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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 Ocean at the End of the Lane
5/5 stars The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman (2013) "Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside,...
tatedecaro
Dec 13, 20212 min read


Review: Where the Dead Sit Talking
2/5 stars Where the Dead Sit Talking, by Brandon Hobson (2018) TW: Drugs, suicide, sexual identity, violence against women This is a dark...
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Nov 17, 20212 min read


Review: Into the Water
2/5 stars Into the Water, by Paula Hawkins (2017) This is one of those 4-stars-while-reading, 2-stars-when-done kind of books. It is...
tatedecaro
Nov 9, 20212 min read


Review: Conjure Women
3/5 stars Conjure Women, by Afia Atakora (2020) An impressive debut of historical fiction, the book is set on a large plantation in the...
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Oct 12, 20212 min read


The Book Thieves 2022 Line-Up
My book club, The Book Thieves, met last night to choose all of our books for 2022, and I'm excited to share the list! If anyone is...
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Oct 8, 20214 min read


Review: If We Were Villains
3/5 stars If We Were Villains, by M.L. Rio (2017) A murder mystery for fans of Shakespeare! It's a very dramatic, literary, theatrical...
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Oct 1, 20212 min read


Review: The Kingdoms
4/5 stars The Kingdoms, by Natasha Pulley (2021) Kingdoms is a very cool and complex Victorian-era/Georgian-era time travel book of...
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Sep 24, 20212 min read


Review: Detransition, Baby
3/5 stars Detransition, Baby, by Torrey Peters (2021) TW: Trans- and Homophobia, Miscarriage/Abortion, Suicide, Sexual Content & Violence...
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Sep 12, 20212 min read


Review: Nights When Nothing Happened
3/5 stars Nights When Nothing Happened, by Simon Han (2020) This book is a slow, ponderous burn. I found myself feeling distracted at...
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Sep 3, 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...
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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: 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...
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May 25, 20212 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...
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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

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