Season’s Readings

With the holiday shopping season in full swing, we’ve curated the ultimate literary gift guide, with recommendations for some 150 adult and children’s books for the readers in your life. Publishing educators are on the frontlines of determining how far the book business will go with AI, but have so far been divided on whether the technology should be embraced or resisted. And more than 6,500 backers are supporting the publication of a new comic based on the beloved animated series Swat Kats, becoming Kickstarter’s biggest campaign ever for a single-issue comic book. The French government is preparing an AI bill intended to protect copyright while establishing secure channels for tech developers to access creators’ data, the Bookseller reports. Flatiron has issued an apology after failing to attribute a quote by Ariana Grande in the memoir of her Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo, per Buzzfeed. On Substack, literary agent Alia Hanna Habib sits down with three indie booksellers to talk about hosting author events, curating titles, and the biggest misconceptions around their profession. The Walrus looks into the unlikely interplay of the “cozy lit” phenomenon and internet culture. And the Los Angeles Review of Books highlights the value of community libraries and archives at a moment when cultural memory is under siege.