READING L.A.

Sophie Thomas, reader:

“The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,” by Carson McCullers (Bantam).

“I’m Australian, and people there rave about this book. Maybe because it’s about unusual people, outcasts. I was a bit put off at first because it’s pretty black, but I’m determined to get through it.”

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Karen Casey, church consultant:

“A Simpler Way,” by Margaret Wheatley and Myron Kellner-Rogers (Berrett-Koehler).

“ ‘A Simpler Way’ is an astonishingly simple book about a complex issue. The authors give us a chance to observe life as something which moves naturally toward organization.”

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Ronn Owens, radio talk show host:

“James Cameron’s Titanic,” by Ed W. Marsh (HarperPerennial).

“This book is a fascinating look at the movie that grabs you on many levels. You learn about the ship, the making of the film: What an education! My family and I spent hours reading it and studying the photos. Truly a book that’s hard to put down.”

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John Rhodehamel, museum curator:

“Honor’s Voice,” by Douglas L. Wilson (Alfred A. Knopf).

“How did Abraham Lincoln, the uneducated son of illiterate parents, a self-doubting agnostic with a cripplingly pessimistic view of humanity, become a preeminent statesman and master of language? Wilson’s book is the most satisfactory attempt to penetrate this riddle.”