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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: Who is Maud Dixon?
4/5 stars Who is Maud Dixon?, by Alexandra Andrews (2021) WOW this was fun. Totally entertaining! But there's also VERY little I can say...
tatedecaro
Jun 30, 20232 min read


Review: Hell Bent
3/5 stars (reluctantly) Hell Bent, by Leigh Bardugo (2023) A few years ago I read the first book in this series, Ninth House, and...
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Mar 27, 20233 min read


Review: The Death of Jane Lawrence
3/5 stars The Death of Jane Lawrence, by Caitlin Starling (2021) First 3/4 of the book - 5 stars. The final 1/4 of the book lost its way....
tatedecaro
Feb 8, 20232 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


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...
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Jun 3, 20223 min read


Review: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
3/5 stars Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore, by Matthew Sullivan (2017) TW: Suicide & murder I thought this was a really fun,...
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Mar 18, 20222 min read


Review: Chronicles of Alice series
4/5 stars Alice, Red Queen, and Looking Glass, by Christina Henry (2015, 2016, 2020) Describe Alice in 140 characters or less. Christina...
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Mar 10, 20224 min read


Review: Mouthful of Birds
2/5 stars Mouthful of Birds: Stories, by Samanta Schweblin (2009) Translated from Spanish by Megan McDowell (2019) Last year I read...
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Feb 15, 20222 min read


Review: My Sister, the Serial Killer
4/5 stars My Sister, the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite (2018) I really enjoyed this dark, morbid, thriller/crime story - not...
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Dec 29, 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...
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Nov 9, 20212 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 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: 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: Little Eyes
4/5 stars Little Eyes, by Samanta Schweblin (2018) Translated from the Spanish by Megan McDowell (2020) Little Eyes is a creepy but...
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May 2, 20211 min read


Review: The Devil & the Dark Water
3/5 stars The Devil and the Dark Water, by Stuart Turton (2020) This murder-mystery thriller has a very Sherlock & Watson vibe, and like...
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Apr 16, 20212 min read


Review: Empire of Wild
4/5 stars Empire of Wild, by Cherie Dimaline (2019) This is a really fun and unique YA fantasy/thriller... A fairytale-like story from a...
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Jan 12, 20212 min read


Review: The Five
4/5 stars The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, by Hallie Rubenhold (2019) It sounds morbid, but it's not....
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Nov 2, 20202 min read


Review: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
5/5 stars We Have Always Lived in the Castle , by Shirley Jackson  (1962) This October, in the run-up to Halloween, I've been watching...
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Oct 26, 20202 min read


Review: In the House in the Dark of the Woods
3/5 stars In the House in the Dark of the Woods, by Laird Hunt (2018) "Here be magic birds, killer swarms, tepid wells, glamor magic,...
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Aug 24, 20202 min read


Review: Ninth House
4/5 stars Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo (2019) Dark magic, secret societies at Yale with world-altering powers, murder, mystery & mayhem!...
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Jun 19, 20202 min read

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