READING L.A.

Gayle Taylor, science teacher:

“Audrey Hepburn’s Neck,” by Alan Brown (Pocket).

“Moving and surprisingly suspenseful, this novel centers on a comic book artist adrift in modern Tokyo. He numbs himself with technology and its images but longs for love. Brown explores the difficulty of connecting across generations and the price that secrets extract from their keepers.”

****

Kenny Kingston, psychic:

“Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley,” by Suzanne Finstad (Harmony Books).

“I feel I know Elvis since I’ve contacted him in spirit several times, including a seance at the Palm Springs honeymoon home he shared with Priscilla. Now Finstad gives me a chance to find out about the real Priscilla.”

****

Brenda Pontiff, stand-up comic:

“The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls,” by Joan Jacobs Brumberg (Random House).

“If you laid out all the articles on beauty for women today, you could count infinity. Thinking about our looks is nothing new, but to Brumberg, this obsession has taken away from our education and development of character.”

****

Arianna Huffington, political commentator:

“The Master and Margarita,” by Mikhail Bulgakov (Vintage).

“This is a fabulous novel about a talking cat, a beautiful witch and life in Russia in the 1930s. Having just finished writing a book of political satire with Socks as a talking cat, I found Bulgakov’s tale an inspiring example of how to blend politics, satire and surrealism.”