Presented by Nookly
Hey there, {{first_name | friend}},
I am a voracious reader. A total binge reader. A comfort reader. I read when I am stressed. I read when I am happy. And I especially read when I wake up at 3AM (anybody else?).
This edition is about books: what I am reading, what I just finished writing, and what I want to hear from you. And yes, I mean finished. I typed the last word of my first draft, got my publication date (mark your calendars for April 6!), and I have all the details on that below.
Here’s What’s On My Bookshelf This Fall
Currently reading, about AI:
How to Rule the World by Theo Baker. A student journalist's inside account of the network that funnels Stanford's most ambitious students toward Silicon Valley. Less about AI itself, more about power.
I Am Not A Robot by Joanna Stern. The Emmy-winning tech journalist spent a year letting AI run her life, from her health to her chores to her family vacations.
Currently reading, not about AI:
The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. (Thank you, Caitlin!) The author’s first novel since The Help, set in an orphanage in Depression-era Mississippi.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. (Thank you, Anna!) A shipwreck, a seed vault, and a family guarding old secrets on a remote island near Antarctica.
Recently read, about life and parenting:
Parental Control: A Guide to Raising Balanced Kids in the Digital Era by Titania Jordan. Practical, warm guidance for raising kids who can handle the internet instead of being handled by it. I just recorded an interview with Titania and I can’t wait to share it!
Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and at Home by Dr. Anne Welsh. A clinical psychologist's framework for redefining ambition after kids, without the guilt or the burnout. Check out my interview with Dr. Welsh here.
Big News About The AI Empowered Family Book
This is the working cover, for now…
I finished the first draft of my book, The AI Empowered Family. I am now deep in the editing process with my developmental editor. She turned one looong Word document into a stack of Google Docs and is improving my first pass chapter by chapter. We’ll finish this round by Halloween, and then hand it off to copyediting.
I started writing this book under a year ago, and a lot has changed since then, in AI and in my own household, but so much of what is true about families and technology has not moved an inch. And the biggest news of all: the publication date is set for April 6, 2027, and the book is available for pre-order now.
Pre-order your copy today!
Thank you all for your encouragement and guidance along the way. My book started right here, with this newsletter and community, and I am so grateful for you all!
Prompts to Find Your Next Read
Try these in your favorite AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or Gemini) this week.
Prompt 1: Find Your Next Favorite Book
Act as a personal book curator who knows my taste. I loved [INSERT YOUR TOP THREE FAVORITES]. Ask me 3 quick questions about the mood I am in right now, fast or slow, fiction or nonfiction, light or heavy. Then recommend 1 book that fits both my past favorites and today's mood. Format the output as a book pick for the month with a link to purchase.
Mom tip: This prompt helps me the most when I have that mini-grief feeling after I finish a book I loved and wish it wasn’t over.
Prompt 2: Find Podcast Episodes With Authors You Love
Act as my podcast booker. I loved [INSERT RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS YOU LOVED]. Search for recent podcast episodes where the author(s) appeared as guests, and tell me the show name, episode title, and a sentence on what they talked about. Format the output as a numbered list with links.
Mom tip: Run this prompt with your own favorite authors and see what interviews you might have been missing.
Prompt 3: Design a Book Cover for Your Life
Act as a book cover designer. Based on everything you know about me from our conversations, my interests, and my current season of life, design a book cover for the story of my life right now. Include a title, a subtitle, and a description of the cover art. Format the output as a mock book jacket image.
Mom tip: This prompt is a little silly… but it’s actually a great way to assess both an AI tool’s knowledge about you and its image generation capabilities. Here is what ChatGPT came up with for me vs. Claude. Feels like Claude knows me better but ChatGPT created a better image.
Now Streaming: You Can’t Always Trust the First Result
I was standing right next to Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer when she got the text saying her children’s book had been ripped off. The evidence was a Google AI search result, and (spoiler alert!) it turned out to be wrong. In this week’s podcast episode, we walk through what she did in the hours after, why she could not recreate the result, and what she checks now before she believes an answer.
AI-EMPOWERED MOM
Why You Can't Always Trust the First Result with Children's Author Katie Eisenhart Schaeffer
We also talk about what she handed to AI while writing her book and what she kept for herself, including an illustrator who works entirely in watercolor and does not own a computer. Sign up to be the first to know when Katie’s children’s book is available here.
Tell Me What You're Reading
I recently did a mini book club with myself and AI on my way to an actual book club with real humans, and the human version won by a landslide. Good discussion, real reactions, someone else's pick I never would have chosen myself. AI is great for finding your next read and turning your thoughts into a book cover. It cannot replace a room full of people who read the same book you did.
So tell me: what are you reading right now? Hit reply, I want to hear it, and I might feature your pick in a future edition.
Until next time,
P.S. I wrote the first draft of this edition, AI edited it, then I approved the final version.
I’m Sarah, mom of 3 girls, MBA, and AI strategist. I created AI-Empowered MomTM to share practical, responsible ways AI can help lighten the mental load of parenthood. I’m so glad you’re here.
I get asked all the time how to bring AI into family life without handing over the wheel or compromising control. Nookly is built around an idea I love: you set goals for your family, and Nookly builds the plan and the content to achieve them. Tell it what your child is working on: letter sounds, a transition to a new school, learning fractions, and it creates personalized stories, videos, songs, and activities around that specific goal.
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