Booksology Book app AI tracks reading by more white authors
What a day not to be on Fable’s team. Even if you don’t use social media apps as a reader or watcher, the name might ring a bell if you’ve been scrolling through bookish social apps over the past few days. The app took a turn for the worse when users, including book influencers and authors, shared AI-generated summaries of the app, like Spotify-wrapped, with recommendations to improve their reading habits. It has spread. problem? AI criticized some Fable users for focusing on books from marginalized groups. One recommendation, which categorized influencer Tiana Tramell as a “soulful explorer,” read, “Don’t forget to surface for the occasional white author, okay?” I agree. Fable executives recorded a video response apologizing for the damage caused and the company promised to remove some AI features, but for some it wasn’t enough and account deletions began. The debate around the use of AI and its pros and cons is divisive and complex, and this turns out to be a terrible use case for AI integration.
A big list of 2025 books by women of color.
Electric Literature has compiled 48 books by women of color to look forward to in this fresh new year. The True Sacrifice by Lauren Frances Sharma has been published everywhere and is on my reading list. There hasn’t been much publicity over the past few months, so I scrolled down to find books coming out later this year, and found Hot Girls with Balls by Benedict Nguyen, a satire about trans athletes, and Hot Girls with Balls by Morgan. Jerkins’ “Zeal” was a standout. It’s a multi-generational look at the legacy of slavery, with a splashy blurb from Keith Lamon. It’s easier to face what is shaping up to be a difficult year, knowing that great books by great authors can bring us joy and remind us of our humanity.
New Mexico becomes fourth state to introduce book ban bill by 2025
Good news to start your year! Anti-book bans are being considered in New Mexico, Arkansas, Michigan, and Missouri. Let’s take a look at what they’re saying, who’s behind it, and what you can do to support the bill if you’re a resident of one of these states.
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