reviews By dabney

The PassionateReader

I write book reviews–known for romance, truly adore mysteries, everything is interesting to me. I also write on cultural issues and usually end up making many mad. All opinions are most definitely my own.

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My Antonia by Willa Cather

Willa Cather

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LATEST REVIEWS

What we’ve been reading

My Antonia by Willa Cather

Somehow I’d never read Willa Cather’s My Ántonia. Fortunately, it was my read and be happy book club’s choice this month. Now I know why the book is so famous:…

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Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment opens with a terrific premise. After an irksome delay on a flight from Hobart to Sydney, a middle-aged woman rises from her seat, walks the…

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And The Crowd Went Wild by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Dabney: Susan Elizabeth Phillips published her first Chicago Stars book, It Had to Be You, in 1994. The book, featuring a tall, rugged football coach named Dan and a curvy…

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Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore is one of my favorite reads of the last few years. It is the third of three books by McConaghy; Once There Were Wolves is…

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LATEST BLOGS

What we’ve been thinking about

Parsing the Polls

March 25, 2026

I have been going over the data from all of AAR’s Top 100 Romance polls. My goal is to get a sense of what romances readers have most loved overy…

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The AAR Top 100 Romances Poll (2026)

March 20, 2026

The votes are in and the romance novels AAR readers have chosen as the Top 100 Romances are set. This is a reader generated list. The list is in alphabetical…

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The Top Ten Romances in our Top 100 Romance Poll

March 16, 2026

Thank you to all who voted in the AAR Top 100 Romances poll. This is a reader determined poll and we are thrilled so many participated. Later this week, we…

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