Blog Archive

Thinking about Barbara Cartland….
I was going to write a column today asking what was the first romance you ever read. I, however, have no idea what, specifically, the answer to that question is personally but I’m sure whatever it…

the ask@AAR: Which romances do body positivity well? Which don’t?
Today’s ask is a suggestion from BeckyK. She suggested we ask about body positivity— Do you enjoy books with plus size heroes/heroines? Which books/authors get it right? Which don’t? (This is a topic that elicits strong…

TBR Challenge March 2023 – Baggage
When the month’s TBR prompt is “baggage”, you know that you’ll be dealing with emotional stories. While Lynn’s pick is much lighter than Caz’s, both feature characters that need to deal with their pasts in order…

Continuing on the movie theme….
I am writing this pre-Oscars so I have no idea who won although my money would NOT be on Top Gun: Maverick. I, like most Americans, did not see almost any of the films nominated. The…

the ask@AAR: What’s your favorite love story on film?
The Academy Awards–yawn–are this Sunday. I have seen just one of the films nominated for Best Picture and hardly any of the other films whose sets, actors, songs, and special effects have led to their nominations.…

Setting Smackdown – Shipboard Romances!
Shipboard settings are a delightful mashup of forced-proximity and neighbor tropes, and the ships themselves can be anywhere – a river, an ocean, space, or the sky! So when it comes to ships, do you prefer…

the ask@AAR: Should older romances (and books in general) be redone?
I have followed with fascination the uproar around the revised versions of Roald Dahl’s books. NPR has a great summary of what has happened. They write: New editions of legendary works by British author Roald Dahl…