About
Hi I’m Cindy Hudson and I’m the author of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs (Seal Press, October 2009). I am also a freelance writer whose stories have appeared on the pages of national trade magazines, daily newspapers, local and regional publications as well as online forums. For more information about my writing, see the Media page.
When I founded the two mother-daughter book clubs I’m in with my daughters, they were each nine. Now, they’re 19 and 16., and it’s not an exaggeration to say that my whole life has been affected by our book clubs. Over the years we’ve become close friends with the other members, and my daughters and I have kept the lines of communication open on all sorts of difficult issues through the books we read.
I started this website in 2007 because I couldn’t find the kind of information on the Internet that would help me choose books for my groups and plan my meetings. I aim to provide that resource to mother-daughter book club members and readers everywhere. I also feature ideas that come in from other club members, librarians, bookstore owners, publishers and readers. Check back often for updates and be sure to send in your book reviews, reading lists or ideas for other features you’d like to see posted . You can reach me at: info@motherdaughterbookclub(dot)com.
Here’s what you can do on this site:
- Look for interviews and Q and A’s with some of your favorite authors.
- Peruse book lists and reviews to help you choose titles for your club.
- Find out more about my guidebook for mother-daughter book clubs and how it can help you start a club, schedule activities and problem-solve through the years.
- Read the monthly newsletter, then sign up to have it delivered to your inbox by adding your email address to the subscribe button in the right-hand column.
- Sign up to be pen pals with members of another club.
So stay a while and look around. Then send me a note if you have a request or want to submit something.
Cindy Hudson with daughters Catherine and Madeleine
Photo by Jill Greenseth
Wonderful! I finally am able to open and read your site. Katie just got into a bookclub here and I just finished a Children’s Literature class at LSU. This is great!
Ann
Thank You
Can you tell me how you select books for recommendation?
I work with several authors from the Northwest who have recently published books that would be wonderful for mother/daughter book clubs. All of the authors are also available for interview. The books include: Wolfproof by Maureen McQuerry, Saving Sailor by Renee Riva and Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson.
Please contact me for more information.
Thanks!
Michele
http://www.provatoevents.com
Thanks for asking about the book recommendations. All the book recommendations on this blog and MotherDaughterBookClub.com come from members of mother daughter book clubs who have read the selections and think other clubs would like them as well. Anyone who wants to add a book to the list can email me at info@motherdaughterbookclub.com.
Just saw your website and thought “Finally”! We’ve been putting together a reader’s guide for MOOSE: A MEMOIR OF FAT CAMP and thought it fits perfectly for your site readers.
I recently found your site, and I’d like to tell you about my new poetry chapbook. The themes I write about in “Potato Eaters” might be of interest to your readers and contributors.
Pauline Uchmanowicz, author of “Sand & Traffic” says, “In Amy Nawrocki’s sensitive, self-assured Potato Eaters an intimate portrait of family life is unearthed and its tenacious roots revealed: deeply personal as well as deeply universal. A mother-daughter slipknot loosely binds the collection, grounded in domestic settings and situations that unify backyard swing sets and refinanced mortgages, kite flying and grocery shopping. Fertilized overall by rich, elemental imagery in which the seasons personified may appear as vulnerable but also everlasting, Nawrocki’s poems remind one how the child is mother to the woman.”
The chapbook is currently available for sale from Finishing Line Press and there’s a link to the press, as well as more information about Potato Eaters, on my website:
http://homeofpotatoeaters.books.officelive.com
Thanks for letting me share with your readers.
Sincerely
Amy Nawrocki
[...] join me in congratulating Cindy over at her blog on the About page. In the writing [...]
Congratulations on your book being published. That’s gotta feel good! My daughter’s and I love to read sometimes the same things, sometimes not. regardless, it’s a unifying thing for us.
I’m in one of Christina Katz’s writing classes right now and your success with your book deal is great to hear about! I love your topic and look forward to reading you book. In the meantime, I’ll check out your blog.
Congratulations! I hope the book is a big success.
Thanks for the well wishes. I get lots of great ideas from readers, and it’s both fun and challenging to put together the guidebook.
Go, Cindy!
Hip, hip hooray!
I would like to make you aware of a children’s author and psychologist who has written a successful book entitled, The Truth, (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything) by Dr. Barbara Holstein.
