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 picked up a copy of Kiley Reid’s Come and Get It at Half Price Books in Omaha during a book sale at the end of May and have been working my way through it this month. Come and Get It follows Millie Cousins, a senior RA at the University of Arkansas, as she gets roped into a visiting professor’s research opportunity with some of her unruly dorm residents.” -Sarah Kee

“I just started the second book in N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series, The Obelisk Gate. It has been a really long time since I read the first book—at least a year!—so this was long overdue for me to pick up. Without giving too much away about the plot of the first book, I am interested to see if the main character, Essun, will accomplish the goal set in the first book since an unexpected reunion may be throwing a wrench into her plans.” -Taylor Martin

“I’m reading The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell. I don’t read many mysteries, but the plot of this book centers around a televised baking competition, very similar to one of my favorite tv shows, The Great British Baking Show. Lots of surprises along the way, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it ends.” -Erica Corwin

“I really enjoyed reading James by Percival Everett. It’s a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, from the perspective of Jim, Huck’s enslaved friend, attempting to escape to freedom. Jim’s view offers a more harrowing and realistic account than the original tale. I find the language of this version a lot more accessible and modern, thoughtfully weaving together new insights into a classic story.” -Lacey Losh

“I’m almost done with Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros. Check on me when I’ve finished it… I’ve heard the ending is quite something.” -Rosemary Sekora

“Now that I’m a proud owner of a Lincoln Library card, I’ve started my summer reading with a graphic novel, The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz, and a more serious collection of short stories, Shoko’s Smile by Choi Eunyoung. The former was a light-hearted read full of cheese puns, gorgeous illustrations, and queer joy; I give it a 10/10. I am just starting the short story collection; it follows the lives of young women in South Korea. A years-long acquaintanceship of two students reveals a grandfather’s closely held secret, a friendship between mothers bridges the wounds of historical violence but cannot heal them—these stories remind me just how unknowable we can be to ourselves and others. Still, Eunyoung treats these gaps in understanding with tenderness, never critiquing, just acknowledging, letting the stories hang empty where they should.” -Rebecca Jefferson

“I’m reading Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own! There are so many classic collections coming out with new cover designs, and the display of Woolf’s books at a discount bookstore with these fresh and fun graphic designs is what made me pick it up 😊. It’s a small but dense read!” -Taylor Gilreath