Articles about Books

Illustration: Male and female astronauts floating toward a Valentine's Day heart in space

Sex in space? Find out how science weighs the pluses and minuses on Valentine’s Day

You might think sex in space would be an out-of-this-world experience — but based on the scientific evidence so far,… Read More

Double Billing: Bill Gates and Bill Nye geek out on computers, science and changing human history

Talk about a double Billing. Bill Nye, the “Science Guy,” and Bill Gates, the software guy, came together on one… Read More

Book lovers get a read on new Barnes & Noble as they flock to chain’s Bellevue, Wash., store opening

Barnes & Noble is back in downtown Bellevue, Wash., and book lovers turned out Wednesday for a grand opening to… Read More

Amazon’s new playbook? NFL player reading on sideline helps obscure title shoot to No. 1 seller

Forget spending money on ads during NFL games, Amazon should just hand out books to players as a marketing ploy.… Read More

Barnes & Noble sells ‘a better book’ than Amazon: CEO credits bookstore experience at revived chain

Barnes & Noble went from near-bust to back in action and the CEO of the nation’s largest remaining book chain… Read More

Will our AI creations ultimately achieve personhood? Here’s how it could happen

Some say artificial intelligence will be humanity’s greatest helper. Others warn that AI will become humanity’s most dangerous rival. But maybe there’s… Read More

Jeff Bezos is starry eyed on Amazon with glowing review of fiancée’s children’s book about space

Nothing like a 5-star Amazon review on your new book from the guy who created the company. Jeff Bezos gave… Read More

Illustration: Teenage Mars inhabitant in space helmet

Artificial intelligence is going full circle — from fiction to science, and back again

Artificial intelligence has had an effect on nearly every facet of modern life — ranging from diagnosing diseases, to applying for a… Read More

Portrait of Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham

What if the aliens win? That’s the subject of a new saga from creators of ‘The Expanse’

In nearly all alien-invasion tales, the puny humans somehow find a way to win — for example, in classic novels… Read More

Checkout with the tech out: Amid cyberattack, here’s a read on life at the library in Seattle

For a place that’s traditionally supposed to be quiet, the Broadview branch of the Seattle Public Library was exceptionally so… Read More

How Seattle science-fiction pioneer Vonda N. McIntyre blazed a trail for diversity

Decades before the current debates over gender and sexuality, the late Seattle science-fiction writer Vonda N. McIntyre flipped the script… Read More

Microsoft design exec turns to AI to illustrate son’s book about coping with anxiety

When Microsoft design chief Jon Friedman‘s son Judah needed help with a children’s book he wanted to write, Friedman went… Read More

Author and former Navy SEAL David Goggins sues Amazon over bootleg books

Amazon has been sued by David Goggins, the author, endurance athlete, motivational speaker, and former Navy SEAL, on allegations that… Read More

Bill Gates offers his recommendations for what to read, watch and listen to during the holidays

Bill Gates is back with one of his seasonal traditions, offering three of the best books that he read in… Read More

Writers respond to Marc Andreessen’s AI optimism with their own manifesto: ‘It’s mostly nonsense’

How will “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto,” venture capitalist Marc Andreessen’s paean to economic growth and artificial intelligence, play to a wider… Read More

Dr. Evil, Mr. Bigglesworth and "Starter Villain" cat

‘Starter Villain’: Sci-fi supervillain tale aims a satirical laser at tech billionaires

There’s nary a mention of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates in “Starter Villain,” but science-fiction author John Scalzi’s wickedly funny… Read More

Elon Musk called Bill Gates ‘categorically insane’ after dispute over Tesla stock

Walter Isaacson’s new book “Elon Musk” reveals more details about the billionaire beef between the Tesla chief and Microsoft co-founder… Read More

Illustration with 17th-century view of solar system blending into quantum hardware

How quantum computing could transform everything everywhere, but not all at once

What does quantum computing have in common with the Oscar-winning movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once”? One is a mind-blowing… Read More

The latest 007 saga has a space billionaire, quantum computers — but no James Bond

Imagine a James Bond story with quantum computers, brain-computer interfaces, a cloud-shifting climate control system and a billionaire who owns… Read More

"Critical Mass" book cover illustration showing space station beyond moon

Fictional plans for building a space station beyond the moon reflect Jeff Bezos’ vision

If Jeff Bezos needs a blueprint for building a space station beyond the moon with ore from an asteroid, he… Read More

Book excerpt: Ex-Google manager’s ‘cautionary tale’ details alleged pregnancy discrimination

Editor’s note: Chelsey Glasson is a researcher and writer who spent the past two decades working in the public policy… Read More

Science fiction focuses on the far future of terraforming, with a tie-in to today’s cities

Billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos dream of making Mars more like Earth, or seeing millions of people… Read More

Illustration: Man with virtual world in hand

Sci-fi author and scientist team up to write a novel about consciousness and quantum weirdness

Do we each create our own reality? Could different observers create measurably different realities? It’s a fantastical line of thought… Read More

New chapter for physical retail: Barnes & Noble is growing — including in former Amazon Books spots

How’s this for an epilogue? Barnes & Noble, the chain bookseller that struggled for years to compete against Amazon and… Read More

Bill Gates’ holiday book picks are 5 all-time favorites; look for them in 100 Little Free Libraries

Bill Gates has made a tradition of releasing lists and reviews of his favorite books, but his holiday installment this… Read More

Greg Bear, 1951-2022: Best-selling writer influenced sci-fi world, on and off the page

Greg Bear, a Seattle science-fiction author who played a leading role in defining how global audiences saw future final frontiers,… Read More

Octopus seen during Ocean Observatories Initiative's Vision '13 expedition

What octopus intelligence can teach us about artificial intelligence — and aliens

Are intelligent aliens living among us? A newly published novel just might lead you to think so — and in… Read More

Amazon releases upgraded Kindle and Kindle Kids devices for first time in three years

Amazon unveiled enhanced versions of its Kindle and Kindle Kids e-readers on Tuesday, the first time the tech giant has… Read More

Jeff Bezos at Blue Origin and in "Star Trek Beyond"

How the Star Trek saga blazed new trails for space exploration — with a hand from superfan Jeff Bezos

Over the course of five decades, advances in space science and exploration have changed the Star Trek saga — but… Read More

5 books Bill Gates recommends for the summer

While compiling books for his annual summer recommendations, Bill Gates realized that the topics in his list were hardly the… Read More