Dearly beloved, as summer wanes we are gathered here to join BookLore visitors with a few good reads for fall. Ah, the days of sitting poolside with a good book and a cold beverage are dwindling even as you read this.

Perhaps you have fond memories of a recent trip to the seashore where you voraciously devoured a juicy novel and some saltwater taffy. Maybe you got some taffy in your hair, went into the surf to try and rinse it out and then had a big glob of seaweed stick to the taffy, covering your head and causing you to thrash about looking like some kind of demented mutant, as beachgoers congregated, pointing, screaming, gathering up small children... The thing is, you may look like a demented mutant on occasion but at least you are literate. That should count for something.

In every survey imaginable, women are asked:
"In a potential mate what is the most important quality that you are looking for?"
Do they say:
“A large... financial portfolio”.
No, they don’t. They say...
“A sense of humour”.

So guys, you should be reading humourous books to fine-tune a sense of humour of your own. Women, you are all beautiful and would, for lack of a humourous man, surely enjoy a good humorous book.

At this point I would like to insert a subliminal message, so please relax and open your mind. (Fleeting Thoughts & The Hamster Never Sleeps by Michael McGan). That should linger on for quite some time.

Is romance your thing? Sci-fi? For the love of God, purchase one of the fine books reviewed here! Hold it, slowly flip the pages and smell the fresh ink... OK, maybe that’s getting a bit too wild for some of you. Hey, I do it. It’s great. Better than... No it isn’t.

But it feels good. Read your book, enjoy it’s pleasures and then tell somebody about it. They may gasp at first, but they’ll quickly want details. Word of mouth is the single best source of book sales. Email somebody, get on your damn cell-phone and talk up a book while you cause a four-car pile-up and drive on oblivious to it all.

The thing is, we all need to get our family, friends and co-workers reading books before it’s too late and they spend every waking hour staring blankly at the television, watching non-stop reality TV and playing violent video games where they battle demented mutants by the seashore. All the while their brains are drying up like Spackle. There is still time. Select one of the many recommended titles here at BookLore and hook someone up.

Birthdays, Christmas, early release from prison, or for no reason in particular, buy them a book. Hand it to them and say “I now pronounce you - person and text. You may now read the book.” Marry them to reading. Make them put BookLore in their favourites and review it faithfully, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness (Nigel, Chrissi and all staff consuming too much Guinness prior to an update) and health.

The pools may soon be closed but there is always a comfy spot by the fireplace. Put love in the air.

The love of books. Amen, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Michael McGan - 13th September 2003