Bytes: Week in Review — AI companies divided over proposed state law, Amazon buys Globalstar, and Spotify to sell physical books

In this young adult novel set in the late 1980s, Aristotle 'Ari' Mendoza and Dante Quintana deepen their relationship after falling in love in the first book. Ari grapples with his identity as a young gay man, confronts family silences, faces bullying, and deals with loss during the AIDS pandemic. The story explores themes of visibility, resilience, and forging a truthful life, structured in acts with epigraphs emphasizing Ari's journey as a 'cartographer' of his emotions and world.

Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark provides actionable strategies for writers to enhance their craft. The book is divided into four sections: Nuts and Bolts, Special Effects, Blueprints for Stories, and Useful Habits. It includes over 200 examples from literature and journalism to illustrate key concepts, making it a valuable resource for writers of all levels. The book encourages continuous improvement and offers practical exercises to apply these strategies effectively.

Lush Life is a novel by Richard Price that delves into the intricate social dynamics of New York City's Lower East Side. The story begins with a crime that unravels into a complex exploration of gentrification, race, and class. It weaves together the lives of diverse characters, from hipsters to police detectives, highlighting the contrasts between the area's gentrified and gritty realities.

In 'Verity,' Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin, accepts a job offer to complete the remaining books in a successful series by the incapacitated bestselling author Verity Crawford. While sorting through Verity's notes and outlines at the Crawford home, Lowen discovers Verity's unfinished autobiography, which reveals disturbing and bone-chilling admissions about Verity's life, including her relationship with her husband Jeremy and the tragic deaths of their twin daughters. As Lowen delves deeper into the manuscript, she becomes entangled in a complex and dangerous web of relationships and secrets, leading to a climactic revelation that challenges everything she thought she knew about the Crawford family. The novel is a masterful blend of psychological thriller and romantic suspense, keeping readers engaged with its intricate plot twists and well-developed characters.