I love my kids. Here’s proof: I’m reading “The Great Gatsby” and “Les Miserables” with two of them as part of their high school summer reading assignments.

Don’t get me wrong—they are doing their own reading. But particularly with my second son, I thought it would be good to make a two-person book club and discuss Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, to make it more interesting and relevant.  While my son is a voracious reader, his tastes tend toward the worlds of Harry Potter and Star Wars, not toward 19th century France.  But alas, Les Miserables is required summer reading and his class has a test on the book the second day of school. To maintain integrity, his school bans students from using Spark Notes, Cliff Notes or from watching the movie beforehand.

Once my oldest angel heard about my reading plan, he suggested we do a book club with HIS summer reading.  Now let me count—each of my boys is reading ONE book.  But me-- the person who has ALREADY completed all of my high school required reading assignments over 20 years ago- -I’m reading TWO books (without using Spark Notes, Cliff Notes or watching the movie beforehand, thank you).

Yes, I love my children very much.

I must admit, my own taste in reading runs to Nora Roberts-type romantic suspense, Janet Evanovich-type comedic mystery or various books on writing or marketing.  In other words, reading the great classics is not something I would ordinarily volunteer to do.

But here I am, squeezing in a few minutes with Nick Carraway in the afternoon and a few more with Jean Valjean at night. To my surprise, I’m rather enjoying it.  

Perhaps it’s because this is a voluntary act or maybe because I can use my life experiences to relate to the stories, I have a greater appreciation of the books than my boys do.  The sly wit and the layered turns of phrase require more than straight reading; they require a little time for ruminating.  As my friend Shenette would say, you have to let those ideas marinate for a while.

I’m not sure that this mini book club will be a long term endeavor, but I do know that as my children get older, I want to continue to find things that we can share, whether it’s music, sporting events or even required reading.  The more ties that bind us together now, the more (I hope) we’ll have in common even as they grow up and away.

Once my boys and I have completed our reading, we’ll go to Starbucks for a foamy drink and a cookie, and talk discuss plots and characters like real book club members.  

But for now, I bid you adieu.  A mysterious French manufacturer and a naïve young bachelor in New York eagerly await my attention.

Pamela appears Tuesdays on TriangleMom2Mom. Read more about Pamela on her blog Crazy is My Life.