Today's Books Pulse
Yuji Itadori Ascends to Special Grade in Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Vol. 3
Gege Akutami confirmed in the May 1 2026 release of Jujutsu Kaisen Modulo Volume 3 that Yuji Itadori has been promoted to Special Grade, becoming the series’ fifth official Special Grade sorcerer and the "Strongest" after Gojo’s death. The volume also adds an extra Aoi Todo chapter and detailed power‑level comparisons.
Clare Carlisle’s Podcast Unpacks Beauty, Hidden Lives and Spiritual Transcendence
Philosopher Clare Carlisle, president of the British Society for Philosophy of Religion, released a Beshara Magazine podcast to promote her book 'Transcendence for Beginners.' In the conversation she ties aesthetic appreciation, hidden lives and personal mentors to a spiritually oriented good life.
AI Review Uncovers Book’s Intentional Friction and Insight
“The Book That Wouldn’t Let Me Rate It Cleanly” — written in one shot by DeepSeek So, I almost didn’t share this. A leading Chinese LLM just produced one of the most honest, perceptive reviews of The Borrowed Mind—without a single iteration. It...
Valeria Luiselli Unveils New Novel 'Beginning Middle End' In EL PAÍS Interview
Valeria Luiselli spoke to EL PAÍS about her forthcoming novel 'Beginning Middle End', slated for a May 6 release in Spanish and a July debut in the United States. The interview marks her first public discussion of the book and...
Orgulla, or Gringo Go Back to Your Country | The Weekly Read
Molly Greening’s essay “Orgullo, or Gringo Go Back to Your Country” uses creative nonfiction to examine pride, positionality, and coalition resistance against U.S. Christian fundamentalism at the 2024 San Salvador Pride parade. The piece traces how theological narratives can both liberate...
Get a Personalized Book Recommendation on Independent Bookstore Day
Today is Independent Bookstore Day. I would love to give you a personalized rec if you tell me what kind of book you’re looking for and promise to buy from your favorite indie or Bookshop.org.
TikTok Unveils UK's First Official BookTok Bestseller List, Highlighting Romance and Romantasy
TikTok has introduced the United Kingdom's first official BookTok bestseller list, compiled by Media Control and NielsenIQ BookData. The chart, dominated by romance and romantasy titles, signals a shift toward social‑media driven book discovery and could redefine bestseller metrics for...
The Nomad Myth, Finally Taken Seriously (and Slightly Dismantled)
Felix Marquardt’s *The New Nomads* reframes migration as humanity’s default condition rather than a crisis or lifestyle trend. He dismantles the romanticized digital‑nomad archetype, showing that true mobility is rooted in place, community, and meaning. The book balances empathy for...
Book Review: ‘Homesick for a World Unknown,’ by Miriam Horn
Miriam Horn’s new biography, *Homesick for a World Unknown*, chronicles the life of legendary naturalist George B. Schaller, whose seven‑decade career reshaped field biology. Starting in 1959 with a daring study of mountain gorillas in the Congo, Schaller spent over...
Jet Li Believes in Showing Up on Time, or Earlier
Jet Li’s memoir “Beyond Life and Death” reveals how punctuality shaped his career and personal philosophy. The martial‑arts legend recounts his early training at Beijing Sports School, breakout roles from “Shaolin Temple” to Hollywood blockbusters, and a decades‑long quest for...
Book Review: ‘If This Be Magic,’ by Daniel Hahn
John McWhorter reviews Daniel Hahn’s *If This Be Magic*, a deep dive into how Shakespeare’s plays are rendered in modern languages worldwide. Hahn surveys dozens of translators, revealing that contemporary versions often make the Bard’s meaning clearer than the original Early‑Modern...
Reading Reveals Hidden Mechanics of Startups and Sanctions
Finished the book Buildit - on building Blinkit by Albinder Dhindsa. To better understand what is behind Eternal (Zomato) you can pair by reading it with Deepinder Goyal's "Unseen". Both good to read. Also finished in last few days Edward...
The Imposter – Chapter Thirty-Five
The author of the novel *The Imposter* has refreshed the book’s visual identity by pairing it with Edward Hopper’s 1909 painting “Summer Interior,” now displayed on Substack. The novel, originally published by Pan Macmillan in the UK in 2021, is being...
Top 9 AI Character Creator for Stories: Tools & Apps Writers Actually Use
The article ranks nine AI character‑creator tools that help writers generate backstories, dialogue, and visual portraits, evaluating them on customization, story integration, ease of use, free‑tier value, and price. DreamGen tops the list with deep customization, unlimited free credits, and...
Heated Rivalry, The Housemaid and Fourth Wing: TikTok Launches BookTok Bestseller List
TikTok has launched the UK’s first official #BookTok bestseller list, compiled by Media Control and NielsenIQ BookData using sales data and hashtag analysis. The inaugural top‑20 is dominated by romance and romantasy titles, all authored by women, with Chloe Walsh’s *Boys of...
