Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
Celebrating Emma Holly
June 19, 2022AAR was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Emma Holly, who was a trailblazer of erotic romance. For writers and readers alike, her books expanded the definition of…
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the ask@AAR: What was the last book you bought?
June 17, 2022I don’t buy a lot of books–I am the romance reader version of Billy Mack: I became the Publisher of AAR and now they give them to me for free!…
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Whatcha reading?
June 13, 2022I read two to three books a week.. Goodreads tells me that this year I’ve read 45 books–this is probably low as I don’t keep track of re-reads. I’ve tried…
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Blast from the Past: Mr. Darcy: Douchebag or Dreamboat?
June 12, 2022originally posted on July 14, 2014 Welcome to the AAR “Douchebag or Dreamboat” series, in which AAR staffers take famous literary heroes to trial for perceived slights, misdemeanors and otherwise…
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the ask@AAR: Are we reviewing the books that interest you?
June 10, 2022A recent comment at AAR made me wonder, for the thousandth time, if AAR reviews the novels our readers are interested in. My very cursory assessment of this year’s reviews…
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the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite Romeo/Juliet love story?
June 3, 2022I’ve spent the last eight days traveling around the Mediterranean and, everywhere I go, the stories of past and present ethnic/spiritual/cultural tensions between nations and cultures surround me. I’ve listened…
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The love stories of others
May 30, 2022I’m on a cruise where, at 61, I’m relatively young. One of the things that has been lovely–besides all the stunning views–is hearing the love stories and meet cutes of…
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the ask@AAR: Why have there been so few Steals and Deals lately?
May 27, 2022You may have noticed that there’ve been very few Steals and Deals posted in the past week. Blame me. I am taking a long awaited vacation and have been trying…
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the ask@AAR: What’s the greatest work of art you’ve ever seen?
May 20, 2022Yeah, yeah, I know. This is not a romance topic. BUT. I am on vacation with Dr. Feelgood and we spent some time today in the British Museum where we…
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the ask@AAR: What series have the worst endings?
May 13, 2022Dr. Feelgood and I just watched the final half season of Ozark, something I’d been wildly looking forward to, and it was a serious let down. I didn’t like hardly…
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Will authors keep their e-books alive?
May 11, 2022Disclaimer: I am not an author and have only a generalized sense of what is involved in regaining the rights to one’s work. I keep, at Amazon, lists of books…
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the ask@AAR: What issues matter to you in elections?
May 6, 2022I’ve been reading endless articles about whether or not and, if so, how the probable overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States could influence the 2022 midterms and…
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