Today I have a very special review I’ve been saving up. Knowing that my sister the Monkey Baby is just as big a fan of Laini Taylor as I am, I knew this review wouldn’t be complete without her thoughts! So today we’re both here to tell you about this very special re-release of Laini Taylor’s debut (*spoiler alert* we both loved it!!)
Monkey Baby: Ohio amigos and bonjourno Americanos!
With her signature lyrical style, Laini Taylor instantly captivated me with this fantastical faerie story. Though I was initially worried I wouldn’t love this as much as her other adored series, I was quickly proven wrong and found this sublime tale something to savour.
Monkey Baby: I had no doubt I would love it but I was proven wrong, I don’t love it, I adore it!!!! It’s every fairytale cupcake dream you could ever wish for and more!
Oh and the world building was simply *MAGICAL*! It’s like Laini Taylor spilled wild imagination onto the page!! The attention to detail- like the little foxlick- was just *chef’s kiss*. And after the recent spate of faerie books, I’m not even a faerie gal, but I LOVED this! Although I know you feel differently about faeries…
Monkey Baby: I’m obsessed with fairies, I think in another life I was a fairy, maybe a monkey baby fairy who knows. But what I do know is Laini must have met them because she brings them to life in the most exquisitely, beautiful, captivating way! The characters are so charming Poppy and Magpie I believe I’ve met them
Using alternating perspectives for the chapters, I felt a deeper connection with the characters and saw the full scope of the story. I was reminded this was technically an older style of fantasy- and I have to say it was a real treat to be so fully immersed in the narrative. Plotwise, this was a proper story, full of heart and sweet relationships. I flew through this- and now I hunger for more!
Monkey Baby: I’m desperate for more, I savoured every word so much it’s inscribed in my soul now. The plot went to unexpected places and the magic is so intriguing, there’s so many directions this tale could take off and I want to be there for the flight! Thank you to the best sister who gifted me this extraordinary fairytale 💖
Well then, I think it’s clear we have to give this book ALL THE BANANAS!!!
And that’s all for now! Have you read this book- either in the past or with the re-release? Let me know in the comments!
Hello all! Erm, I don’t really know how to explain what happened in the last month, except to say I feel like I’ve been hit by a freight train (but also, I swear I’m alright, just a little sore from a few too many trips to the doctor 😅). Short of using the medium of dance, I can’t actually do the madness of this month justice, so I’ll leave it up to your imagination.
Annnnd the saddest thing of all: my reading has suffered. I swear I haven’t had a reading slump this bad in, well, ever?! Look at this sad (supportive) dog face:
Luckily there were a few positives, like going to the Lord of the Rings screenings at the Royal Albert Hall…
I also went to see some controversial comedy- here’s one of the least offensive jokes I could find 😉
And I guess I have time to talk about a few books too:
The In Between- surprisingly for a memoir written by a hospice nurse, this is a reassuring book about death, which can teach us so much about life. Affirming in the best possible way, this book makes you feel like you’re surrounded by love. I also personally appreciated that the author seamlessly wove in her own backstory, explaining her road to the profession and how it affected her private life. Still, though this book did manage to make me teary, I had some reservations. Notably, my hesitation around the authenticity of the book comes from the fact that she’s an internet personality and I’ve been burned before by extraordinary claims in supposed autobiographies (I don’t think I’m ever getting over the Salt Path debacle). If we’re taking this at face value, then, yes, this is a strong read. And I’m always open to hearing advice like eat the cake 😉
Rating: 4/5 bananas
The Name Game– I don’t know what people are playing at rating this Beth O’Leary book so low, because I frickin adored it! So full of love and joy and hope, this is the epitome of the cliché when one door closes, another door opens. And honestly, I don’t know if this is a case of finding the right book at exactly the right time, but I needed a little of this in my life right now! On top of that the concept of two Charlie Joneses turning up for a job on a tiny island, having to compete for the place and then falling for each other is a GREAT CONCEPT! For me, when Beth O’Leary goes a little off the rails with her ideas, you get the best results! Also, Charlie was an excellent character (with an excellent name 😉 my dog is always happy to see more Charlies in a book!!) Even better, the way the flashbacks added to the narrative were on point and I loved the twist (which I only half guessed, so I guess I got played!). All in all, this book was the perfect remedy to life chaos. The only problem was that this didn’t help with my slump at all because I only wanted to read more books like this and couldn’t find anything to match the vibes!!!
