“I just read 'The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,' by Anne Fadiman. It's about the problem of epilepsy in the Hmong culture and how they view it as a spiritual phenomenon and reject modern treatments.”

— Jennifer Beck, Kansas University sophomore, Lawrence

“I just read 'Breaking Open the Head,' by Daniel Pinchbeck. It's about shamanism and the author's experiences with it.”

— Zach White, landscaper, Kansas City, Kan.

“'The Faith Club,' by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner. It's written by three woman, a Muslim, a Christian and a Jew, who got together after 9/11 to write a children's book and ended up writing this book about their journey in interfaith dialogue.”

— Vicki Penner, chaplain, Lawrence

“I recently read 'Atonement,' by Ian McEwan. It was recommended by a friend, but it took me a year to get around to it. It's much better than the movie. I guess that's almost always the case, though.”

— Joe Ryan, graduate teaching assistant, Lawrence

“I just finished 'The Amber Spyglass,' by Philip Pullman. It's the last book in the 'His Dark Materials Trilogy' series, the first of which is 'The Golden Compass.' I liked them all quite a bit.”

— Sara Stalling, teacher, Lawrence