READING L.A.

Steve Grace, business consultant:

“Cloud Mountain” by Aimee Liu (Warner).

“An American woman breaks all taboos by marrying a Chinese scholar and returning with him to China in the early 1900s. This story of their love is blended masterfully with a rich, historical flair. I couldn’t stop reading it.”

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Beatrice Lehrer, retired:

“Guilty Pleasures” by Lawrence Sanders (Putnam).

“I was so saddened to hear that Sanders recently died. He was such a wonderful writer, and I’ve read all of his books. I always wanted to invite him over for one of the fabulous and unusual sandwiches that his detectives (and he, I’m sure!) always ate.”

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Cate Baker, medical student,

“Four-Chambered Heart” by Anais Nin (Swallow).

“This novel’s an exploration of the inner lives of a number of women. Nin discusses what it means to be a woman and a woman in a relationship; I’m amazed at how well she describes feelings we all have but can’t always express.”

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Mike Davis, author:

“The Perfect Storm” by Sebastian Junger (HarperPerennial).

“What so impressed me about this book was the way the author respects working-class people, sword fishermen who go out in all kinds of weather to make their alimony payments. People are hungry for productive work, and I like reading about the romance of the working life.”