READING L.A.

Keith Endo, lighting and sound designer; bookseller, Duttons North Hollywood:

“Sondheim,” by Martin Gottfried (Harry N. Abrams).

“Reading this book reminds me of the joy of first being introduced to Sondheim’s musicals. The book is filled with wonderful anecdotes and, best of all, bequeaths to us a treasure trove of Sondheim’s lyrics.”

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Anthony Hernandez, photographer:

“Auden” by Richard Davenport-Hines (Pantheon).

“I’ve just finished reading Davenport-Hines’ fine portrait of W. H. Auden. As an artist, I was struck by something Auden once said: “To choose what is difficult all one’s days, as if it were easy, that is Faith.” Auden was a poet with a great amount of faith.”

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Charlton Heston, actor:

“Radical Son,” by David Horowitz (The Free Press).

“The path that Horowitz has traveled--from radical Marxist to conservative--is a stressful one. It took guts. He’s walked the walk and talked the talk. In ‘Radical Son’ he outlines an impressive and unusual journey.”

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Fran Savitch, political consultant:

“A Regular Guy,” by Mona Simpson (Alfred A. Knopf).

“The author has an almost magical gift of bringing her characters to life. This is a wonderfully poignant story about a successful businessman, his daughter and his family--a rewarding read.”