“I've been listening to 'The Areas of My Expertise,' by John Hodgman, on my way to and from work.”

— Lisa Miller, exercise physiologist, Lawrence

“'The Glass Castle,' by Jeannette Walls. It's the story of the writer's early life traveling around with her two siblings and their vagabond parents.”

— Pat Philips, addictions counselor, Lawrence

“'The Name of the Wind,' by Patrick Rothfuss. It's probably the best fantasy book written by anyone anywhere in a long time.”

— Jared Straub, Kansas University graduate student, Lawrence

“'Discovering the Vernacular Landscape,' by John Brinckerhoff Jackson. It's about the architecture of houses that immigrants built for themselves using the building techniques from their homeland. So it's not the kind of architecture that you would study in the classroom.”

— Tom Manthey, researcher, Richmond, Va.

“'Hot, Flat and Crowded,' by Thomas L. Friedman. It's a follow-up to 'The World Is Flat.' It's mostly about investing in green technologies to solve the U.S.'s and the world's energy, environmental and economic problems.”

— Chris Polonchek, web designer, Lawrence