On Tuesday, February 9th, that will change because I'll be joining the Save Our Libraries rally to Westminster. I can no longer stand on the sidelines and watch as more and more libraries are threatened by closure and dramatically reduced services because of savage financial cutbacks.
My protest is about the continual erosion of equality. Knowledge is power, as Sir Francis Bacon said in 1597. To have a fair society, you need to start early, not only with academic education but also with opportunities to be creative and fuel the imagination. Stories do that. That's why parents and carers with babies and toddlers go to the library to listen to storytelling and rhyme-time hosted by enthusiastic librarians.
To have a fair society, all children need access to the resources available. Libraries aren't just about books; they're also a vital source of e-books, audio books, academic journals, hard-to-get-hold-of non-fiction texts. They're about vital public services: computers with Wi-Fi (and, yes, there are plenty of households without either at home), job clubs, a safe space for young people in areas where there are no longer many youth services left. A space for the community.
Books Aloud, run by Jenny Hawke at Petts Wood library in Kent, is a perfect example. I joined them last week. There were more than 20 children there - after school on a blustery winter's afternoon - all of them excited to be in a creative, imaginative story-land.
So that's why I'm breaking my habit of a lifetime. I want my voice to be heard because I need a future which has libraries in it.