Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
Coming Soon – The Books We’re Most Looking Forward to Reading in December 2023
November 20, 2023These are just a few of the books coming out next month that are on our radar. Are you pumped for any of these titles? What did we miss?
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the ask@AAR: Will you help us stay online?
November 17, 2023Dear fellow romance enthusiasts, Every day, thousands flock to All About Romance (AAR) to immerse themselves in the world of romance novels, engaging in reading reviews, checking out blogs, and…
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the ask@AAR: Who are the BEST best friends in romance?
November 10, 2023Few things are a greater gift than an excellent best friend. To have a Charlotte, a Ron and/or a Hermione, or an Olivia, is to experience, in the words of…
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Can you think of a series where the second book was better than the first?
November 8, 2023Yesterday, Iron Flame was released. For those who live under a social media/news rock–and that is often a GREAT place to be–this is the second book in Rebecca Yarros’ series…
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the ask@AAR: Are we reviewing what you’d like us to?
November 3, 2023According to PowerSearch, thus far in 2023, we’ve reviewed 361 books. Of these, 291 were published this year. 120 were DIKs. I broke these reviews into categories–and, remember, there’s lots…
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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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