Essays & Musings

What We’ve Been Thinking About

Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.

the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite age gap love story?

the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite age gap love story?

July 21, 2023

We have 113 books tagged as age gap romances. 61 one of them are DIKs. They are, in general, not my jam. (That said, I adore What I Did for…

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the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite workplace romance?

the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite workplace romance?

July 14, 2023

Yeah, yeah, yeah–I am aware that there are, for many, problematic consent issues around workplace romances. And yet…. I do sort of love a boss/employee, coworkers in love, romance. Rachel…

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How to make 4% count.

How to make 4% count.

July 10, 2023

This week is the dreaded much anticipated Amazon Prime Day. For two days, Amazon discounts all sorts of stuff and people buy and buy. Well, that’s how I see it….

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the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite Marriage of Convenience romance?

the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite Marriage of Convenience romance?

July 7, 2023

One of my very favorite tropes is the marriage of convenience love story. It’s a common one in romance, perhaps more so in historicals–we have 85 books tagged as such…

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the ask@AAR: What are the best romances set in Ireland and Scotland?

the ask@AAR: What are the best romances set in Ireland and Scotland?

June 30, 2023

This September, I will be traveling for the first time to Ireland and Scotland. And while I am extremely anxious about having to drive there–it’s the wrong side of the…

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the ask@AAR: What love stories do fertility, abortion, and adoption well?

the ask@AAR: What love stories do fertility, abortion, and adoption well?

June 23, 2023

Babies and the decision to have or not to have them are part of every human’s life in some way. But in romance, the way having children or not having…

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What are you excited about watching this summer?

What are you excited about watching this summer?

June 19, 2023

It’s summertime and the watching is… what? It used to be that there was nothing on in the summer. Streaming has changed all that. (Although, as far as I’m concerned,…

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the ask@AAR: Does anyone write multiple books a year well?

the ask@AAR: Does anyone write multiple books a year well?

June 16, 2023

In a comment she wrote on my recent review of Sarina Bowen’s Good As Gold, Caroline wrote: When I look at Bowen’s output, it doesn’t surprise me that the quality…

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the ask@AAR: Read any glorious books lately?

the ask@AAR: Read any glorious books lately?

June 9, 2023

I have been on a truly splendiferous reading run lately. In the past three months, I have read eight books I’ve given flat out As to–or five stars on Goodreads–and…

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Kristan Higgins talks about adoption, family, and why romance and women’s fiction aren’t that different

Kristan Higgins talks about adoption, family, and why romance and women’s fiction aren’t that different

June 6, 2023

Dabney: Kristan, thank you so much for talking to me. I’ve loved so many of your books–thank you for all the joy you put into the world! One of your…

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the ask@AAR: If you could pick five romance novels could change haters’ minds about romance, what would they be?

the ask@AAR: If you could pick five romance novels could change haters’ minds about romance, what would they be?

June 2, 2023

I’ve been asked, by friend who runs a few newspapers, to write a column about what are five romances that would change haters’ opinions about the genre. Whew. Tough gig….

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An interview with Erin Langston

An interview with Erin Langston

May 29, 2023

I loved Langston’s novel, Forever Your Rogue. After reading it, I really wanted to know HOW she’d written this superb historical novel. I’m thrilled she agreed to answer my questions….

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What We’ve Been Thinking About

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