READING L.A.

Alan Ellis, Municipal Court judge, Los Angeles County:

“Conversations With God,” by Neale Walsch (Putnam).

“The book was quite provocative--if not altogether believable--and provides a picture of a God with which I am quite comfortable. It’s not life-changing; it’s in the category of interesting.”

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Jose Angel Pescador Osuna, consul general of Mexico:

“El Zorro Enjaulado,” by Mario Moya Palencia (Editorial Miguel Angel Porrua).

“I’m actually reading four books right now, but this is among those that interest me most. Palencia is Mexico’s ambassador to Italy and has written a very well-documented biography of Miguel Hidalgo, a leader in Mexico’s struggle for independence from Spain.”

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Nancy Robles, parish nurse, White Memorial Medical Center:

“Beloved,” by Toni Morrison (Plume).

“This book is beautifully written. The gripping human emotion is so real! I was able to identify with the characters. I felt their pain, loss and ability to set themselves free and move forward in life. It is a book I feel everyone can relate to.”

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Janice Rodriguez, bilingual teacher, Luther Burbank Middle School:

“Zia Summer,” by Rudolfo Anaya (Warner).

“I was telling my students about it. I was enthusing about how he goes back and forth between the different languages and between the different types of language. And in certain circumstances, that’s OK. I love the spiritualism that he brings into all his books.”