Hi I am no help to you on the sleeping, my kids were not the best sleepers. Although once they hit about age three or four read the book "the 7 oclock bed time"I can't remember who wrote it sorry. my kids sleep better than their class mates now!
As for the TV. I turn the TV off ALOT in out house too. My husband turns it on, I turn it off
I don't think it is appropriate for it to be on all the time. I think it's important to closely watch what your baby is watching. If a baby should not know about it then they should not be watching it either! My children are very sensitive and compassionate, I think it is because I have sheltered them from the harshness of the world. Our TV is now in a different room and the kids just don't go in there very often. They go to bed at 7:00 and that stops them from seeing the worst that TV has to show. in Australia after 7:00 the tv gets very violent. It is hard when your husband doesn't understand why you turn it off. Try explaining that you don't want your child to see things on TV that you wouldn't let them watch in real life. No death, violence, sex or swearing.
As to good books well that is a very big topic covered elsewhere in the forum, use the search button. I love reading dr zuess books out loud! Always a laugh! But good quality picture books are a great place to start. Choose a topic your child likes and find some stories about that. At 10 months your baby is interested in mum and dad, animals, toys and probably music. Aim to read a variety of types, you want to build language and vocabulary and keep baby interested with funny voices. Have fun with it and read often. Good luck