Lisa Rogak

Lisa Rogak is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 books. Her works have been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, Parade Magazine, USA Today, Family Circle, and hundreds of other publications, and she has appeared on Oprah. Her latest book is Haunted Heart: The Life and Times of Stephen King, a full-length biography published in January, 2009.

Rogak’s book, Michelle Obama In Her Own Words, the companion volume to Barack Obama In His Own Words, was published in March 2009, and was a main selection at the Black Expressions Book Club.

Earlier this month I asked her what she was reading. Her reply:

These days I write biographies -- my next is on Stephen Colbert, due out in October 2011 -- but my attention span is pretty short because I also write a lot of blog posts and brief FOB articles for magazines on food, wine and travel. Plus, I live on the road full-time, so I have to be careful about what I pack because I limit my life to what can fit into a carry-on. I have no permanent address and I'm in a foreign country more often than not, so I can't rely on a decent library nearby and I have to plan ahead where I know I'll be in a place where Amazon can ship books. When I'm in the States, I usually head for the nearest bookstore to buy a few books from my wish list. I haven't yet tried to wrap my brain around a Kindle, mostly because it's one more permanent thing to carry.

I read primarily non-fiction because I learn so much from seeing how other writers tell a story. All this means that the books I choose have to serve a very important purpose, and are somehow work-related.

I'm currently working as co-author on a book along the lines of Marley & Me and Dewey the Library Cat, so obviously I want to read other similar tear-jerky animal & human memoirs. It helps that I'm just a sucker for these kinds of books.

I just finished Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper, just out in paperback, which I loved. And awhile back I devoured Making Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat by David Dosa.

Since at this moment I'm in southern Florida for a couple more days before traveling overseas, I have to hit the bookstore for my next two picks:

Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin and Huck: The Remarkable True Story of How One Lost Puppy Taught a Family--and a Whole Town--About Hope and Happy Endings by Janet Elder.

Visit Lisa Rogak's website.

--Marshal Zeringue