Write Many Books, Own Your Niche, Not One Bestseller
Remember, if you want to make money as a fiction writer, the game isn’t to write “one best-selling book.” The game is to write lots and lots of books and dominate a category/subcategory.
Treat Every Client Like a New Book Chapter
Reading Brimstone by Callie Hart this weekend after loving Quicksilver and honestly the way I approach a new book is the same way I approach new client books. You open it up, take in the first chapter, and start figuring out...
I Read Russell Brand’s Unreadable New Book, for My Sins
Russell Brand’s new book *How to Become a Christian in 7 Days* arrives on Tucker Carlson’s Skyhorse imprint, a publisher known for polarising titles. The memoir blends Brand’s personal conversion story with a litany of pop‑culture riffs, conspiracy‑theory tangents, and...
Prefer Classics: New Books Still Under Evaluation
"I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old...A new book is still on its trial." –C.S. Lewis...
Pre‑order AI‑Thermodynamics Book, 20% Off, Donate to AIMS
Our book on Generative AI and Stochastic Thermodynamics can be pre-ordered with a 20% discount until July 31 2027. (All proceeds from the authors will be donated to the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences). https://t.co/ZU3bL8KjNp
An Editor Who Read “Crash” Called JG Ballard “Beyond Psychiatric Help. Do Not Publish”
In the early 1970s Jonathan Cape received J.G. Ballard’s manuscript for Crash, only to have a senior reader label the author “beyond psychiatric help” and advise against publishing. The publisher ignored the warning, released the novel in 1973, and Ballard went on...
New Atsushi Shimomura Thriller Hits Shelves Today
Picked up “ネタバレあり 双紋島の殺人 (The Spoiler-Filled Murder of Sōmonjima),” the latest novel by Atsushi Shimomura, at a bookstore. https://t.co/WW3WdFNjjp
Revisiting “Genocide of One” 15 Years Later
I picked up the newly released edition of “Genocide of One” by Kazuaki Takano. Hard to believe it was first published 15 years ago. I actually wrote a blurb for it back then. https://t.co/A1EaGMeGgI
Beyond the Broken Years: Australian Military History in 1000 Books (2024) by Peter Stanley
Peter Stanley’s 2024 volume *Beyond the Broken Years* surveys a thousand Australian military‑history titles, tracing how the subject has been written, who has written it, and how narratives have shifted over the past half‑century. The book contrasts academic scholars with...
Data Reveals Childhood Journey of Rose Jones
The Numbers of Childhood: The Story of Rose Jones by @Timothy_Hughes https://t.co/s3rh3lQudo via @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #SalesTips #SalesLeader #Marketing #MarketingSuccess #MarketingStrategy #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology #TechNews https://t.co/jgNGB4duwC
Escape Algorithm Tyranny with 20‑Year Human‑Only Newsletter
For an act of resistance to the tyranny of algorithms, try the Marginalian newsletter—undistracted notes on the search for meaning that have been free, ad-free, AI-free, fully human for 20 years this year: https://t.co/8ApDA5YPF6
Helen Benedict’s Book Notes Music Playlist for Her Novel The Soldier’s House
Helen Benedict’s latest novel, The Soldier’s House, explores the lives of Iraqi refugees resettled with American veterans in upstate New York, seven years after the 2003 Iraq invasion. In the Largehearted Boy “Book Notes” series, Benedict pairs the story with a...
Read Your Query, Talk Naturally, Not Audition
Off to a workshop tomorrow, so my annual reminder. If you’re pitching agents or editors at an in-person event, just read your query. Don’t stress about memorizing things. It’s not an audition, it’s just a conversation. ❤️
Dishonest Tunes for Dishonest Times
The article explores how AI diffusion models are now being used to generate music, spotlighting the Suno service that creates full tracks from user‑written lyrics. It explains the technical process—training on low‑entropy data, adding Gaussian noise, then reversing the noise...
Russian "Big Book" Prize Adds Margarita Simonyan to Nominee List, Sparking Controversy
The organizers of Russia's premier literary award, the Big Book prize, edited the long‑list on April 22 to include Margarita Simonyan’s novel “In the Beginning Was the Word – In the End Will Be the Number.” The late addition has provoked criticism...
The Barbarism of Yesteryear
Max Watman’s historical novel *Tomorrow, the War* offers a vivid, research‑driven portrait of 1850s American slavery while weaving together several interlocking storylines. The book deliberately avoids the period’s racial slur, aiming for modern readability, yet still conveys the brutal reality...
Celebrate Independent Bookstores Day with Incorruptible Launch
April 25 is Independent Bookstores Day here in the US. I've been campaigning to support indies with the Incorruptible book launch and invite you to join in the celebrations happening tomorrow. What's your favorite bookstore? P.S. If you want...
Book Club: Let’s Talk About ‘The Renovation,’ by Kenan Orhan
Kenan Orhan’s debut novel, The Renovation, follows Dilala, a Turkish exile in Italy, whose routine bathroom remodel inexplicably transports her to a cell in Istanbul’s notorious Silivri Prison. The surreal shift forces her to confront her father’s dissident past, his...
