AGP Executive Report

Reading Culture Push: Malaysia’s Big Bad Wolf book fair opens in Alor Setar (through Aug 9), with organizers betting on children’s English-friendly titles and interactive illustrations to boost literacy. Immigration & Speech: Argentina’s Milei tightens immigration rules via emergency decree, targeting hate speech and incitement as grounds for denial of entry or deportation. Publishing for Kids: Su Che Publishing releases Happy Rath Yatra: The Festival of Chariots, a non-fiction children’s guide to Lord Jagannath’s procession. Online Safety Books: UK imprint Safety Spotters offers free age-banded online-safety detective stories to parents and teachers amid deepfake and voice-clone scams. AI Study Guides: Full Marks Press gives students free, edition-dated AI/machine-learning study guides, asking for honest reviews as textbooks lag course changes. Health & Screening: Astrin Biosciences publishes validation of a first blood test for early-stage breast cancer detection, reporting high sensitivity and specificity. Late Library Return: An Australian library gets back a 1858 book (Antiquities of Athens) about 150 years late—found bricked in a fireplace—with no way to trace the final borrower.

Publishing & Books: Joyce Carol Oates jumps into the “Odyssey” fight, defending Christopher Nolan after translator Emily Wilson’s viral takedown, while a separate spotlight notes a landmark Little Shell Tribe history book is back in print after years out of circulation. Author News: Benjamin Alire Sáenz, whose YA hit Aristotle and Dante became a film, has died at 71; he was also working on a final book about gun violence. Reviews & Culture: Colson Whitehead’s Cool Machine closes his Harlem Trilogy with themes of repatriation and justice, and the Tony Anthony Bourdain biopic keeps drawing attention with multiple review takes. Sports/Books Crossover: U.S. Biathlon delays its merger with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to tighten governance terms after community pushback. Tech & Reading: A new review finds controlled breathing can reduce substance-use cravings, and another story argues AI is reshaping how people discover and consume books. Legal/Global: A U.S. jury convicts Salman Rushdie attacker Hadi Matar on federal terrorism charges.

AI & Reading Habits: A new study reports Kindle users struggle more to reconstruct mystery plots in order than paperback readers, raising fresh questions about how device feel shapes comprehension. AI Agents & Copyright: A wave of “ask the book” tools lets readers chat with text while authors’ groups warn about copyright, pay, and whether protected works are being used without permission. Publishing Industry Watch: The Booker Prize 2026 longlist drops with 13 novels and a reader’s guide highlights the mix of past winners and first-timers. Tech in Commerce: A fashion-tech book argues AI assistants will decide what shoppers see, putting “machine-readable” brands at an advantage. Community & Literacy: Fortitude Re donates $50k to Bermuda Education Network to fund summer reading and teacher support. Books on Screen: Rose Hill, Elsie Silver’s romance series, lands a TV cast and adaptation push. Health Research: The Lancet publishes HOPE-3 Phase 3 results for Capricor’s Deramiocel in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Controversy & Media: A Gaza ceasefire piece draws criticism for omitting context and skewing blame.

Publishing & Books: AI reading features are moving from experiments to mainstream apps, letting readers “chat with books” by drawing only from the text—while another report warns AI-written novels are already slipping into Amazon sales, raising fresh questions for authors, platforms, and trust. Literary Culture: Tributes followed Japanese mystery giant Keigo Higashino’s death at 68, with his titles surging in China’s e-book searches. Publishing Industry: Publishers are also fighting for attention in print, with fresh tactics aimed at selling classic editions like Homer’s Odyssey. Tech & Consumer Tech: eBay agreed to a $55.7M settlement over a cyberstalking campaign targeting a couple, and a separate story highlights how “autonomous intern” style AI agents can automate tasks beyond chat. Health & Policy: A new report urges stronger intimate partner violence screening for veterans, and coverage links Type 2 diabetes with overlooked liver risks.

