It’s the new and improved 2018 AAR Top 100 Romance Poll
Thanks for your patience. Our original poll didn’t, as was strongly pointed out to us on Twitter, include any books by black authors. And, once that was pointed out to us, we knew THAT poll didn’t reflect the values of AAR.
So, using reader feedback and information from Goodreads and Amazon, we’ve expanded the poll to be more representative of all of romance. And, we’ve doubled the number of write-in choices allowed so that everyone can make sure their top ten has a shot.
Here’s how this will work.
This is a new poll. So, if you filled out the poll before, you’ll need to do so again.
There will be four rounds and each will only be open for two weeks. You can vote once in each round.
Round 1: Select as many books as you want from the list provided. It is meant to just be a starting point. There are fifty books on it–the list will ultimately have 100 books. Then, in the write-in section, enter up to ten books that are NOT on the current list you think must be. All book choices will be given one vote so a write-in has just as much weight as one on the list.
Round 2: The nominations from you, our faithful community, will be provided to be voted on.
Round 3: The ranking begins…
Round 4: Once the Top 100 is established, we’ll give you a final chance to rank the Top 10. This will be the only time your vote will be restricted to 1 book.
Spread this thing far and wide – we want it to be as reflective of Romancelandia in 2018 as it can be.
Ready to vote? Start here.
Disclaimers: We’re aware this process is not perfect, and that there will be many contested rankings. We are a site run by volunteers, and there are limits to how much we can scientifically control a poll of this fashion. We thank you for both your participation and your patience.
Dabney, I answered this earlier but don’t see it here… so just in case… Yes, I sent my ballot in on April 15th, but they weren’t in the order I show above.
–Janie
Yes, Dabney. I sent them in on April 15th.
–Janie
Hi All,
Here are my 10 titles, in alphabetical order, left off many others that could have easily been included. Sigh.
Simply Unforgettable – Mary Balogh
Winter Fire – Jo Beverley
Devil Takes a Bride – Gaelen Foley
To Have & To Hold – Patricia Gaffney
A Season to be Sinful – Jo Goodman
The Accidental Duchess – Madeline Hunter
The Heart Breaker – Nicole Jordan
Beau Crusoe – Carla Kelly
The Devil’s Bargain – Edith Layton
Velvet is the Night – Elizabeth Thornton
Didn’t even touch on my favorite CR and RS titles. Picking favorites is what I think of as An Impossible Task. :)
–Janie
Did you write these in on your ballot? Just checking!
When will the second round begin ?
Are you planning to bring back the annual reader poll? I looked forward to it every year. It had the best categories (like best kick-ass heroine). I realize that these days a write in poll would not be very effective due to the many books available and such easy access to with e-books. What if you ran the poll to only include books that were reviewed on AAR? Just a thought. I am participating in the top 100 poll, but it is a very daunting task to try to narrow it down to 10 books to add to the list when I read an average of 5 books a week.
We are doing this poll this year instead. The annual reader poll will return next year!
I do also love those annual polls. And I have to say that, from all polls and prizes and anything else, it’s the one more in tune with my tastes. So it’s really helpful.
But I understand how difficult it must be to manage nowadays, with thousands of books being published each year.
I think that Detra’s idea is one that merits some thinking. I like it. By chosing just those books reviewd by AAR you could make it a feasible task.
Good stuff for us to consider. Thanks to you both.
I find that I have to say this. I have no idea most of the time the color of an author’s skin. There are even times I’m not sure of their gender. If I read and enjoy a book by an author I always look for more by the same author regardless of race, creed or gender. I had no idea it made a difference.
I think many readers have no idea who authors are personally. That said, no black author has ever won a RITA (Romance Writers of America’s most prestigious honor). That’s kinda shocking and we’d like to see that change.
I would love to see an author of any color receive an award as well. I do have favorite authors who I am aware are “black”. I just don’t think of them being anything other than a person with talent and intelligence sharing their creative imagination. It was simply odd to me that this was noticed. Many times I forget the physical appearance of characters including skin color, hair color, height, weight etc. My mind doesn’t forget the characters’ mental and ethical traits as I read. Likewise, I might look at an author’s picture and not remember it, but I will remember their work and the bit of themselves that is revealed through their telling of a story.
Thanks to all the volunteers working on this list and the site overall! Looking forward to participating and seeing the results.
I am assuming from your comments about Jane Austen as a write in that you are not restricting eligible books to books published in the last year. One of the problems I found in previous polls is that, when an author has consistently written good books , the vote for that author tends to be dissipated between titles and they don’t score as well. Have you considered providing an opportunity for voters to write in authors eg Georgette Heyer, Nora Roberts, Carla Kelly, Courtney Milan, Jane Austen. Then if the author makes the short list we could vote on their best book? Or do you foresee that the write in list will help flush out an author who writes good books consistently and his/ her “ best” work? E.g. Many reviewers consider Venetia Georgette Heyers best Regency romance but it is not my favourite. However I would vote for it if it was on the list because I consider it represents her work very well. I will approach my write in list with this in mind and hope some of my favourites make the cut.
Thankyou to all the volunteers who are compiling this poll. I find your polls very useful in searching out “ new” authors to try.
That’s a great suggestion and one we will consider, if not for this poll, for the next. Thanks!
In Rounds 2 & 3, how many titles will be listed to vote on?
We think 150 but we will see how many write ins we get.
Limiting it to 10 not on the list was incredibly hard. I appreciate the amount of volunteer time you guys must put into this site. It will be interesting to see what other people love. Thanks for running this poll!
Are these top romance books overall or for a specific release year?
These are your top 100 romances of all time.
I could have been here all night swapping and dithering. Thank you so much for volunteering and working so hard to make this happen!
The poll says a top 100 READER list, not a top 100 ROMANCE list. What is the intent? Anything with romantic elements? Anything liked by readers of romances?
We aren’t going to tell readers what to enter. That said, it’s a romance poll.
But where is the poll? I can’t find it.
We have temporarily taken down the link while we reformat the poll – it should be back very soon, so check back shortly.
The 5 books Not on the list rule is killing me..
I’m so happy this poll is here! I just love it. I understand, from your message, that we cannnot vote until you put the link again.
The poll is still LIVE on Twitter. Perhaps you ought to kill it before it does more damage.
Thank you for putting in more authors of color. I will stay tuned!
We’ve had it pointed out, correctly, that we should have worked harder to include more books by authors of color. So we are going to. I am pulling the voting link until we have done that. Stay tuned!
Wow! I knew I was out of touch with most people’s taste, but I personally wouldn’t have many of these choices in my top 100 at all. I expected the list to skew historical which I don’t read much of anymore.
I should clarify my comment was about the original set of 50 books, not the revised 50.
Oh my word! Talk about a Sophie’s Choice! I was gnashing my teeth to pick my five write in slots. I could write in five Carla Kelly books alone, or five Bec McMaster, or Kleypas or maybe even Linda Howard. You guys definitely streamlined and I heartily appreciate all the work you are putting into this! I am ridiculously excited to see how this plays out!!