Confession time. I sometimes read short books on purpose to bump my numbers of how many books I've read.

My email: Please help!

Not in your FAQ but a question many readers want answered:

What is the Penguin Random House AI use transparency agreement with the authors they publish?

Presently I will not buy any books written 2024-present unless the author has prior works, publications, awards, or other references that establish the author as a part of a writing community. Social media only does not cut it. With that in mind, I propose putting the burden of proof on the publisher as to whether AI tools were used by the author and to what extent.

Can the publisher assure the consumer that generative AI was not used in a specific publication?

If AI tools are used by an author, can the extent of AI use be disclosed on a per-book basis? Sincerely, LaDonna

PRH response:

Dear LaDonna,

Thank you for reaching out and for sharing your perspective as a reader. We appreciate your thoughtful questions about the use of generative AI in books and the importance of transparency.

At Penguin Random House, we publish authors for their distinctive, original voices, perspectives, judgment, and creative abilities. Those qualities are, and will continue to be, fundamental to the books we publish. The works we publish must ultimately reflect the author's own authorship. Our publishing agreements with authors do not specifically address AI transparency, but our authors understand that they are responsible for producing work that is original and authored solely by them.

We do not provide consumers with a per-book certification or guarantee that generative AI was not used at any point in an author's creative process. Instead, it is our policy to publish a proper disclosure whenever AI-generated content is prominently featured in one of our books. As the technology and industry practices continue to evolve, we are actively considering the questions they raise for authors, publishers, and readers, including questions around transparency and disclosure.

Thank you again for taking the time to write to us and for sharing what matters to you when deciding which books to read and purchase. Reader perspectives like yours are valuable as we continue to navigate these evolving issues.

Best regards, Christine Stotz Director, Corporate Communications Penguin Random House

I just saw someone else’s post asking about books you found organically before they blew up on TikTok, and I totally misread it at first--my brain skipped the "TikTok" part entirely!

So now I have to ask the question I thought they were posing: What books have you discovered completely by chance, with zero online influence?

I mean books you stumbled on, or judged by their cover, or had only the recommendations of friends or family or maybe a random bookseller/ librarian.

For me, the most random finds tend to be in the poetry section--I love looking through the shelves until a title grabs me. But my ultimate chance discovery was just a few months ago The Penguin Book of the International Short Story, which a bookseller literally pulled off a sale cart, when I asked if the store had a short story section. (I have since read it and found a few favorite stories and authors I will be picking up again in the future!)

And my holy grail has to be The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas. I have never seen this mentioned in any online space, which is criminal, because I absolutely adored it. the perfect blend of sci-fi, mystery, and philosophical musings—what would nonlinear art look like? How disconnected would you become with that kind of time travel at your disposal?

So, what’s yours? What books found you?

I am torn, because I see all these posts about the books and they seem intriguing but at the same time I've heard from a few people they didn't vibe with them at all? So give me reasons to read them (or not to read them) so I can make an informed decision for the sake of my wallet.

After reading some reviews for „tempting Olivia“ by Clare Ashton I saw some people rating it 2 stars based on not liking the narrator of the audiobook. I don’t do audiobooks so I do not get in this situation but it kinda feels unfair for the author to get low ratings for that reason.

Just curious how do people who listen to audiobooks handle the rating?

I don't know how many of the rest of you follow along with controversies in the book community relating to trademarks, book titles, and so on. I see quite a bit of it on Threads, particularly, as well as discussions on Reddit and elsewhere. There was the whole cocky-gate issue a few years back and, more recently, the hot girls read trademark controversy.

Whenever these issues come up, you see a fair amount of misuse of legal/IP terminology in the discussions (not just in posts but even sometimes in articles published by media outlets). People talking about "copyrighting" or "patenting" a book title, for example. I thought it might be interesting to some, both readers participating in book community discussions as well as writers, to review a few different types of IP so that the terms won't be misused so easily and some misconceptions can be put to rest.

I'll start with copyright, which covers original works of human authorship. Think books, poems, songs, paintings, photographs, and the like. Copyright doesn’t extend to individual words, short phrases, or (generally) titles, because there isn’t enough original authorship to trigger copyright protection. When someone says they are going to “copyright” the title to their book, they’re incorrect and probably don’t realize the distinction between copyright and trademark. Copyright also doesn’t cover facts, processes, or methods (a recipe, per se, is not protected by copyright, though photographs and text that goes beyond a simple recitation of ingredients and the instructions may be). Copyright also doesn’t extend to the utilitarian aspects of a “useful article,” so when someone says they’re going to “copyright” their invention, they’re usually confusing copyright and patents. Lastly, in many countries copyright arises automatically, by operation of law (usually vesting in the author). You don't have to do anything to have the copyright in what you create, though in the U.S. there are good reasons to register your copyright.

