The Journal
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Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
A Love Letter: A Guest Post by Jennifer Donnelly
October 30, 2023You might say that my newest story, Molly’s Letter, is a romance. But it might be more accurate to call it a love letter. To my readers. Who are, after…
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the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite medieval romance?
October 27, 2023I just reread Madeline Hunter’s marvelous By Possession. (It, like all her Medievals, is no longer available as an ebook, something I hope changes.) I loved the immersion in a…
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the ask@AAR: What are some great romances that are overtly political?
October 20, 2023Let’s be clear: Wars cause harm. Novels do not. Literature may raise uncomfortable questions or explore unpopular viewpoints or establish reasons to empathize with a character a reader might otherwise…
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the ask@AAR: What do we think about Loretta Chase?
October 13, 2023OK, my answer to today’s ask is: “Why can’t there be more Ms. Chases?” I am a serious fan as are many AAR reviewers and readers. We’ve reviewed her 25…
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There’s good news and bad news about romance authors’ incomes
October 9, 2023In September, the Authors Guild, in collaboration with 36 other organizations, conducted an extensive survey on author income in the United States. This study involved 5,699 published authors and emcompassed…
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the ask@AAR: Wanna make some recommendations for the AAR Top 100 poll?
October 6, 2023The AAR Top 100 Poll has always been a readers’ poll. It’s not a list of what AAR staffers, critics, libraries, or the media thinks are the Top 100 romance…
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I can’t believe there are penises trending on Max…..
October 2, 2023Last week, the Washington Post had an in depth article about the British show Naked Attraction. I was startled to read that the show: The U.S. trailer asks viewers: “What…
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the ask@AAR: What five books would you include in the AAR top 100 poll?
September 29, 2023I’ve been thinking, with some reluctance, given the challenges we faced in doing our last AAR Top 100 poll, about how we might do a new one. I’ve thought about…
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the ask@AAR: What is the best historical fiction you’ve read lately?
September 22, 2023I cannot stop raving about The Frozen River, Ariel Lawson’s upcoming book. I can’t wait for youall to be able to read it. It is the best historical fiction I’ve…
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the ask@AAR: What do you think about our new site?
September 8, 2023Welcome to the new All About Romance! We’ve changed our Home page, added a way for you to keep track of the books you love–Bookmarks–and improved our backend coding. We…
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the ask@AAR: Have you seen Barbie and what did you think?
August 25, 2023I finally saw Barbie last week in a funky little theater in Asheville, North Carolina. My daughter and I took in an afternoon show and the theater was almost empty–it…
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Are these movies better than the books? I think so! Do you?
August 23, 2023Gone with the Wind The Godfather Jaws The English Patient Little Women (2019) The Notebook Stardust What, you ask, are these? Movie adaptations that are better–in some cases, much better–than…
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