December 2018 – Rose Lerner

Rose Doctors the Book: “Mary Poppins Returns”

WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS. Also, lots of swearing, as it turns out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Full disclosure: Mary Poppins was one of my favorite movies as a kid and I still adore it. It is absolutely a problematic fave but here we are.

On balance, I did really have a good time at Mary Poppins Returns. But to say I liked it might be an overstatement, or just an oversimplification. I left feeling extremely, intensely ambivalent, and I’ve been wrestling with trying to nail down my response ever since.

Visually, it was stunning (although I thought the visual interplay between fantasy and reality was much less deft than the original). I also loved the performances. Lin-Manuel Miranda was a snack, I tell you what. And JANE. Ugh. Jane was everything. The little girl broke my heart. I cried several times.

I wasn’t crazy about the songs, but they weren’t bad.

My primary problems, as they so often are, were with the script. I liked the story set-up, but in the end, the writers simply didn’t seem to have control over what things meant. As a result, the movie felt unfocused and a satisfying resolution was essentially impossible.

Here are five simple changes I would have made to improve things, ordered from smallest to largest:

Continue reading “Rose Doctors the Book: “Mary Poppins Returns””

Hanukkah giveaway, 8th night

ETA (12/16/18): This giveaway is closed. Sara is the winner!

A gift is going up every night of Hanukkah! (Each gift is a book plus swag—some mine, some I collected for you at RWA.) Leave a comment on this post, and I’ll enter you in the drawing. You can find all the gifts here:

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This final gift is a signed copy of my novella “All or Nothing”, a Listen to the Moon button reading “The butler did her!”, and a magnet saying “HE BROUGHT HER A HAM!” (if you’ve read Sweet Disorder, you get it.)

If you’d like to receive an exclusive scene of your favorite couple from my books celebrating their winter holiday, sign up for my holiday mailing here!

If you’d like to be notified of future contests in your inbox, sign up for my newsletter.

All winners will be randomly selected on December 15th. Entries are open on all gifts until then.

Happy holidays!

Hanukkah giveaway, 7th night

ETA (12/16/18): This giveaway is closed. Lynn is the winner!

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NOTE: Each link will become live on the corresponding night of Hanukkah! Just check back later this week. 🙂

Tonight’s gift is a copy of Joanna Shupe’s A Daring Arrangement and an “I’m in Hamilton’s Battalion” button.

If you’d like to receive an exclusive scene of your favorite couple from my books celebrating their winter holiday, sign up for my holiday mailing here!

If you’d like to be notified of future contests in your inbox, sign up for my newsletter.

All winners will be randomly selected on December 15th. Entries are open on all gifts until then.

Happy holidays!

Hanukkah giveaway, 6th night

ETA (12/16/18): This giveaway is closed. Karin is the winner!

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NOTE: Each link will become live on the corresponding night of Hanukkah! Just check back later this week. 🙂

Tonight’s gift is a copy of Courtney Milan’s The Governess Affair, plus 2 pieces of Courtney swag: a Pele button, and washi tape reading “women: doing things since forever”.

If you’d like to receive an exclusive scene of your favorite couple from my books celebrating their winter holiday, sign up for my holiday mailing here!

If you’d like to be notified of future contests in your inbox, sign up for my newsletter.

Happy holidays!

All winners will be randomly selected on December 15th. Entries are open on all gifts until then.

Hanukkah giveaway, 5th night

ETA (12/16/18): This giveaway is closed. Allison is the winner!

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NOTE: Each link will become live on the corresponding night of Hanukkah! Just check back later this week. 🙂

Tonight’s gift is my RWA2018 tote bag (unused) and enamel pin. If you win this one you can pick which one of my books you want to go in it.

If you’d like to receive an exclusive scene of your favorite couple from my books celebrating their winter holiday, sign up for my holiday mailing here!

If you’d like to be notified of future contests in your inbox, sign up for my newsletter.

All winners will be randomly selected on December 15th. Entries are open on all gifts until then.

Happy holidays!

Hanukkah giveaway, 4th night

ETA (12/16/18): This giveaway is closed. Timitra is the winner!

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NOTE: Each link will become live on the corresponding night of Hanukkah! Just check back later this week. 🙂

Tonight’s gift is a signed copy of Theresa Romain’s Scandalous Ever After, and a Tessa Dare button reading simply, “I Dare.”

If you’d like to receive an exclusive scene of your favorite couple from my books celebrating their winter holiday, sign up for my holiday mailing here!

If you’d like to be notified of future contests in your inbox, sign up for my newsletter.

All winners will be randomly selected on December 15th. Entries are open on all gifts until then.

Happy holidays!

Hanukkah giveaway, 3rd night

ETA (12/16/18): This giveaway is closed. Kerry is the winner!

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NOTE: Each link will become live on the corresponding night of Hanukkah! Just check back later this week. 🙂

Tonight’s gift is a signed copy of my Sweet Disorder, a magnet from me saying “HE BROUGHT HER A HAM!” (if you’ve read the book, you’ll get it), and a rosette like ones Lively St. Lemeston Whigs wear.

If you’d like to receive an exclusive scene of your favorite couple from my books celebrating their winter holiday, sign up for my holiday mailing here!

If you’d like to be notified of future contests in your inbox, sign up for my newsletter.

All winners will be randomly selected on December 15th. Entries are open on all gifts until then.

Happy holidays!

Hanukkah giveaway, 2nd night

ETA (12/16/18): This giveaway is closed. Angel is the winner!

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NOTE: Each link will become live on the corresponding night of Hanukkah! Just check back later this week. 🙂

Tonight’s gift is a signed copy of Alisha Rai’s Hate to Want You, a button from Alisha saying “A lady in the street, Akira in the sheets,” and a Cockygate button.

If you’d like to receive an exclusive scene of your favorite couple from my books celebrating their winter holiday, sign up for my holiday mailing here!

If you’d like to be notified of future contests in your inbox, sign up for my newsletter.

All winners will be randomly selected on December 15th. Entries are open on all gifts until then.

Happy holidays!

Hanukkah giveaway, 1st night

ETA (12/16/18): This giveaway is closed. Tina is the winner!

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NOTE: Each link will become live on the corresponding night of Hanukkah! So if it doesn’t work, check back later this week. 🙂

Tonight’s gift is a signed copy of Alyssa Cole’s A Princess in Theory, a Duke by Default postcard, a button from Alyssa saying “This HEA slays fascists,” a pencil reading “This machine kills fascists,” and an “I’m in Hamilton’s Battalion” button to celebrate our anthology.

If you’d like to receive an exclusive scene of your favorite couple from my books celebrating their winter holiday, sign up for my holiday mailing here!

If you’d like to be notified of future contests in your inbox, sign up for my newsletter.

All winners will be randomly selected on December 15th. Entries are open on all gifts until then.

Happy holidays!