The former president Bill Clinton, who collaborated with James Patterson on the new thriller “The President Is Missing,” reads everywhere: “At my work table, in my easy chair, in bed and on the plane. Even in the car when I’m not too tired.”

What books are on your nightstand?

“The Future Is History,” by Masha Gessen. It’s great and written in a direct, blunt style appropriate for the subject. I’ll soon be finished. “The Future of Humanity,” by Michio Kaku; “Enlightenment Now,” by Steven Pinker; and “Capture: A Theory of the Mind,” by David Kessler. Next up is the latest book in Jason Matthews’s Red Sparrow trilogy.

When and where do you like to read?

At my work table, in my easy chair, in bed and on the plane. Even in the car when I’m not too tired.

What was the last truly great book you read?

I loved “Killers of the Flower Moon,” by David Grann; “Fascism: A Warning,” by Madeleine Albright; and “Empire of Cotton,” by Sven Beckert.