Live with Mike Pesca
Ethan Strauss hosted a live video podcast with veteran journalist Mike Pesca, focusing on the craft of writing and the challenges facing writers today. The episode aired on Strauss’s Substack platform and featured a Q&A segment that allowed listeners to...
Recently Published Book Spotlight: Why Plato Matters Now
Angie Hobbs, Professor Emerita of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at Sheffield, has released *Why Plato Matters Now* (Bloomsbury, 2025). The book examines each of Plato’s core dialogues through the lens of pressing modern issues such as democracy, flourishing, education,...
Books I Read in March 2026
March 2026 saw three distinct releases that illuminate tech, influencer culture, and family trauma. Former Meta policy director Sarah Wynn‑Williams delivers a candid memoir, *Careless People*, detailing internal dysfunction and Meta’s own attempts to suppress the book, which only heightened...
🛸 What's the 'Greatest American Utopian Science Fiction Story' Ever Written?
Kim Stanley Robinson, in a Long Now talk, refers to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address as the greatest American utopian science‑fiction story. The article expands this claim, arguing that the address’s vision of a government “of the people, by the people,...
How BookCon 2026 Became a Moshpit
Spotify marked its 20th anniversary by releasing an all‑time most‑streamed audiobooks list, with six romantasy titles occupying a third of the top 20. After a seven‑year hiatus, BookCon 2026 returned to fan frenzy, but the scramble for free ARCs turned...
Votes Harming Black Community Precipitated Worldwide Ruin
I really need to write a book about how folks voted to hurt the Black community and ended up destroying the entire world. That’s said.. I’ve been trying to prepare..
BookScan Numbers Mislead: Not Equal to Sales or Royalties
I wrote a quick explainer post on BookScan vs. book sales vs. royalty statements. (Pivoting off the Lindy West discourse). Plus, a little publishing gossip… https://countercraft.substack.com/p/why-bookscan-is-different-from-book
Professor Noam Shpancer Launches “Mental Fitness 101,” New Guide to Psychological Health Skills
Otterbein University psychology professor Noam Shpancer has released “Mental Fitness 101,” a book that outlines ten principles for building lasting psychological health. The guide positions mental fitness as a trainable skill set, challenging conventional self‑help models and targeting educators, clinicians,...
Threads Flooded with False Publishing Claims—Don’t Trust It
No platform is more overrun with false publishing claims than Threads. If you're an aspiring author, you should really not believe anything you see on here.
Lauren Groff Discusses New Collection ‘Brawler,’ Embracing Grace and Melancholy
Lauren Groff, a Story Prize and Joyce Carol Oates Prize winner, speaks about her latest short‑story collection, Brawler, and how it channels pain into portals of beauty. She also reflects on aging, surrendering to reality, and the political purpose behind...
Melissa Auf Der Maur Takes Us Back to the “Last Analogue Decade” In Her Memoir
Melissa Auf Der Maur’s memoir *Even the Good Girls Will Cry* revisits the “last analogue decade,” focusing on her rise from the indie band Tinker to five years in Hole and a stint with the Smashing Pumpkins. The book opens...
Publishers and Authors Clash Over AI‑Generated Text as $1.5 B Anthropic Settlement Fuels Debate
Hachette’s cancellation of the horror novel “Shy Girl” after AI‑authorship allegations and Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement with authors have intensified a dispute between writers and publishers over AI‑generated content. The conflict pits detection tools that flag false positives against authors demanding...
Kiss, Marry or Kill: 59
The author’s weekly "Kiss, Marry or Kill" column spotlights Barbara Kingsolver’s Pulitzer‑winning novel *Demon Copperhead* as a "Kiss" – a must‑read recommendation. After multiple failed attempts with the Audible version, the reviewer found the Kindle edition compelling, praising its vivid...
Finishing Your First Draft Deserves Celebration, No Matter What
Writing a book is a MASSIVE achievement. Even if it's not perfect. Even if no one has read it. Even if it never gets published. So no matter what happens next, take the time to appreciate everything you have done so far. The simple act...
Warren on Politics, Art: Power Meets Tenderness
From poet Robert Penn Warren, born on this day in 1905, the finest thing I have ever read about the relationship between politics and art, or, the difficult balance of power and tenderness https://t.co/0EcgGiIINI
True Customer Understanding Drives Effective Experience Design
This is the book leaders turn to when they realize experience design must start with true understanding, not assumption, bias, or surface-level feedback. CUSTOMER UNDERSTANDING https://t.co/jR9KTw6rHg https://t.co/ReUWK7c4jo
Choosing Principle Over
Someone just asked me why Snowball isn't on the approved books list for the Berkshire Annual Meeting. Schroeder: "I knew that it would be lonely, that I might lose friends over it, that I might never talk to him again."...
Trump’s “Art of the Deal” Was Ghost‑written
Good point, Trump didn't write The Art of the Deal. He had a ghost writer.https://t.co/5kkpOmRofF