The value of an expert depends on how far they have to travel -- in your own city the normal reaction is "So what?" however if you travel a thousand or more miles to the client's site you will be respected. Like a college degree. A Harvard degree is common in Boston but respected in LA.
For reading of late on the Reader it is a mix of Voltaire, SciFi, history, Sherlock Holmes, biography, and a collection of Zelda Pinwheel avatars.