top of page
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.

Home: Welcome
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.
Search


Review: Black Star
4/5 stars Black Star , by Kwame Alexander (2024) TW: Racism, KKK activity, reference to a lynching This is a sequel to The Door of No...
tatedecaro
Feb 52 min read
24 views
0 comments


Review: A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
4/5 stars A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking , by T. Kingfisher (2020) “Death by sourdough starter. Not a good way to go.” This book...
tatedecaro
Dec 12, 20242 min read
27 views
0 comments


Review: Absolutely Truly
2/5 stars Absolutely Truly , by Heather Vogel Frederick (2014) This is a fun YA novel set in the fictional little town of Pumpkin Falls,...
tatedecaro
Nov 26, 20242 min read
22 views
0 comments


Review: Wayward Children series
3/5 stars Every Heart a Doorway , Down Among the Sticks & Bones , and Come Tumbling Down , by Seannan McGuire (2016, 2017, 2020) There...
tatedecaro
Nov 1, 20244 min read
26 views
0 comments


Review: What the River Knows
1/5 stars What the River Knows , by Isabel Ibañez (2023) TW: Normalized alcoholism I feel like I can't really top the GoodReads review I...
tatedecaro
Aug 15, 20244 min read
335 views
1 comment


Review: Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
3/5 stars Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, by Gabrielle Zevin (2007) Naomi would be your typical high school kid, except that she hit her...
tatedecaro
Jun 18, 20242 min read
17 views
0 comments


Review: The Door of No Return
5/5 The Door of No Return, by Kwame Alexander (2022) TW: Violence, descriptions of the slave trade, mention of rape “Black history began...
tatedecaro
Jun 5, 20242 min read
44 views
0 comments


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
26 views
0 comments


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
1,754 views
0 comments


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
75 views
0 comments


Review: Genuine Fraud
2/5 stars Genuine Fraud, by E. Lockhart (2017) I could keep this super simple and just say: If you have read or watched The Talented Mr....
tatedecaro
Aug 26, 20231 min read
89 views
0 comments


Review: The Girl Who Drank the Moon
3/5 stars The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill (2016) This is written in the style of a classic fairy tale, complete with...
tatedecaro
Aug 21, 20232 min read
46 views
0 comments


Review: Wrecked
3/5 stars Wrecked, by Heather Henson (2022) TW: Descriptions of drug manufacturing, use, and addiction Full disclosure - I have a...
tatedecaro
Jul 30, 20233 min read
141 views
0 comments


Review: Ghost Boys
3/5 stars Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes (2018) TW: gun violence, fatal police brutality, mention of lynching This is a middle-grade...
tatedecaro
May 23, 20231 min read
134 views
0 comments


Review The Inheritance Games series
3/5 stars The Inheritance Games (2020), The Hawthorne Legacy (2021), and The Final Gambit (2022), by Jennifer Lynn Barnes I'll be...
tatedecaro
May 15, 20233 min read
1,286 views
0 comments


Review: Code Name Verity series
3-5/5 stars Code Name Verity (2012), Rose Under Fire (2013), The Pearl Thief (2017), and The Enigma Game (2020), by Elizabeth Wein I had...
tatedecaro
Jan 21, 20236 min read
163 views
0 comments


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)...
tatedecaro
Oct 8, 20222 min read
824 views
0 comments


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...
tatedecaro
Sep 25, 20222 min read
213 views
0 comments


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...
tatedecaro
Sep 5, 20222 min read
165 views
0 comments


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,...
tatedecaro
Aug 16, 20222 min read
237 views
0 comments

Home: Contact
Home: Subscribe
bottom of page