“Right now I'm reading 'The Power of Now,' by Eckhart Tolle. It's basically about finding yourself. He writes about not identifying with things that are supposed to define you, like your job or how much you make, and not looking into the future to define who you are.”

— Jim Lubaczewski, unemployed, Lawrence

“'Dust,' by Martha Grimes. It's the latest book in her Richard Jury mystery series.”

— Meredith Wright, Kansas University graduate student, Lawrence

“At the moment, I'm reading 'The Faith Club,' by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner. These three women, all mothers and all from different religions, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, got together to write a book after 9-11 and ended up writing it about their conversations about faith.”

— Melissa Hoffman, registered nurse, Lawrence

“'By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept,' by Paulo Coelho. I really like Coelho, because his writing is both philosophical and entertaining. I particularly enjoy books that have multiple levels of meaning for me.”

— Jim Hasselle, retired, Lawrence

“Right now I'm reading young adult novels. I think it helps me to have experience reading novels in all genres, and these also happen to be very entertaining. My most recent favorite is 'Crank,' by Ellen Hopkins.”

— Christina Courtney, English teacher, Lawrence