Cindy Hudson, book club expert, author, writer, journalist, editor
Cindy Hudson photo by David Kinder
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 ). I also publish e-books aimed at helping book club members plan their meetings. Currently I offer 13 guides and three collections for book clubs that include a review of the book, an exclusive interview with the author, ideas for book-related activities, discussion questions and recipes. A complete list of the guides and e-books can be found here under Book Club Planning Tools and at my Amazon author page.
I am also a freelance writer whose stories have appeared on the pages of national trade magazines, daily newspapers, local and regional publications, best-selling anthologies, as well as online forums. For nearly 10 years I wrote weekly community news articles for The Oregonian, Portland’s major news publication. My articles on family literacy appear frequently in the pages of regional parenting publications throughout the U.S. and Canada. Here are examples of my articles.
- 11 Tips to Hook Reluctant Readers
- 15 Laugh Out Loud Books for Kids and Teens
- Five Ways Funny Poems Help Kids Read
Want to learn more about me as a writer? Check out my professional website CindyHudson.com. Get in touch by emailing cindy(at)cindyhudson(dot)com.
About Mother Daughter Book Club.com
When I founded two mother-daughter book clubs with my daughters, they were each nine. Now, they’re 24 and 21, and it’s no exaggeration to say that our whole lives have been affected by our book clubs. Over the years we’ve become close friends with other club members, and my daughters and I have talked through all sorts of difficult issues because we read about them in books.
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 the best books for your book club.
- Find out more about my guidebook for mother-daughter book clubs and how it can help you start a book club, schedule activities, and problem-solve through the years.
- Learn about meeting planner guides that provide you with an exclusive author interview, suggested activities, discussion questions and companion recipes.
So stay a while and look around. Then send me a note if you have a request or want to submit something.
I am an author and would love to connect with mother/daughter book clubs. My book, “Justice for the Black Knight,” is a perfect book for a mother/daughter club. It is a book written from the heart and involves the story of a white child and her mother who develop a familial relationship with a black girl and her brother in the 1930’s when such a relationship was almost forbidden. It has been described as a true crime mystery, coming of age novel and high stakes courtroom drama all rolled into one. It was awarded the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Award for Best Legal Thriller, but almost all reviewers agree it is primarily a story of relationships. I hope you will consider including my name as an author who would interact with your book clubs.
We have written the first three books in the NEW exciting children’s book series, “The Sister Pact Adventures”. The current books are, “The Perry Lake Treasure”, “The Ghostly Halloween Walker” and “The Case of the Missing Jelly Bean Jar”. My wife and two daughters are the inspiration to write these stories. The Sister Pact Adventures are about the strong love and bond that sisters share. Anyone that has a sister or mothers that have daughters know how inseparable these traits are. I know that these would be a great addition to the book club. Our intention was to make it available to young readers, 4th through 6th graders. The series is available on Amazon, Baker and Taylor, Ingrams, and many others. The newest book will be released in February 2016. Thank You
Inspired by your resourcing, we held our first M/D meeting tonight at the library. There was a tornado watch & we evacuated to the basement. Talk about bonding! We explored the old storage areas (many rooms filled with books & oddities),took selfies & photo of signage that defined the space “Book Bunker”. We now have a clever name for our club & quite a memory together! Thanks for your book & website.
Wow! What a way to begin. Exploring the old storage areas of a library sounds super cool, even though it was under such scary circumstances. Thanks for writing to let me know about your new group; I’m excited to think I contributed something to it!
Hello! I am a child who has struggled with anxiety and depression for a long time. It was difficult for my parents to support me and help me through my toughest moments, so I wrote a book about it! I want other kids struggling with anxiety to know that they are not alone, but most importantly, for their parents to learn how to help their kids who are suffering! I just published my first book called “Dear Mom & Dad, I Have Anxiety” for parents about helping their children that struggle with anxiety. This book is perfect for mothers and daughters, so parents can learn how to better connect with their children, and it’s written from a CHILD’S point of view! Please check out my book here: https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Mom-Dad-Have-Anxiety-ebook/dp/B01I40UYTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468031938&sr=8-1&keywords=dear+mom+and+dad+i+have+anxiety
Just found your blog! I read your review of Serafina and the Black Cloak and wanted to contact you. Thanks for being a reviewer. Authors really need you and appreciate you. Hope you’ll stop by to say hi on my blog or visit my website. Would love to see you there.
