Received the following email tonight, from a new fan called Harry:

All my life i have hated books, no in fact despised books until about 3 weeks ago. I go to alot of gigs and there was a big one in birmingham and my mum would only let me go if i read a book. Hating books as i did but loving music so much i agreed. She brought me back Lord Loss. It looked pretty good so i began to read it, it sucked me in on the very first chapter. I was absoulutely mesmerised by it, i couldnt put it down. I finished the next night. My mum was amazed, i'd never finished a book before. She bought me Demon Thief soon after that and so on and so forth. I read them all within quick succession of each other, each as good as one another. My mum by the end of the week, fed up with buying me books, said i had to rent it from the library as it was costing too much. I never in a million years thought i'd use that libary card but never the less i rented Blood Beast from there and brought it back to the library the next day, the librarian was amazed. I finished Demon Apocalypse yesterday and would like to say thank you so much for showing me the wonders of reading. I had to accept the bullying from my freinds, they were shocked as well, but never the less i read them all. My mum would like to thank you aswell.

Heh heh -- the comment about his Mum complaining about the cost of the books made me chuckle -- be careful what you wish for, parents, or it might come true!!! But that's the great thing about libraries -- they provide access to all the books you could ever dream of, and for free!! But the reason the email struck a special chord with me is that I think not enough is made of the fact that books are part of the entertainment industry. There's this horrible, sickening train of thought at large in the world, backed up by people with the best of intentions but no idea of the damage they're wreaking. And that train of thought can be summed up in the following, hideous phrase which makes me shudder every time I hear it:

"Books are good for you."

I was actually asked a couple of weeks ago, during my interview for the Huckleberry Finn book that I've written a foreword for, to say why I thought books were important. I looked at the interviewer with a mixture of disgust and anger, then ranted and raved for about five minutes!! I think that's the LAST thing that should be said about a book, especially a children's book. There's nothing that turns peopls off faster than something that's supposedly GOOD FOR THEM. "Eat your veg -- they're good for you." They may well be, but they taste horrible, so NO!!!!!!! STICK YOUR BLOODY VEG WHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE!!!!!!!!!

You should NEVER read a book because it's good for you. And don't pay any attention to people who tell you that you should -- they're fool. Well-meaning fools, but fools all the same. Books are the same as bands, as computer games, as movies. They're part of the entertainment industry. They're written to excite and thrill and scare and emotionally touch readers. You should read because it's fun -- no other reason. There's a book for everyone, no matter what your taste. And the great thing about books is they complement all the other entertainment fields -- most films start life as books, many musicians and game designers are influenced by books, you can listen to a CD while reading. Books never suffer because of a small budget or because of creative differences. They're the simplest, purest form of entertainment possible, limited in scope only by the skill of their authors. They're dangerous and imaginative, libellous and erotic, violent and reactionary. Books start revolutions. They determine the way history is remembered. They shape minds and launch dreams. They let us believe that we can change the world, and show us how.

You shouldn't read a book because it's good for you. You should read because books kick ass -- big time!!!!!!! Harry's realised that now, and I'm pretty sure all of you reading these words know it too, or you wouldn't be here. But spread the word people -- there are lots of folk out there, labouring under the misapprehension that books are good for them and should this be avoided. Tell 'em it ain't so. Hook them in. Whisper in their ears, tell them of the wicked delights that lie in store between so many covers. Tell them the world of books is one of blood and gore and romance and sex and murder and betrayal and hard-fought victories and bitter defeats. The world's full of people who would be avid readers if someone just told them what treats lay in store. So go convert, my Shansters -- go forth and multiply!!!!

And if anyone tell you books are good for you ... point them in this direction and I'll take care of them!!!!!!