If you would like to coordinate a book club discussion or learn more about her work, Dr. Holstein’s website is http://www.TheTruthForGirls.com. You may want to consider offering her book as a reasource for girls and mothers.
I hope you find this information interesting. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at maribeth @maribethpelly.com.
Regards,
Maribeth Pelly
Marketing Strategies for Small (busy) Business Owners
732.245.4975
maribeth@maribethpelly.com
http://www.maribethpelly.com
Cindy – so glad you and your daughter enjoyed the American Masters Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women. Nancy Porter, who produced and directed, and I (producer-writer) are just now able to sell the DVD, which the American Library Association named the top of the top of the best list for 2009. It can be bought through our website at louisamayalcott.net and more places later.
I’m writing, though, to suggest that mother-daughter groups consider reading my biography of Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women together. The ALA named it as one of the 5 best Adult Nonfiction books for Young Readers. It’s 300 pages and reads like a novel. Just a thought. Thanks for writing about the film. Harriet Reisen
Greetings, Cindy. I noticed that you and your huband, Randy, are in an adult discussion group.
Might I offer you a copy of my rather unique book, designed for essentially all levels of marriage? Bloggers on 3 continents have found positive things to say about it. (The related site has had over 100,000 hits in months.)
Where might I send you a copy?
Either way, continued success with your very valuable efforts, Cindy!
Cindy,
I am the publicist for SALA’S GIFT: My Mother’s Holocaust Story by Ann Kirschner and the graphic panel exhibition, LETTERS TO SALA, which is coming to the Oregon Jewish Museum at the end of the month. This moving exhibition is a treasure trove of personal documents that Sala managed to save at great personal risk during her 5 year interment at Nazy labor camps. Ann Kirschner, Sala’s daughter, will be at the Oregon Jewish Museum in Portland on Sunday, April 11th at 11:30am to discuss her book and her mother’s letters. I think this could be a wonderful book for a mother/daughter book club, especially when people in your area can visit the exhibition as well. Let me know if you would like more information and/or if you decide to recommend this moving and inspiring book. Please keep in mind that Holocaust Remembrance Day is April 12.
Thank you for your consideration,
Rachel Tarlow Gul
Over the River Public Relations
201-503-1321
tarlowgul@nj.rr.com
This is only fantastic, Cindy — and you know the last time I saw your oldest she was still literally wet behind the ears. WOW! Lovely brilliant and literary daughters! They’re the best!!!
Dear Book Club:
On May 1, 2010, my fourth book, Truth’s Lair, will be officially released in both the U.S. and Great Britain. Although the novel was written for teens (young adults), our early reviews contained students from the fourth grade to an 80 year old lady. I have attached a number of the adult reviews to this email. In all cases the reviews were excellent. I would like to encourage you to consider Truth’s Lair for your next novel.
Sincerely,
J. Richard Knapp
Press Release – April 23, 2010
Thornton Publishing, Inc
17011Lincoln Avenue #408
Parker, Colorado 80134
Author Information
Phone: 541-673-2865
Mailing: PO Box 456 Roseburg, Oregon 97470
Email: jrichardknapp@gmail.com
Official Website: http://www.knappstory.com
Facebook: J Richard Knapp, Author
Squidoo: Truth’s Lair
Other Books:
Bobby’s Story
Clearwater Falls
Arch of the Pixies
Media Interviews and Book Signings: J. Richard Knapp is available for interviews and book signings.
Truth’s Lair
ISBN: 0-9844838-4-5
Cost: $19.97
J. Richard Knapp’s newest fiction novel, Truth’s Lair, is an action packed adventure for young adults. In May of 1945, Lieutenant Matthew Sanders was ordered to lead a mission into Southern Germany near the border of Austria. The objective of the mission was to locate and remove one of the Nazi’s most powerful super weapons hidden in a remote hangar. Sixty five years later, Sanders’ mission is shrouded in a cloud of disinformation and mystery. The only evidence of the mission is Sanders’ missing journal and a few old men.
Bailey Sanders, the granddaughter of Matt Sanders, locates the missing journal at the death of her grandfather in today’s time and begins to untangle a web of international secrets hidden for decades. The adventure leads her to Mautheusen Concentration Camp, Antwerp, Brasilia, Barro Colorado Island, and finally Truth’s Lair.
The search for the truth immediately sets in motion four groups of people interested in Lieutenant Sanders’ mission – a sleeper cell of neo-Nazi’s connected to SS soldiers on the secret project, the Dark Angels (a secret wing of C.I.A.), a group representing corporations worldwide, and a secret international society devoted to maintaining a balance of power and world peace. Bailey eventually discovers that one of these groups is responsible for the death of her grandfather and the truth of the secret weapon.
Bailey Sanders is a strong and intelligent young woman, in whom female readers can relate to. The minor characters (Caden, Syd, Dylan, Ella, Noah, and Hunter) provide a rich supportive cast to the character of Bailey.
The story deals with light appropriate romance, the losses related to the death of a family member, and a look backward in time at a Nazi death camp. The reader will be presented with two questions: (1) Would a government or group of people be willing to kill another person in order to acquire a super weapon that could change the balance of world power? (2) Could this really have happened in our world today? The answers to these questions are clearly found within the story.
Early Book Reviews
Truth’s Lair Is A Real Thriller!
Set aside some time to read, because this is one of those books you can’t put down until you figure out what happens to all of the engaging characters and their exciting adventures. Filled with twists and unexpected turns, Truth’s Lair will keep you guessing right to the end! Carol
J Richard Knapp’s Truth’s Lair is one of the most authentic and greatest mysteries that I have ever read! As an avid reader for over sixty years, this novel is one that I hated to put down until I finished the book. June
I highly recommend… this book to anyone who likes a good mystery! This book kept me guessing until the very end and I was very surprised by the ending! The Truth’s Lair is an excellent story that took me for a very fun and unexpected ride! Traci
The Most Suspenseful Novel…Truth’s Lair is one of the most suspenseful novels that I have read. This wonderful story has blended excitement, mystery, and just the right amount of romance into an action packed adventure. I highly recommend this book to any age. Barbara
J Richard Knapp Biography
J. Richard Knapp is an American author from Roseburg, Oregon. The author retired as a public school administrator and university adjunct instructor in the spring of 2007 after thirty five years in the field.
Knapp began a full time commitment in the fall of 2007 to his life-long passion of writing stories for children and young adults – including a personal commitment to bully prevention in our schools and communities.
J. Richard Knapp published Bobby’s Story in the spring of 2006. The book for children and teens reflected the early years of the author, as his family lost everything they owned and felt deep into poverty and the target of bullies.
The author quickly followed Bobby’s Story with his second book, Clearwater Falls. The trilogy depicts a fantasy setting with strong female characters.
In the spring of 2009, the author published his third book. The story took shape in his mind, as he walked along the cliffs of the Oregon Coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A short time later Arch of the Pixies was completed.
J. Richard Knapp’s newest novel, Truth’s Lair, began to take form in the author’s mind as he watched a documentary on World War II super weapons. Thirteen months later his novel for young adults was completed.
My daughter is 14 and she and many of her friends are interested in reading books via ereaders or on their computers. Our mother daughter book group is interested in appropriate books for this new generation of techno savy readers. Might you expand your reviews to books that are downloaded? We are currently reading an ebook that is certainly one we could recommend to any book club. It is called Captive Spirit by author Liz Fichera. This fast paced historical fiction is about a strong heroine trying to survive in an Indian village as part of the Hohokam Indian tribe that as history tells us has vanished off the face of the earth. You can download this exciting story from barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com.
Thanks for providing our club with many excellent book recommendations!
Hello to one Cindy from another! I found your Mother-Daughter Book Club through Google Search and I would like to know how to proffer a book for review, club selection, or both. My historical novel, “Far Above Rubies,” is perfect for M-D book clubs because it’s based on the true story of a Dutch woman who voluntarily accompanied her 6 stepdaughters to Auschwitz during WWII. I’d love to work with you in any way to share this important story with mothers and daughters everywhere.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Cindy
Cindy,
Thank you for placing my book on your site. It looks very nice and the write up is great except my book came out in 2007 so it is not a new book, but it is a book that is not time or season sensitive.
Thank you,
Mary Lee
Author, My Air Force Mom
Cindy,
I LOVE your site! I will refer back to it often, and I’ve added it to my list of favorites on my blog.
Christy Roberts (Cape Blogger)
Hi Cindy, The sky isn’t falling, but the library in Jefferson Oregon just might. We need your help! The 150-year old-Conser House which serves as our library has recently been determined to be severely structurally deficient and must be replaced. “How can I help?” you ask. “Easy as can be!” we reply. You can 1. Send an autographed copy of one of your book(s). 2. Make a cash donation – no gift is too small or too large. 3. Submit a favorite recipe and a narrative of your choosing for inclusion in a cookbook with the working title of Authors and Appetites. For your convenience a project brochure and submittal form are available on request. Question or comments please reply to this email or if voice contact is preferable we can be reached at 541.327.2423. Thanks and in anticipation, Linda
Thanks Christy. I’ll be checking your blog for updates too. I really did love your post on mother-daughter book clubs.
In celebration of MASTERPIECE’s 40th anniversary on PBS, we have culled and refreshed over 25 book-to-film discussion guides from archive titles—and now present them in a searchable library at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/bookclub/guides.html This site just went live this week.
We hope you’ll find this news worthy of sharing with your network. Attached is a brief description and image for your use. There is also a videotaped message for readers from our Classic host, Laura Linney, at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/bookclub/index.html
[...] recently had the opportunity to interview Cindy Hudson, author of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs. Cindy [...]
Hello from Flying Corgi Media!
We just debuted our new imprint at the NEIBA conference in Providence with the release of the first pair of books in our new Back-to-Back Book™ series. La Comtesse and Thérèse’s Adventure introduce paired adult-child literature designed to stimulate discussion between generations. Adults will welcome this new approach to keeping communication open as young people start to grow and become independent. Back-to-Back Books™ are “books to share in pairs.”
Back-to-Back Books™ contain different stories with connected characters, each book written specifically for the age of the reader. Author Charlotte Rolfe was drawn to this concept because of the “many wonderful years that my mother and I spent talking about books together.” Thérèse’s Adventure is written for the young person who comfortably reads chapter books, and La Comtesse is adult fiction. Both novels are set in the period just after the French Revolution. To enhance the reading experience, Flying Corgi Media’s website, http://www.flyingcorgimedia.com, provides pictures of the French settings and other highlights of the books, links to information about the historical period, a glossary, suggestions for activities and other features.
The books are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ask for them at your local independent bookstore.
We would love to hear from you and other members of mother-daughter book clubs. Reach us via our website, facebook page, and follow us on Twitter at FlyinCorgiMedia.
[...] More info and about Cindy Hudson [...]
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for such an informative website. My young adult novel, CAMP, will be published in June 2012 (now available for pre-order on Amazon.com), and I’m eager to get the word out to mother-daughter book clubs.
CAMP is a coming-of-age novel about mothers and daughters, bullying, and the collateral damage of family secrets. Here’s how it’s described on Amazon:
Every secret has a price.
For most girls, sleepaway camp is great fun. But for Amy Becker, it’s a nightmare. Amy, whose home life is in turmoil, is sent away to Camp Takawanda for Girls for the first time as a teenager. Although Amy hates summers at home with her German-immigrant mother, Amy is less than thrilled about going away to camp. At Takawanda she is subjected to a humiliating “initiation” and to relentless bullying by the ringleader of the senior campers. As Amy struggles to stop the mean girls from tormenting her, she becomes more confident. Then her cousin reveals dark secrets about Amy’s mother’s past, and Amy’s world is changed forever.
Camp is a mother-daughter story for mothers and daughters to share. Perfect for mother-daughter book groups.
Ages 13 and up. Sky Pony Press (June 1, 2012)
Thanks so much, Cindy, for letting me share this with your readers. I hope they will visit my Author Elaine Wolf Facebook page and my website: authorelainewolf.com.
Wishing you continued shared reading experiences with your daughters,
Elaine Wolf
authorelainewolf.com
Cindy,
I’m the WriterMama that has won a copy of Book by Book at least two years in a row, plus bought additional copies to give to my friends. When I won your book again this year, I took that as a sign that I should make the most of your gift. I sent an email to principal of the school my kids went to. asking if there are any mothers of 4th/5th-grade girls who would be interested in participating in a Mother-Daughter Book over the summer. Since my girls are grown, I told her I’d be happy to sponsor a student who perhaps can’t afford to buy the books or whose mother can’t participate. I’ll let you know if it works out. Thank you for inspiring me.