True confession: I’ve never been in a book club.

To clarify, I have participated in Bible studies and related book studies — usually weekly meetings, going through a particular topic or book. But I’ve never been part of those delightful-sounding gatherings: fiction book clubs. You know, where everyone reads the same novel and then gets together at the end to discuss it? Nope. Never been part of one.

I don’t really have a specific reason for my lack of book-club membership. If pushed to come up with an excuse, I suppose I’d say that it’s not easy for me to add things to my schedule. Between my husband’s out-of-town travel, kid and family and church activities, and my general homebody-ness, I find that my calendar is usually “full enough,” and I try not to mess with it too much. [I tend to become a bit unstable when the calendar squares begin to overflow.]

But I’ll be honest: part of me would someday like to give the book club scene a try.

Right now, however, I have something that just might be even better. I’ve instituted a summer fiction book club with C., my tween. Since he shares my love for reading, and is now at that age where he reads and appreciates some of the same books I do, I decided this would be the perfect time.

To begin, we picked The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien. It’s perfect. C. has never read it, and I haven’t read it in decades years. It was one of my favorite books during my teen years, though, and I’ve been thoroughly looking forward to enjoying it once again. (Besides, Peter Jackson just started working on the movie version, which I am eagerly anticipating.)

We’re not doing the usual book club thing, where you read the entire book and then discuss it as a whole. Instead, we’ve decided to meet regularly and talk about each chapter as we read it. As you can imagine, the meetings will be frequent, but I’m not complaining. Reading a favorite novel with my tween and chatting about it regularly? That’s awesome in my book.

We had our first book club meeting last night, to discuss Chapter 1. We settled into our comfy swivel chairs (in our library, of course), and discussed Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves. We talked about big themes and deep truths, amusing parts and character traits, things we can relate to and things we can’t…and that’s just in the first chapter!

C. has already read Chapter 2 (entitled Roast Mutton). I need to catch up so we can schedule our next meeting. I can’t wait!

In case you hadn’t gathered, reading is somewhat of a passion — and pretty much, a requirement — in this house. We all love books, and we all spend a fair amount of time reading each day.

But one area where I always want to do better is in reading aloud to the kids. Oh, I read to L.(5) at bedtime. But by then, he has usually stalled and dawdled or needed one last sip of water and we end up rushing through a quick book or two because it is time for bed. We try to squeeze in reading other times too, but I admit I’m not very good at making it a priority.

C.(12) and I are sporadic when it comes to reading aloud together. Over the course of the past year, we read a couple books (The Book of Three and The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander), but during the school year it seems that homework and piano lessons and Wednesday night church and general family busyness all conspire against us. We struggle to consistently set aside time to read in the evenings and it often falls by the wayside.

But now…it’s summer. Or close enough. And I decided that one of my personal goals for this summer was to spend more time reading aloud to the boys.

Here’s the thing: I want to read to them at the same time. But I’ll tell you, it can be very hard to find material that appeals to both a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old.

So instead, I thought I’d pick something that appealed to me!

Believe it or not, I’ve never read The Wind in the Willows. It’s possible that I had to read portions of it in elementary school, as part of our reading curriculum. But if I did, I certainly don’t remember it. I know I’ve heard about The Wind in the Willows — Mole and Badger and Toad. But still, it remains a classic that I’ve never read. Perfect for our read-aloud.

Next I had to choose a time. While our evenings are more free in the summer, the kids tend to stay outside, playing and swinging, well into the evening and I’m hesitant to interfere with that hallmark of childhood. Instead, I decided to borrow an idea from my friend Jennifer: a lunchtime read-aloud. It’s perfect, really. While the kids are eating strawberries and sandwiches, they are my captive audience. I have at least 15-20 minutes every afternoon — perfect for reading!

We began today. During a trip to the library, I picked up a copy of The Wind in the Willows and as soon as lunch was on the table, I was diving into Chapter 1.

So far, so good. Actually, it was pretty great. I thought that the story might be a bit “young” for C. And I thought the language and length of chapters might be a bit “old” for L. But both of them thoroughly enjoyed the story so far.

I’m sure part of their enjoyment was related to the closeness and camaraderie that come from exploring a story together. Together-time is always a plus. But C. mentioned something about an excerpt from the book being in his reading book this past year, and L. was able to give me a pretty good recap of what we had read, so I know they were both engaged in the book as well.

I can’t guarantee I’ll be faithful to read at every single lunch-time this summer. I’m sure there will be days when we’re not here, days when I’m exhausted, days when distractions keep us from our book. But I hope to read a minimum of 3-4 days per week. I’m already trying to figure out what we’ll read next.

[C. and I are planning another reading adventure this summer -- I'll share more about that later!]

In the meantime, I’d love to hear about your read-aloud experiences, or your memories of Wind in the Willows, OR any suggestions for books that will appeal to a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old!