READING L.A.

Bruce Renwick, location sound recordist:

“Road Kill,” by Kinky Friedman (Simon & Schuster).

“I know a number of people in this book, which is about Willie Nelson and his band. I found myself matching my impressions with Friedman’s and discovering his takes are not all that different from my own.”

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Denis O’Pray, Episcopal rector:

“The God of Small Things,” by Arundhati Roy (Random House).

“I knew in the first paragraph of Roy’s pellucid prose that I had found a pearl of great price. No contemporary writer surpasses her descriptive power nor weaves a tale of finer silk. If she has more novels like this one, she ought to prepare a niche for her Nobel medal.”

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Jordan Schur, music business executive:

“The Mansion on the Hill,” by Fred Goodman (Vintage).

“Out of all the books I’ve read on the music business, Goodman’s is right on target when it comes to capturing the importance relationships play in getting music made. It’s really the story about artists and their managers and the incredible passion they share.”

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Kevin O’Neill, visual effects supervisor:

“Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass,” by Stephen King (Plume).

“I’ve been following this series about parallel worlds for a decade, and I find myself searching for the next release every time I visit the bookstore. If there’s one story collection that King should turn into a miniseries, this is it.”