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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: Dictionary of Lost Words
4/5 stars The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams (2020) For lovers of words - their history, how they're documented, and who...
tatedecaro
Jan 11, 20233 min read


Review: Murder Most Festive
4/5 stars Murder Most Festive, by Ada Moncrieff (2020) A really charming and clever murder mystery. Very British, but in a...
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Jan 4, 20232 min read


2022 in Review
After multiple years of following a personal Reading Challenge (generally including genres and subject matter that would stretch my...
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Dec 31, 20222 min read


Review: The Conductors
4/5 stars The Conductors, by Nicole Glover (2021) Husband and wife Benjy and Hetty Rhodes are escaped slaves, and former Underground...
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Dec 5, 20222 min read


Review: Magpie & Moonflower Murders
4/5 stars - Magpie Murders | 1/5 stars - Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz (2016/2020) I liked Magpie Murders a lot. Moonflower...
tatedecaro
Nov 25, 20224 min read


Review: The Book Eaters
5/5 stars The Book Eaters, by Sunyi Dean (2022) Vampires for book lovers! (with zombies too, kind of). I was planning to wait until next...
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Nov 11, 20222 min read


Review: A Cosmology of Monsters
3/5 stars A Cosmology of Monsters, by Shaun Hamill (2019) TW: mental illness, suicide, cancer, sexual assault "Noah Turner sees monsters....
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Nov 6, 20222 min read


Review: Sorrowland
3/5 stars Sorrowland, by Rivers Solomon (2021) The first 3/4 of this book were pretty masterful, in my opinion. The final 1/4 -...
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Oct 23, 20222 min read


Review: Truly Devious series
5/5 stars Truly Devious, The Vanishing Stair, The Hand on the Wall, and The Box in the Woods, by Maureen Johnson (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)...
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Oct 8, 20222 min read


Review: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
3/5 stars The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, by Axie Oh (2022) I've been in a reading funk recently, and went on Facebook to ask for...
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Sep 25, 20222 min read


Review: How High the Moon
3/5 stars How High the Moon, by Karyn Parsons (2019) It's 1943 and young Ella lives in South Carolina with her grandparents, and her...
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Sep 5, 20222 min read


Review: Patron Saints of Nothing
3/5 stars Patron Saints of Nothing, by Randy Ribay (2019) I liked this book as a YA novel - decent plot, relatable teenage characters,...
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Aug 16, 20222 min read


Review: two Sophie Hannah mysteries
2-4/5 stars - The Mystery of the Three Quarters (2018) & Woman with a Secret (2014), by Sophie Hannah 4/5 stars The Mystery of Three...
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Jul 28, 20223 min read


Review: The Liar's Dictionary
3/5 stars The Liar's Dictionary, by Eley Williams (2020) You need to love learning about language and, more specifically, the etymology...
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Jul 20, 20222 min read


Review: What Strange Paradise
5/5 stars What Strange Paradise, by Omar El Akkad (2021) Beautiful and haunting and cinematic. The narrative follows Amir Utu, a 9-year...
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Jul 7, 20222 min read


Review: Clap When You Land
5/5 stars Clap When You Land, by Elizabeth Acevedo (2020) Sixteen year old Camino Rios has grown up in the Dominican Republic (DR) with...
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Jul 1, 20221 min read


Review: Between You & Me
2/5 stars Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen, by Mary Norris (2015) There were parts of this book that were quite...
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Jun 25, 20222 min read


Are We There Yet... I made a book!
For the past year I've been working with a designer and 19 artistic friends to create a book: Are We There Yet? An Illustrated Journey of...
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Jun 23, 20221 min read


Review: Lanny
5/5 stars Lanny, by Max Porter (2019) This is such a unique, beautiful, poetic, fantastical little book. If you're a fan of poetry, a fan...
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Jun 7, 20222 min read


Reviews: Eight Perfect Murders / The Hotel Neversink
4/5 stars - Eight Perfect Murders, by Peter Swanson (2020) 3/5 stars - The Hotel Neversink, by Adam O'Fallon Price (2019) Two very good...
tatedecaro
Jun 3, 20223 min read

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