Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
The Best of 2019–Dabney’s List
January 22, 2020Like many an AAR reader, I was a child repeatedly decried as “lost in a book.” I am a swift reader and, while growing up, read a book every two…
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the ask@AAR: Why do YOU read romance?
January 17, 2020A recent article in the Washington Post was titled Reading will supposedly make you a better person. That’s not the real reason to pick up a book. In it, the…
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the ask@AAR: Who’s your favorite couple (of all time) in romance?
January 10, 2020Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman. Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser. Stella Lane and Michael Phan. Naledi Smith and Thabiso Moshoeshoe. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Dominic Frey and Silas Mason. Just to name a few….
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the ask@AAR: What was THE BEST in 2019?
January 3, 2020AAR no longer has the manpower to run our annual reader poll but we still want to know what you think! So, give us your 2019 choices for: Best romance…
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the ask@AAR: Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing in Romance–What are your thoughts?
December 20, 2019It’s damn difficult to get numbers on what percentage of romance novels are self-published or traditionally published. One site, looking at Kindle sales only, posits these numbers:
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Junkyard Dog: An Author’s Thoughts and a Giveaway!
December 15, 2019Joshua Tree National Park Ranger Charlotte arrives on the scene of a car accident caused by a large dog tearing across the road. The third sighting of the animal in…
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the ask@AAR: Who’s your favorite heroine in romance?
December 13, 2019In 2006 we also did a minipoll on favorite heroines in romance. Then, readers picked, in order, Jessica Trent from The Lord of Scoundrels, Eve Dallas from the In Death…
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the ask@AAR: Who’s your favorite hero in romance?
December 6, 2019Back in 2006 (!) we did a minipoll on favorite heroes in romance. 13 years ago, AAR readers picked, in order, Roark (In Death series), Jamie Fraser (Outlander series), Sebastian…
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Dabney’s Holiday Gift Giving Guide 2019
December 1, 2019It’s that time of year again. Whether you’re trying to find the perfect item for the office holiday party gift exchange (I recommend this.) or you’re overwhelmed with our world…
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the ask@AAR: What’s the best/most interesting thing you’ve ever learned from a romance novel?
November 29, 2019Yesterday, in the States, many of us joined friends and family for Thanksgiving. I host my large family every year and am usually too frenetic to be thankful for much…
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the ask@AAR: What review did we get utterly wrong?
November 22, 2019AAR readers routinely tell us they disagree with our takes on books. Over the years we’ve been told: I don’t agree with how critical and one sided you were of…
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Why Disabled Romance Is Important: A Guest Post by Brooke Winters
November 18, 2019I started reading romance novels when I was 12 or 13. I remember reading them and thinking they were enjoyable but they weren’t about people like me. Nearly all of…
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