Archive for the ‘Sandy AAR’ Category

20% Off Avon Books and a Cool Advanced Read Giveway (Contest Closed)

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Avon20.150.2We’re very excited to announce a special new benefit exclusively for AAR readers, thanks to the generosity of Avon Books.

From now until December 12th,  when you shop at Harper Collins online, you’ll save 20% from your total order when you enter the code AARAvon20 at checkout.

And, to keep the good news coming, we’re also excited to announce a giveaway of an exciting package of Avon advanced reading copies for one lucky winner packed in a cute (really, really cute) handmade tote bag. To enter for your chance to win, just post in the comments section of this post by Thursday,  November 19th at 12 midnight, eastern time. A winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Friday.

The prize consists of three e-galleys and six print galleys.  The actual release date of all upcoming books is included in parentheses, but the prize will be shipped shortly after the contest concludes. Here’s what the winner will receive:

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I’m Always a Sucker for This One

Friday, November 13th, 2009

1818dandRike’s post yesterday on plotlines that could use a break got me thinking.   I’ve got plenty of kvetches, believe me – many of them mentioned already by Rike – but, to put a Pollyanna spin on things (and, okay, so I am not often Pollyanna-ish, but let’s just run with it) there is at least one plot device that works for me always every time.  Put an uptight brainiac seriously in need of having some pins pricked in his or her pretentions together with a casual, laid back type who knows how to deliver a zinger and I’m done for.  Totally done for.

A friend of mine says I like “goofball” heroes and, to some degree, I think she’s right.  But humor takes fierce intelligence (Jon Stewart, anyone?) and I find it incredibly attractive when someone is confident enough in himself that he doesn’t need to hit others in the face with his brains. It’s fun (not to mention sexually exciting) to discover that someone you initially underestimated is w-a-a-a-a-y smarter than you thought, right?

So, forthwith and with no more verbal diarrhea, here are my fave brainiac/goofball romances:

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Glee: The Musical Theatre Geek and the Cool Guy

Friday, November 6th, 2009
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We romance lovers like our heroines brainy, don’t we?

There are many reasons to watch Fox’s new show Glee and  high school heroine Rachel is just one of them.  Rachel is the classic socially awkward over-achiever  and – hello, romance stereotype it may be – a heroine who I’m rooting for.  Big time.  Rachel has a thing for popular guy Finn who also has a thing for Rachel, despite the fact that his pregnant cheerleader girlfriend has him believing that he’s the father of her baby.  Which is a pretty strong indication that Finn’s bulb is a bit on the dim side since she also convinced him that her pregnancy resulted from a hot tub ejaculation incident.  I really hate it when that happens.

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The Reading Slump That Will Not Die

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

41097059I’ve been in one for weeks now.  Weeks and weeks.

I blame Diana Gabaldon.  Echo in the Bone, a book I was very much looking forward to reading for review, became a chore.  A drag.  A book that I dreaded to pick up (and at 10,000 pages, picking it up is not all that easy either) so much that I seem to have lost my joy in reading.  It  got sucked right out of me. (Blythe took pity on me and reviewed the book.  For which I will be eternally grateful.)

Soulless helped.   I was hopeful there for a while.  But a few C reads later and I am back to my bad habit of playing Solitaire and Bookworm on my iPhone and watching Real Housewives of Atlanta.  I do not like playing Solitaire and Bookworm on my iPhone and watching Real Housewives of Atlanta. Night after night.  After night after night.  (Okay, so I really do like Real Housewives of Atlanta.  Not giving that up.)

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AAR Book Club Discussion: A New Date

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

38995205-186x300Well, these things happen, don’t they?

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Book Club Discussion of Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie has been moved from this weekend to Sunday, November 15th at 4 p.m., eastern time. We’re sorry for the delay, but, on the positive side, that gives you two more weeks to brush up on your Crusie or, for those lucky readers who haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting Phin and Sophie, to read it for the very first time.

