Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
the ask@AAR: Have conversations at AAR changed over time?
July 5, 2024Last week’s ask column irked many. One reader emailed me to tell me I was off base in my comments, another cancelled her financial support of AAR, and several others…
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the ask@AAR: Do authors owe readers a safe space?
June 28, 2024Right now, Dennis Lehane’s incredible Small Mercies is on sale. Set in Boston in the summer of 1974 and focused on the city’s violent response to the forced integration of…
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What have you been reading? Watching?
June 24, 2024I have, for the past two months, been reading Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August. This, dear readers, is astonishing. And I’m not talking about the book although it is…
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the ask@AAR: Has ebook pricing changed lately?
June 21, 2024I’m pretty upfront about how terrible I believe Amazon and Kindle Unlimited are for authors and the book industry writ large. It’s not just me–the web is full of stories…
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the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite STEM based romance?
June 14, 2024Yesterday we reviewed–and loved–the latest by Ali Hazelwood who is one of the doyens of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) romance. I think she might be the first author…
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the ask@AAR: What do you think of AI now?
June 7, 2024I wrote about AI and its writing prowess over a year ago in this column. Many of those of you who commented then felt that ChatGPT’s writing was soulless and…
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I need a new TV show… what do you recommend?
June 3, 2024Dr. Feelgood and I have been watching Fargo–the TV show, not the iconic film–and, midway into season three, I think we’re done. The first two seasons were wildly violent but…
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the ask@AAR: Did you hear the latest about RWA?
May 31, 2024At one point in time, RWA (Romance Writers of America) was the envy of other genre writers. With over 10,000 members, a robust conference, and courses and tools for published…
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Birth control bummers
May 27, 2024I just finished a contemporary romance that has lots going for it. It’s oftentimes hilarious, it has an appealing himbo hero, and an interesting locale. On those merits, I’d give…
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the ask@AAR: What’s up at AAR?
May 24, 2024Well… a lot, actually! For starters, the annoying ads are generating much needed revenue for us. I am deeply appreciative you guys are putting up with them. Thank you! We’ve…
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the ask@AAR: Are we harder on authors we’ve loved before?
May 17, 2024Last night, as I was tried to fall asleep, I was distracted. I was, I realized, irate. I’d just stayed up past my bedtime reading a book by an author…
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You guys really love historical romance!
May 13, 2024We will be launching our poll for the 2024 AAR Top 100 Romances list later this week. There will be 200 books to choose from, taken from a combination of…
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Sometimes a name is just a name
on offense, accommodation, and the value of getting the facts right
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A Novel Is Not a Safe Space
Books are allowed to offend you. You are allowed to close them. Everybody survives.
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Prestige TV rediscovers the joy of family and friends
sappy for the win–really
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