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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 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...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
tatedecaro
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...
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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...
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Nov 22, 20231 min read


Review: The Secret Rooms
1/5 stars The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, & a Family Secret, by Catherine Bailey (2012) False...
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Nov 13, 20232 min read


The Book Thieves 2024 Line-Up
Each October my book club, The Book Thieves, meets to choose our books for the following year. This is our list for 2024 (minus the...
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Nov 9, 20233 min read


Review: Now Is Not the Time to Panic
3/5 stars Now Is Not the Time to Panic, by Kevin Wilson (2022) I've read two of Wilson's books before - Nothing to See Here, which I...
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Nov 8, 20232 min read


Review: Other Birds
4/5 stars Other Birds, by Sarah Addison Allen (2022) This book is a delight. It's somehow utterly fanciful and has its feet firmly...
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Oct 18, 20232 min read


Review: The Cat Who Saved Books
2/5 stars The Cat Who Saved Books, by Sosuke Natsukawa (2017) Translated from the Japanese by Louise Heal Kawai A 2-star book with a...
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Oct 6, 20232 min read


Review: Horse
3/5 stars Horse, by Geraldine Brooks (2022) I'm a huge Geraldine Brooks fan - one of my all-time favorite books is People of the Book -...
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Oct 1, 20233 min read

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