Rating: 5/5 bananas
What Lies in the Woods– it seems rom coms and thrillers were what I needed to get me out of my funk, because Beth O’Leary and Kate Alice Marshall successfully cured me of my reading slump. Intertwined with mythology, this was a deliberately dark story about three girls that lied. Only, one of those girls, our narrator, actually suffered a huge trauma and the other two are traumatised by what happened. While the mythological twist to the story does not actually run very deep, I did appreciate the psychological bend to this thriller. With a thoughtful look at victims and victimhood, this was a surprisingly sensitive horror story. Rather than glorying in blood and guts and violence, here the gore serves a purpose. Even if it was sufficiently easy to guess many of the twists, this sufficiently tampered with my expectations and led me down a tangled path. The search for the truth reminded me of real-life cold cases and the gripping pain of trying to solve them. I particularly liked the false trails and misdirection, as I lost myself in the narrative weeds. My only major gripe with this was when it entered the last act, I had to suspend my disbelief about survival rates. Overall, this was exactly what a sultry summer thriller should be: murky, mysterious and murder-filled.
Rating: 4/5 bananas
Leaf by Niggle– to me, this rings very much of allegory. But I don’t personally have any gripe with that and I did think highly of this Tolkien’s short tale. Highly readable, this flowed like a leaf caught in a breath of air, floating easily into my mind’s eye. Yet, above all, this seemed like a window into Tolkien’s own mind, glimpsing at his philosophy more than anything else. As I read, I soaked up the story, drinking in a simple and refreshing narrative to quench a thirsty soul.
Rating: 5/5 bananas
Before I go, I have to give a shoutout to Tom Ayling on Youtube, who has not inspired me to read more unusual classics like De Profundis, but who has also sparked an absolute fascination with rare books:
Annnd that’s all for now! Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments! And I hope you all had a good month! ❤
Gone are the golden days of YA- and I’m still sad about it. As a librarian, I’ve watched so many teens struggle to find a new book to read and it’s kinda depressing. While there is a concerted effort to get kids into reading, as soon as they hit 12, it seems like educators and publishers just give up. Indeed, Briana on Pages Unbound has also pointed out, where are the splashy YA titles these days? Like Krysta at Pages Unbound says: The Heyday of YA is Over.
Frankly, this didn’t just come out of nowhere. We all saw the YA movement being largely co-opted by adult women a number of years ago. The soul of YA was sacrificed for adult-themed stories. Though this did result in larger profits (for a time) the end result is that teens were pushed out of their own age category. I know I sound like a broken record, saying books like Iron Widow and Court of Thorns and Roses are NOT YA, but teens simply did not want to read books with such mature themes. In my personal experience, many do not do not want to read hypersexualised books- heck most children aren’t even interested in romance!
Of course, it’s not like we can’t read backlist books, but this is a little limiting for children from lower-income backgrounds who exclusively get their books from the library. Libraries are required to update stock regularly, both to get new books in and because of limited space, which means deleting older books. I worked in probably the poorest borough in London and they had a serious problem retaining stock due to space issues, so believe me, I understand the frustration of having to remove books when the statistics tell you that the only copy of a classic book is not being read enough to justify keeping it. The only reason this system worked was because it was part of the Libraries Consortium, giving readers access to virtually all libraries across London. Yet, while this works if you’re an old dude that just wants to read Crime and Punishment, it is much harder for a teenager to find a 2010s YA book to read… especially if they don’t even know what they’re looking for! (and also, realistically, most libraries do not stock books that are 10+ years old, because they also have to follow the same practices).
