“'Sahara,' by Clive Cussler. They also made a movie about it that I just watched as well. It's kind of an action-adventure story.”

— Hallie Watson, Kansas State University sophomore, Manhattan

“'The Last Week,' by Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan. It's about the last week of Jesus' life.”

— Joe Alford, minister, Covington, Tenn.

“I just finished 'Exiles in America,' by Christopher Bram. It's about a gay couple who takes in one of their fellow professors from Iran who is later questioned by the authorities after 9/11.”

— Joseph Keehn, museum educator, Brooklyn, N.Y.

“'The Unbearable Lightness of Being,' by Milan Kundera. It's a love story about betrayal and embracing life. Everyone loves it because it's a classic, but I'm not as taken by it. Perhaps I just haven't gotten far enough into it yet.”

— Kelly Danaher, barista, Lawrence

“I'm reading John Lamb Lash's 'Not in His Image.' It's one of the most important books in our lifetime. It's a way of looking at the world that is more in concert with nature and our planet and getting out of our current destructive mindset.”

— Jack Musick, artist/musician, Lawrence