READING L.A.

Gena Davis, marketing consultant:

“Abide With Me” by E. Lynn Harris (Doubleday).

“Though his books are fiction, Harris has really opened up the issue of African American homosexuality. This is the concluding novel in a trilogy that uniquely blends intimacy, love, friendship and sexuality.”

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Jill Nevins, homemaker-bookseller:

“Corelli’s Mandolin” by Louis De Bernieres (Vintage).

“Set during World War II on a fictional island in Greece when the Italian army settled there, this novel is a wonderful blend of Italian and Greek culture and beautifully weaves history and fiction.”

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Ada Onyeagocha-Ogan, medical doctor/internist:

“The River Where Blood Is Born” by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Ballantine).

“Using folktales and the supernatural, this novel describes the fates of seven women in an African family through the generations.”

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Elaine Hendrix, actress:

“The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis (HarperCollins).

“I read a lot of scripts and adult books, but I love to go back to children’s reading; it reconnects me to my childlike imagination. These stories are full of adventure and magic and encourage faith, courage and believing in yourself.”