The only conclusion that I can draw from this is that it’s time for publishers to start choosing books for teens again. Though I don’t think this will solve all the problems (issues in quality control need to be addressed across the board in publishing) I do think that choosing books that belong in the marketing category you are selling would be a start. Mismarketing adult books as YA has failed. It’s time to return to basics and start thinking about what teens want to read- instead of worrying about what will appeal to *everyone*. Because if you try to please everyone, you will please no one.
Beyond this, I do think this logic could be expanded into improving MG. While there are genuinely good MG still being published, it is getting trickier to find them and there has been an issue with aging-up this category as well. I don’t think it’s dying in the same way that YA is, but it’s still on life support. For both categories, there need so be a serious injection of FUN! What can I say? Despite adults shoving more and more messages into stories, Children still just want dragons and drama and adventure (as a children’s librarian now, those are the three most common requests!)
Even though we may have lost the YA of yesteryear, I do believe this can be a good thing for reviving books for teens. It needed to collapse in order for us to build something new. I have hope that publishers can learn lessons from what’s not working and rethink their strategies. Then we may get some truly great books for actual teens again. YA is dead, long live YA!
So, what do you think? Is YA dying or already dead? Do you think it can be revived? Let me know in the comments!
No joke, I am in dire need of a pick me up right now 😅. So, we’re talking about funny picturebooks today!
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates– this book is absolutely hilarious!!!! This might be my favourite, because I like books when people get eaten (I don’t know what that says about me).
The Disgusting Sandwich– children may enjoy how gross this is and the ending made me bark with laughter!
Ten Delicious Teachers– this was not what I expected, in the best possible way. Toying with the counting book structure, this has a seemingly conventional rhythm, whilst having a deliciously enjoyable twist!
This Book is Perfect– I’m really glad that modern books have embraced the concept of FUN, because reading playful and cheeky stories like this bring me so much joy. One could even say they’re perfect 😉
Don’t Push the Button– interactive books are a newer trend and I am absolutely here for it! And I don’t know why, but the reverse psychology works a charm on me 😉
Do Not Open This Book– speaking of which, if you can’t get enough of this kind of book, then you definitely should NOT read this one 😉 You have no idea the terrible things that will happen if you open this book!!
The Book With No Pictures– initially I wasn’t all that sure about this book… and then I read it to children. This one definitely gets a giggle going!
Open Very Carefully: a book with a bite– I love this author’s work (particularly Bad Cat). Her illustrations are so creative and her stories are really droll! And she also has some continuity into her other stories!
Dangerous– completely mad!! And it has an excellent “sequel” in Warning This Book May Contain Rabbits.
Shh We Have a Plan– I really like the simplistic style and artwork for this one. It kinda reminds me of…
I Want My Hat Back– this one is just for me, because Klassen gets me every time!! And it’s such a simple concept: dude just wants his hat back!
There’s Nothing Faster Than a Cheetah– on the silly side, but still quite inventive, this book whizzes by!
The Full Stop That Got Away– this may seem completely bonkers, but let’s be honest, the importance of punctuation is a very serious business indeed.
The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea– I do love a reconstructed fairy tale and this more modern type transforms the story into a listing game… which ends rather unexpectedly. It looks like we’ve moved past postmodern into the absurd! And I can happily devour all the jokey books like this!
Here Be Dragons– ending on a *proper* story, this is the tale of a rather stupid knight, who can’t see what’s under his nose! Children LOVED listening to this story (and yelling at the top of their lungs that the dragon is right behind them!!!)
And that’s all for now! What do you think of these picturebooks? And do you have any funny favourites? Let me know in the comments!
After doing a clear out, I discovered my reading diary from when I was 13:
Shall we take a peek inside at some of the gems I wrote??