A trademark, on the other hand, can be just about anything that serves as an indicator of the source of good or services. We commonly think of logos and slogans, but trademark protection can extend to colors, sounds, and even scents. Trademark protection can, in some cases, extend to a book title or portions of a title, used across multiple books. In the book space, trademarks are where controversies around COCKY or HOT GIRLS READ land. However, people tend to overestimate the scope of trademark protection. For example, you’ll see people say that if an author gets trademark protection for a word, no one else can ever use it. That’s not true, because trademarks are generally limited to specific goods and services. Having a trademark for a word you use on books may not prevent someone else from using it as a trademark on machinery. Also, the fact that there is a trademark covering a word does not mean it can’t be used in non-trademark ways or that the trademark can’t even be mentioned. People also repeatedly claim that you can’t trademark a common word or phrase, but that’s entirely untrue (see the trademark for Apple computers, for example). You just can’t get trademark protection for a word that is generic for the associated goods or services. Apple works as a trademark for computers, it would not work as a trademark for apples.

The strangest misuse (to me) is when someone says they’re “patenting” a title, word, or phrase, though I have seen it more than a few times. Patents cover new, useful inventions (or in some cases discoveries). If you invent an new wrench, or 3-D printer, or medication, or process for making something, you may be able to get a patent on it. There are also design patents, which cover the ornamental features of an article of manufacture and do not extend to its utilitarian aspects. None of these are going to protect a title of a book, or a slogan used around a book, or the contents of the book. When someone says they’re going to “patent” a phrase or a book title, they’re usually confusing patents and trademarks.

There are other, related areas of law that you don’t see cited wrongly as much, such a trade secrets or rights of publicity (though I have seen plenty of social media commentary around the latter that is not correct).

So...that was longer than initially intended. Hopefully it will be helpful to some. And, I also hope it goes without saying that this is a very short discussion of the topic and there's more nuance and technicality to a lot it.

Do you cast them as actors or other characters from movies/tv/video games/etc? Do you picture friends/family members/people you know irl? Do you come up with an entirely new person based on the character descriptions? Are they just formless blobs? Something else or a combo?

If you want to give examples from your current read or a fav past read, please do!

For me, usually characters are just formless blobs since I’m terrible at visualizing things. Sometimes though I’ll somehow associate a character with a movie, tv, or video game character. I say “somehow” because I don’t usually know why tf my mind decides who to cast LOL for example, I’m reading Starling House by Alix E. Harrow right now and shortly after Arthur first appeared (who is a man who has lived in a strange house all by himself and never leaves or interacts with anyone in town, and is a bit cold and disinterested to the main character when she met him), my brain somehow decided to picture him as Freaky Fred from Courage the Cowardly Dog, which if you haven’t seen this guy, he looks like this:

Which… I don’t think is accurate to Arthur at all but that’s what my brain decided so that’s what he looks like to me now 🤷‍♀️

I also pictured a character from Bunny by Mona Awad as Norman from Gravity Falls briefly before he suddenly became Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil?? Brains are weird lol

Anyway, curious to see how you all visualize your characters!

What are some books that you want to read but can't stand the easily accessible cover of?

I was just recommended Fingersmith and I hate the US cover but love the UK cover- I'm trying to find it second hand in the States lol

I’ve read only Verity from her, but about her other books… Well, I haven’t heard a lot of good things about them. I know her idea of romance is pretty toxic but I would like to read at least another one of her books. Which one do you recommend to me? Which one of hers did you like best?

Books so stupid that they made you laugh and want to bang your head somewhere but still were a great time

I know there's been the question of " how do you sort your bookshelves? "but

Who's the most author on yours? An author you have many of ? An author you will never black list ? Do you have more male , female, or nonbinary authors on your shelf?

I have many , all female, because I haven't had a male author on my shelf since 2023 ( Rick Riordan ) .

Emily Rath, Becka Mack, Bal Khabra, and B.K are the ones I have the most books of . I started getting some Ali HazelWood on there, but only 2 .

is what I used to think when I was a teenager. I hated learning history because I was forced to memorise uninteresting things, and I hate uninteresting things. I always used to say, why are we looking back at the past and not more into the future?

Oh, how silly and simpleminded I was.

Snce then, I grew up to be an adult who is politically involved where I can, because everything is politics. Yes, even our entertainment. I failed to see that as a teen, but I don't beat myself up for it. I just have to make up the time. I grow to be someone proud of my roots, proud of where my ancestors were from, proud of myself.

Now, especially since I moved so far away from home I'm really interested in history. How humans lived, how places and cultures were born, how politics were always and constantly involved in every decision made up to this date.

I would love to read more non-fiction books, and I would love to start with history. I think the certain topics I would really love to learn most about would be: Southeast Asian history, Women, British Royal Family (not particularly in awe, but in what they have done), Capitalism, Industry, War, etc.

Please drop your recommendations for me to have a look at! I would appreciate it very much :)

I am a huge Barbara Comyns fan, but unfortunately, many of her works are no longer being published so I am struggling to find them in libraries or bookstores. I am located in Canada, so the likelihood of coming across one of her novels in a used bookstore / the thrift is also extremely low. Super keen to read her full bibliography but it seems impossible ahhh 🥲

Those of you who seek out obscure or out of print books, I’d love to know how you track them down! Any advice is appreciated!

I am highlighting every line that has made me physically cringe; stay tuned for my favorites in my review 🙃

It is a very quick read though!

cardan, whatever your surname is, are you ready to die