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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: The Salt Grows Heavy
4/5 stars The Salt Grows Heavy, by Cassandra Khaw (2023) A mermaid with no tongue, who's run away from her prince husband, leaving behind...
tatedecaro
Apr 18, 20242 min read


Review: We Are Not Like Them
3/5 stars We Are Not Like Them, by Christine Pride & Jo Piazza (2021) Christine Pride, a Black editor, and Jo Piazza, a white author,...
tatedecaro
Apr 15, 20242 min read


Review: When We Were Sisters
3/5 stars When We Were Sisters, by Fatimah Asghar (2022) Asghar is a poet, and this book reflects that, as it is written in short bursts...
tatedecaro
Apr 11, 20242 min read


Review: Night Wherever We Go
4/5 stars Night Wherever We Go, by Tracey Rose Peyton (2023) (I'm running way behind on posts, so you may get three notifications in...
tatedecaro
Apr 11, 20242 min read


Review: The Parliament
4/5 stars The Parliament, by Aimee Pokwatka (2024) "First it was one girl, then a second joined in. It felt good to scream - little girls...
tatedecaro
Mar 14, 20242 min read


Review: Our Hideous Progeny
3/5 stars (ish) Our Hideous Progeny, by C.E. McGill (2023) If I did half stars this would be a 2.5, but I'm rounding up to 3 because this...
tatedecaro
Mar 8, 20242 min read


Review: The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley
3/5 stars The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley, by Sean Lusk (2022) Zachary is born in London in 1754 to Abel Cloudesley, a renowned...
tatedecaro
Mar 3, 20242 min read


Review: Sea of Tranquility
2/5 stars Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel (2022) Oh, Emily. How I adored Station Eleven - which I just read for a second...
tatedecaro
Feb 26, 20244 min read


Review: When Women Were Dragons
2/5 stars When Women Were Dragons, by Kelly Barnhill (2022) This would have been a fantastic short story! Like, really compelling and fun...
tatedecaro
Feb 25, 20242 min read


Review: Gallant
3/5 stars Gallant, by V.E. Schwab (2022) I really love the worlds that V.E. Schwab creates - while also recognizing that all of her plots...
tatedecaro
Feb 19, 20242 min read


Review: Ink Blood Sister Scribe
5/5 stars Ink Blood Sister Scribe, by Emma Törzs (2023) Fabulous. So fun! This is a fantasy-thriller with gothic libraries filled with...
tatedecaro
Feb 10, 20242 min read


Review: Arc of a Scythe series
4/5 stars Scythe, Thunderhead, & The Toll, by Neal Shusterman (2016, 2018, 2019) I'm going to start with a review of only the first book,...
tatedecaro
Jan 28, 20244 min read


The Final 40
In May of 2023 I wrote a poem using the titles of the first 30 books I read that year, and called it The First 30. Well, now here is The...
tatedecaro
Jan 25, 20244 min read


Review: Babel
2/5 stars Babel, by R.F. Kuang (2022) Oh, gosh. I dunno, guys. Am I just too weirdly picky about books? Or does the hype get me too...
tatedecaro
Jan 16, 20243 min read


2023 Books in Review
Totally baffled as to how I managed to read more this year than any other year, including those couple of pandemic years where I was just...
tatedecaro
Dec 30, 20232 min read


Review: Alias Emma
3/5 stars Alias Emma, by Ava Glass (2022) This is my version of a "beach read" - a fun, page-turning spy-thriller with a kick-ass woman...
tatedecaro
Dec 30, 20232 min read


Review: The Fragile Threads of Power
4/5 stars The Fragile Threads of Power, by V.E. Schwab (2023) Spoiler Alert: If you have not read the Darker Shades of Magic series by...
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Dec 23, 20232 min read


Review: The House Keepers
3/5 stars The House Keepers, by Alex Hay (2023) A daring heist! Revenge of the housekeepers! Deception and deceit in fancy dresses! This...
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Dec 7, 20232 min read


Review: The Sun Is Also a Star
2/5 stars The Sun Is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon First off, here is a video about how the book beautiful cover art was created: Book...
tatedecaro
Nov 23, 20232 min read


Review: Night of the Living Rez
3/5 stars Night of the Living Rez, by Morgan Talty (2022) TW: Drug & alcohol abuse These 12 interconnected stories follow a modern-day...
tatedecaro
Nov 22, 20231 min read

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