Here you’ll find 43 Books that start with K that begin with K, organized from “Kafka on the Shore” to “Kushiel’s Dart”. The list mixes literary classics, contemporary bestsellers, and genre favorites from multiple countries.
Books that start with K are titles whose main title begins with the letter K. Many such titles include influential works like “Kafka on the Shore”, which helped broaden modern literary fiction.
Below you’ll find the table with Title, Author, Year and Genre.
Title: Shows the book’s published title as commonly cited, helping you quickly spot the exact book you need.
Author: Lists the primary author or authors so you can identify creators and search for other works by the same writer.
Year: Gives the original publication year or first edition year to help you place the book in historical and literary context.
Genre: Identifies the book’s main genre so you can filter reading lists and match titles to your interests quickly.
Books that start with K
| Title | Author(s) | Original publication year | Primary genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kafka on the Shore | Haruki Murakami | 2002 | Magical realism |
| Kindred | Octavia E. Butler | 1979 | Science fiction |
| Killers of the Flower Moon | David Grann | 2017 | True crime |
| Klara and the Sun | Kazuo Ishiguro | 2021 | Science fiction |
| Kitchen Confidential | Anthony Bourdain | 2000 | Memoir |
| Kim | Rudyard Kipling | 1901 | Adventure |
| King Lear | William Shakespeare | 1608 | Tragedy |
| Kidnapped | Robert Louis Stevenson | 1886 | Historical fiction |
| Know My Name | Chanel Miller | 2019 | Memoir |
| Kon-Tiki | Thor Heyerdahl | 1948 | Memoir |
| King Solomon’s Mines | H. Rider Haggard | 1885 | Adventure |
| Kushiel’s Dart | Jacqueline Carey | 2001 | Fantasy |
| Kira-Kira | Cynthia Kadohata | 2004 | Young adult |
| Kings of the Wyld | Nicholas Eames | 2017 | Fantasy |
| Killing Floor | Lee Child | 1997 | Thriller |
| King Leopold’s Ghost | Adam Hochschild | 1998 | History |
| Kitchen | Banana Yoshimoto | 1988 | Fiction |
| King of Scars | Leigh Bardugo | 2019 | Young adult fantasy |
| Kristin Lavransdatter | Sigrid Undset | 1920 | Historical fiction |
| Keep the Aspidistra Flying | George Orwell | 1936 | Fiction |
| Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale | Mo Willems | 2004 | Children’s picture book |
| Kama Sutra | Vātsyāyana | c. 200 | Ancient text |
| Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded | Simon Winchester | 2003 | History |
| Kiss of the Spider Woman | Manuel Puig | 1976 | Fiction |
| Keeper of the Lost Cities | Shannon Messenger | 2012 | Middle grade fantasy |
| Kensuke’s Kingdom | Michael Morpurgo | 1999 | Children’s fiction |
| Killing Commendatore | Haruki Murakami | 2017 | Magical realism |
| Kaikeyi | Vaishnavi Patel | 2022 | Fantasy |
| Kingdom of the Wicked | Kerri Maniscalco | 2020 | Young adult fantasy |
| King: A Life | Jonathan Eig | 2023 | Biography |
| Kitten’s First Full Moon | Kevin Henkes | 2004 | Children’s picture book |
| King Rat | James Clavell | 1962 | Historical fiction |
| Kingdom of Ash | Sarah J. Maas | 2018 | Young adult fantasy |
| Knife of Dreams | Robert Jordan | 2005 | Epic fantasy |
| Kalpa Imperial | Angélica Gorodischer | 1983 | Fantasy |
| Kate Vaiden | Reynolds Price | 1986 | Fiction |
| King of Thorns | Mark Lawrence | 2012 | Grimdark fantasy |
| Kiki’s Delivery Service | Eiko Kadono | 1985 | Children’s fantasy |
| Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society | Raymond Williams | 1976 | Cultural studies |
| Killing for Company | Brian Masters | 1985 | True crime |
| Kenilworth | Walter Scott | 1821 | Historical fiction |
| Knowledge of Angels | Jill Paton Walsh | 1994 | Philosophical fiction |
| Kubla Khan | Samuel Taylor Coleridge | 1816 | Poetry |
Descriptions
Kafka on the Shore
A surreal, metaphysical novel following a teenage runaway and an old man who can talk to cats, weaving together two parallel odysseys. A modern classic exploring themes of fate, music, and identity.
