1655 ratings | 1187 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 (1,358)

Kathleen’s Bookshelves

to-read (821)
currently-reading (4)
read (1692)
abandoned (14)
books-i-ve-published-with-rose-meta (31)

Kathleen’s Friends (1,772)

Amelia

342 books | 31 friends

Megan Rooney

768 books | 100 friends

Toni

2,385 books | 256 friends

Reb

2,360 books | 597 friends

Jacob Wren

6,277 books | 3,731 friends

Celia

5,568 books | 750 friends

Taryn

1,909 books | 74 friends

Ann

7,745 books | 52 friends

More friends…

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

354 posts
Kathleen Rooney's Blog

74…

…is the number of poems that we–Lisa Farver, Caro Macon Fleischer, Bri McLaughlin, Sam Nassau, Mars Palomar, Noel Perez-White, Rachel Summerfield, Shane Zimmer, and I–wrote while doing Poems While You Wait at the Chicago Artisan Market in Ravenswood at Artifact Events: Thanks to Jonathan and Lynna for having us, stay tuned to the PWYW Instagram […]

The post 74… appeared first on Kathleen Rooney.

Combine Editions
Kathleen Rooney’s books

Average rating: 3.86 · 36,892 ratings · 6,163 reviews · 35 distinct works • Similar authors

	Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk 3.84 avg rating — 32,865 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 3.97 avg rating — 2,400 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 3.88 avg rating — 602 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
	Live Nude Girl: My Life as an Object 3.97 avg rating — 179 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 — 118 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) 4.48 avg rating — 69 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 3.48 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 2005 — 4 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
	Where Are the Snows: Poems 4.53 avg rating — 32 ratings — 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

More books by Kathleen Rooney…

Kathleen is Currently Reading

Kathleen is currently reading

The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within

by Stephen Fry

bookshelves: currently-reading

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14 hours, 1 min ago

Kathleen is currently reading

The Horse

by Willy Vlautin

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Dec 15, 2025 05:20AM

Kathleen is currently reading

Driver

by Mattia Filice

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Nov 14, 2025 02:23PM

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Kathleen’s Recent Updates

Kathleen is currently reading The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within by Stephen Fry	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
14 hours, 1 min ago · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen rated a book really liked it The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity by Sarah Schulman	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
“The opposite of oppression is not freedom but also belonging. It is the construction of a listening and acting body around the suffering person that creates a context for transformation. The standard wisdom is that we can't change other people, but ...more
14 hours, 5 min ago · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity by Sarah Schulman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity by Sarah Schulman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen liked Casey's review of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk: "4 Stars Lillian Boxfish on New Years Eve 1984 takes a walk around NYC, reminiscing about her life and how things have changed over the years. This ended up being an interesting read. Lillian has a great voice. The audio book is fabulous. Lillian Boxfi" Read more of this review »
19 hours, 0 min ago · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen and 1 other person liked Melissa Fuller-Killgore's review of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk: "I enjoyed finding out that this book was loosely inspired by a real person and the historical lens of NYC, but it didn't have a plot that hooked me."
19 hours, 0 min ago · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen rated a book liked it Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki	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
"There was a close-up on Paul McCartney's dumb-looking face on the TV. He was talking in Japanese. The dub was shitty. John Lennon and the rest of them were all so short. Were the Beatles a dwarf band?" (61). "I could probably adjust to whatever sort ...more
Dec 20, 2025 12:43PM · 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 Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen liked PH's review of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk: "I’m clearly in the minority here. I should have loved this book, but I couldn’t wait for it to end. I listened and maybe should have read. I love the narrator, but struggled with the performance in this one."
Dec 18, 2025 05:24AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen is currently reading Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki	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
Dec 17, 2025 01:52PM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen is currently reading The Horse by Willy Vlautin	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
Dec 15, 2025 05:20AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Horse by Willy Vlautin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Horse by Willy Vlautin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kathleen rated a book really liked it Inspirations From Springfield Hill by Ellis Felker	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
THE IGNORANT O, what great power the ignorant have held over my destiny! (37) JENNY AND DAVE Jenny and Dave are two people in love and they stay with me in my house sometimes. My house becomes a home whenever they come. The old, oak bed which stands waiting for ...more
Dec 15, 2025 04:40AM · like · see review
Kathleen rated a book it was amazing The Hitch by Sara Levine (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
Come see us in conversation at Women & Children First on Wednesday, February 4th!
Dec 14, 2025 07:30AM · 1 like · like · see review

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

29 likes

See all Kathleen Rooney's quotes »

Polls

April Side Read Nominations ~ 1st Poll
Top 5 Books move onto final round

The Almost Sisters

by Joshilyn Jackson

10 votes, 21.3%

The Breakdown

by B.A. Paris

10 votes, 21.3%

It's Always the Husband

by Michele Campbell

7 votes, 14.9%

Beneath a Scarlet Sky

by Mark T. Sullivan

7 votes, 14.9%

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

by Kathleen Rooney

4 votes, 8.5%

The Party

by Robyn Harding

3 votes, 6.4%

All the Bright Places

by Jennifer Niven

3 votes, 6.4%

Wonderstruck

by Brian Selznick

2 votes, 4.3%

Sweet Tooth

by Ian McEwan

1 vote, 2.1%

The Map That Leads to You

by J.P. Monninger

0 votes, 0.0%

47 total votes

1 comment

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