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. 

“On Rosemary’s recommendation, I recently listened to the audiobook of The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. I have a feeling the characters from this beautiful story will haunt me for years, in much the same way the characters are haunted by the Dutch House throughout their lives. I highly recommend the audio book version, expertly narrated by Tom Hanks.” -Lacey Losh

“I just finished the audiobook of Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen. My wife and I enjoy the occasional audiobook as a way to pass the time while driving to visit her family and we have listened to a few Hiaasen books over the years. His books are hard to define, but he creates the most interesting, wacky characters of anyone I have ever read. It always seems like each word is chosen for maximum possible humor. We laughed a lot, which is high praise, as far as I’m concerned. This book pokes a lot of fun at Trump and his presidency, so that could turn some people off. I highly recommend reading or listening to anything by Hiaasen.” -Rob Buchanan

“I’m currently reading Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism by Aja Barber. I’m in a forever struggle to reduce my own consumerist habits for environmental and humanitarian reasons, and so far this has been a great book to help me try and overcome that struggle.” -Tayler Lord

“I’m currently reading We Are All the Same by Jim Wooten. It is a true story written by a journalist about a child born with HIV/AIDS in Africa and the challenges and accomplishments of his life before he passed. It’s a shorter read, but it’s amazing so far!” -Taylor Rothgeb

“Apparently my current reading follows the theme of women in very tricky situations with a touch of humor. I flew through Barbara Neely’s Blanche on the Lam and Jesse Q. Santo’s Dial A for Aunties in the same week. Both are highly recommended, especially for book clubs seeking a bit of levity.” -Heather Stauffer

“I just finished reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia for my Gothic Fiction class; and I highly recommend it. I’m also still working my way through Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six and probably won’t finish it until after the semester is over.” -Sarah Kee 

“Those Bones are Not My Child by Toni Cade Bambara. It’s a suspense/psychological fiction/mystery novel set in 1980s Atlanta, following a mother after the disappearance of her son, potentially linked to what the city thought was a solved serial killer case.” -Taylor Martin

“I’m reading A Warrior of the People by Joe Starita. After hearing him speak last month and experiencing his passion for his subject, I had to read the book. And halfway through it, I found myself wandering down to Centennial Mall to spend time with the statue of Susan La Flesche Picotte.” -Joyce Gettman

“Weike Wang has a knack for immersing the reader into the protagonist’s stream of consciousness. Both Chemistry and Joan Is Okay were a delight, and I am eager for more from this young author.” -Haley Mendlik

“I just started reading Violeta by Isabel Allende. It was a gift from my husband, who knows me well since this book is right up my alley! Covering historical events such as the Spanish influenza, the Great Depression, and WWII, this novel tells the story of Violeta and her family in South America, and their experiences living through these extraordinary events. I’m loving it so far and am looking forward to finishing.” -Emily Casillas

“I’m reading All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles. This moved to up my ‘must-read-now’ list after reading Tiya Miles’s Op-Ed in the New York Times in February, ‘When Everyone Around You Is Talking About the End, Talk About Black History.’ In the piece Miles talks about her family’s dinnertime conversation involving her teenage daughter’s worries about the February surge of Omicron, et al. Miles responds to her daughter with the bracing words that life is change—and that history, specifically Black history, offers us countless examples of facing up to the most difficult of changes imaginable.” -Tish Fobben