Kindred
A young African-American woman is repeatedly pulled back in time to an antebellum Maryland plantation. A powerful and harrowing exploration of slavery, race, and survival that defies easy genre classification.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Subtitled “The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” this nonfiction book investigates a series of murders of wealthy Osage people in the 1920s after oil was discovered on their land.
Klara and the Sun
Narrated by an “Artificial Friend” named Klara, this novel explores love and humanity through the eyes of an observant android. A poignant and thought-provoking work by a Nobel laureate, longlisted for the Booker Prize.
Kitchen Confidential
Subtitled “Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” this explosive memoir by the late chef Anthony Bourdain blew the lid off the restaurant world. A raw, witty, and unforgettable look behind the kitchen door.
Kim
An adventure novel set in British India during the “Great Game.” It follows the orphaned Kimball O’Hara as he navigates the worlds of espionage and spiritual pilgrimage with a Tibetan lama.
King Lear
One of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. An aging king descends into madness after disowning his devoted daughter and dividing his kingdom between her two treacherous sisters. A profound look at family and power.
Kidnapped
A classic adventure story set in the Scottish Highlands. Young David Balfour is cheated of his inheritance and forced to flee, joining forces with the charismatic rebel Alan Breck Stewart.
Know My Name
A powerful and critically acclaimed memoir from the woman previously known as “Emily Doe” in the Brock Turner case. Miller reclaims her identity to tell the story of her trauma, transcendence, and the broken justice system.
Kon-Tiki
The incredible true story of Heyerdahl’s 1947 expedition, sailing 4,300 miles across the Pacific Ocean from South America to Polynesia on a simple balsa wood raft to prove a migration theory.
King Solomon’s Mines
One of the first adventure novels set in Africa, it follows explorer Allan Quatermain on a quest to find a man who has gone in search of King Solomon’s legendary diamond mines.
Kushiel’s Dart
The first book in a lush epic fantasy series. It follows Phèdre nó Delaunay, a courtesan and spy chosen by the gods, who uncovers a massive conspiracy that threatens her homeland of Terre d’Ange.
Kira-Kira
Winner of the 2005 Newbery Medal. This historical fiction novel follows a Japanese-American family in the 1950s as seen through the eyes of a young girl, Katie, as they face illness and hardship.
Kings of the Wyld
A high-fantasy adventure with a rock-and-roll sensibility. A once-legendary band of mercenaries gets back together for one last, epic tour to rescue a fellow member’s daughter from a horde of monsters.
Killing Floor
The debut novel introducing the iconic action hero Jack Reacher. The drifter is arrested for a murder he didn’t commit in a small Georgia town, forcing him to uncover a vast conspiracy.
King Leopold’s Ghost
A harrowing work of popular history detailing the brutal exploitation of the Congo Free State by King Leopold II of Belgium, a genocide that led to the deaths of millions of Africans.
Kitchen
A touching and melancholic novel from a major contemporary Japanese writer. It tells the story of a young woman coping with the death of her grandmother and finding solace and a new family in the kitchen.
King of Scars
Set in the popular Grishaverse, this novel follows the young king Nikolai Lantsov as he battles the dark magic within him while trying to rebuild his war-torn country. The start of a duology.
Kristin Lavransdatter
A trilogy of historical novels set in 14th-century Norway, following the life of a passionate and devout woman. The author won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928, partly for this work.
Keep the Aspidistra Flying
A satirical novel by the author of *Nineteen Eighty-Four*. It follows Gordon Comstock, a struggling poet who declares war on the “money-god” by rejecting a respectable job in favor of a life of literary poverty.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
A Caldecott Honor book about a toddler named Trixie who loses her beloved stuffed rabbit at the laundromat. A charming and relatable story told with a clever mix of cartoons and photography.
