Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
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…
Read Article
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…
Read Article
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…
Read Article
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…
Read Article
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…
Read Article
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…
Read Article
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…
Read Article
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…
Read Article
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…
Read Article
What’s your favorite opposites attract romance?
May 2, 2022A while back, a friend who doesn’t didn’t read romance asked me to recommend a historical romance. I suggested Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm. I ran into her this…
Read Article
the ask@AAR: Who’s your favorite family in romance?
April 29, 2022One of the great things about all those Bridgertons–besides more fodder for Netflix seasons–is that Violet and her children are a fun brood to read about/watch. One of my favorite…
Read Article
High concept TV is…?
April 25, 2022I am three episodes into HBOMax’s mini-series, Station Eleven, based on the award winning and best selling novel by Emily St. John Mandel. I haven’t read the book, which, I…
Read Article
