Author: Sarah Mitchell
Sarah Mitchell
Sarah covers fiction with a reader's instincts and a critic's eye. She's interested in what novels ask of us, not just what they offer.
Amazon destroys physical books after scanning them for AI training. Plus: biogossip novels, Tommy Orange on identity, and a self-published mystery writer who beat the odds.
Amazon destroys books for AI training, Jason Arday’s memory gets debated, and Le Guin, Thoreau, and Miéville anchor a dense literary week.
August 21’s literary world spans grief essays, debut fiction, Twain’s publishing history, and the inexhaustible argument over Phantom of the Opera.
Amazon employees at a Las Vegas warehouse cut book bindings and scan contents for AI training data, destroying originals. Rare books are targeted for their off-internet text.
Five online book clubs this fall tackle Henry James, Samuel Delany, David Foster Wallace, and Mike Davis — ranging from free Discord reads to scholarship-eligible courses.
Aires Loutsaris built Reading Maps, a free interactive atlas charting 1,000+ literary journeys from The Odyssey to Mrs. Dalloway. Here’s what it reveals.
August 5’s Lit Hub digest runs from Fiona Mozley’s new novel to Karen Rinaldi on Bourdain, Baldwin and Freud, and Emily Wilson on the Trojan horse.
Apple TV acquires Colson Whitehead’s Harlem trilogy. Barry Jenkins exec produces. Graham Yost and Aric Avelino write scripts.
Rachel Cusk’s new novel *Life of M* features a famous actress who looks a lot like Natalie Portman. Portman’s camp is not pleased.
From Solnit on Homer to a 30-year sentence for zines, the week’s literary news collided canon, silence, and AI in uncomfortable ways.