If you’ve been on BookTok, an online community where readers recommend, review and theorize about their favorite books, authors and genres, you’ve probably heard of Rebecca Yarros’ Fourth Wing. On BookTok, the release of Fourth Wing came with hype (炒作) around a mix between romance and fantasy. The novel was published last May and its sequel (续集) followed just six months later.

But questions came: Are publishers and authors publishing books too quickly, and does this affect the quality of writing?

On the day of the sequel’s release, Yarros and her publisher, Red Tower Books, were met with much criticism about her misuse of a language’s grammar in the novel. Many argued that the mistakes could have been avoided if the publishers had hired someone to proofread (校对) the language.

So what does BookTok have to do with this? It was one of the reasons why within the first week of Fourth Wing being published, the book quickly shot up to the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list despite criticism.

With the rising readers, it isn’t uncommon for both publishers and authors to use that hype to their advantage. This was likely a reason why the series, originally including three books, was dragged into a five-book series.

This is kind of what fast fashion is all about. Fast fashion refers to the process of clothing manufacturing that moves from production/design to stores quickly to keep up with current trends. These pieces are often cheap and low-quality and sent to stores with the hope of selling out quickly. The same approach used in the publishing world, thanks to BookTok to some degree, could lead to decreasing book quality when writing and editing aren’t able to reach their maximum potential.

This isn’t to say that books like Fourth Wing are bad just because they’re hyped. But abandoning developed work for crowd-pleasers doesn’t do all readers justice. These worries about the quick turnover in the publishing industry aren’t directed towards independent authors who carefully write, edit and publish themselves, but rather towards those who overlook the importance of everything that goes into the writing process.

You might have heard about identity theft: it’s what can happen when a thief gets enough of someone’s information to commit fraud (诈骗). Why should people care about it? Because recovering a stolen identity can be a time- consuming and expensive process. Imagine that someone pretends to be you: they use your name; they even convince businesses that they’re you and they open a credit card in your name, get a cell phone in your name, or buy things using a credit card that has your name on it.

ID thieves can be creative about getting your information. There are some low-tech ways they get it: sometimes they steal garbage, going through it to find personal information, or they steal mail.

There are high-tech ways, too: ID thieves might put software onto your computer without you knowing it — it can happen when you open an email attachment, click on a pop-up(弹出窗口)advertisement, or download some music files. Some software lets a thief see everything on your computer, and record everything you type on your computer.

Unfortunately, even if you’re really careful with your personal information, thieves can still get it. Sometimes, they hack(入侵)into computer systems at stores or schools, hospitals or businesses. They look for personal information to use or sell to other thieves.

It’s pretty easy for you and your family to make it harder for a thief to steal your identity. You can start with the low-tech defenses: being careful with your mail and garbage. Tear anything that has personal information on it before you throw it away. And be sure to take care with your purse, your wallet, or your backpack.

Practice some routine higher-tech defensive plays, too: protect your computer by installing (安装 ) and turning on an up-to-date firewall along with anti-spyware and anti-virus software. Once you are online, be careful you’re your personal information. Some sites might ask for a credit card number, stop and check if they really need that number. When you get email or pop-ups on your computer, don’t respond automatically. Emails that ask you to reply or click a link could be thieves trying to trick you into giving them your personal information. It’s a technique called “phishing”, because the thieves are fishing for your information. Stop and think before you click.

Deep in a forest of France’s Burgundy region, a group of enthusiasts have been building a castle with tools and methods from the late 13th century since 1995. Some of those working here are very skilled heritage people, and others are history lovers. But all of them share a deep respect for nature and a desire to return to simpler times.

The idea to build the castle was born in 1995 among three residents of the region. One of them, Maryline Martin, owns a nearby 17th-century house and is involved in work to restore different castles in the area.

“We thought that it would be amazing to imitate (模仿) how people did things in the past,” Martin tells public radio station France Culture. “We decided to use other ancient castles in this area as examples and get inspiration from descriptions in old books.”

On the construction site, the workers are all dressed in ancient clothing. The smell of fire is coming from a nearby blacksmith’s shop, where 20-year-old Matisse Lacroix is burning a piece of iron in a stove to make tools needed to build the castle.

“The temperature in the stove is around 1100℃, so the iron can be softened to make these nails,” Lacroix explains to a group of fourth-graders, who are watching him bending and shaping the iron into nails.

“Part of the project’s mission is to rediscover and pass along skills and knowledge from the past,” Martin tells reporters. “That learning aspect of the project is one reason why its construction is taking so long.”

Initially, the project was funded by European Union. Now it is financed through more than 300,000 visitors a year who pay between 12 and 15 euros each. The income is more than enough to cover the construction costs and payments for the 100 staff members.

As for the project’s future, Martin says it could take 10, 15, or even 20 more years to build. “But we’re OK with that. It’s not about finishing the project. It’s about the things we learn and discover while building,” he says. “I believe the way we’re working here is more sustainable. The future is low tech.”