We’ll see you here on the 15th.  Whether you love the book – or not.

-Sandy AAR

My Kindle and Me: A Year Down the Line

Friday, October 16th, 2009

kindle-2Let’s start with my first disclaimer:  I paid for my Kindle.

Here’s the second:  I am in this whole ebook thing for the convenience – not to mention a desperate desire to be free of the careless shelving habits of brick and mortar stores that drove me crazy for years.

I’m not a techie (Mac person, so don’t have to be) and, while I don’t like DRM, I’m not worked up about it either.  My blog – and my perspective – is one of a reader who lives in an area with 3G coverage and who simply wanted an easy way to read ebooks.  For me, Kindle is it.

Since I’ve been Kindle-ized for about a year now, what do I love?

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AAR Book Club: The Readers Have Spoken

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

38995205In an extremely tight race, Welcome to Temptation edged out SEP’s Nobody’s Baby But Mine.  It was a squeaker.

The next AAR Book Club discussion will be held on Sunday, November 1 at 4 pm eastern time.  The discussion leaders will be AAR’s Abi Bishop and Jane Granville.

Thanks to everyone who voted.  Look for Jane and Abi’s take about a week prior to the discussion.  In the meantime, we hope you’ll read the book (or, in my case, reread the book for something like the 500th time) and mark your calendars for the live feed.  (It’s fun!)

-Sandy AAR

Vote for the Next AAR Book Club Selection (Poll Closed)

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

First of all, the easy part:  Thanks to everyone who suggested books to be considered.  Now, it gets a bit more complicated.

I wanted to stick with in print contemporaries and romantic suspense.  I also wanted to hold over three titles from the last poll.  It also seemed to be fair to limit the selection to just one choice on the list from each author.

Another note: Books by Nora Roberts were suggested multiple times, but there was no consistency in titles put forward.  So, I’m going to table the author for now and see what happens in our next book club poll.  Hey, I know, there’s an impressive backlist there and choosing just one isn’t easy.

So, with the understanding that creating this poll is as much art as it is hard math, here are the books up for your consideration for the next AAR Book Club.  I think we’ve got a nice variety of choices here so I hope you’ll find a book you’d like to see on the table.   The poll is open until Tuesday, October 6th at midnight eastern time.

Date and time for the next discussion TBD, but it will be announced here soon.

-Sandy AAR

What Book Would You Like to Discuss in Our Next AAR Book Club?

  • Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie (23%, 52 Votes)
  • Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (21%, 49 Votes)
  • Paradise by Judith McNaught (21%, 47 Votes)
  • Cry No More by Linda Howard (17%, 38 Votes)
  • Black Ice by Anne Stuart (14%, 31 Votes)
  • Truly Madly Yours by Rachel Gibson (4%, 11 Votes)

Total Voters: 228

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Yes, We Sell Advertising

Friday, September 4th, 2009

953445086_24734194cf_oAnd we have since the early days of the site.

It costs a lot of money to run AAR.  First, there are the physical costs to get – and keep – AAR online.  We’re hosted by a reliable company who provides great service, but it isn’t free as many blog platforms are.  And it isn’t cheap either.

Then there were additional costs to move AAR’s message boards onto our own server, a step we felt was necessary for multiple reasons.  First, we were getting crappy service.  Second, the boards went down capriciously.  And, third, we knew in today’s competitive environment that it was important to bring message board traffic onto our own server so AAR’s traffic rankings would reflect our true numbers.

Which they do.  And we’ve seen a healthy boost in our Alexa ranking to prove it.

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The Summer Storm of Aught Nine

Friday, August 28th, 2009

lightningOnce again this week, just as it has multiple times every year since the Internets began, Romancelandia has erupted into flames.

Out of the smoke and fire has emerged more than once from various quarters an old saw I truly hoped had been retired forever:  If you don’t have anything nice to say about romance, don’t say anything at all.

Do we really need to have this discussion again?

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