Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
the ask@AAR: If you could pick five romance novels could change haters’ minds about romance, what would they be?
June 2, 2023I’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….
Read Article
An interview with Erin Langston
May 29, 2023I 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….
Read Article
the ask@AAR: What’s the point of an honest book review?
May 26, 2023I had a disheartening experience this week. There’s an author AAR has reviewed 13 times in the past six years. In that time, we’ve given her work three As, three…
Read Article
the ask@AAR: What are some of your favorite romances featuring artists?
May 19, 2023It feels to me as though I’ve read many a romance where the lead or leads are writers or musicians but nowhere nearly as many featuring heroes and heroines who…
Read Article
the ask@AAR: What are your stories about the kindness of others?
May 12, 2023When I think of Tennessee Williams, I think of A Streetcar Named Desire (the movie) and, in my head, I hear Vivian Leigh saying, “I have always depended on the…
Read Article
the ask@AAR: Is social media dead?
May 5, 2023I’ve never been a fan of Twitter but, for years, it was a place I’d go to for news about romance and politics. No more. The new design is chaotic,…
Read Article
the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite country to visit?
April 28, 2023To celebrate retirement–Dr. Feelgood’s–the two of us are on a three week trip through Europe. We are currently in Italy exploring, for two days, Lake Como. After this, we’ll travel…
Read Article
the ask@AAR: What era had the best clothes?
April 21, 2023Dr. Feelgood and I are watching Daisy Jones and the Six. The fashion is on point–Riley Keough (Elvis’ granddaughter!) can rock macramé like a goddess. Unsurprisingly, the show has inspired…
Read Article
The Perennial Question of the Bad Boy Hero
April 17, 2023Over the years, we’ve published many a piece about Bad Boys. I wrote one nine years ago about being over bad boys (this proved to be a lie), there’s one…
Read Article
the ask@AAR: Are 50 Shades of Grey or Twilight dangerous?
April 14, 2023A friend of mine recently sent me an article entitled Why Bestselling Romance Author Colleen Hoover Is Receiving Backlash. In it, the author writes: I know what some people might…
Read Article
Chatting with Maya Rodale about Dangerous Books for Girls v.2
April 10, 2023In 2015, I interviewed Maya Rodale about her fabulous book, Dangerous Books for Girls. (You can read the interview here.) Maya has updated the book and we sat down (via…
Read Article
the ask@AAR: Are there traits you hate?
April 7, 2023In a recent discussion about Barbara Cartland, several readers bemoaned her incessantly giving her heroines heart shaped faces and small hands. The latter feature is, I’ve since noticed, quite common…
Read ArticleLatest from Substack
What Should Surrogacy Require?
There are no rules. Maybe there should be.
Read on Substack
Sometimes a name is just a name
on offense, accommodation, and the value of getting the facts right
Read on Substack
A Novel Is Not a Safe Space
Books are allowed to offend you. You are allowed to close them. Everybody survives.
Read on Substack