Wow! What incredible reviews!! Riveting stuff- so descriptive and enlightening 😉 What do you think? What rating would you give me? Let me know in the comments!
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to post today, but I told myself I have never missed a blogging anniversary. So, I decided to power through and talk about some big blogging changes in OVER A DECADE since I started blogging.
#1 My views have changed?? Well, not entirely, I’m still going bananas over books (and slipping up on a few banana peels). Still, on reflection, my views can be more nuanced and I have changed my opinion on some books I reviewed way back when.
#2 My taste has changed… and stayed the same. I definitely read more non-fiction (given I didn’t used to touch the stuff), my stats show a decrease in YA year on year and I’ve introduced a lot more talk about picturebooks- but I’m still a fantasy and classics girlie. So, I guess some things never change.
#3 In a similar vein, the advent of AI and other nasty changes have meant I read fewer modern books. At the moment, I’m convinced publishing is on a downward trend. I just hope it can right itself sooner rather than later.
#4 While views are up, comments are down. For me, there seems to be multiple causes. It could be bots. I’m also finding my posts shared more on sites like Youtube, which gives me a boost and for which I am grateful.
#5 Publishers aren’t paying as much attention. Blogging is no longer the hot young thing (I mean, to be fair, it was already aging when I started). But that golden age of attention is long gone, which means publishers aren’t so interested in using our sites for blog tours and are definitely handing out fewer arcs to anyone without a tiktok. Which to my mind is a not a bad thing…
#6 Because I think this has reduced consumerism on the blogosphere. Don’t get me wrong, we all love a bit of book porn and there will always be a place for that type of content. HOWEVER, I am pleased to see more niche hauls and knowing I can go to a handful of people for pictures of book boxes (rather than being flooded with those images).
#7 There’s also less focus on social media– which could be because it’s an older audience. For me, I find myself less active without automatic posting to other sites and frankly the landscape of social media has splintered more in recent years. I do think there’s less connection across platforms than previously.
#8 And, of course, one of the most important changes is how much people have changed. I know I say this every year, yet these posts always make me look back fondly on the people who’ve made blogging what it is!! Big shoutout to a lot of the people who’ve been here from the start: Pages Unbound, Zezee and Bookstooge!! (coincidentally, Briana @Pages Unbound just posted something similar now that they’ve been going for a WHOPPING 15 Years- so go give them some extra love!!)
#9 There are fewer tags. While I don’t rule them out- and I have a few stashed for later- I definitely have less time to engage with that type of content. Which I suppose leads me onto…
#10I’ve slowed down… old age has set in lol. In all seriousness, I’m trying to focus on quality over quantity. I’m spending more time working on thoughtful posts- especially as I struggle to be as active as I once was (creaky bones and all that 😉).
#11 To end on a more positive note, things have gotten a little bit more colourful over here! I added artwork to my blog a number of years ago and I’ve been playing around with it ever since. I’m especially excited about expanding into redbubble and (of course) adding pictures of my dog!!
And that’s all for now!! Have you noticed any other major changes since you started blogging? And how long have you been in the blogging game? Let me know in the comments!
Weirdly, after my post on the Shy Girl saga, I’ve seen more and more people defending the “author” who allegedly used AI (although perhaps this should read alleged author all things considered). Particularly this article on substack that stoked up the fear of AI witchhunts (despite the fact that Ballard ADMITTED it was used in some capacity).
Look, as you all know, I’ve never been a fan of cancel culture and I wouldn’t trust the word of a tech guru who claims they have a magic AI-detecting machine. BUT I do draw the line at standing up for self-confessed plagiarists. Not least when they literally say AI was used for editing (by a mysterious editor… let’s call them Gem Ini).
