JULY STAFF READING LIST

 

UNP staff members are always reading new books, both within our list and outside of what we publish. Here are some of the books where our noses have been buried.

 

One Plus One

by Jojo Moyes

“This is the first Jojo Moyes book I’ve read, but the premise sounded interesting: one single mother with the odds stacked against her, one math whiz middle-schooler, one bullied teenager wearing guy-liner, one tech millionaire convicted of insider trading, one bear-sized dog… all taking a life-changing road trip in the same car. Not a bad summer read!” —Heather Stauffer

 

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

by Bryan Stevenson

“I’m reading this deeply moving and gripping book for book group. I constantly found myself infuriated by the inhumanity of the American justice system and racial biasness. Needless to say it is an extremely difficult memoir to read but I do strongly encourage everyone to read it. Really makes you question the justice system and the death penalty.” —Manjit Kuar

 

Nebraska Folklore

by Louise Pound

“I just opened it. The section on caves includes a brief discussion of the history of ‘robber’s cave,’ of interest due to the recent opening of a new brewery on the site in south Lincoln. Dispels some of the myths being passed about.” —Mark Francis

 

Wrecked in Yellowstone: Greed, Obsession, and the Untold Story of Yellowstone’s Most Infamous Shipwreck

by Mike Stark

“I’m proud to claim the author as my brother-in-law. He’s a former journalist who lived in close proximity to Yellowstone for many years and is now the communications director at the Center for Biological Diversity. As an online reviewer asked: who knew there was an island or a shipwreck in Yellowstone?” —Tish Pfobben

The Thirteenth Tale

by Diane Setterfield

“This is a fantastic read as you figure out the tragic past of the main character, and the book definitely has a surprise ending.” —Emily Wendell

 

Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman

by Lindy West

“It makes me so happy to read books like this from smart young feminists.” —Jana Faust

 

Opening Acts: Narrative Beginnings in Twentieth-Century Feminist Fiction

by Catherine Romagnolo

“In writing workshops, they always tell you how important it is to ‘hook’ readers at the very beginning. This is a more literary approach to a creative problem I’ve been having—what the beginning of the work actually says about the rest.” —Anna Weir

 

You’ll Grow Out of It

by Jessi Klein

“Rosemary lent me the galley she got at BEA and now it’s all over my Twitter feed. There are chapters called Anthropologie and The Bachelor so it might be my new favorite book.” —Tayler Lord

 

The Classic Fairy Tales (Norton Critical Editions)

Edited by Maria Tartar

“I’m working on a music project that has strong fairy tale connections, and one of my collaborators lent the book to me to help with the project. I really like it! It presents multiple versions from multiple places of the same basic tales, and it’s interesting to see the similarities and changes among the various iterations of what may have once been a single story.” —Grey Castro

A Fatal Grace

by Louise Penny

“Thank you to our senior designer, Annie, for recommending this mystery series! It’s nice to read about a Quebec winter during the middle of a Nebraska summer.” —Bridget Barry

“I can’t remember the title or the author. I picked it up as a galley at BEA. I started reading it because, well, honestly, I don’t know why. And I’m not even sure what I think of it and I’m 100+ pages in. But I am reading it.” —Martyn Beeny