Jason Starr, probably the best young noir writer in the business, has an interesting piece about himself and his work in the latest issue of Crime Time. (Thanks to Sarah for the link.) There's a part that struck me:

Books are "still the best form of entertainment because books are light, you can take them anywhere with you -- even into the bathroom. If the book was invented today people would probably be going on about what a great breakthrough they are and there would probably be 'book stocks' selling for ridiculous prices on every stock exchange in the world. It's only because books have been around for so long that they get a bad rap."

It's a shame that books and reading more generally don't get the respect they deserve in our popular culture. What is better than reading? Sex, maybe, but even that might be a stretch.