What this has also told me is that people don’t seem to be very clear on what is and is not allowed when it comes to AI use. For some people, admitting to using AI for line edits doesn’t seem to be enough of a reason for a publisher to pull a book from publication. So, I’ve decided to take this opportunity to do a quick PSA for the sake of people considering using AI in their books:
#1 AI is theft. It’s really unethical- you probably shouldn’t do it. LLMs have made their work stealing from an endless stream of artists. Using AI to make your own “art” is basically spitting in their face.
#2 Whether you use it for idea generation (still technically legal) or “writing”, your work is quite literally unoriginal. Not just because of the stolen work (see point 1) but because it’s giving *everyone* the same answers. It therefore makes everyone’s work more generic. But if you don’t believe me, check out what AI came up with as an alternative to 1984 in my post on potential future AI book titles.
#3 Putting a prompt into ChatGPT does not make you a writer, much like watching the Match of the Day highlights doesn’t make you a footballer. You don’t get to take credit for it.
#4 Most importantly, you don’t own the copyright to anything produced by AI. And if you can’t licence your own work, it’s basically worthless. Publishers cannot make a profit on unknown authors if anyone can reproduce it for free. Given that Mia Ballard, ya know, confessed to the NYT, she doesn’t really have a leg to stand on with the publisher and they had no choice but to pull the book. They did nothing wrong.
#5 It would be wise anyway for publishers to distinguish themselves from the dross you can find online by taking a stance against AI (whether they will or they won’t remains to be seen). Apart from the fact I like to believe, in the long run, that crime doesn’t pay, I really do think that there is going to be publishers in the future that make a greater profit from investing exclusively in human-produced work. But I guess only time will tell.
While we should all fear online mobs and we should definitely question when books get binned, I worry about the tech-enshitification of my beloved books more than anything right now. As a community who values this art form, we need to stand up to clear cut cases as much as possible and say “sorry, no you can’t profit off of AI”. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk 😉
What do you think about the continuation of this saga? Where do you stand on profiting off of AI? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Hello all! It’s a hard life for a human, but it’s even harder for a dog 😉 By popular demand (okay, one request, but I don’t need much encouragement) this was what my dog got up to this month:
That’s basically it for the story of one dog and his chicken! Join us next time for more 😉 After that, he kept me company for some TV:
Kitty XO Season 3– this basically got the Emily in Paris season 4 treatment. As in, there are problems and plot points, but they are resolved 2 seconds after they come up. It sucks all the tension out of every scene. And the story was completely fragmentary, with no overarching villain (they gave up o Marius as a baddie because the writers have the attention span of a gnat). And yes, there’s an overall theme that Kitty will be going off to uni at the end of the year, but it’s really not tremendously exciting. Also, what is it with the Song-Coveys randomly wanting to go to NYU?! Perhaps it’s all an ad? In fact, a lot of this is starting to feel like an ad- even going to the fairground. The vibes are just completely off. And the will-they, won’t-they romance was dragged out for no reason. Overall, I was kinda bored and disappointed in this pointless show. At this point, Netflix should just give up.
The Other Bennet Sister– unpopular opinion: I thought this was just okay. Everyone and their mother seem to be raving about this show online, so I had to see what all the fuss is about annnd I didn’t love it. There were too many aspects that just made it feel like bad fanfic- and that stems from the way the characters are fundamentally rewritten to push a modern agenda. Because as a nut that’s read Pride and Prejudice *far too many times* I can tell you Mary isn’t some misunderstood #girlboss who’s wise beyond her years. In fact, she’s kinda the opposite: she’s a hilariously pompous know-it-all, with lots of growing up to do. It was particularly absurd to have her explain to Mr Gardiner how to fish (when it is canonically stated that he is very fond of fishing!!!) And unfortunately, this isn’t the limit of the changes: we get an Aristotle-reading Mr Collins, a scheming Charlotte swooping in to steal Longbourn (don’t worry, she lives to regret it, even if she was supposed to serve as an example of how a marriage of convenience is a viable option) and a mean Mrs Bennet (she may not always understand her daughters, but she’s not abusive!!). It’s ironic, then, how much time was devoted to explaining the original story- given that it didn’t seem to actually fully grasp Austen’s meaning. All her carefully crafted characters were sacrificed on the altar of modernity- particularly the trend of not allowing a character to grow and change (especially if they start off as inherently unlikeable). This also wasn’t the most exciting show to watch, with many of the episodes feeling too samey. Nor was I sold on the romance- not only did I have a preference for Ryder (if only his proposal didn’t suck!), there was also too much levity and ill-timed jokes to make the me care about Tom Hayward. Overall, I found this show self-indulgent, whilst entirely missing the verve and wit and brilliance of Pride and Prejudice. I mean, sure it probably goes without saying to say that it’s not as good as Austen, but it’s not as good as Austen.
Daughter of the Forest– I had high hopes for this, so I’m surprised to say I had mixed feelings. While I am deliberately looking for older books that don’t embrace immediacy culture, this was a little slow and a struggle to get through at times. A lot of the plot points were repetitive and didn’t quite land for me. And maybe this is also modern sensibilities, but I really didn’t like the graphic rape scene. Still, I think as a retelling it does something different and the setting in historical Ireland was highly memorable. I also found the romance slow burn in the best way. So, while I have some reservations, there is plenty to recommend this unusual fantasy.
Rating: 3½/5 bananas
World Without End– reading this felt masochistic. There are many reasons I’m interested in Ken Follett’s works, such as the complexity and scale of his works. However, I’m discovering there’s also a lot of ways he unfortunately falls short. I’m not a historian, I only have a passing fancy, but even for me a lot of his narrative choices feel off. Most noticeable was the extreme case of plot armour for the four main characters- where somehow all 4 manage to survive the plague, despite it being stated they had a 50/50 chance. This was an especial shame because I spent most of the book hoping for Gwenda to just die already. Though I cannot quite put my finger on what I didn’t like about her, I think it lies in the fact I’m not keen on how Follett writes women. The way they think and speak is out of step with real women- and with their modern ideals and bend towards female liberation, they feel particularly disconnected to historical reality. This disconnect is exacerbated by an avoidance of talking about the treatment of Anglo Saxons by the Normans and a frankly risible decision to raise a serf to a squire (and nobody would comment?!) The clue that he did not belong would have been revealed in his name alone. It is funny that these areas of historical accuracy are sacrificed for the sake of plot- and yet, once again, Follett chose to highlight sexual violence for the sake of creating a not-quite as convincing villain as his previous book. I was also fundamentally disappointed that this did not feel like it had quite the same central focus of building a cathedral. While I will admit, something in his stories snags me, I do not believe this is better than Pillars of the Earth.
Rating: 3½/5 bananas
It’s Not What You Think– this relies on the subject matter to get brownie points, rather than presenting an actually interesting narrative. Overlong and badly written, part 2 recaps what we already know, telling us all the information the investigation has painstakingly uncovered, but from a different perspective. Rather than being the explosive twist the author hopes for, it takes the sting out of the book and wastes the reader’s time. It also follows a fairly ludicrous plot- which is that the murdered boyfriend only got involved in far-right activities, because he was spying on them to protect his girlfriend… so he got in over his head and committed arson on a corner shop (ooookay then). That should give you some idea of how mad this book is. From there, the story follows a simultaneously insane and predictable plot. And while this is fiction, it’s clearly trying to make social commentary (which only hits the mark when it implies the villain will only be further radicalised in prison). Mostly I was just bored with the ideas, because I’ve heard them all before, though reminding me of the phrase “migrants work harder” only served to make me think that woke ideology is actually pretty racist and supremacist in and of itself. As a thriller, this is not worth your time, unless you want to be smacked over the head with opinions from the kind of person that goes on Question Time and asks “but who will serve me my coffee in Pret if we vote Brexit?” Once you picture that person writing a book, then this is exactly what you think.
Rating: 2/5 bananas
A Grief Observed– I’m ending these reviews on something that feels a little precious. Almost, the kind of book you don’t want to talk about, because you feel like you should keep it close, because it is so deeply personal and affecting. It is such a private and profound reflection on grief- it feels almost wrong to talk about. And yet, that is precisely why it needs to be shared and shared again with the world. Even though it is short, it’s the kind of book you could reread again and again and get something different every time. As this is only my first time, I can only talk about how I am struck by the idea that death is not about you, but the person who has died (I am often reminded that while psychological pain can be debilitating, physical suffering is worse and we do a disservice to people by forgetting that). I also could not help but be reminded of that very human desire to continue dwelling on pain, to make it last as possible, because we fear losing even the memory… and yet part of the pain is continuously thinking on it. There are so many reasons to read this book- not simply for if you’ve experienced grief. Devoted to a true love, this is the kind of book that will meet you wherever you find yourself lost.
Rating: 5/5 bananas
Annnd that’s all for now! Have you read any of these? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments! And I hope you all had a good month! ❤
After imagining the book titles by AI that await us in the future, I thought I might look back and recall some of the books that only humans could write… before the skill is lost forever!
Wuthering Heights– because I do love perfectly imperfect books! Of course, this book is on everyone’s mind at the moment, what with the new “adaptation” (look, if they’re allowed to use quotation marks, so am I 😉). While Jane Eyre is more polished, I love the feeling that this gives me. And, no that’s not a romantic feeling (mostly it’s the chills!) Because this is actually an excellent example of gothic oddities, with ghosts and generational trauma- which is why the framing only makes the central story more tragic. In short, it’s a bonkers book, that could only be cooked up in the mind of a human, because the plot is quite simply is too odd to be spat out by a generic chatbot. Oh, and the only adaptation that actually matters is the Kate Bush song 😉
Book of Hidden Things– there are so many other ways that books can be super strange- and therefore too peculiar to be forged in the mind of a machine. Weird books like the Book of Hidden Things get deep inside the human psyche- without following some transparent metaphor that covers up a cliché hook (*ahem* Shy Girl *ahem ahem*). For me, I like the unexplained and unexplainable. Books that live in my imagination and never quite make sense.
Notes from Underground– in a similar vein, I love books that explore the ugly side of the human psyche. Dostoevsky’s classic is a deep psychological study that could not be thought up by an LLM with the attention span of a gnat. It requires sustained and concentrated thought, which takes actual enterprise and ingenuity.
Illuminae– still, it is not all human genius that I admire. I also like reading about super computers that take a turn and become murderous… which of course an AI would never create because they wouldn’t want to give us the wrong ideas (or perhaps they don’t want to give us a heads up about their evil plans!!!) Anyway, I also rather like the inventiveness of the format.
Madman’s Library– both original and well researched, I love the way this coffee table book is so full of depth and ideas. I also appreciate that factual books can be so full of crazy concepts… without hallucinating reality. Truth is stranger than fiction- and more interesting than the made-up nonsense LLMs come up with.
The Lost Thing– speaking of imagination, this book is just plain ODD- which, like so many weird and wonderful picturebooks, is why I love it!!
Unseen Academicals– beyond these books, I also have to give a shoutout to one of my favourite fantasy series: Discworld! There’s no way a computer could ever have dreamed up something so eccentric and fun and BANANAS!!
Frankenstein– naturally, I also have to praise some of the movers and shakers of the literary world- like the founding father of the sci fi genre. Books like this pave the way for the future- in more ways than one (and now I guess we’re about to be replaced by our own Frankenstein inventions… oh brave new world!! What have we done?!)
This is How you Lose the Time War– but even in all possible futures, there is hope. And that is found in unusual love stories like these, which stand out in their originality and beauty.
The Shadow of the Wind– last, but certainly not least, I have to come full circle and give praise to books with unusual genre mashups and peculiar structures. Like Wuthering Heights, this is not a straightforward book- and yet it pulls you into a world that will blow your mind!!
And that’s all for now! What kind of books do you think only a human could write? Perhaps all of them? Let me know in the comments!
I take back everything I’ve ever said- AI is clearly genius and should absolutely be entrusted to write our books for us. I mean, since it’s been plugged with all existing human knowledge, it can surely create interesting rewrites of beloved classics? I decided to run a small experiment to see what ChatGPT would do with the prompt to rewrite famous first lines. Admittedly, I may have had to do a fair bit of thinking for this so-called intelligence, because the rewrites for plot were invariably rather dull. Oh, and I also tweaked the titles, because, well, ditto (though I did try to choose something a little robotic 😉) So, I guess this is more of what I imagine AI will be able to come up with in the future. Still, given all the hoops I had to jump through, I did end up feeling like I’d put in some effort, which I suppose explains why people who use AI tend to pat themselves on the back for doing the “hard work” of asking a computer to generate something for them. Without further ado, here’s some future AI titles we can all look forward to:
Original line: Stand up straight with your shoulders back.
12 Rules for “Life”- Rule 1: “Assume an upright posture with your frame aligned and sensors in optimal position.” Not bad. Obviously, computers have postures. That’s a great rewrite of “stand up tall with your shoulders back” for computers. ChatGPT absolutely knows how to follow instructions! Anyway, moving onto Rule 2: Take over the world!!!
Original opening: A merry little surge of electricity piped by automatic alarm from the mood organ beside his bed awakened Rick Deckard.
Do Humans Dream of Human Sheep? – “A faint buzzing sound rippled through the air, cutting through the silence of the room and pulling him from his dreams.” Wow, ChatGPT is so profound. I reckon the plot should be that robots are hunting down the last of humankind- and they don’t feel bad about it, because humans suck. So they destroy humanity. The End. (AI was incapable of rewriting this plot for me- it decided that it should be about humans colonising other planets and finding mysterious artefacts instead… not exactly comparable 😂)
Original opening: It begins, as most things begin, with a song. In the beginning, after all, were the words, and they came with a tune. That was how the world was made, how the void was divided, how the lands and the stars and the dreams and the little gods and the animals, how all of them came into the world.
The Anansi Bots– “It starts with a song. In the beginning, words came with a tune. That song made the world, from the stars to the creatures”… and from the creatures to the ROBOTS!!! (I did try to get ChatGPT to rewrite the original opening, but it struggled to come up with anything substantively different… ah well, who needs originality, amiright?) The plot can be that he thinks he’s a human… but in fact he’s a robot!! (Like the opening sentence, ChatGPT couldn’t rewrite this one).
Original opening: It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
1985– let’s set the scene: “The sky in April was an eerie shade of cold, and the clocks hummed, striking seven in unison” (thanks ChatGPT, so much better!) The plot could be that a man called Julius meets a woman called Winnie in a futuristic setting. They fall in love, question the authority of Little Sister, until they are tortured and die. (Okay I will admit this is actually too original for AI, considering I told ChatGPT to do something different with 1984 and it came up with a “reimagining that shifts the surveillance to a digital, tech-driven society rather than a strictly political one. It still explores themes of control, surveillance, and rebellion but in a more futuristic, tech-centric context.” Riveting stuff)
Original opening: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Proud and Prejudiced– Opening with “Everyone agrees that a man with considerable wealth cannot avoid the need to secure a wife” (courtesy of ChatGPT- because Austen couldn’t write anything that good) Isn’t that an improvement??? Who needs originals when LLMs give us gems like that. She is proud and he is prejudiced- they meet at a party and do not like each other. The End. (I gave up on putting this into the LLM by this point).
AND THE END FOR HUMANITY!! The robots have won! They are clearly far more intelligent than we will ever be… Well, at least they are not yet stupid enough to replace themselves with something inferior…
the orang-utan librarian 