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. 

“I’m currently reading The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir by André Leon Talley, in which André gives you fifty years of insider fashion industry history. I’m no fashionista but I like reading about someone who closely worked with so many fashion icons and early in his career even spent some time as a receptionist at Andy Warhol’s Factory.” -Erica Corwin

“I’d been meaning to read UNP’s Private Way by Ladette Randolph but when a friend told me that I was mentioned in the author notes (Randolph’s fictional cat was named after one of my cats who, in turn, was named after a fictional cat) it shot to the top of my to-be-read pile. I started it a couple of days ago and so far it is as good as I had hoped.” -Jana Faust

“Interesting titles seem to be pulling me in lately (and have not disappointed).  I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness, by Claire Vaye Watkins, is a full trip of emotions as the main character reckons with her life choices and her mother’s passing. Jodi Taylor’s Just One Damned Thing After Another is the first in a series about historians in a secret program that literally time travel—I finished the book in two days and am already seeking out the next one.” -Heather Stauffer

“I am currently reading Albert Camus’ The Plague, a classic. It’s a challenge as it’s over a hundred years old, but I like his writing and it’s good brain exercise!” -Taylor Rothgeb

“I am reading The Mysteries of Haditha by M. C. Armstrong. I like to read an occasional memoir and recently those have all been from soldiers who spent time in Iraq or Afghanistan.  I was drawn to this one because Armstrong is not a soldier and I wanted to read something from a different perspective. He talks a little about the burn pits and their lasting effects and it makes me wonder how something like that could have been started in the first place.” -Rob Buchanan

“I just finished Heartland by Sarah Smarsh (yes, I am a few years behind in reading it). It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, which was a good surprise.” -Rosemary Sekora

“I recently finished one of our UNP books on Erica Corwin’s recommendation, Pacific Lady by Sharon Sites Adams. I felt like I was right alongside Sharon on her oceanic journeys in this book! The amount of detail she can recall from her sailing excursions made reading this book feel like an adventure.” -Lacey Losh

“I am currently reading The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller. It was picked by a member of my book club, and so far, is not really a page-turner for me. However, as it revolves around the repercussions of a dysfunctional family and their actions, I expect some sort of unexpected and surprising ending.” -Emily Casillas

“I’m currently reading The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. I read one of his other books, Harlem Shuffle, earlier this year and enjoyed it, so I am excited to give this one a try.” -Sarah Kee