READING L.A.

Robert Ward, writer:

“The Galton Case” by Ross MacDonald (Signet).

“Ross MacDonald has such insight into California and the kind of stratified society in which we live. He may not be as romantic or as hard-boiled as Raymond Chandler, but he has a deeper sense of his people, a deeper vision of humanity.”

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Wendy Crewson, actress:

“Alias Grace” by Margaret Atwood (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday).

“Nice and bleak. She writes of repressed characters in hard and hopeless circumstances. Very Canadian and just my cup of tea.”

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Vince DiPersio, documentary filmmaker:

“Because They Wanted To” by Mary Gaitskill (Simon & Schuster).

“My favorite short story writers have always been women. They’re braver than the men, and Gaitskill is the bravest of the brave. Her stories are dark and kinky and littered with confused emotions.”

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Anna Perez, entertainment executive:

“Walking With Presidents: Lewis Martin and the Rise of Black Political Power” by Alex Poinsett (Madison Books).

“Martin was in the Johnson administration, and was the first black White House staffer. His life shows that activism is at least as difficult inside the corridors of power as it is outside, but that never stopped him.”