Sue Mayfield, writer, Cheltenham, England

“I’m currently reading ‘Larry’s Party,’ by Carol Shields. It follows Larry, a garden maze designer, from age 27 to 47, and he’s kind of having a mid-life crisis. The maze is sort of a metaphor for his life.”

Arvelle Trotter, customer service, Lawrence

“I’m reading a book called ‘So You Call Yourself a Man’ (by Carl Weber). It’s about this kid who had an abusive father, and later on in life he starts catching himself starting to act like his father.”

Jason Roberts, retail manager, Olathe

“I’m reading ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ books, by C.S. Lewis. I started reading them, and then I saw that the movies were coming out soon. The books are really interesting. You have to use a lot of imagination to really get into it.”

Kimberly Simonetti, server, Lawrence

“‘Ain’t I a Woman,’ by Bell Hooks. It’s a really good book about how racism and sexism are inseparably linked together, and how they are both continually reinforced by society.”

James Wells, intern, Lawrence

“‘Motorman,’ by David Ohle. He’s a professor here at KU. He creates a hyper-real environment so you can more easily tap into the human side of things.”