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

the ask@AAR: How’s the discussion here working out for you?

the ask@AAR: How’s the discussion here working out for you?

October 2, 2020

One of the great joys of 2020 has been the tenor, complexity, and abundance of the conversations here at AAR.  We’ve had so many excellent, interesting, and, yes, feisty discussions…

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the ask@AAR: What romance takes you to a far away place?

the ask@AAR: What romance takes you to a far away place?

September 25, 2020

I’ve just finished my annual re-read of Meredith Duran’s debut The Duke of Shadows. The first part is set in India during the ill-fated rebellion of 1857. The rebellion began…

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the ask@AAR: What American romances have given you a strong sense of place?

the ask@AAR: What American romances have given you a strong sense of place?

September 18, 2020

Right now, three of my four children are driving across America, taking ten days to go from the East Coast to the West. One of them is moving to take…

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the ask@AAR: How do you feel about politics in fiction?

the ask@AAR: How do you feel about politics in fiction?

September 11, 2020

I just finished reading two books, Maria Vale’s Season of the Wolf and Carl Hiaasen’s Squeeze Me. Both made me think about the role of politics in fiction. In Vale’s…

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Inspire desire with ‘the good bits’ from great books  By Siobhan Fitzgerald, co-founder, thegoodbits.com

Inspire desire with ‘the good bits’ from great books By Siobhan Fitzgerald, co-founder, thegoodbits.com

September 9, 2020

Romance readers have long known the power of the erotic to awaken desire—but for the uninitiated it can be a shock. Imagine reading, or listening to, Sierra Simone’s Priest for…

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Wolves, the Wild, and the Other: An Interview (and giveaway) with Maria Vale

Wolves, the Wild, and the Other: An Interview (and giveaway) with Maria Vale

September 8, 2020

I’m not drawn usually to shapeshifter stories but the rave reviews at AAR for Maria Vale’s series, The Legend of All Wolves, convinced me to read book one, The Last…

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Keeping Time: a Guest Post by Alexandra Y. Caluen

Keeping Time: a Guest Post by Alexandra Y. Caluen

September 6, 2020

There’s a group on Facebook for self-published authors that I follow, and recently there was a discussion about a crowd of Amazon reviewers who piled on to criticize an author…

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the ask@AAR: What’s your idea of a romantic meal?

the ask@AAR: What’s your idea of a romantic meal?

September 4, 2020

Yesterday was my–gasp–32nd anniversary and to celebrate Dr. Feelgood and I ordered takeout pizza from a place that specializes in Roman inspired thin, crunchy crust pizza. I made us each…

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The Wayback on Wednesday: Adele Ashworth on her Virgin Widow

The Wayback on Wednesday: Adele Ashworth on her Virgin Widow

September 2, 2020

Adele Ashworth on her Virgin Widow I’ve been reading romance novels for a long time. A long time. Now, it’s true that for the first twenty-five years or so of…

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the ask@AAR is, today, an answer! Here’s what you’ve read and loved in 2020.

the ask@AAR is, today, an answer! Here’s what you’ve read and loved in 2020.

August 28, 2020

Earlier this week, we asked you what you’d read and loved this year. Over 50 of you filled out our survey–thank you!–and the results were varied. And while it’s a…

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It’s Monday… we have questions.

It’s Monday… we have questions.

August 24, 2020

We’re, we hate to say it, getting a little bored. We really miss going out and doing stuff. Like you, we keep sane, in part, with reading. And we could…

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the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite audiobook?

the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite audiobook?

August 21, 2020

I’ve always been an audiobook listener and, wow, has that market exploded. There are so many great choices now–I find myself overwhelmed when I go to Audible and try and…

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