In a scene in Wednesday's night Lost, main character Jack barges into another character's house to find out what they're going to do to get out of the mess they were in. He discovers Sawyer sitting reading a book and questions him on it. “It doesn't look like you're doing something about it, it looked like you were reading a book.” Sawyer then argued “I heard Winston Churchill read a book every night, even during the blitz. He said it made him think better.”

That prime-time book plug, ironically during an addictive TV show, should remind viewers that books aren't just something to pass the time away but a valuable resource, even when they don't seem to fit in the schedule. They not only provide escape but help exercise the mind to make better informed decisions. As Christians, there's an even more valuable element.

While technology offers more distractions from reading, it also has the potential to make it easier to squeeze it in, like audiobooks, eBooks, etc. Last week in Dallas, author Thelma Wells made the humorous point that there's no excuse for not reading the Bible; “You know they even have it in DVD.” How many formats do you have your Bible in? How many audio or eBooks do you have? Do you find it makes it easier to fit reading into your schedule or is it still a discipline you have to exercise?

With all the new technologies, are you reading more books or less? How often do you read? And how are your customers' reading habits changing?

I'm back in the office after a whirlwind trip to Dallas for the Christian Book Expo. You can check out our coverage of the events in several news pieces we've posted in our news section.

Aside from the questions left by the meager attendance, there were other nuggets from the weekend that will make it a memorable one. Authors truly were the stars of the show and for those who attended, it was a great chance to hear from your favorites and find new ones as well. Here are a few observations:

Evening Worship Sessions: The evening sessions were first class, alternating inspirational words from folks such as Max Lucado and Thelma Wells, music from artists Nicole C. Mullen and Cindy Morgan and multi-media elements. Not to belabor a point (too late), but the program was really worthy of a stadium full. Those of us who were there can consider ourselves to be caught in the crosshairs of an abundance of ministry and talent.

Random quote No. 1: “I can barely stand to look at the cover” - suspense writer Bill Myers explained was his answer when asked if he ever likes to read his finished novels.

Community: There's something to be said about the community of Christian authors who reach across their genres to support and hold each other up. Liz Curtis Higgs, who happens to be one of funniest people on the planet and a pretty perfect moderator, noted romance writer Beverly Lewis and suspense author Robert Lipaurulo (a one-time CR writer) seated beside each other on the fiction panel and said you “could not have put two people more different” beside each other. It was also good to see Jeanette Oke get props on more than one occasion for “pioneering” the Christian fiction category.

Random quote No. 2: “You know, I'm honestly astounded that anyone would read my stuff, I really am.” - Max Lucado, during an interview.

Discussions: The panel discussions got pretty lively but never too heated, even the “main event” of Christopher Hitchens against the “den of lambs,” as Doug Wilson put it. I actually thought the emergent church dialogue between Kevin DeYoung, Tony Jones and Scot McKnight was a little more heated. It also really made my day to hear theologian J.I. Packer explain that he tells children “everything we desire to see in heaven will be there.” Do we have to pick which one?

Random quote No. 3: “The gospel is not just for unbelievers. The cross must be central in all our thinking” - Justin Taylor, in Friday's panel discussion, “What is the Gospel?”

The Twitter Effect: The social networking micro-blogging Twitter was in full effect during the weekend, providing one more connection point for those who attended (there was even a Tweet-up on Saturday) and those receiving the play-by-play at home. Through these tweets, we learned what people thought of any given panel discussion, workshop or even the Tweetup itself. :-)

Random quote No. 4: “The emergent church has been caught in the cross-hairs of culture war.” - McKnight, during “The Emerging Church” panel discussion.

Book News bits: A few teases about upcoming books during the weekend:

-Higgs' current project, Here Burns My Candle, has a tenative March 2010 release date. It will be set in Scotland and based on the Ruth – Boaz – Naomi story.

-Zondervan is moving ahead with a line of Amish fiction.

-Jerry Jenkins' next book will be a spy thriller called.....Spy. That's why he gets paid the big bucks.

-Myers' next thriller, God Hater, will center on a atheist college professor and a real-life personality downloading technology. He says it's his “favorite book yet.”

-Kate Gosselin (Multiple Blessings) has cookbook coming in the fall.

-Rob Bell's next release, Drops Like Stars, will coincide with a speaking tour and will be a large, full-color coffee table book. It'll be out in August.

