Who reads books?

Andy Murray, Britain's brightest tennis hope, was asked what he was reading. He is said to have replied, "I don't read. I haven't read a book since the second Harry Potter", that is since 1998. Well, why should he read? Those who do read books sometimes find it hard to understand what life would be like without them. Pretty empty? Not necessarily. I think we may be moving into the post-literary era. To read a book requires some leisure time, and for most people their leisure time is already full up. Don't be snobbish about books. Is watching an hour of television less "cultural" than reading a book? It depends of course, but generally the answer is no. Culture exists in many ways: conversation, for example - the mobile phone encourages the long conversation; the cinema, even blogging. So who does read books? It is a minority activity. Quite small, and getting smaller. And yet there are all these books being published, seemingly more than ever before. A puzzle. I'd like to return to the subject when I've thought a bit more about it. I just want to turn on the TV to see how Murray has done today.