AI feels like puppet magic from cultivation novels. Prompt = spell Context window = spiritual power Tokens = spirit stones Hallucination = qi deviation Turns out we didn’t build AGI. We just learned how to control digital puppets.

I first picked up Toni Morrison’s novels when I was entering college, and her voice fundamentally changed my perspective on the world. This Black History Month, I reflected on the impact that her writing has had on my life.

Harlan Coben uses this question to come up with all his novels: "Anytime I'm walking down the street, anytime I see somebody, I try to figure out what their story is. The what if." Here's how it inspired one of his books, "Promise Me": "I overheard some teenagers who I adored talking about drinking and driving. And I pulled them aside and I said, promise me you won't do that. I don't care if it's 3AM. I don't care what you're on. Call me. I'll come pick you up. No questions asked. I won't tell your parents." "Now in real life, nothing else happened. End of story. But fiction writing's asking 'what if?'" "What if a teenage girl had called me on the phone? I went and I picked her up in New York City. I dropped her off at what I thought was a friend's house. The next day, she's gone, and no one at the house knows who she is."

If you're looking for the best new novels to take to the beach, stop scrolling. Maria Crawford and Ángel Gurría-Quintana select their best mid-year reads: