So, the Chicago Sun Times published a Summer Reading List full of fake, AI-generated books. So, as a certified human being and a book professional, I'm here to give you ACTUAL books based off their fake ones.
Fake Book: Tidewater Dreams by Isabel Allende
Real Book: My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende
Y'all... this author literally published a new book last week. The bar was on the floor. Anyway, Emilia del Valle has nothing to do with climate fiction, but instead is a coming-of-age story set in the beginning of the Chilean Civil War of 1891.
Fake Book: The Last Algorithm by Andy Weir
Real Book: I am AI by Ai Jiang
In the height of irony, the Chicago Sun Times literally let ChatGPT (or whatever) recommend a fake book about AI secretly influencing global events. Might I recommend they read this book about an author who begins replacing parts of her body with technology so she can keep up with the constant content created by AI.
Fake Book: Hurricane Season by Britt Bennett
Real Book: Private Rites by Julia Armfield
I'm partially convinced that this fake book was actually inspired by Private Rites to some extent. While the jury is still out on the reconciliation part, this is definitely a book about estranged siblings sheltering in their childhood home while tensions and sea levels rise.
Fake Book: The Collector's Piece by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Real Book: Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
Want a real book set in the art world that incorporates mystery, art history, and a little bit of romance? Well, one of my favorite contemporary fiction authors, Xochitl Gonzalez wrote just that.
Fake Book: Nightshade Market by Min Jin Lee
Real Book: If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
Though it's not set in an underground Korean night market, If I Had Your Face does actually examine "class, gender, and shadow economies" through the lives of four young women in contemporary Seoul.
Fake Book: The Longest Day by Rumaan Alam
Real Book: Dead Water by C.A. Fletcher
"Summer solstice" and "remote vacation compound" are giving the same vibes as this eerie folk horror novel about a remote community that falls into hysteria after ferry service fails and a deadly disease begins to spread.
Fake Book: Boiling Point by Rebecca Makkai
Real Book: Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich
Jesus christ, if Rebecca Makkai did ever write this book, I hope her publishing team would come up with a title a little less heavy handed than "Boiling Point". Anyway, Odds Against Tomorrow confronts the idea of wealth and disaster through the eyes of an insurance agent who may just profit from the end of the world.
Fake Book: Migrations by Maggie O'Farrell
Real Book: Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Once again, the bar was on the ground.
Fake Book: The Rainmakers by Percival Everrett
Real Book: Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang
This is one of my all time favorite books and it just so happens to confront the intersections between privilege, opportunity, and complicity. Though it's not set in a dystopian west it's instead set in a mountaintop oasis where flavor is the greatest luxury.
Fake Book: Salt and Honey by Delia Owens
Real Book: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Okay, this one really didn't give me much to go on other than "coming of age", "science", and... Utah? So... we're going to go with Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi which is about a young PHD candidate trying find her way through grief, trauma, and religion.
Bonus Recommendation: The book I really wanted to recommend for the above is To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage, which I'm currently reading, a coming-of-age story about a young woman who is determined to become the first Cherokee astronaut, but it doesn't come out until October–so no summer reading. You should, however, preorder it for your fall reading list!!