Book Fairs & International Publishing: Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair is already looking to KLIBF 2027 as a bigger global stage, with talks underway to deepen ties with the British Council and more countries signaling interest in joining. New Releases & Launches: Angola’s reform-era story gets a high-profile push as NJ Ayuk’s bestselling “Crude Oil: Power, Turnaround and Transformation in Angola” heads to an exclusive Luanda launch on Sept. 2. Wellbeing & Grief Literature: “The Yoga of Grief” brings an Eight Limbs framework to anticipatory and post-loss grief, blending therapy-style guidance with yoga practice. Literary Awards: The 2026 Booker Prize longlist lands with an Irish debut among the “Booker Dozen,” plus prior winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James. Publishing Industry Watch: The UK’s Guardian design editor Michael McNay has died, remembered for reshaping the paper’s modern look after the 1988 remodelling. Media & Culture: “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” reviews are split, with critics debating whether the film’s more mature tone delivers emotional depth or just more franchise motion. Tech & Reading Habits: Yelp says its AI phone service has topped 1 million calls handled, expanding restaurant booking features via OpenTable—another sign of how “bookable” experiences keep moving into voice.

Privacy & Surveillance: A new report argues everyday devices have become literal listeners, turning home life into a data pipeline. Public Reading Tech: China’s Guizhou Provincial Library is testing driverless minibuses as “mobile libraries,” with QR-linked audiobooks and kids’ reading areas. Local Accountability: Madison’s Corey Ruiz police shooting reignites debate over body-worn cameras, with calls for transparency and an outside review. Health & Diet: A review finds blueberry and grape polyphenols may support vascular health, but clinical proof is still uneven. Sports Economy: Analysis of the World Cup frames it as a global media-and-brand business engine, not just a tournament. Publishing & Books: Meg Mason’s “Sophie, Standing There” highlights festival-world fiction built with real authors’ permission; Keigo Higashino’s death at 68 lands a major mystery-literature loss. AI & Reading: Multiple pieces push on “chat with books” tools, while critics warn the AI boom may be an authority crisis. Misinformation Check: BBC denies a doctored claim about Olena Zelenska wearing a stolen Lalique pendant. Rights & Access: A Dominican “Book Bank” initiative collects donated books for free distribution to youth and vulnerable communities.

New Releases & Culture: Sumerian Comics announced Janis Joplin: Pearl, a 128-page graphic novel arriving in October, tracing Joplin’s rise through performances, letters, and the pressures of fame. Publishing & Craft: Tilden released its third issue of a serialized-fiction magazine, adding writers including Laird Hunt, Sophie Mackintosh, and Matt Thorne. Literary News: Japanese mystery author Keigo Higashino died at 68; tributes highlight his China-spanning popularity and his blend of deduction and emotion. AI & Copyright: A report claims AI firms are buying and dismantling thousands of books to feed models, reigniting fights over copyright and cultural preservation. Reading & Education: A review essay argues many students “can’t read” due to tech habits and AI offloading, warning that skipping reading kills higher-order thinking. Food Safety: CDC data says most this summer’s cyclospora cases aren’t tied to the lettuce outbreak, leaving many sick people without a clear product to avoid. Policy & Consumer Tech: New York’s proposed self-checkout bill would require a 10% discount for kiosk purchases, challenging the economics of retail automation.

AI Reading Tools: New apps let readers “chat with” a book using only its text, from Sinai.ai to Amazon Audible’s “Ask a Question,” aiming to make stories more interactive. Publishing & Adaptations: A novel-to-screen adaptation of Divya Prakash Dubey’s Musafir Café focuses on preserving character authenticity, not copying every page. Book Reviews: Anthony Horowitz’s The Word Is Murder gets early praise for its clever meta-mystery approach. Film & Box Office: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey keeps dominating weekend grosses, extending its strong theatrical run. Sports-Entertainment Tie-In: House of the Dragon Season 3 Episode 6 reviews highlight how the show reshapes Fire & Blood moments. Libraries & Community: Campaspe libraries spotlights the people behind local reading support, stressing libraries’ role beyond online access. Policy & Public Trust: A report says governments aren’t ready for predictable resource risks tied to ecological overshoot, leaving economies exposed. Tech & Chips: China’s CXMT surges after a major IPO, betting on the memory-chip boom tied to AI demand.

