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A New York Tate of Mind
A New York Tate of Mind
In which this reader and explorer reviews books, muses on literary (and other) matters, and shares some of her adventures.

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My 1-5 rating system:
1 = I did not like it and would not recommend it.
2= It was fine. Read it if the subject matter interests you.
3 = I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
4 = I really liked it, and think you should read it!
5 = One of the best books I've read.
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Review: Prison Diary of Ho Chi Minh
3/5 stars The Prison Diary of Ho Chi Minh, by Ho Chi Minh (1943) Translated from the Vietnamese by Aileen Palmer My mom is going through...
tatedecaro
Aug 20, 20212 min read


Review: Long Division
2/5 stars Long Division, by Kiese Laymon (2013) This one's a thinker. The book is two separate but very intertwined stories. One starts...
tatedecaro
Aug 6, 20212 min read


Review: The Glass Hotel
2/5 stars The Glass Hotel, by Emily St. John Mandel (2020) Meh. I don't get it. This was a disappointing read because Mandel's book...
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Jul 22, 20212 min read


Review: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
5/5 stars The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton (2018) I enjoyed this book SO MUCH! It is as thrilling as it is confusing,...
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Jul 21, 20213 min read


Review: Love in Color: Mythical Tales
2/5 stars Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold, by Bolu Babalola A collection of folktales retold with a modern...
tatedecaro
Jul 15, 20212 min read


Review: Turtles All the Way Down
4/5 stars Turtles All the Way Down, by John Green (2017) TW: Anxiety, OCD, Mental Illness, Death of a Parent “In three words, I can sum...
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Jul 12, 20212 min read


Review: Once Upon a River
3/5 stars Once Upon a River, by Diane Setterfield (2018) This book is a mythical fairy tale of magical realism. Suspenseful at times,...
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Jun 30, 20212 min read


Review: Southern Reach Trilogy
3/5 stars overall Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation, Authority, & Acceptance, by Jeff Vandermeer (2014) Rating this was tough because...
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Jun 25, 20213 min read


Review: The Anthropocene Reviewed
5/5 stars The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, by John Green (2021) I first came to The Anthropocene Reviewed...
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Jun 10, 20213 min read


Review: Home Fire
4/5 stars Home Fire, by Kamila Shamsie (2017) To say this book is based loosely on the Sophocles play Antigone makes it sound loftier...
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Jun 2, 20212 min read


Review: Homegoing / Transcendent Kingdom
3-5/5 stars - Homegoing (2016) & Transcendent Kingdom (2020), by Yaa Gyasi I just finished reading Transcendent Kingdom, and realized...
tatedecaro
May 25, 20212 min read


Review: Vulnerability is my Superpower
5/5 stars Vulnerability is my Superpower: An Underpants and Overbites Collection, by Jackie Davis (2021) Listen, I feel like no one...
tatedecaro
May 21, 20213 min read


Review: Red at the Bone
4/5 stars Red at the Bone, by Jacqueline Woodson (2019) Sometimes it seems much more challenging to write a review of a book I loved than...
tatedecaro
May 13, 20212 min read


Review: The Near Witch
3/5 stars The Near Witch, by V.E. Schwab (2011) This is Schwab's first novel, originally published in 2011, then republished in 2019...
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May 6, 20212 min read


Review: Little Eyes
4/5 stars Little Eyes, by Samanta Schweblin (2018) Translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell (2020) Little Eyes is a creepy but...
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May 2, 20211 min read


Review: The Ladies of Grace Adieu
3/5 stars The Ladies of Grace Adieu, and Other Stories, by Susanna Clark (2006) Favorite quote from the book: “The governess was not much...
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Apr 26, 20212 min read


Review: Such a Fun Age
2/5 stars Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid (2019) This is a tough one to review. I think the premise is interesting and important......
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Apr 21, 20212 min read


Review: The Devil & the Dark Water
3/5 stars The Devil and the Dark Water, by Stuart Turton (2020) This murder-mystery thriller has a very Sherlock & Watson vibe, and like...
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Apr 16, 20212 min read


Review: Gods of Jade & Shadow
2/5 stars Gods of Jade and Shadow, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (2019) This book is set in the 1920's in Mexico, but mostly it draws on...
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Apr 8, 20212 min read


Review: The Museum of Whales You Will Never See
3/5 stars The Museum of Whales You Will Never See, and Other Excursions to Iceland's Most Unusual Museums, by A. Kendra Greene (2020) On...
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Apr 3, 20212 min read

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