Hip-O-Meter

by Feyisayo Farinre

Wendy McTimoney,
human resources manager.

What I'm reading: Nick Hornby, About a Boy (Berkley Publishing Group)

"It's pretty good, although it's coming out in a movie now, so I think I spent a lot of the time thinking about what it would be like in the movie. I'd rather have read it not knowing it was going to be a movie."

Phillip McTimoney,
technical manager for a software firm

What I'm reading: J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers (Lord of the Rings #2) (Ballantine Books, Inc.)

"I'm just trying to keep ahead of the [Lord of the Rings] movies, so I've got until Christmas to finish this one."

Shania Bebee,
student

What I'm listening to: Mary Mary, Thankful (Sony)

"I like it because it's gospel. It's inspirational."

Judith Stevens,
"housewife"

What I'm reading: Walter Wangerin Jr., Paul: A Novel (Zondervan Publishing House)

"Wangerin is a very good descriptive storyteller. He's also a very good scholar, so he puts those two things together very well. The book is about Paul the apostle, but it's a lot more interesting than the biblical version is. It's very colorful as well."

Ade Paul,
leasing consultant

What I'm listening to: Celine Dion, A New Day Has Come (Sony)

What I'm reading: Jack Welch, Jack: Straight from the Gut (Warner Books, Incorporated)

"Celine Dion's album is very inspirational. I enjoy it because it makes me reflect on my day as well as future events. The book is a collection of personal stories by the guru Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric. It's a must-read for anybody who wants to get a feel for the business and corporate side of things. It empowers me because my field of study is business, and reading from experts that have been in the field helps me to know about what's going on."