“'The God Delusion,' by Richard Dawkins. I had read a couple articles in Time that he was featured in. He made some really interesting points, so I decided to read his book.”

— Ron Oelschlager, retired physician, Lawrence

“Denise Low's 'Words of a Prairie Alchemist.' It's a collection of her essays. She is now Kansas' poet laureate.”

— Sandy Mitchell, substitute teacher/writer, Lawrence

“'Dear John,' by Nicholas Sparks. I've heard really good things about it, and I've liked his other books.”

— Kasey Duncan, Lawrence High School junior, Lawrence

“'Alta,' by Mercedes Lackey. It's about a boy who was basically a slave until he raises a dragon and becomes a knight.”

— George Kamerick, Kansas City Kansas Community College freshman, Kansas City, Kan.

“'Annals of the Former World,' by John McPhee. He's a writer who travels across the country with different geologists over a period of about 20 years.”

— Nick Kessler, lab assistant, Lawrence