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

 

February Staff Reading List

 

An Orchestra Of Minorities: A Novel

Chigozie Obioma

“I’ll be reading Chigozie Obioma’s new book for book club. His book The Fishermen was superb. I’m also currently reading one of our books—When the Crowd Didn’t Roar—because I was actually in Baltimore the day the game took place.” —Donna Shear

 

When the Crowd Didn’t Roar: How Baseball’s Strangest Game Ever Gave a Broken City Hope

Kevin Cowherd

“Pitchers and catchers reported last week but the dreadful winter weather here makes spring and Opening Day feel a thousand years away. To will my way back into a new baseball season I picked up a copy of a book of ours coming out in April. It chronicles the only game in Major League Baseball history played with no fans in attendance—as well as the devastating riots in the city of Baltimore that led up to it. It very much reads like an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, weaving cultural commentary with sports journalism. As much a plea for social justice as a paean to our national pastime, I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.” —Mark Heineke

 

This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm

Ted Genoways

“I’m reading This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm by Ted Genoways because I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. I just started the book and I’ve already learned a lot about the complex decisions farmers have to make when they choose what to grow and when to grow it and harvest it.” —Erica Corwin

 

Sunburn: A Novel

Laura Lippman

“My latest read for book club. It’s a mystery about a woman who abandons her family and starts a brand new life in a small tourist town. It’s is unfolding at a compelling pace. For me, that means I can take my time with it, but also that I’m excited to pick it up every day and further entangle myself into its story. I’m sure at some point I won’t be able to put it down.” —Lacey Losh

 

Circe: A Novel

Madeline Miller

“I wanted to read this because of the shiny gold cover, but also because it was about a nymph from Greek mythology whose life was never fully explained to me. I knew who Circe was and what she could do, but reading about how her life could have happened was very intriguing. It’s meant to be about a woman who survives the wrath of the gods and transforms her life from being insignificant to formidable. It started off slow but quickly became a fast read, and definitely one to put in your book collection.” —Mikala Kolander

 

The Threat: How the FBI Protects American in the Age of Terror and Trump

Andrew G. McCabe

“Well, because, you know, it’s pretty obvious.” —Matt Bokovoy

 

Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World

Matthew Goodman

“On a cold November day in 1889, journalist Nellie Bly left New York on a mission to travel around the world in fewer days than Jules Verne’s famous character, Phileas Fogg.  To spark more sales of the newspaper backing her (Joseph Pulitzer’s The World), she traveled solo, with only one dress, a carry bag, and a letter from the newspaper asking transportation workers to treat her well. Sailing toward Europe, Bly had no way of knowing that a few hours after her departure, rival Cosmopolitan decided to send their own female journalist, Elizabeth Bisland, on the same trip going the opposite direction. An interesting blend of Victorian travel, history, colonialism, celebrity, and the thrill of a race around the world, Eighty Days is a great way to escape the never-ending winter.” —Heather Stauffer

 

Taking Cover: One Girl’s Story of Growing Up During the Iranian Revolution

Nioucha Homayoonfar

“I just finished reading a YA memoir by the daughter of a French mother and an Iranian father, who spent her early childhood in the U.S. and came of age in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. It’s a fast and fascinating read.” —Tish Fobben