Most of the book reviews at Mother Daughter Book Club.com have been written by me, Cindy Hudson. If there’s a guest review, I let everyone know who has written the review. When reviewing books I generally look for titles that may be widely available in libraries so book clubs don’t have to buy copies to read it. I sometimes make exceptions, depending on the topic and how many books are on my review schedule. I get books for review from the library, and sometimes publishers send me copies to read. I always give my honest opinion regardless of how I obtain books for review. My opinion certainly cannot be influenced for the price of a paperback book, especially when I’m likely to otherwise check out books from the library.

While reviewing a book I focus less on whether I liked it or not and more on the issues to discuss in mother-daughter book clubs. I have been in clubs long enough to know that every reader has likes and dislikes. Each book typically is liked by some in the group and disliked by some in the group. It is rare to find a book that everyone likes, and that’s not always the best book for discussion. My philosophy in general is that if the issues are worth discussing and the book is fairly well written, it’s a good book club choice.

The age recommendations are often my own, and they don’t always reflect publisher recommendations. If you feel strongly about a book you or your club has read and want to recommend it for other groups, feel free to send me your review at info@motherdaughterbookclub.com. When you send in a review, please include your first name and last initial, city and state, and whether you are a mother, daughter, librarian, author or other interested reader.

A

A Regular Guy: Growing Up with Autism by Laura Shumaker

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

B

Because I Love Her, edited by Andrea Richesin

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo by Vanessa Woods

Boy by Roald Dahl

F

The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb

Flash Burnout by L. K. Madigan

Forever Lily by Beth Nonte Russell

G

Going Solo by Roald Dahl

The Grail: A Year Ambling and Shambling Through and Oregon Vineyard in Search of the Best Pinot Noir in the Whole Wide World by Brian Doyle

Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood by Melissa Hart

Gumbo Tales by Sara Roahen

H

The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

I

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Ireland by Frank Delaney

L

The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh

Lips Touch, Three Times by Laini Taylor and Jim di Bartolo

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O’Connor McNees

M

Memo to the President Elect by Madeleine Albright

Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

My First Best Friend by Nancy Lindemeyer

My Teenage Werewolf: A Mother, A Daughter, A Journey Through the Thicket of Adolescence by Lauren Kessler

N

The New York Stories of Edith Wharton

O

The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash

P

The Pages in Between by Erin Einhorn

The Painter from Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein

R

Red: The Next Generation of American Writers—Teenage Girls—On What Fires Up Their Lives Today edited by Amy Goldwasser

Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

S

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Saving Ben: A Father’s Story of Autism by Dan Burns

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Still Life with Chickens by Catherine Goldhamer

Stolen Voices edited by Zlata Filipovic and Melanie Challenger

Surviving High Society by Elizabeth Mulholland

T

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

This Boys Life by Tobias Wolff

U

Unraveling by Lynn Biederman and Michelle Baldini

W

West with the Night by Beryl Markham

What I Would Tell Her: 28 Devoted Dads on Bringing Up, Holding On To, and Letting Go of Their Daughters, edited by Andrea N. Richesin

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges

When I Married My Mother by Jo Maeder

Y

The Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy