Reading Anniversary

I didn't know to be grateful for a husband who reads when I was first married. I was naive enough to think that everyone loved reading as much as I. I know better now and I am grateful. We celebrated 12 years on June 20th.

When I asked Scott what was something he would like to do to celebrate, he said he wanted me to read to him. For our date I grabbed a simple and short romantic novel that I have enjoyed several times and we headed up into the mountains. We walked some lovely paths through the Sundance resort before finding the most perfect place to read. There was no one else around, there was a comfortable bench, there was a cool breeze coming off the water fall, and the scenery could not have been more beautiful. A perfect date. (Later we rode the moonlit chair lift ride. Highly recommend. Very romantic.)

I'm going to tell you now that book moment about The Apprentice by Deborah Talmadge-Bickmore mentioned in Book Moments and probably before. Pointless Story Warning.

I found The Apprentice at a used book store and it's cover struck my fancy. It is a short romance/fantasy that appealed to my teenage sense of isolation and drama. (I'll have to review it later. I really do love it. Though as an adult re-reader, I know some of my love is nostalgia. It is a bit of a self-indulgent book.) I loaned it to my friends and they loved it too. Then I loaned it to a less responsible friend and I never saw it again. I dutifully searched all my used book store haunts and could not find another copy. I even went to new book stores. Nothing. This was before the internet, the wonderful amazon, or even before I was aware I could ask a book store to order it for me. Such naivety! Sigh. Regardless. To me, this favorite book was lost forever....

Flash forward to my first semester at college. I had become friends with an apartment of guys and I hung there a lot. (I think I appreciated the quiet, stress-free environment over the girly craziness of my own. I tended to nap there.) One of the guy friends took me to visit a neighbor he had computer questions for. While I zoned out during the computer discussion, I noticed a book shelf and began scanning the titles. I recognized some and registered him as a fantasy reader. Then I saw The Apprentice. Cosmic Moment. So shocked was I that I burst out, interrupted their riveting conversation, "You Have The Apprentice!" I don't normally talk, let alone interrupt, strangers. In embarrassment I babbled about loving that book and losing it. This nice guy then just up and offered his copy to me. (I don't remember how, but he happened to know it was quite near my birthday.) I was stuck. I also don't just accept gifts. Especially from strange boys. But it was The Apprentice.

I took it. Oh the shame. What weakness! I clutched my ill-gotten book and retreated.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that later, when I encountered him again, I was more than willing to talk and play...till 3:00 in the morning. (I'm a sucker for rubber band wars, and this guy taught me how to flick pennies. The joy!) And then with even less surprise, that I married him.

Happy Anniversary Scott! I love you and I love that you love books and I love that you just gave me that book I wanted so badly. I'll never forget.

Stop Answering My Questions!

My husband is very sneaky. He doesn't look like he is. You wouldn't think it if you met him. But he is ever so patient and he plots.

My husband is also a reader like me. He doesn't naturally gravitate towards a wide range of genres as I do, but he reads as voraciously. It is in fact, one of the very first things that drew me to him. He owned a book I wanted. But that is another story.

My husband reads fantasy first and foremost. We pooled our collections when we married and there are still series's from his collection that I haven't read. One in particular was the Wheel of Time series. Why wouldn't I read it? I don't honestly know. Maybe because it was so big and daunting. Maybe because it is popular. Maybe just because he wanted me to. (I can be ridiculously perverse.) I do know that I had tried 3 times before and while I have never had a problem breaking into a fantasy series before (I read fantasy first and foremost also) I just could not crack the introduction of The Eye of the World.

This did not bother me. Not even with the lure of a local author (whom I love and have read most of his work) taking over the completion of the series would I budge on this issue. (I said perverse and I meant it.)

Back to the sneaky husband. We were on a car trip returning from my parents' home in northern California and I needed to drive. It was late and dark and I required something to listen to in order to stay awake. (I did not want to resort to caffeine because it would keep my nursing baby awake!) I had listened previously on this trip to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, probably my favorite HP, and wanted to resume. Unfortunately, Dear Husband claimed that he couldn't return to my place because of...yaddah yaddah...phone malfunction. I would have to listen to the whole book over - and I was to the point to all the messy time travel!! (Was he lying? I don't know.)

"But here!" he said, "I have The Eye of the World."

"Grumble grumble....No!"

Three minutes later, "Okay fine."

And I was trying to understand the introduction for the fourth time. And the fourth time was a charm. Probably because it was being shoved down my throat and I wasn't allowed to stumble over names or phrases I didn't understand. Probably because when it is professionally read out loud, the story shines through and no micro-reading takes place.

By the time we stopped for the night I was all the way to the trolloc attack (which is very scary in the middle of the black desert!) and was hooked.

Sneaky husband.

Over the next week as I finished the first gargantuan book I made several more token complaints.

"These books are so big and there are so many, it will be forever before anything actually happens and any of my questions are answered!"

"No," he says, "They're big because SO MANY things happen.

"I don't like this Egwene person very much and she obviously gonna end up with Rand and I don't like it. I don't want to read any more!"

"No," he says, "You'll be happy with how it goes.

"A lot of these people are brats. Why am I reading about brats? And Moiraine has a serious Allanon complex!"

"One of the best things about this series," he says, "Is how much character development there is."

"Is there ever gonna be any romance? I can see two of these people should get together but I think they are both too stubborn!"

"One of the reasons I've wanted you to read them," he says, "Is because of all the romance. You'll especially like book 3."

And later, while on a date with Dear Husband, we were discussing the books and I was asking rhetorical questions. Occasionally he answered my questions thus revealing plot points and in frustration I banged the table with my first and said, much too loudly for a restaurant, "Why are you answering my questions! I'm not asking questions for you to answer them!!" I was loud enough to get the attention of the waiter guy (alright, I might have yelled a little) who bothered me the rest of the night, asked me questions, and was severely disappointed that my questions weren't 'personal.' Ack!

This has been an emotional ride.

I am now half way through book 3. Would I consider stopping now? He** No! But I also haven't hit the promised romance yet! :P

*Please tell me if any of you understand my Allanon allusion....