The Most Anticipated Books of Spring, According to Goodreads Users

Even Major Publishers Get Tripped Up By A.I.

Remember how we were talking about the rise in books published in the U.S., and how self-published books have a lot to do with that increase? Well, we didn’t talk about how the rise in A.I. also plays into the self-publishing boom. If you browse books on Amazon, you’ve likely come across A.I. slop titles. Sometimes it’s easy to tell when you’re looking at these works, and sometimes the clues are more subtle, as they might have been for Hachette. In a piece written for The New York Times, Alexandra Alter reports on how the Big 5 publisher scooped up a buzzy self-published horror novel that is now facing allegations of being largely A.I.-generated or assisted. Hachette had already released the novel in the U.K. but will discontinue that edition and has scrapped the planned U.S. release. In an email to the Times, the book’s author, Mia Ballard, claimed an acquaintance used A.I. to edit Shy Girl. Whoof. If ever I read a nightmare publishing story for our times… The piece goes on to explore the challenges all of publishing faces in the era of A.I. novelists and is worth a full read.

The Nationwide Book Ban Bill Moves to the House: How to Take Action Now

Another day, another doozy from the miserable world of book bans. Kelly Jensen writes about the passage of HR 7661 by the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where it goes next, and what you can do about it.

Barnes & Nobles’ Most Popular Books

And if you need even more recommendations based on what your fellow readers are into, look to Barnes & Nobles’ list of the top 10 most viewed books of the past week. R.F. Kuang is back in our line of sight with her newest, Taipei Story, which isn’t even out until this fall. Readers are also into the James Patterson/Viola Davis collab (who put that on their bingo card?), Judge Stone. And as my own doctor said, perimenopause is trending, and the book she recommended made the list: The New Perimenopause: An Evidence-Based Guide to Surviving the Zone of Chaos and Feeling Like Yourself Again by Mary Claire Haver MD. Of course, you will also find the next two just-announced, highly anticipated Sarah J. Maas ACOTAR books at the top of the list.