The actor and author of “A Load of Hooey” keeps a volume of “hippie philosophizing” on his shelves as a counterbalance to his “angry, skeptical, scowling mind.”

What books are currently on your night stand?

Many. Thanks to my acting-career heyday I have resumed purchasing new, fresh books, trying to single-handedly keep indie bookstores in business. Here’s a list: “The End of Vandalism,” by Tom Drury; “Closing Time,” by Joe Queenan; “The Collected Short Fiction of Bruce Jay Friedman”; “The Supermodel and the Brillo Box,” by Don Thompson; “Suddenly, a Knock on the Door,” by Etgar Keret; “Wave,” by Sonali Deraniyagala; “Lost for Words,” by Edward St. Aubyn; “Poking a Dead Frog,” by Mike Sacks; “The Likeness,” by Tana French; and “Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness,” by Alexandra Fuller. And there are more, actually, but I think you want me to answer other questions as well, so I’ll move along.

And what are your favorite books of all time?

It’s a motley collection; not much rhyme, no reason, but these are all books I’ve read multiple times, and all are rewarding for me to crack open at anyplace and sample. “Stuart: A Life Backwards,” by Alexander Masters. “Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain. “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius,” by Dave Eggers. “Rosebud,” by David Thomson (some people hate this book about Orson Welles — I think it’s simply great storytelling). “On the Road,” by Jack Kerouac, because I was raised Catholic and had a romantic view on life, long ago. “Swing Hammer Swing!,” by Jeff Torrington, funny and a little mean, gets extra points for cleverness. “The ____-Up,” by Arthur Nersesian, a tale of New York and an unsteady young fella with artistic pretensions, like I used to be — and still am. “Spoon River Anthology,” by Edgar Lee Masters, because I am from Illinois, too. “The Dog of the South,” by Charles Portis (and I also love “True Grit” as read by Donna Tartt in the audiobook). And let me throw one more in: “Harpo Speaks!,” by Harpo Marx with Rowland Barber — Harpo seems like the sweetest guy, has great stories, and his generous voice is a great one to put in your head.

Who are the best comic writers working today, whether for print, television or film? And the best ones you’ve worked with so far? Best working today?