Night-table Reading

Sheryl Lee (actress): My Life in Three Acts,by Helen Hayes with Katherine Hatch (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich). "I'm reading it for inspiration, motivation, and discipline. "

Barry Slotnick (lawyer): Barbarians at the Gate,by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar (Harper & Row). "I am reading this because it deals with contemporary history. "

Sally Jessy Raphael (talk-show host):The Worst Years of Our Lives,by Barbara Ehrenreich (Random House). "Though I disagree with a lot of her views, especially on unions, she does make you think. "

Mark Childress (author): Ferris Beach,by Jill McCorkle (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill). "I'm catching up on some great fiction by members of my g-g-generation: McCorkle's voice sparkles and soars. "