Books I Read Because of My Name

These days, most people like to look themselves up once in a while. I don’t care to do that since I know there’s going to be very, very little about me. I like to keep private. But I do latch onto books because of my name. I suppose you could say it’s been a weird quirk of mine since my early teen years. Once, there was only one other Katherine I knew, and she spelled her name differently. When I switched from a small private school into a much larger public school, I began to encounter other Katherines with and without the same spelling as me. It was really the first time it dawned on me that other people shared my name.

Of course, as a book lover, I started picking up books that either had a character named Katherine, or a variation of it, or was by a Katherine, whether or not the spelling was the same. And whether or not I would actually enjoy it. I still do this, but try to not consciously pick them up as much.

Since it’s almost my 34th birthday, I thought I’d share some of the books I’ve read because of my name, kind of as a tribute to my dad, who named me, otherwise Kathleen and Tin (not kidding) were in the running.

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Katherine Neville’s books

She only actually has 4 books, but they’re all incredibly detailed and span centuries of history. The way the story and history are woven together feels like magic. They’re intricate and detail-oriented, and I love how dense they are without compromising the story. I picked up one of her novels one day when I was in high school without even taking a good look at what it was about. The author had the same name as me, spelled the same way, so I felt compelled. Years later, my husband and I actually met her at a signing and she even commented on us having the same name spelled the same way!

Katharine Kerr’s books

She has so many books, but I’ve only read 3 of the Deverry ones. I lost steam when the fourth book skipped ahead in time so much. I had really fallen in love with the romance between Jill and Rhodry and the fourth book just killed it. To this day, I have zero idea how their story ended. But, while I liked the books, they weren’t really for me. I only started reading them because of the author’s name and maybe my teenage self really liked the romance. Honestly, right now, I kind of question why I picked these books up in the first place. They were magical, but also kind of meh to me.

Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind

I stopped reading these books after the eighth book because it started to sound like the author was using the books to air his own beliefs and ideas and I just wasn’t into it. The character Khalan was what drew me in. It’s probably not even close to Katherine, but I liked the K and the N in it, so picked up the first book. After that, I loved the romance between Khalan and Richard, but it soured quickly after the fourth book and the next four were a bit of a struggle to get through. When other characters started getting their own books, I drew my line and never picked up another book in the series.

The Habitation of the Blessed Catherynne M. Valente

I’ve only read The Habitation of the Blessed because I got it for free from Amazon maybe a year or two after it was published. I liked the book description, and ended up really enjoying the book as well, but mostly liked the way her name is spelled. I’ve been meaning to read more of her.

Katherine Paterson’s books

When I was in Fifth Grade, my teacher had a book corner and we were allowed to check out one book at a time. Bridge to Terabithia caught my eye, though I’m not sure if it was the title or the author’s name that did it. Since then I’ve only read one other book by her, though I spent years meaning to read more. Sadly, I aged out of her, though I still adore Bridge to Terabithia and happily still have my 20 year old copy.

Twice the Temptation by Beverley Kendall

I don’t read much romance, but it seems I can find a lot of Katherines in historical romances, especially the regency ones. Which I’m okay with since that’s my favorite time period, but I tend to lose steam with them, or get tired of the romance, so hardly ever finish them. I did read this one because the main character is Catherine and she has a twin.

The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill

Okay, her name is Kit, but Kit is a diminuative for Katherine. While reading, I liked to pretend her full name was really Katherine and that I was her. This book turned out to be my favorite fantasy read of 2020. It combined fantasy, sea adventure, a fantastical version of the Napoleonic years, regency romance, and intrigue. But it was also a quick and easy read, so kind of a perfect read for the year that was 2020. I can’t lie and say I haven’t been stalking the Internet for more information for the second book. My review

Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman

First, I really liked the book description. Since my background is in psychology, I’m intrigued by books that have to do with the brain. This one has to do with memories and amnesia and has a main character who is a neuropsychiatrist. Then I noticed the author’s name and decided it was meant to be. I ended up having a love-hate relationship with the book. My review

The Everworld books by Katherine Applegate

I only ended up reading a few of the books. They were interesting until they got really bloody and gory, so I stopped. My brother kept reading, though. I never read the Animorphs books because Old Yeller killed my ability to read books with animals for years (still have a hard time with them), so was excited to jump into her next series because she has the same name as me. Couldn’t stomach the sacrifice scene, though.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

I had read some good reviews for a couple of her other books, so, when I saw this one on NetGalley, I immediately requested it because, well, it sounded interesting and we share a name. Sadly, this book wasn’t quite for me and I haven’t built up enough courage to try another one. My review

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There are probably more books with a Katherine or by a Katherine, but these are really the ones I picked up because of the name.

Do you read books that have a character or are by an author that shares the same name as you? Or am I just weird?