Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
the AAR Top 100 Romances (2026)
March 20, 2026looks like a canon to me–more on that later
Read Article
The AAR Top 100 Romances Poll (2026)
March 20, 2026The votes are in and the romance novels AAR readers have chosen as the Top 100 Romances are set. This is a reader generated list. The list is in alphabetical…
Read Article
Reading poetry in bed
March 19, 2026it’s better than a gummy
Read Article
The Top Ten Romances in our Top 100 Romance Poll
March 16, 2026Thank you to all who voted in the AAR Top 100 Romances poll. This is a reader determined poll and we are thrilled so many participated. Later this week, we…
Read Article
The Incredible Shrinking Star
March 14, 2026thin is in and that’s not good
Read Article
The Kids on the Lawn
March 8, 2026when beer is better with toddlers
Read Article
Let’s hear it for sex.
March 6, 2026Mind the gap(s)? No thanks.
Read Article
How dare you call us a drunkship?!?!?
March 1, 2026and, yes, I’m definitely impatient
Read Article
Politics alone do not a villain make
February 27, 2026ideology is not character development
Read Article
All About Romance wants to know: What are the top 100 romances of all time?
February 26, 2026we’d love it if you’d take our survey
Read Article
What are the Top 100 Romance Novels of All Time?
February 26, 2026Since 1998, AAR has done seven Top 100 Romances polls. (You can see the first six here and the last one, done in 2018, here.) It is, we would be…
Read Article
Seeing stars
February 24, 2026stellar first times
Read ArticleLatest from 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
Prestige TV rediscovers the joy of family and friends
sappy for the win–really
Read on Substack