Random quote No. 5: “I don't want my readers to go to bed at night dwelling on blood.” - Terri Blackstock, speaking on violence in Christian fiction during the Fiction Showcase.

The handwritten Bible: The Zondervan Bible Across America tour, allowing people to handwrite a Bible verse for inclusion in a new published version of the NIV, was pretty much one of the coolest opportunities of the weekend.

Random quote No. 6: “My wife is calling me.” - Henry Blackaby, ignoring his ringing cell phone in the middle of his turn on program Friday evening.

So that's it. I could also tell you about the life-threatening cab rides, the downtown walks through no-man's land and the convergence of red-coated Mary Kay reps at the host hotel, but I'll save all that for the screenplay. Thanks for reading.

Well, this is the week- the first-ever Christian Book Expo starting Thursday in Dallas, Texas. If you're just tuning in, you should know the event, which is open to the public, will feature more than 200 Christian authors who will present workshops, participate in panel discussions, speak in evening worship sessions and do book signings in the event's exhibit hall. For more information about the show, read some of our previous stories here and here or the official event Web site – www.christianbookexpo.com.

I'll be there, attending the workshops and panel discussions, walking the floor and keeping my ear to the ground for the latest news in the Christian book world. I also hope to say hello to any of you faithful CR readers who are attending. If you're not going, keep checking our CBE coverage here to find out the latest.

Actress Demi Moore (Ghost, G.I. Jane, A Few Good Men) is the newest voice endorsing William P. Young's The Shack (Windblown Media/Hachette Book Group USA). On her Twitter account, Moore praised the book, relaying quotes and telling the author she was “tremendously moved." She said she'd “definitely recommend” the “powerful” and “life-changing” novel for those with issues with God or Jesus, also pointing out it's not about “religious dogma.” Moore's husband, Ashton Kutcher, also said it sounded like a “must read” based on her comments and quotes. Finally, the actress also introduced Young to her Twitter followers by his Twitter account, telling her followers to give him “a warm welcome.”

After finishing the novel, Moore also solicited follower suggestions for her next read. By marking “favorite” on response posts (one of which was a suggestion for Frank Peretti's Monster), the recommended books are now collected on her page, easily creating her own Twitter book club.

While they may not watch much television, the Duggar family traveled to the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival in San Antonio to take in the films and chat with Cameron, star of the surprise pro-marriage hit Fireproof. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, www.duggarfamily.com, have 18 children-eight girls and 10 boys, all having names starting with the letter "J."

Graphic novels have become more popular in recent years, as Hollywood has mined their pages for ideas for blockbuster movies like 300, Sin City and the upcoming Watchmen. Comic books haven't typically intersected much with Christian publishing and are rarely found in bookstores. In recent times, however, more creators and publishers are lining up to provide a wider selection to Christian readers, including Head Press Publishing's Eye Witness series, Vida Entertainment's David and Daniel and a growing selection of Manga offerings from Tyndale and Doubleday.

One new entry is Good & Evil, which released in November from No Greater Joy Ministries and distributed through Anchor, a 336-page full-color depiction of biblical scenes written by Michael Pearl and Marvel Comics artist Danny Bulanadi (Fantastic Four, Micronauts, the Incredible Hulk). The new release is a full-color rendition of an earlier black and white release, which has 100,000 copies in print.

Christian Retailing readers can get an exclusive 23-page full-color preview of Good & Evil by clicking here.

In other graphic novel news, Ted Dekker's Circle Series graphic novels (Black, White, Red), along with two Lost graphic novels, have garnered “positive reviews,” according to Allen Arnold, vice president and publisher, fiction, for Thomas Nelson. Arnold told Christian Retailing the company is releasing two additional graphic novels this summer and including the entire graphic novels of Black, Red and White free in the back of the upcoming 5^th Anniversary editions of Black, Red and White. Dekker's Green (Book Zero in the Circle Series), releases in September.

Recently released sales figures from pop culture researcher Icv2 show that graphic novels sales rose 5% from 2007 to 2008, its slowest growth since 2001 and their growth occurred more in general bookstores than specialty comics shops. It was also reported that Manga sales fell 17% during the year.

Did anyone catch Mars Hill pastor and author Mark Driscoll (Vintage Jesus, Vintage Church) on CNN with comedian/commentator D.L. Hughley? If not, check it out below. What are your thoughts?