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 recently finished The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth. One of the main characters in this book is on the autism spectrum, and most of the story is told from her perspective. I found this to be a refreshing point of view and I was particularly charmed that she has a career as a librarian. This book is full of great character development. Favorite quote: ‘The library is one of only a few places in the world that one doesn’t need to believe anything or buy anything to come inside.'” -Lacey Losh

“I’m trying to read On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I thought that since I haven’t read much by any of the Beat generation authors that this would be a good place to start, but I just can’t get into it. Based on how women are regarded in the first 100 pages I think I know why I’m struggling.” -Erica Corwin

“I just finished reading Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. It’s the third book in Muir’s The Locked Tomb Series; and I’ve really been enjoying the series so far. I can’t think of anything to say about the plot without spoiling major events from the first two books; so, I’ll just say if you think the concept of necromancers in space is interesting, you should give this series a try!” -Sarah Kee 

“I am reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road for the first time! Since he just released a new book after so many years, I wanted to pick up an older one from him that I haven’t read before buying the new one entitled The Passenger. Also very excited to read that one!” -Taylor Rothgeb

“I flew through the pages of modern noir titles from the library, particularly those with protagonists who had interesting support systems. Ava Barry’s Double Exposure follows a former teenage celebrity-turned-PI who finds herself entangled in a horrendous cold case.  Attica Locke’s Bluebird, Bluebird is the first in a series about a Black Texas Ranger who must solve two murders while navigating long-simmering racial tensions in small-town Texas.” -Heather Stauffer

“I am currently in the middle of The Knife Man by Wendy Moore. It’s a biography of the surgeon and anatomist John Hunter; it also details the advancements he helped make in modern surgery and the study of biology through dissection, experimentation, and body-snatching. If you aren’t too squeamish about the various (and occasionally gruesome!) maladies of 18^th century London, it’s a fascinating look into early studies of modern anatomy and surgical practices that have greatly benefited us today.” -Taylor Martin

“I’m in the midst of reading House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I have always been very intrigued by visual texts, so when I flipped through the book haphazardly at B&N a couple years ago and saw some very unruly pages, I figured I would pick it up. What a rabbit-hole I’ve found myself wandering down now that I’ve finally had time to delve into it. If I’m describing it as simply as possible, House of Leaves is a book about a tattoo artist who discovers a dead man’s critique of a very strange film which supposedly does not exist. Some parts read like a pseudo-monograph, others as stream of consciousness asides, and others still as typographic designs where form creates meaning over content. It’s not an easy read, but it certainly keeps me on my toes!” -Rebecca Jefferson