READING L.A.

Mark Rosenbaum, attorney, ACLU:

“Otherwise: New and Selected Poems” by Jane Kenyon (Graywolf).

“This is Kenyon’s last collection of poems before her death. It’s about the everyday ways of coming to terms with suffering--a book full of quiet passions amid sadness. The real treat has been sharing these poems with my daughter.”

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Leah Melber, teacher:

“The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson (Penguin).

“It has all the traditional gothic horror of a Poe novel but the contemporary styling that makes it especially unsettling. You’ll catch yourself looking over your shoulder more than once, especially if you read it before bed.”

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Laura Christensen, chiropractor:

“Practical Magic” by Alice Hoffman (Berkeley).

“Any storyteller whose work equally captivates both my mother and me has to be working magic. This story of two sisters and the practical magic they make with the help of their aunts is enchanting. It is Hoffman’s best to date.”

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Christopher Nance, NBC-TV Channel 4 weather forecaster:

“The Way of an Eagle” by Robert Darden and P.J. Richardson (Thomas Nelson).

“I’m a nut for golf. There’s so much more to the sport than what people might think. It’s really a battle between your mind and your body, and Darden and Richardson helped me appreciate how its spiritual lessons can be applied to life.”