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 Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda and translated by Sarah Booker from Coffee House Press at their booth in AWP this past year and have finally sat down to start reading it this month. The novel follows a group of girls at the Delta Bilingual Academy as they begin to participate in increasingly dangerous rituals to a deity of their own invention.” -Sarah Kee

“The other week I finished A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear: The Utopian Plot to Liberate an American Town by Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling. I first heard about this New Hampshire town’s bear-related plight in a high school economics class and was intrigued by the concept of people so opposed to government intervention that they would let their town become a bear’s buffet heaven, so when I saw this book, I had to know more. At times, the actions of the residents reminded me vaguely of the town hall scenes in Parks and Recreation . . . (if you know, you know!)” -Taylor Martin

“I just finished the audio edition of Boat Baby: A Memoir by NBC News anchor and correspondent Vicky Nguyen and absolutely loved it. Her raw telling of her family’s escape from Vietnam during the fall of Saigon and immigration to the U.S. for a better life is how the book begins, and by the end I felt like I personally know Vicky. She talks about her work grind from the bottom of the totem pole, overcoming being raised by and eventually caring for her aging Asian parents in an unfamiliar country, and then starting a family of her own, proving it is possible to face life’s challenges head-on and still come out successful in your career. I highly recommend listening to this one—no one can narrate your life like you can, and she is honest, funny, and so engaging.” -Taylor Gilreath

“I recently finished Memorial Days by Geraldine Brooks. This is a beautiful memoir on the unexpected loss of the author’s husband. She embraces the subject matter with passion, honesty, and vulnerability.” -Lacey Losh

“I’ve just finished reading From the Mouths of Dogs by B.J. Hollars. There was an extra copy in the office and once I saw that cover, I couldn’t resist picking it up and reading it! I really enjoyed the way Hollars explored the connections people form with their dogs and the things we can learn from them and tied it all together with stories about his own dogs. I’m also currently listening to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I don’t typically read sci-fi, but a friend insisted that I needed to listen to the audiobook, and I’m glad I did—it’s so good and I can’t wait to know what happens next!” -Katrina Vassallo

“I finished The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft, in which eight translators are invited to a summit in the woods to translate the magnum opus of acclaimed writer, Irena Rey. However, when Rey goes missing after the first 24 hours of the summit, the translators begin a quest to find her and translate the work she left behind. The Extinction of Irena Rey is a fungal romp through an endangered forest that’s concerned with the interplay between extinction and conservation, authorship and translation. I really enjoyed it!” -Rebecca Jefferson