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Beth Cato

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Beth Cato

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Born
in Hanford, CA, The United States
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April 2012

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Beth Cato hails from Hanford, California, but currently writes and bakes cookies in Red Wing, Minnesota. She usually has one or two cats in close orbit. A 2015 Nebula finalist, she is the author of the cozy mystery CHEDDAR LUCK NEXT TIME as well as fantasy like A THOUSAND RECIPES FOR REVENGE. Her short stories can be found in publications ranging from Beneath Ceaseless Skies to Uncanny Magazine. In 2019 and 2022, she won the Rhysling Award for short speculative poetry. Her website BethCato.com includes not only a vast bibliography, but a treasure trove of recipes for delectable goodies. Find her on BlueSky as @BethCato and Instagram as @catocatsandcheese.

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Popular Answered Questions

Beth Cato Thank you so much! The book was inspired by several things. I've loved healer characters since I was a kid, but I was always disappointed that they ar…moreThank you so much! The book was inspired by several things. I've loved healer characters since I was a kid, but I was always disappointed that they are relegated to a sidekick role in most books and video games. I love steampunk and wanted to write something in that setting. My mom also raised me on Agatha Christie mysteries. My original idea for the book was 'Murder on the Orient Express, on an airship, with a healer as the lead character.' I expanded the story from there!(less)
Beth Cato Thanks for the question, Sarah! "The Deepest Poison" is indeed a prequel story and the events that happen are referred to throughout The Clockwork Dag…moreThanks for the question, Sarah! "The Deepest Poison" is indeed a prequel story and the events that happen are referred to throughout The Clockwork Dagger, though the story shows everything from a very different perspective. Read them in chronological order if you want, but there's no hard rule on that. (less)
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More books by Beth Cato…

Bready or Not Original: Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars

I bought a bag of date sugar for a recipe and then had to figure out what else to make to use up the bag. Cue my experimentation with cookies, which then led to a superior version: these Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars.

Bready or Not Original: Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars

The date sugar I used was very light and powdery in texture. It tastes sweet in a different way than other sugars, and tends to create a dense texture, kind of like brown sugar.

Read more of this blog post »
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Published on May 06, 2026 04:00
A Thousand Recipes for Revenge A Feast for Starving Stone
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3.95 avg rating — 6,983 ratings

The Clockwork Dagger The Clockwork Crown
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3.73 avg rating — 3,222 ratings

Breath of Earth Call of Fire Roar of Sky
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3.76 avg rating — 1,428 ratings

Beth’s Recent Updates

Beth Cato wrote a new blog post

Bready or Not Original: Date Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars

I bought a bag of date sugar for a recipe and then had to figure out what else to make to use up the bag. Cue my experimentation with cookies, which t Read more of this blog post »
Beth Cato rated a book really liked it
The Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff
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This is one of my childhood books, read again for the first time in decades for research reasons. Wow, Sutcliff can write. I loved her when I was a kid, but I appreciate her style even more now. This is a rather dark tale set around 600, in a post-Ro ...more
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The Pioneer Woman Cooks―The Essential Recipes by Ree Drummond
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This is a special book for me, as my son bought it as my Christmas present because he remembered we used to watch the Pioneer Woman TV show.

This full-color lavishly illustrated cookbook has recipes and detailed step-by-step instructions for all kind
...more
Beth Cato is currently reading
The Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff
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Beth Cato is currently reading
The Pioneer Woman Cooks―The Essential Recipes by Ree Drummond
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We Burned So Bright by T.J. Klune
We Burned So Bright
by T.J. Klune (Goodreads Author)
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I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

Klune has a way of writing deep, emotional books featuring queer characters, and he repeats that with his latest release, a fast read featuring two gay married men on a road trip to find closu
...more
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When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery
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I received an advance copy via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

In this personable work of nonfiction, Montgomery addresses the complicated relationship between plants and Black people within America. Going back and forth between personal and family stor
...more
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
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I borrowed this from my library. It's for a May book club, part of a year-long theme on banned books.

First of all, wow, Angelou can write. This memoir is blunt, poetic, and raw, detailing her earliest memories in rural Stamps, Arkansas, to St. Louis
...more
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The Women on Platform Two by Laura     Anthony
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I read this work on historical fiction for an April book club.

The Women on Platform Two1> shines a light on an important aspect of recent Irish history: the fight for women's rights to contraceptives. There is a present day plot wherein a woman in a
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Rabbit Test and Other Stories by Samantha Mills
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A strong collection of short stories in the realms of science fiction and fantasy and the spaces between. Tight, emotional writing powers the narratives, and in particular stood out to me in the Hugo-winning “Rabbit Test” and my other favorite, “Stra ...more
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Quotes by Beth Cato  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“He stopped moving among the shelves. She stopped as well and scanned the books around her. 'Such a glorious perfume, these old books.”
Beth Cato, The Clockwork Crown

“Ignorance didn’t feel like bliss. It felt like stupidity, and she hated it.”
Beth Cato, Breath of Earth

“Holiness may be found by being in the mere presence of books, without evening parting the pages.”
Beth Cato, The Clockwork Crown

Polls

1st Quarter 2025 - Fantasy #3

 
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  2 votes, 28.6%

 
  1 vote, 14.3%

The Estate by Sarah Jost (416 pp)
 
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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Who's Your Author?: Steampunk - Recommendations 11 32 Oct 08, 2014 06:58AM  
You'll love this ...: This topic has been closed to new comments. What are you reading and why? Jul-Dec 2014 1219 214 Jan 01, 2015 08:22AM  
The Sword and Laser: Questions for Beth Cato 4 75 Jun 11, 2015 11:01AM  
Sci-fi and Heroic...: 2015 Locus Award Winners Announced 7 75 Jun 27, 2015 03:58PM  
Who's Your Author?: Spell It Supernatural June 2015 31 28 Jul 01, 2015 02:33PM  
Nothing But Readi...: Team Hagen 200 273 Aug 20, 2015 10:00AM  
Sci-fi and Heroic...: "Wings of Sorrow and Bone" by Beth Cato 4 9 Apr 11, 2016 06:39AM  
Sci-fi and Heroic...: 2015 Nebula Award short story & novella nominees 11 52 Apr 22, 2016 01:39AM  
Romance Readers R...: Mai's Reading List 155 131 Oct 21, 2016 12:22AM  
“I'm of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved.”
Barbara Kingsolver

“Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. Truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.”
Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

“Missing people in our lives are like wounds we reopen with thoughts.”
Kevin Hearne, Hunted

“Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft were written by men.”
Neil Gaiman

“Whenever I'm with other people, part of me shrinks a little. Only when I am alone can I fully enjoy my own company.”
Alan Bradley, A Red Herring Without Mustard

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