The article highlights upcoming book releases in 2026, including novels by George Saunders, Tayari Jones, Karan Mahajan, Ann Patchett, and a memoir by Liza Minnelli, with a focus on the first half of the year and anticipation for future releases by Colson Whitehead, Ayad Akhtar, and Emily St. John Mandel.
The article previews the most anticipated children's books of 2026, featuring insights from nine authors and illustrators about their favorite upcoming titles across various age groups, highlighting diverse themes from animal stories and biographies to mysteries and fantasy.
In 2025, authors like Jeff Kinney and Patricia Lockwood shared intriguing lessons learned from their reading experiences, including historical insights and practical tips, highlighting the diverse knowledge gained from books that year.
The article presents a challenging books quiz curated by notable authors like Mick Herron, Bernardine Evaristo, and Ali Smith, featuring questions on literary history, characters, authors, and recent literary awards, designed to test readers' knowledge of contemporary and classic literature.
Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement for authors whose books were used to train its AI model, Claude, with a minimum of $3,000 per book, leading the author to reconsider the value of compensation for such use.
The 2025 National Book Award for Fiction longlist features ten diverse titles, including debut novels and story collections, with authors recognized for their previous honors and fellowships. The list explores themes like parental loss, environmental destruction, and interconnected family stories, with finalists to be announced in October and winners in November.
Anthropic AI settled a landmark $1.5 billion copyright infringement lawsuit with authors, marking a significant moment in AI and copyright law, and setting a precedent for licensing and compensation in AI training practices.
Authors are protesting as AI models like ChatGPT have been trained on millions of books without permission, leading to concerns over copyright infringement, exemplified by author David Baldacci's experience with AI generating similar plots.
A group of authors, including Lauren Groff and Lev Grossman, have issued an open letter urging publishers to limit the use of AI in book creation, advocating for the exclusive use of human narrators and opposing AI replacing human staff, amid ongoing legal disputes over AI training on copyrighted works.
Kobo, a platform known for being more open than Amazon Kindle, has updated its Terms of Service to include AI features, causing concern among authors about how their work may be used or misrepresented, with no clear opt-out options and potential impacts on their relationship with readers.
Salman Rushdie believes AI poses no threat to authors until it can create genuinely funny content, highlighting AI's lack of humor as a key limitation. He also discussed his recovery from a recent attack, his new writing projects, and his views on the importance of storytelling in a divided world.
Lit Hub staff share their favorite books read in 2024 that were not published this year, highlighting a diverse range of older works. The list includes Muriel Spark's 'Loitering With Intent,' Barbara Trapido's 'Brother of the More Famous Jack,' and Nora Ephron's 'Heartburn,' among others. These selections span various genres and themes, offering readers a chance to explore timeless narratives and unique storytelling styles beyond the latest releases.
Maureen Corrigan shares her favorite books of 2024, highlighting an 'unprecedented' selection that includes novels by married authors Percival Everett and Danzy Senna. Everett's "James" reimagines "Huckleberry Finn" from Jim's perspective, while Senna's "Colored Television" offers a satirical take on race and class. Other notable picks include Colm Tóibín's "Long Island," Elizabeth Strout's "Tell Me Everything," and Kaveh Akbar's debut novel "Martyr!" The list also features Rachel Kushner's "Creation Lake," Francis Spufford's "Cahokia Jazz," and a monumental collection of Emily Dickinson's letters.
Anthony Cummins highlights the best fiction of 2024, noting a trend of sequels and reboots from authors like Pat Barker and Colm Toíbín. Notable works include Sally Rooney's "Intermezzo," Sunjeev Sahota's "The Spoiled Heart," and Virginie Despentes's "Dear Dickhead." These novels explore themes of relationships, politics, and societal issues, reflecting a post-lockdown desire for escape and introspection. Cummins also mentions revisiting Martin Amis's reissued novels with new introductions.
The article highlights some of the best books of 2024, focusing on works that stand out despite the distractions of an election year. Notable titles include "Martyr!" by Kaveh Akbar, a novel exploring themes of loss and poetry; "Q" by Craig Brown, a fragmented biography of Queen Elizabeth II; "Small Rain" by Garth Greenwell, a novel about illness and beauty; "The Bright Sword" by Lev Grossman, an Arthurian tale for modern times; and "Creation Lake" by Rachel Kushner, an ecothriller with polarized reviews. Other recommended books include "Women’s Hotel" by Daniel Lavery, "Intermezzo" by Sally Rooney, and "The Empusium" by Olga Tokarczuk.