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.
March Staff Reading List
My Sister, the Serial Killer: A Novel
Oyinkan Braithwaite
“This was a book club pick, but I was looking forward to reading it because of all the hype the media was giving it. Although it was well-written and intriguing, I found the plot rather bizarre and a bit unbelievable and ended up really not liking any of the characters.” —Emily Wendell
The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal.
Evan Ratliff
“The newly-published, true crime volume Mastermind is a feat of investigative journalism as Ratliff tries to pin down—and then explain—the far-reaching and varied exploits of computer programmer/drug lord Paul Le Roux. I was initially drawn to the book’s connections between a small pharmacy in Wisconsin, yachts filled with gold, and timber wars in Africa. And then I flew through the rest as chapters alternated between Le Roux’s pharmacy empire, his forays into weapons deals with Iran and fisheries in Somalia, teams of hit men, murder in the Philippines, and the DEA agents trying to piece everything together.” —Heather Stauffer
Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age
Mary Pipher
“I started reading this because I respect Pipher’s thinking and wanted to know what she had to say about aging, particularly for women. It’s packed with stories from different women’s lives and a wide variety of experiences and responses.” —Tish Fobben
Willa Cather
“As we are celebrating the University of Nebraska’s 150th anniversary I thought it fitting to read a book by a historic Nebraskan author. I just finished Lucy Gayheart by Willa Cather. It made me reflect on the changing seasons, small towns, city dreams, love, and loss.” —Haley Mendlik
John le Carré
“I’ve been interested in reading le Carré since seeing the TV adaptation of ‘The Night Manager’ in 2016 but didn’t actually get around to picking any of his work up until a few weeks ago. His take on Cold War intrigue is as far from James Bond as possible, more comparable to stately dramas and Agatha Christie mysteries than anything else. It’s not quite what I was expecting but I’m fairly sure I’ll pick up the next of the George Smiley stories when I’m in the mood for a carefully calibrated, high tension potboiler.” —Jackson Adams
Shaun Bythell
“I picked this up in Powell’s right after AWP (it seemed fitting). A chronicle of one passionate but grumpy bookseller’s day-to-day in tiny Wigtown of Scotland, this memoir offers a dry, honest, hilarious, and fascinating look at bookselling. I’ve grown to know and love the shop’s regulars (and become increasingly irritated with the hagglers) with each entry. Really enjoyable.” —Anna Weir
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