The 'Lynnsey/Caleb' Book Club

It's no secret that I love literature: I teach English at GCHS, I make weekly trips to Barnes and Noble (or visits to BarnesandNoble.com), and I've had to start storing my collection of books in weird places all throughout the house (who said a dining room HAS to be specifically for dining?). Caleb, on the other hand, claims to have interests only in "real" things, which obviously do not involve the reading, analysis, or discussion of printed word. He is a mathematical genius, and knows more random facts than a bathroom reader; everyone knows that a person is either an artsy-fartsy intellectual, or a scientific, mathematical whiz -- we are total opposites of one other. Also relevant to this point is the fact that Caleb prefers sports of the manly kind to any novel, short story, or poem, and actually even twitches when required to sit through a film adaptation of a piece of writing (i.e. -- a movie).

HOWEVER, much to my amazement, my generous husband has agreed to participate in a 'Lynnsey/Caleb' book club. After a few tiny spats as to the guidelines and procedures of our book club (okay, there were full out fights -- what can I say, I get heated about literature), we have come to agree on the terms that we will read the same book at the same time, and hold weekly discussions (in which I am not allowed to use the 'big words' that I am so often accused of using to my advantage). Caleb picks a book; I pick a book -- it's as simple as that.

Our current reading list:
1. Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
2. Hard Work by Roy Williams (I specifically said NO autobiographies or informational texts, but he almost cried when I argued that Roy Williams was not a legitimate author)
3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

We're still in the process of getting started on the first book. It's proving to be a bit more tedious that I initially expected. It's an attempted knock-off of Harry Potter without the brilliant literary and historical references of which J.K. is a pro. Amazingly, Caleb has read more of this book than I have. We'll see how long that lasts.

 If you're well-versed in the literary world, you probably noticed that two of the three on the list are adolescent lit; Caleb doesn't know this, but I figured it would be best to hook him with some high-interest reads while also doing some light research for my ninth-graders. What he doesn't know is that I'm preparing him for some intellectually-stimulating Toni Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and William Faulkner.

Overall, I'm so dang impressed with my husband. He hates to read, but is actually taking an active interest in it because he understands how important it is to me. I'm definitely experiencing a win/win situation ... but I guess it means I'll be holing up in front of the LCD much more frequently to watch "the big game(s)."

This post is not only to show you guys how genuinely kind my husband is, but also to influence you to read! Reading a good book will affect you in countless positive ways. Wish us luck on our future literary endeavors (and brag on Caleb, if you get the chance; he really has surpassed my expectations with this one).