people. When Duncan takes over as the new principal at Sam’s school, she’s shocked to discover that the fun-loving guy she remembers has turned into a completely different person – one she’s afraid will ruin everything she loves about her loving and welcoming school community.

As things spiral out of control, Sam and Duncan are forced to get real with one another and reveal the traumas from their pasts to save the school – and themselves.

Book Summary

This short story creates a bridge between Happiness for Beginners and What You Wish For.

This short story tells of the first meeting between Jake and Helen – the main characters from Happiness for Beginners. Told from Jake’s perspective, we hear his first impressions of Helen when he crashes her wedding at the age of 16. Jake is best friends with Helen’s younger brother, Duncan, who is the main character in What You Wish For.

Despite the fact that Helen is a year older than him (and in the process of marrying someone else), Jake never forgets that first encounter with her. This short story is narrated in turns by Duncan, Jake, and Helen.

Book Summary

Hannah may look like a kindergarten teacher who could only wrangle young children, but she’s more dangerous than she seems. Her excellent skills as an Executive Protection Agent (aka bodyguard) just earned her a job protecting a superstar actor, Jack. He has some unlikely enemies – like a middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker and a brother who seems to hate him.

When Jack has to return to the family ranch in Texas during his mom’s cancer treatment, he doesn’t want her to find out about the stalker. This means she can’t know he needs a bodyguard to be safe. What could go wrong when Hannah has to pretend to be his girlfriend in front of his whole family?

Book Summary

Sadie is a talented portrait artist, who is finally getting the recognition she deserves as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition. Before her death, her mom was a finalist in the same competition, so Sadie is full of emotions about the new painting she must produce as part of the contest.
However, in one moment, everything changes for Sadie. The only constant is her beloved dog, Peanut. With both her work and her family in chaos, how will Sadie overcome the hardest period in her life?