1723 ratings | 1255 reviews | avg rating:4.18

Kathleen’s Year In Books

Kathleen’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Kathleen’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Kathleen’s 2025 Year in Books

Kathleen Rooney’s Followers (1,436)

Kathleen’s Bookshelves

to-read (865)
currently-reading (5)
read (1760)
did-not-finish (0)
abandoned (13)
books-i-ve-published-with-rose-meta (31)

Kathleen’s Friends (1,783)

Andreas

2,286 books | 70 friends

Backdraft Bookshelf

19 books | 950 friends

Megan

40,759 books | 401 friends

McKenzie Tozan

500 books | 268 friends

Corey

4,398 books | 2,950 friends

Michelle Dunton

671 books | 558 friends

R.L. Maizes

816 books | 763 friends

Ron Antonucci

3,230 books | 88 friends

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Kathleen Rooney

Goodreads Author

Born

Beckley, West Virginia, The United States

Website

http://www.kathleenrooney.com/

Genre

Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Member Since

February 2008

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Kathleen Rooney is a founding editor of Rose Metal Press, a publisher of literary work in hybrid genres, and a founding member of Poems While You Wait, a team of poets and their typewriters who compose commissioned poetry on demand.

She is the author, most recently, of the novels Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk and Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey. Her latest collection Where Are the Snows, winner of the XJ Kennedy Prize, was published by Texas Review Press in September 2022. Her novel from Dust to Stardust, was published by Lake Union Press in Fall of 2023, and her debut picture book--co-written with her sister Beth Rooney and illustrated by Betsy Bowen--was published by University of Minnesota Press in Fall of 2025.

Her fifth novel, Man Overboar ...more

380 posts
Kathleen Rooney's Blog

This evening at Anderson’s in Naperville…

…I got to discuss Man Overboard! with fellow author extraordinaire Caro Macon Fleischer… with a lovely crowd: Thanks to Anderson’s for having us and to everybody who came out to talk about books on a hot Monday night!

The post This evening at Anderson’s in Naperville… appeared first on Kathleen Rooney.

Combine Editions
Kathleen Rooney’s books

Average rating: 3.86 · 38,555 ratings · 6,457 reviews · 35 distinct works • Similar authors

	Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk 3.84 avg rating — 33,991 ratings — published 2017 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey 3.96 avg rating — 2,494 ratings — published 2020 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	From Dust to Stardust 3.86 avg rating — 640 ratings — published 2023 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Man Overboard! 3.66 avg rating — 387 ratings — published 2026 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Live Nude Girl: My Life as an Object 3.97 avg rating — 182 ratings — published 2009 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	O, Democracy! 3.91 avg rating — 121 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Robinson Alone 4.47 avg rating — 103 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	For You, for You I am Trilling These Songs 3.91 avg rating — 116 ratings — published 2009 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Oneiromance by Kathleen Rooney (Goodreads Author), Patty Seyburn (Editor) 4.46 avg rating — 70 ratings — published 2008 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Reading with Oprah: The Book Club that Changed America 3.46 avg rating — 70 ratings — published 2005 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Kathleen Rooney…

Kathleen is Currently Reading

Kathleen is currently reading

A Child's Book of Saints

by William Canton

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jul 16, 2026 11:48AM

Kathleen is currently reading

Pattern Recognition (Blue Ant, #1)

by William Gibson

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jul 14, 2026 09:22AM

Kathleen is currently reading

The Bee Sting

by Paul Murray

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Mar 22, 2026 10:54PM

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Kathleen’s Recent Updates

Kathleen rated a book really liked it She May Be Lying Down but She May Be Very Happy: A Micro-Memoir by Jody Gelb (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"Someone once compared having a disabled child to landing in a different country than originally planned. Your dreams and guidebooks were for Italy and all its treasures, and Holland, though beautiful, was not what you wanted. You had waited your who ...more
10 hours, 45 min ago · like · see review
Kathleen liked H Hunter's review of Man Overboard!: "What a fascinating story, set in the Atlantic Ocean. Told from the perspective of a man treading water, it’s an unusual book & character. I enjoyed the sea life he encountered & the truths he had to face to understand himself. "
18 hours, 53 min ago · see review
Kathleen liked Jeannine's review of Man Overboard!: "3.5 stars rounded up. This is a stream of consciousness type of book where it feels like the main character (the man overboard) is talking to you (his inner dialogue) the entire book. After going overboard from a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico, he" Read more of this review »
18 hours, 53 min ago · see review
Kathleen liked Susan's review of Man Overboard!: "Sorry about the 2 star rating, but I just can't decide how I feel about the book. I guess I am glad I read it? A very interesting premise of a man falling/jumping off a Carnival cruise ship and all the thoughts and possible hallucinations he has whil" Read more of this review »
18 hours, 53 min ago · see review
Kathleen rated a book it was amazing Foster by Claire Keegan	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"I wonder why my father lies about the hay. He is given to lying about things that would be nice, if they were true. Somewhere, farther off, someone has started up a chainsaw and it drones on like a big, stinging wasp for a while in the distance. I w ...more
19 hours, 10 min ago · 1 like · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Foster by Claire Keegan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Foster by Claire Keegan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen rated a book it was amazing Fish Tales by Nettie Jones	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
"This list was rather dull by comparison to other lists I had made in the days when I was high-stepping. Once my roommate Ciarra and I listed hte names of each man we had ever fucked and remembered. We were sitting outside at a Greenwich Village rest ...more
Jul 22, 2026 04:43AM · 3 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fish Tales by Nettie Jones. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fish Tales by Nettie Jones <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen wants to read Mrs. S by K. Patrick	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 20, 2026 09:37AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Mrs. S by K. Patrick. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Mrs. S by K. Patrick <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen wants to read I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 19, 2026 02:50PM · 2 likes · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen started reading Fish Tales by Nettie Jones	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 19, 2026 02:48PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fish Tales by Nettie Jones. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fish Tales by Nettie Jones <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen finished reading Charity and Sylvia by Tillie Walden	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 19, 2026 02:47PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Charity and Sylvia by Tillie Walden. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Charity and Sylvia by Tillie Walden <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

More of Kathleen's books…

Quotes by Kathleen Rooney (?)

“I thought at times that poetry might be an elegant way of screaming.”
― Kathleen Rooney, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

tags: anger, expression, feeling, poetry

44 likes

“The point of living in the world is just to stay interested.”
― Kathleen Rooney, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

tags: keep-on, living, motivation, resilience

36 likes

“If you love something, know that it will leave on a day you are far from ready.”
― Kathleen Rooney, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

tags: loss, love

30 likes

See all Kathleen Rooney's quotes »

Polls

February 2020 Member 's Choice Book Selection

Voting will stay open until Jan 16th.

Please vote for your favorite among the nominees.

Thanks and enjoy reading....

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

by Kathleen Rooney

8 votes, 21.6%

A Place for Us

by Fatima Farheen Mirza

6 votes, 16.2%

Nothing to See Here

by Kevin Wilson

6 votes, 16.2%

The Untelling

by Tayari Jones

5 votes, 13.5%

I Know Who You Are

by Alice Feeney

4 votes, 10.8%

Running on Red Dog Road: And Other Perils of an Appalachian Childhood

by Drema Hall Berkheimer

3 votes, 8.1%

What the Wind Knows

by Amy Harmon

3 votes, 8.1%

The Sisters Brothers

by Patrick deWitt

1 vote, 2.7%

Stones in the Road

by E.B. Moore

1 vote, 2.7%

This Was Not the Plan

by Cristina Alger

0 votes, 0.0%

37 total votes

comments and details

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