By Washington Post book critic Ron Charles Here are five hot new books to check out this summer: If you're trying to figure out what's happening with artificial intelligence, pick up"Empire of AI."Journalist Karen Hao investigates the rise of OpenAI and its visionary co-founder, Sam Altman. With alarming detail, she shows how this once idealistic company became everything it said it would not be, even as it remakes and gobbles up the world. READ AN EXCERPT:"Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI" by Karen Hao "Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI"by Karen Hao (Penguin Press), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available viaAmazon,Barnes & NobleandBookshop.org karendhao.com Everybody knows about Amelia Earhart's mysterious final flight. But what about the years before she disappeared? In"The Aviator and the Showman"(to be published July 15 by Viking), Laurie Gwen Shapiro draws on newly-uncovered sources to explore the famed pilot's life and her marriage to wealthy publisher George Putnam. Theirs was a relationship that lifted love, publicity and especially risk to mythic heights. READ AN EXCERPT:"The Aviator and the Showman" by Laurie Gwen Shapiro "The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon"by Laurie Gwen Shapiro (Viking), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available July 15 viaAmazon,Barnes & NobleandBookshop.org lauriegwenshapiro.com Take a chance on a new writer, and you may be delighted: Rob Franklin's debut novel,"Great Black Hope,"follows a young African American man whose family launched him for success – but after an arrest for drug possession and the death of a close friend, his once-bright future feels anything but guaranteed. READ AN EXCERPT:"Great Black Hope" by Rob Franklin "Great Black Hope"by Rob Franklin (Simon & Schuster/Summit Books), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available June 10 viaAmazon,Barnes & NobleandBookshop.org robert-michael-franklin.com What better escape this July than a novel called"A Summer for the Books"? Michelle Lindo-Rice tells the story of Jewel, a bestselling writer, and Shelby, a bookstore owner – two old friends who went their separate ways years ago ... but! When Shelby loses her memory after a bike accident and reaches out to Jewel for help, how can she refuse? READ AN EXCERPT:"A Summer for the Books" by Michelle Lindo-Rice "A Summer for the Books"by Michelle Lindo-Rice (MIRA/HarperCollins), in Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available July 15 viaAmazon,Barnes & NobleandBookshop.org michellelindorice.com Jess Walter, the bestselling author of "Beautiful Ruins," is back with a new novel called"So Far Gone."It's about Rhys Kinnick, a journalist who's been living off the grid. But when his grandchildren are kidnapped by a right-wing militia, Rhys is forced back into the world – and he charges off on a wild adventure to save them. READ AN EXCERPT:"So Far Gone" by Jess Walter "So Far Gone"by Jess Walter (HarperCollins), in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook and Audio formats, available June 10 viaAmazon,Barnes & NobleandBookshop.org jesswalter.com That's it for the Book Report. For these and other suggestions about what to read this summer, talk with your local bookseller or librarian. I'm Ron Charles. Until next time, read on! For more info: Ron Charles, The Washington PostSubscribe to the freeWashington Post Book World NewsletterRon Charles' Totally Hip Video Book ReviewBookshop.org(for ordering from independent booksellers) Produced by Cameron Jimenez. Editor: Carol Ross. For more reading recommendations, check out these previous Book Report features from Ron Charles: The Book Report (March 9)The Book Report (January 26)The best books of 2024The Book Report (October 13)The Book Report (July 14)The Book Report (June 2)The Book Report (April 28)The Book Report (March 17)The Book Report (February 18)Ron Charles' favorite novels of 2023The Book Report (October 22)The Book Report (September 17)The Book Report (August 6)The Book Report (June 4)The Book Report (April 30)The Book Report (March 19)The Book Report (February 12, 2023)The Book Report: Ron Charles' favorite novels of 2022The Book Report (November 13)The Book Report (Sept. 18)The Book Report (July 10)The Book Report (April 17)The Book Report (March 13)The Book Report (February 6, 2022)The Book Report (November 28)The Book Report (September 26)The Book Report (August 1)The Book Report (June 6)The Book Report (May 9)The Book Report (March 28)The Book Report (February 28)The Book Report (January 31, 2021) 4 women arrested for allegedly aiding escaped New Orleans inmates A septuagenarian college graduate pays tribute Delta Air Lines' 100th year takes flight
