UNP staff members are always reading new books, both within our list and outside of what we publish. Here are some of the books we gifted to loved ones this holiday season or are planning to read in the new year!

“I’m planning on gifting The Dragon Republic to my sister for Christmas since she enjoyed the first book in R.F. Kuang’s Poppy War trilogy. Over the holiday break, I want to finish rereading Tamsyn Muir’s The Locked Tomb series (currently on Gideon the Ninth) and my Christmas wish is for an announcement on when Alecto the Ninth will be published.” -Sarah Kee

“I’m planning to give a copy of Griffith’s Guide for Dragon Masters by Tracey West to our kiddo this year. He and I started reading the Dragon Masters series together in October and we’re already eight books in! This guide includes character profiles, maps, notes from the characters, and illustrations of the magical elements in the book series. I hope he’ll want to immerse himself in this dragon fantasy world even more with the help of this guidebook.” -Lacey Losh

“I just finished A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. Since I’m trying to get through some shorter books on my list to hit my reading goal for the year, I decided on this one. I had no idea it was a juvenile fiction piece about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan whose stories alternate about hardships and resilience while living in an impoverished country. It’s the perfect length for a young reader looking for something with more complex problems, and it’s based on a true, heartfelt story!” -Taylor Gilreath

“I started reading Casey Platt’s A Dream of a Woman. I picked it up the last time I was in Des Moines from Reading in Public, which is one of my favorite bookstores (not just because it’s right across from a cat café, but not not because of that!). It is a collection of short stories that center transgender women’s lives. Casey Platt has a way of tugging on your heartstrings, playing into queer tropes then turning them on their head to get to the heart of heartbreak. I don’t think I will be okay after finishing it.” -Rebecca Jefferson