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Yesteryear is regarded by many as this year’s breakout hit—and given the book’s vast sale numbers since its release in April, it’s hard to disagree. But sales are dependent on many factors, including publisher investment. And not all investment is created equal. In an August interview with Caro Claire Burke, author of the debut novel Yesteryear, New Yorker staff writer Rachel Syme noted the book had sold “about 1.4 million copies” in just four months.

With its recent report, ‘A Silent Moratorium,’ and accompanying updates to its position on boycotts, PEN America once again fails the Palestinian community. But amidst their failures, other champions of free speech and human rights—including the former PEN America president—are working to create a space for these writers. “Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal,” says New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani in a now viral video about the city’s inability to arrest the Israeli Prime Minister.

After quite a lackluster start to this year’s reading, we can finally say that we’ve read some craveable books over the past few months—enough so where we feel confident sharing a list of our favorite books of the year so far. Whether a novel by one of the greats, nonfiction dives into AI, translated lit, or returns from some of our favorite authors, Fiona and I have been busy reading a range of books.

We’ve written a lot in our newsletter about taking our love for books and all they encourage beyond the page. “Reading is a catalyst for revolution,” afterall. And while informed and engaged readership is as important as ever, so is the simple act of reading. “How is publishing reacting to the current administration?” It’s a question that’s been on many of our minds since Trump’s election. Under his presidency, would publishers live up to the “promises” they made in 2020?

The days are just about at their longest, a time that for many represents nostalgia. For me, that’s reading under trees with dripping watermelon and rainbow sprinkled covered soft serve in hand (a chocolate and vanilla swirl, in case you’re wondering). Throughout my childhood, summer vacation represented unlimited reading time. Whether under my favorite tree, visiting family, or traveling, I always had books in hand, much to my family’s annoyance.

We can help build an equitable industry for all Over the past few months, employees across the publishing world have begun forming unions. While their efforts follow in the footsteps of only a few others in the industry, historical successes demonstrate the power and potential of widespread unionization. One might be surprised to learn that publishing unions are a rarity.

[Dear readers: This issue contains discussions of transphobia and a notoriously transphobic author.] There’s a little explosion that goes off in my head every time I read an uncritical mention of J.K. Rowling’s books. Most recently, it happened while reading an audiobook; a character who worked as a bookseller referred another protagonist to a buzzy bestseller, comparing it to Harry Potter. I found myself squinting, peeved, enough to stop reading.

After the Shy Girl debacle last month, one would think publishing would lie low on the AI front for a bit; people are still picking apart the story, and the overall sentiment from readers, writers, and publishing employees has predominantly been one of frustration and anger. Any good publicist or marketing team would know that now is not the time to announce a new deal with an AI company.

Over the past few months, it’s become all the more clear that the publishing industry is vastly unprepared for AI and its many faults—all while seemingly trying to embrace the technology. This month, as the controversy around Shy Girlspread—a self published book picked up by Hachette that became so plagued by reader claims of generative AI that the company ended up cancelling its US release and future print runs in the UK—so did commentary on the internet.

When I first read Song of Solomonby Toni Morrison my sophomore year of high school, I understood little of what was on the page. By then, I had been a committed reader for years, the student who always had a book on them, reading during free periods or after a test was turned in. And I knew I wanted to study English in college, already dreaming of a career in book publishing. My first experience with Morrison was incredibly difficult—and I loved every moment of it.