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 finished reading Slow Guillotine by Teo Rivera-Dundas, which follows three broke weirdos trying to make ends meet in their art-industry-adjacent minimum-wage jobs in NYC. This coming-of-age novel felt incredibly relatable as someone currently navigating their twenties. I highly recommend!” -Sarah Kee

“I’m listening to the audiobook of Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane by Lindy West. Her memoir reflects on a solo road trip she made from Seattle to Florida in a soul-searching effort and to reckon with her depression, a polyamorous marriage, and the uncomfortable success she found after writing Shrill, her 2016 memoir. It’s honest, hilarious, and totally relatable in ways I wouldn’t have expected. She spends a good chunk in both awe and terror at the vastness of Nebraska as she drives through, which made me laugh while I was listening on I-80 myself. My favorite podcast, Book Riot, mentioned it on an episode recently and since I love audiobooks narrated by the author, I went for it.” -Taylor Gilreath

“I recently finished Happiness Falls by Angie Kim. At its core, this is a mystery centered around the disappearance of the main character’s father. The narrator’s honest perspectives and the unique characters in her family really make this story special. While this is a work of fiction, be sure to read the author’s note about adaptive communication technologies and the author’s process and inspiration for this book.” -Lacey Losh

“I decided I needed to spend a bunch of time with Stephen King and his 1,074-page Under the Dome—my husband and I are slowly working through his list. I never watched the television series, so happily nothing is spoiled for me yet.” -Rosemary Sekora

“This month, inspired by the Artemis II mission, I decided to read Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It’s a work of historical fiction about the first women scientists in NASA’s space shuttle program in the 1980s. The story is compelling and fast-paced—I truly couldn’t put it down!” -Katrina Vassallo 

“I just finished Kin by Tayari Jones. This is a beautiful historical novel following two best friends who grow up motherless and take very different paths in life as adults. The way Jones depicts their friendship and connection is so moving. I highly recommend!” -Madison Wigley

“This month I read Severance by Ling Ma. Steeped in themes of nostalgia, identity, and place, the novel follows Candace Chen, one of a handful of survivors in the aftermath of a global pandemic. There are many questions here about nostalgia and routine, personhood under capitalism, and the coping mechanisms of this eclectic group of survivors. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, I have not read many apocalypse novels since 2020. Though this book was released in 2018, I was struck at how prescient it felt.” -Rebecca Jefferson