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.

 

The Complete Stories

Clarice Lispector, Translated by Katrina Dodson

“I wanted to buy it at AWP earlier this year but they sold out before I could snag one. Lispector is brilliant and her stories wonderful.” —Alicia Christensen

 

The Girl in the Spider’s Web

David Lagercrantz

“Just finished listening to the audio book. Based on the Millennium series written by Stieg Larsson about heroine hacker Lisbeth Salander (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Lagercrantz gets the right tone, and the book is a just about perfect rendering of the characters from Larsen’s trilogy. Gripping, edge-of-your-seat dread, (maybe a tad less violent than the Larsson books), it’s a page-turner, made my commute go by in a flash! And the bonus—David Lagercrantz is the nephew of Dika Eckersley, our esteemed friend and colleague who passed away in 2015. (Looking forward to reading his new book, The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye).” —Andrea Shahan

 

Dirty Secrets: How Tax Havens Destroy the Economy

Richard Murphy

“Murphy is Professor of Practice in International Political Economy at City University, London, and a longtime financial industry accountant. Dirty Secrets reveals, after the Panama Papers were released, that the results of the ‘peace dividend’ of the early 1990s has been neoliberalism, tax havens for the rich; and the destruction of the social welfare state through declining tax revenues across the West.” —Matt Bokovoy

 

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South

Michael W. Twitty

“Curious about the history behind some of the foods I grew up eating at church potlucks in Arkansas, I put this book on hold at the library as soon as I saw one of its first reviews. I was captivated by the idea of Southern food as ‘edible antiques,’ and am looking forward to learning more about Twitty’s journey into culinary history.” —Natalie O’Neal

 

A Life in Parts

Bryan Cranston

“He worked really hard throughout his career, and he definitely earned the right to play the iconic role of Walter White.” —Erica Corwin

The Eagle and the Wolves

Simon Scarrow

“This is the fourth book in a series about two Roman soldiers. This book is set during the invasion of Britain, in about 40 AD. They are great adventure stories, reminiscent of Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Chronicles.” —Rob Buchanan

 

   

 

Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics is Fueling Our Modern Plagues

Martin J. Blaser

Dragon Springs Road: A Novel

Janie Chang

“I’m currently reading two books! Missing Microbes I picked for book group. I think the title is self-explanatory as to the subject matter. Despite not having any background in the medical field or microbiology, I found the book to be written for the layperson. Easy writing style, subject matter is easy to process, but by no means a quick read.

As for Dragon Springs Road, I’m always on the lookout for minority writers. I was at the library and saw this book on the ‘New Fiction Release’ shelf. I immediately checked it out. Once I started reading I was swept away; I practically inhaled the book. I am so glad to have discovered another minority writer and can’t wait to read Janie Chang’s previous book.” —Manjit Kuar

 

 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Marie Kondo

“I feel lighter already. Also, I need to have a garage sale.” —Heather Stauffer