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.

“This month I reread Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis, a romance novel, which has a forthcoming film adaptation expected to come out sometime in 2026. The book follows Olive Smith, a third-year PhD candidate, as she enters a fake relationship with Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor, to prove to her friend that she is happily dating someone. It’s a fun read, and I’m excited to watch the movie whenever it releases next year!”-Sarah Kee

“I’ve been reading The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro in class lately and loving it! It’s set in a fantastical post-Arthurian Britain and follows an elderly couple, Axl and Beatrice, as they try to journey to their son’s village. The catch is that they and everyone else in the land are plagued by a strange amnesia and the further they go, the more is revealed to them about the truth of the amnesia. The Buried Giant is atmospheric, disorientating, and incredibly scary at points, all things right up my alley!”-Taylor Martin

“This month I’ve been listening to The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. The audiobook is narrated by Tom Hanks, who has such a distinctive voice that I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get past it. I’ve found, though, that he has really brought the story to life and embodied the main character, Danny, perfectly. As a child, Danny lives in a decadent house, the Dutch House, that is stripped from him abruptly in his teens. The remainder of the story is a family drama, with the Dutch House and Danny’s memories of it always looming in the background. I’m nearing the end, and it feels like Patchett is leading to a very dramatic finale (hopefully).” -Madison Wigley

“I recently finished The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller. It is a retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War from the perspective of Patroclus. It focuses on the relationship, deep and romantic, of the two men. I found myself absorbed in this beautifully written tale.” -Joyce Gettman

“I am currently reading Bride by Ali Hazelwood. Recommended to me by a colleague after we bonded over our love for this rom-com author, I am enjoying this book very much. Although paranormal fantasy isn’t usually my thing, the story of this vampyre bride marrying an alpha werewolf to secure an alliance between their species has super funny and loveable characters. I now understand what all the hype is about!” -Emily Casillas

“I’m reading Snow by Orhan Pamuk, a translated novel about a man who travels to a remote town in Turkey to report on a series of suicides by women and gets stuck in a snowstorm. While there, political tensions between Turkey’s Westernized culture and Islamism are heightening, potentially contributing to the mystery of why women in the nation are committing suicide. It’s been on my shelf for some time, and I was ready for a dense read!” -Taylor Gilreath

“I’m reading Dinosaur Dreams: A Father and Daughter in Search of America’s Prehistoric Past by B.J. Hollars. I selected it for the father-daughter road trip aspect, which I’m enjoying, but I have been surprised and unnerved by how effectively Hollars brings the dinosaurs alive as fellow sentient beings–and by this underscoring our human finitude as a species. Hollars somehow shrinks the gulf of time between dinosaur existence and human existence to almost nothing. And there’s this unnerving truth from the author: ‘If we want a future, we’ve got to fight for it,’ he said. ‘I always tell people that dinosaurs were dumber than humans, but they held onto this planet for over 100 million years, whereas we’ve been around for 300,000 and we’re arguably already on the way out.’” -Tish Fobben

“I’ve recently finished Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson. This is an interesting story about a father ‘setting up franchises’ as Tyler Durden would put it. Every decade (give or take a few years), he disappears. He moves to a new state and starts a whole new family. He assumes different identities and trades in each new home. As his children grow up, the oldest hires a private investigator to find his estranged father. When he discovers the existence of his siblings, he starts collecting them one-by-one for a cross-country road trip to confront their shared father. This family story doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the characters were interesting and diverse. I really enjoyed it.” -Lacey Losh

“I borrowed and finished reading Sarah’s copy of Bunny by Mona Awad! It felt like seeing my own college experience put into writing, especially in regards to workshop. I’m excited to borrow the sequel soon!” -Rebecca Jefferson