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Beth Cato

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Beth
8,229 books | 1,533 friends

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1,599 books | 161 friends

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Beth Cato

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Born
in Hanford, CA, The United States
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Member Since
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)
Average rating: 3.94 · 21,125 ratings · 3,642 reviews · 132 distinct worksSimilar authors
A Thousand Recipes for Reve...

3.87 avg rating — 5,446 ratings — published 2023 — 6 editions
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A House Between Sea and Sky

4.13 avg rating — 4,494 ratings — published 2025 — 3 editions
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The Clockwork Dagger (Clock...

3.64 avg rating — 1,977 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions
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A Feast for Starving Stone ...

4.24 avg rating — 1,340 ratings6 editions
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The Clockwork Crown (Clockw...

3.90 avg rating — 861 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions
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Breath of Earth (Blood of E...

3.64 avg rating — 902 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions
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Call of Fire (Blood of Eart...

3.93 avg rating — 315 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions
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Roar of Sky (Blood of Earth...

4.03 avg rating — 205 ratings — published 2018 — 2 editions
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Cheddar Luck Next Time

3.96 avg rating — 137 ratings — published 2025 — 3 editions
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Wings of Sorrow and Bone (C...

3.94 avg rating — 124 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions
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More books by Beth Cato…

Bready or Not: Salted Mocha Tart

This Salted Mocha Tart is incredibly easy and yet is an absolute showstopper of a dessert. No baking is required.

Bready or Not: Salted Mocha Tart

The graham cracker crust here goes perfectly with the coffee-forward flavor of the ganache. Mind you, I don’t drink coffee, so to me it was very strong and required something like caramel or preserves on top, whereas my husband drinks his coffee black and he could happily eat this t

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Published on November 26, 2025 04:00
A Thousand Recipes for Revenge A Feast for Starving Stone
(2 books)
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3.94 avg rating — 6,783 ratings

The Clockwork Dagger The Clockwork Crown
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3.73 avg rating — 3,207 ratings

Breath of Earth Call of Fire Roar of Sky
(3 books)
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3.76 avg rating — 1,422 ratings

Beth’s Recent Updates

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Lord Peter by Dorothy L. Sayers
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This very long book with a hideous cover, published in 1972, collects Sayers's Lord Peter mystery stories in one volume. I purchased it at a Friends of the Library sale. The paperback's binding became increasingly brittle as I read and several pages ...more
Beth Cato rated a book it was ok
Sweet and Savory Swedish Baking by Leila Lindholm
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This is a deceptively-named cookbook. The author is Swedish, but very few of the recipes are. It is really bizarre. And then when you do have an actual Scandinavian (specifically Norwegian) recipe, like lefse, it's called "potato flatbread." The book ...more
Beth Cato rated a book it was amazing
Shoeshine Boy & Cigarette Girl by P.A. Cornell
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I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Cornell's new novelette is a breezy bit of joy, a tale with a mid-20th-century-retrofuture-feel, set in Toronto. There, good-hearted, innocent Shoeshine Boy meets savvy pickpocket Cigarette Girl. The two hit i
...more
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Lord Peter by Dorothy L. Sayers
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The Women's March by Jennifer Chiaverini
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I read this for a book club this month. The Women's March describes the build up to the 1913 Women's March in Washington DC through several viewpoints. This is heavy duty historical fiction, a deep read, one that obviously involved incredible researc ...more
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The Debatable Land by Graham Robb
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Learning to See by Elise Hooper
Learning to See
by Elise Hooper (Goodreads Author)
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This is a book club-friendly historical fiction novel on the life of famed photographer Dorothea Lange. The approach is... fluffier, very much on the human relationships, with only enough about the history to give the relationships context. That focu ...more
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The Debatable Land by Graham Robb
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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 #1

 
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  1 vote, 8.3%

 
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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 1221 214 Jan 01, 2015 08:22AM  
The Sword and Laser: Questions for Beth Cato 5 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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