September 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.

 

Adnan’s Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial

by Rabia Chaudry

“I listened to all of Serial and Undisclosed podcast episodes at least twice each, so when I heard Rabia wrote this book, I knew I had to read it. While it covers a lot of material that the podcasts covered, it also sheds light on Adnan’s life in prison, Rabia’s own life, and the relationship with Sarah Koenig and Serial.”—Erica Corwin

 

A Banquet of Consequences

by Elizabeth George

“It’s a murder mystery/police procedural novel. Got it as a birthday gift, slow start but I like it a lot now (about 2/3 of the way through).”—Annie Shahan

 

All the Light We Cannot See

by Anthony Doerr

“A friend lent me his copy of this novel set in WWII Europe. The prose is beautiful and Doerr’s characters are realistically yet fantastically rendered—I can see how it took him a decade to write it. It’s one of those books you want to slowly savor but just can’t seem to put down.”—Natalie O’Neal

 

Warriors of the Storm

by Bernard Cornwell

“I just finished Warriors of the Storm (part of the Saxon Tales series) by Bernard Cornwell, who is an amazing writer.  I always have a great problem with his books, which is there is never a good place to put them down.”—Rob Buchanan

 

Blink

by Malcolm Gladwell

“Every person should read this book. You will realize that there are times you definitely should trust your gut instinct and sometimes you definitely should not trust it. The information age has led us all to believe that more information is better. But perhaps that is not so . . . Every book by Gladwell offers something thought-provoking and useful to know.”—Ann Baker

 

Boar Island

by Nevada Barr

“I’ve read a number of the Anna Pigeon (park ranger/murder solver) books. Not for the faint of heart, and this one does not disappoint.”—Heather Stauffer

 

The Woman in Cabin 10

by Ruth Ware

“For me, the main character—a hot mess to begin with—grew increasingly idiotic and insufferable until I ended up skimming what was supposed to be the climax of a “mystery” novel. It was also repetitive and I felt variations on the same basic scene comprised the entire book. Skip it.”—Alicia Christensen

 

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club

by Genevieve Valentine

“I am really enjoying this book as it is set in the 1920s and gives a good idea what it was like being a young woman in high society during this time.”—Emily Wendell

 

Swamplandia!

by Karen Russell

I’m nearly finished, and I’m worried the ending might not live up to my expectations, but I’ve enjoyed it so far.”—Bridget Barry

 

My Only Home

by Freya Manfred

“Anna and I saw her speak at the South Dakota Festival of Books and she was warm and genuinely funny. She read some of her poems and I loved them all, so naturally I had to buy the book.”—Tayler Lord

 

Small Buried Things

by Debra Marquart

“It felt wrong to leave the South Dakota Festival of Books without a new book, and I’m glad I walked away with this one. Er, drove away. I read it—devoured it—in the car ride back. Full of simple, striking memories.”—Anna Weir