Beth Cato

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Beth
8,267 books | 1,636 friends


Jeremy ...
693 books | 577 friends

Donna F...
2,367 books | 5,000 friends

Melissa...
2,881 books | 220 friends

A.J.
76 books | 141 friends

Nimrod ...
1,836 books | 970 friends

Brina
1,287 books | 4,990 friends

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Beth Cato

Goodreads Author


Born
in Hanford, CA, The United States
Website

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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 · 21,331 ratings · 3,661 reviews · 132 distinct worksSimilar authors
A Thousand Recipes for Reve...

3.87 avg rating — 5,457 ratings — published 2023 — 6 editions
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A House Between Sea and Sky

4.13 avg rating — 4,663 ratings — published 2025 — 3 editions
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The Clockwork Dagger (Clock...

3.64 avg rating — 1,980 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions
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A Feast for Starving Stone ...

4.24 avg rating — 1,342 ratings6 editions
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The Clockwork Crown (Clockw...

3.89 avg rating — 862 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

3.99 avg rating — 146 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 Original Cheesy Sourdough Discard Crackers

I’ve shared a lot of sourdough discard recipes in recent months, as I maintained my own ‘Mother” as part of my research for my new book, A House Between Sea and Sky. This super-easy recipe, though, is really two ingredients: the discard and cheese. And add whatever seasonings you want on top of that.

Bready or Not Original Cheesy Sourdough Discard Crackers

This is also a good opportunity to use seasoned cheese that include herbs. Or if you like spicy

Read more of this blog post »
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Published on January 21, 2026 04:00
A Thousand Recipes for Revenge A Feast for Starving Stone
(2 books)
by
3.95 avg rating — 6,798 ratings

The Clockwork Dagger The Clockwork Crown
(2 books)
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3.73 avg rating — 3,211 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

Beth Cato rated a book liked it
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
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I read this for a February book club. I read it during my long-distant childhood as well.

London can write an action-packed story, for sure, and he does an excellent job of getting into the viewpoint of Buck, a coddled California dog who is stolen an
...more
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Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
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I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

Set in 1920s Montreal, this cute story follows widowed Agnes, who runs a cat shelter. When she's forced to find a new location for the shelter after magician-caused destruction, she finds a place that's too go
...more
Beth Cato is currently reading
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
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Beth Cato is currently reading
Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
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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
Beth Cato is currently reading
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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More of Beth's books…
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

 
  4 votes, 33.3%

 
  2 votes, 16.7%

 
  2 votes, 16.7%

 
  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 1219 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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