Into it: Jim Lehrer

... Reading?

I just finished The Road, by Cormac McCarthy and Mayflower [by Nathaniel Philbrick]. And I'm in the process of finishing an old-fashioned potboiler by Stuart Woods called Dark Harbor. It's kind of a spy novel. I tend to alternate.... [McCarthy's] a beautiful writer. [His book] is about as dark as it gets, but the way he arranges words is just stunning to me. [For history] I'm a big David McCullough, Joe Ellis fan, and Ron Chernow.... I'm not big on historical novels, [but E.L.] Doctorow's The March was a fabulous piece of historical fiction. And also the Philip Roth book, The Plot Against America.

[It's] strictly CDs or audiotape, and almost exclusively when I'm in the car, going to or from work or on a trip. Right now I'm finishing the [audiobook] of Dark Harbor. I did half of Mayflower on tape on a long trip my wife and I took. [Regarding] my music interests,... I'm an old-fashioned pop-music person. I have the complete works of Sinatra; that's what he gave me many years ago. There's the music of Sinatra, the poetry of Sinatra, [and] there's also the experience. It takes me back to other worlds. I listen to some symphonic music, very little rock; I was a big Beatles person, Simon and Garfunkel, and I still listen to that.

Well, fortunately I now have a TiVo, which is the greatest invention since the radio. I love mysteries, particularly the 'process' cop shows, Law & Order and all of its spinoffs. There are several British mysteries, the Lynley murders [ Inspector Lynley Mysteries], the Midsomer Murders. I love Poirot. I watch some sports, some professional football when things get close. I love old black-and-white movies, the old Myrna Loy, William Powell, the Mr. and Mrs. North things. Occasionally we go to the [movies].... We saw The Devil Wears Prada, it was fun. But I tend to wait [for the rentals].

• Jim Lehrer, host of PBS television's News-Hour and moderator of 10 presidential debates, is also the author of some 16 novels.