Kama Sutra
An ancient Indian Sanskrit text on sexuality, eroticism, and emotional fulfillment. While famous for its sexual positions, it is a broader guide to the art of living well and finding a partner.
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded
A bestselling nonfiction account of the massive 1883 volcanic eruption of Krakatoa. It explores the geological forces, the devastating human toll, and the wide-ranging consequences of the event.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Set in an Argentine prison cell, this novel consists entirely of dialogue between two prisoners: a Marxist revolutionary and a gay window dresser who passes the time by recounting plots of his favorite films.
Keeper of the Lost Cities
The first book in a bestselling series about a 12-year-old girl named Sophie who discovers she is not human but an elf with telepathic abilities. She must leave her life behind to join a new world.
Kensuke’s Kingdom
A young boy is washed ashore on a remote island in the Pacific. He believes he is alone until he meets Kensuke, a former Japanese soldier who has lived there for decades. A story of survival and friendship.
Killing Commendatore
An epic novel about a portrait painter who discovers an unpublished painting that opens a portal to another world of strange metaphors, historical violence, and surreal events, in typical Murakami style.
Kaikeyi
A feminist retelling of the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana. It transforms one of mythology’s most-hated queens into a complex, ambitious woman who fought for the rights of women in a patriarchal world.
Kingdom of the Wicked
A dark and romantic fantasy set in 19th-century Sicily. A young witch seeks to avenge her twin sister’s murder by summoning a Prince of Hell, leading her into a world of demons and dark bargains.
King: A Life
A comprehensive and acclaimed biography of Martin Luther King Jr., drawing on newly declassified FBI files. It presents a deeply human portrait of the civil rights leader, exploring his public triumphs and private struggles.
Kitten’s First Full Moon
Winner of the 2005 Caldecott Medal. A simple, charming story about a little kitten who mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk and the adventures she has trying to get to it.
King Rat
Clavell’s debut novel, set in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Singapore during World War II. It explores the brutal struggle for survival among Allied prisoners and the rise of an American corporal who thrives on the black market.
Kingdom of Ash
The epic finale to the bestselling Throne of Glass series. Aelin Galathynius must endure immense torture to save her people and confront the dark forces threatening to consume her world.
Knife of Dreams
The eleventh book in the monumental Wheel of Time series and the last one fully written by Jordan before his death. It resolves several major plotlines as the characters prepare for the Last Battle.
Kalpa Imperial
An epic collection of interconnected stories, translated by Ursula K. Le Guin. A storyteller recounts the history of a vast, imaginary empire, exploring themes of power, memory, and storytelling itself.
Kate Vaiden
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award. At 57, Kate Vaiden looks back on her life, telling the story of the difficult choices she made after being orphaned at age 11 in rural North Carolina.
King of Thorns
The second book in The Broken Empire trilogy. It continues the brutal story of Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath on his violent and ruthless quest to unite a fractured kingdom under his own rule.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
The beloved Japanese novel that inspired the Studio Ghibli film. It follows a young witch named Kiki who leaves home at age 13 to start her own delivery service in a new town with her talking cat, Jiji.
Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society
A seminal work of cultural theory that traces the historical evolution of 131 key words (like ‘art’, ‘class’, and ‘media’). It explores how their meanings have shifted and shaped modern thought.
Killing for Company
A chilling and psychologically astute account of the British serial killer Dennis Nilsen. The book is based on extensive interviews with Nilsen himself, delving into the mind of a man who killed for companionship.
Kenilworth
A classic romance and tragedy by Sir Walter Scott set in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. The story revolves around the secret marriage of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and the unfortunate Amy Robsart.
Knowledge of Angels
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize. On a remote island, a prince-archbishop must contend with two discoveries: an atheist raised by wolves and a castaway who claims to be an angel, sparking a profound theological crisis.
Kubla Khan
Subtitled “A Vision in a Dream. A Fragment.” this is one of the most famous poems in the English language. A dreamlike and mystical vision of a magnificent palace built by the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan.