The Chicago Sun-Times published a summer reading list containing fabricated book titles attributed to real authors in a May 2025 supplement. Freelance writer Marco Buscaglia said he used AI while researching the recommendations and failed to verify its output. The section was supplied by King Features—not created or approved by the Sun-Times newsroom—and was also distributed to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
What appeared in the summer reading list?
The 64-page Heat Index: Your Guide to the Best of Summer ran on May 18, 2025, in the Sunday editions of the Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer, according to the Associated Press. Its “Summer reading list for 2025” presented invented titles as books by established novelists.
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Just for the Summer | $10.10 | Buy on Amazon |
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28 Summers | $9.21 | Buy on Amazon |
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One Italian Summer: A Novel | $9.49 | Buy on Amazon |
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Something in the Water: Reese's Book Club: A Novel | $9.51 | Buy on Amazon |
Among the examples reported by Axios and the AP were “Tidewater Dreams,” attributed to Isabel Allende; “Hurricane Season,” attributed to Brit Bennett; “Nightshade Market,” attributed to Min Jin Lee; “The Longest Day,” attributed to Rumaan Alam; “Boiling Point,” attributed to Rebecca Makkai; “Migrations,” attributed to Maggie O’Farrell; “The Rainmakers,” attributed to Percival Everett; and “The Last Algorithm,” attributed to Andy Weir. These were presented as recommendations, but the titles cited in the reporting were fabricated, not books readers could look up or buy.
Axios reported that the list contained 15 titles and that its first genuine book was the eleventh entry: Françoise Sagan’s 1954 novel Bonjour Tristesse. The AP reported that, according to Buscaglia’s account, more than half of the listed books were fake. The exact number should not be inferred from that description.
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How were fake titles attributed to real authors?
Buscaglia told the AP he used AI in researching the recommendations and did not double-check the results. He described the mistake as “A really stupid error on my part.” The failure was not simply an inaccurate description of a real book: invented titles were assigned to real writers.
Min Jin Lee publicly rejected one of the attributions. In a post on X reported by the AP, she said: “I have not written and will not be writing a novel called ‘Nightshade Market.’” The Guardian also quoted Book Riot editor Kelly Jensen reacting: “Why the hell are you using ChatGPT to make up book titles?”
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Who was responsible, and what did the newspapers say?
The freelance creator
Buscaglia was the freelance writer responsible for the list. His account to the AP was that he used AI during research and failed to check what it produced.
King Features
King Features supplied the section. In a statement quoted by the AP, it said: “The Heat Index summer supplement was created by a freelance contract creator who used AI in its story development without disclosing the use of AI.” The company said its policy prohibits using AI to create material and that it had fired the writer.
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The receiving newspapers
The Sun-Times said the supplement “is not editorial content and was not created by, or approved by, the Sun-Times newsroom,” as quoted by the Guardian and Axios. That distinction matters: the fake list was in a third-party supplement carried by the paper, not in the newsroom’s ordinary editorial coverage. The Philadelphia Inquirer also distributed the section to readers.
What happened after the list was discovered?
The AP reported that both newspapers removed the supplement from their digital editions. The Sun-Times said it was investigating whether the section contained other inaccuracies and reviewing its relationships with content partners. The Guardian reported that the paper said it would update policies for third-party licensed editorial content.
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Those statements describe immediate corrections and a review, not a published final audit. The reviewed reports do not establish the results of a comprehensive review or specify what policy changes were ultimately made. The Guardian also reported reader concerns about other pieces in the supplement, including apparent nonexistent experts; the Sun-Times said it was still investigating possible additional inaccuracies.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why this was more than a bad book recommendation
The incident crossed several points where errors could have been caught: a writer used unverified AI output, a content distributor supplied the section, and two newspapers carried it. The Sun-Times’ statement separated the supplement from its newsroom’s work, while its investigation and policy review addressed the paper’s role in distributing licensed content. The resulting account is specific: the writer acknowledged using AI and not checking it; King Features said it fired him; and the newspapers removed the digital supplement.
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