Indictments & Influence: The Trump administration is shifting its Mexico drug-war focus from cartel bosses to “well-heeled” politicians accused of taking illicit money to help campaigns, with Treasury alleging cash payments aimed at electing cartel-friendly candidates. Indie Book Culture: Los Angeles’ inaugural Indie Book Crawl wraps Sunday, with readers visiting 13 stores, collecting stamps, and meeting authors including Taylor Jenkins Reid and Gabrielle Zevin. Publishing & Adaptation Buzz: Apple TV drops the first trailer for its “unfilmable” cyberpunk classic Neuromancer, bringing William Gibson’s Case and Molly Millions to the screen. New Releases: High Frequency Press debuts Latinx and queer short-story collection Once Wild by s b del llano, while children’s book Angelor launches with a faith-forward art-and-wonder theme. Tech & Safety: A new study says Waymo self-driving cars crash less often than human drivers, though researchers stress the limits of available data. Local Scams: Milwaukee families report a Zillow rental fraud that left them out nearly $8,000 after cash payments and lockouts.

Publishing & Books in the Spotlight: A new book on Socrates, Socrates: The Barefoot Philosopher, revisits the philosopher through competing ancient portraits, while Tradition to Table spotlights mothers’ recipes across India’s regions. Author/Reader Culture: India’s Savio Mascarenhas talks decades of creating Tinkle’s iconic characters, and a review of The Ashes Are Warm frames Mahesh Bhatt’s journal archive as a quiet survival story. Book-to-Screen Buzz: Stephen King’s The Mist is getting a third adaptation, and horror-to-TV momentum continues with Colleen Hoover titles like Verity heading to the screen. Media, Rights & Controversy: Katy Perry blasts the White House for using “Firework” in a TikTok about Iran strikes. Consumer & Tech Angle: Big-bank earnings suggest consumers are holding up, and AI how-tos keep spreading as ChatGPT use becomes mainstream. Local/Community Reading: A Florida YMCA pool party pushes swim lessons as drownings rise, and libraries keep running events and book sales.

Children’s Publishing: Pitt Community College instructor Christine Bates has released the new kids’ book “The Tiny Door: An Irp’s Tale,” inspired by “The Smurfs,” about an artist who must step through a tiny door to save her colorless village. Media & Politics: A conservative group says Google News and Apple News kept more than 100 critical stories about Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed out of top feeds; Google disputes the methodology. Comic Awards: The 2026 Eisner Awards at San Diego Comic-Con crowned DC’s “Absolute Batman” and “Absolute Martian Manhunter” as big winners, with DC taking 10 awards overall. Reading Culture: France’s Fontenoy-la-Joûte keeps its rural book village alive with 10 booksellers for 300 residents, betting on browsing over online shopping. Tech for Readers: Back-to-school coverage highlights pen-enabled e-readers and note-taking devices, including options aimed at keeping PDFs and class notes organized. Global Publishing: China’s 34th National Book Expo opened in Hangzhou with 1,000+ exhibitors and nearly 1 million books across online and offline events.

Law & Publishing: A U.S. Air Force strike in Syria is spotlighted in a new book on “military legalism,” raising questions about how self-defense claims can bypass civilian-protection review. Public Safety Tech: Greer, South Carolina fires two officers for misusing Flock license-plate cameras, reigniting debate over oversight and privacy as automated surveillance spreads. AI & Power: Cory Doctorow argues AI will turn people into “reverse centaurs” and frames the coming fight as one over who gets to control and profit from human attention. AI Governance: A CGTN op-ed says AI is now a geopolitical battleground, with Latin America and the Caribbean pushing for sovereignty, data control, and fair access. Banned Books: An Edmonton subscription service mails banned titles like Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club, turning reading into a direct response to library removals. Publishing & Culture: Robert Service’s The August Coup and Frank Dikötter’s Red Dawn Over China both land as major history reads, while a new review of Kristen McCallum’s Free Girls centers trust, voice, and belonging for young readers. Libraries & Community: Local book clubs and audio-reading services keep expanding access, from neighborhood discussions to audio editions for readers with visual impairments.

AI & Security: Researchers warn a ChatGPT Workspace Agents flaw (“AgentForger”) could let a phishing link spawn an attacker-controlled agent inside a company, though OpenAI says it’s fixed. Publishing & Ethics: A “fair citation” push highlights how AI-assisted writing can create fake or sloppy references—and why instructors need a clear human review path. Books & Culture: A never-before-seen Leo Lionni Frederick manuscript, “How to Make Paper Mice,” lands with Knopf for Young Readers in fall 2027. Reading Access: A national book fair in Hangzhou touts nearly a million titles and millions in vouchers, while local challenges like Simcoe Reads keep Canadian books in the spotlight. Consumer Pressure: A report says predatory auto lending hits Black borrowers harder, with higher rates and costly tactics. Health & Life: A new study links premature birth growth gaps to lasting brain changes, and a nitrous oxide ban bill gets its first hearing.

Publishing & Books: A new children’s novel, The Adventures of Charlie and Sailor, debuts from Pittsford teacher Allie Ferington, drawn from her own childhood and classroom belief that every child should feel seen. Book Reviews: Find Me at the Jaffa Gate earns major praise as a Palestinian family search-and-reconstruction memoir tied to the Nakba, while Vasiliki by Meropi Savva is framed as a return-to-roots story about depression, displacement, and what “home” really means. Faith & Reading Culture: A Pope’s new AI encyclical argues that speed isn’t the point, warning that summaries can kill the desire to ask questions. Tech & Travel/AI: New travel research finds people use AI to discover trips but don’t trust it for bookings—only 24% trust AI recommendations. Rights & Adaptations: Rebelle Media and MGM Television acquired rights to adapt Sarah Adams’ When In Rome series for TV. Local Events: L.A. launches its first Indie Book Crawl, with a $10 passport and store-to-store stamps plus prizes.

Summer Reading Support: Strathcona County Library is handing out Grade 1 Reading Kits to fight the “summer slide,” with a tracking poster, parent guide, free membership, and a keep-sake new book. Wealth Publishing: Nick Gregory’s new book, The Seismic Shift Within High Net Worth Wealth Advisory, argues today’s advisory model doesn’t match what HNW clients want and lays out a new “Wealth Engineering” approach. Privacy vs Policing: Southwick, Massachusetts is moving toward a policy for automatic license plate readers after residents raised surveillance concerns. Booksellers Under Pressure: Hong Kong raids on independent bookstores have sparked a Taiwan-led backlash, with people wearing “I am a bookstore employee” T-shirts in solidarity. Festival Fallout: Bath’s children’s literature festival faced criticism after authors said organizers asked them to delete diversity-related posts. AI + Books Skepticism: A Turkish antiquarian bookseller doubts claims that AI firms are bulk-buying and destroying Europe’s secondhand books for training. New Titles for Kids: A free guide maps 52 classic children’s books to “what’s next” recommendations by age and interests. Traditional Publishing Win: Rexburg author Arthur Lee landed his first traditional deal for essay collection Thin Places.

Publishing & Film Tie-Ins: Insight Editions is preparing late-summer and fall releases for two books—Filming the Odyssey and The World of the Odyssey—built around Christopher Nolan’s big-screen The Odyssey, as the film’s box-office run keeps climbing. Health & Care Reading: A new medical-minded book, When Memory Fades, uses one family’s Alzheimer’s journey to guide readers on what memory changes can mean and when to talk to a doctor. Book Culture Under Pressure: Hong Kong raids on independent bookstores have spread online after arrests tied to “seditious” publications; a viral T-shirt message—“I am a bookstore employee”—has become a rallying cry. Consumer Tech Meets Books: A logistics AI agent is being pitched as a 24/7 helper for shipping communications, while separate coverage highlights how digital-first shifts are changing ownership habits. Local Reading Life: Pasadena’s first LA Indie Book Crawl rolls out with a passport-and-stamp system across 13 stores, pushing readers back into physical bookstores. Sports-Book Crossover Loss: Charles Gaines, who helped mainstream bodybuilding via Pumping Iron, has died at 84.