I totally agree with what you wrote on your page: Fifteen Laugh Out Loud Books For Teens and Kids. Humor is a terrific way to alleviate all that is so heavy in the lives of our kiddos these days. I’ve just finished two books in a series called Red’s Record, and while the theme centers around the most unlikely of friendships, it is truly funny in the most wholesome way possible. From the line editor: “I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a YA book so much.” This was a HUGE compliment and so encouraging to me. The second book in the series is a holiday book entitled: “Red’s Record: Angel Patty Sue Fitzsimmons and the Holiday Hootenanny”. I’m not sure if you review books for the holidays, but if so, I’d love to get into the mix. Thank you for all you do to support authors and their efforts!
Hello, I am a recently published author and I found your site while looking for ways to contact book clubs. My book is perfect for mother daughter book clubs. I Am NOT a Princess! was inspired by my daughter Eliza who’s early obsession with all things princess baffled me. The book follows the main character, Eliza, who wants nothing more than to be a beautiful princess. However, she soon discover that being a princess has its limitations. I Am NOT a Princess! is a sweet story with beautiful illustrations that has a great underlying message. Don’t spend your time trying to be something or someone else. Life is much more enjoyable when you choose to just be yourself! I would love to share my book with mother daughter book clubs. Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much! Bethany Burt http://www.Iamnotaprincess.com
Do all gifts come with strings attached? The name of my novel is THE GIFT COUNSELOR. Winner of the Beverly Hills Book Award, the story centers on a single mom who lives in Santa Monica, her ten year old son, and the man who enters and changes their lives one December. Suitable for young adult readers. Book club recommended for “Christmas in July” selection. FYI, Santa Monica, Chicago and Indianapolis Public Libraries have added my book to their catalogs. Available @Amazon and most online book stores. The sequel will be published this year.
Hi Cindy,
My daughter and I started reading The Mother Daughter Book Club books by Heather Vogel Frederick and decided to start our own mother daughter book club just a little over a year ago.
We are in the middle of book three, “Dear Pen Pal” and the girls thought it would be fun to find another group of 5 girls about their age (12) who are also in a mother daughter book club who would like to be pen pals. I had emailed Heather Vogel Frederick who didn’t know of any group and was hesitant to reach out for fear of not finding a legitimate group. (You can’t be too careful these days!). Anyway Heather suggested that I contact you to see if you have any ideas for our girls finding some mother daughter book club pen pals.
I’d appreciate any help or ideas!
I love your website and appreciate all your great resources. Thank you for encouraging mother daughter book clubs!
Cindy , hi again.
Hope your day is going well. Here’s my guest post about my new novel on a blog hosted by a mother-daughter writing team in Florida! They did a nice job, don’t you think?
https://bit.ly/2qtdacQ
Cheers!
Hi from Paul Cohn, author of “Sao Tome.” I recently finished the sequel to “Sao Tome,” titled “The Cantora.” It is listed on Goodreads, Amazon, most other print and digital sites, as well as available from your bookstore. This new novel picks up Sister Leah’s life in Colonial Brazil where she is made the ward of a young Indian girl who sings the Latin Mass with the voice of an angel—Think of Cantora as a 16th Century Jackie Evancho. “Cantora” is both an Adult and Young Adult novel. To quote one review: “Most Likely The Best Young Adult Novel Published This Year” Thomas A. Rau, Ph.D. Thanks for your review of Sao Tome, and I hope you will take a look at “Cantora.” Best wishes from Paul Cohn http://amzn.to/2tZt9yi & http://thecantora.com/
Your website has been listed in THE BOOK COMPANION WEBSITE COLLECTION – Under the sub-head – “A collection of book-focused websites worth viewing”:
https://www.bookcompanion.com/book_websites
Book Companion is a great resource featuring printable character lists, discussion questions and more. We’re a young Silicon Valley startup with over 10 million clicks last year.
Enjoy the day and stay well,
Ry
I just bought your book and I am excited to read and later create or find our own Mother-Daughter Book Club. What an amazing way to connect with my pre-teen daughter! I can’t wait!
One thing that would be helpful though is to have a directory of existing Mother-Daughter Book Clubs throughout the country (or the world!). It could be helpful to those who, like me and my family, move a lot or have just recently moved to a new city. Just a thought!
I’m looking forward to starting or joining an existing club!
Hi Erika – So excited for you as you start this adventure. I expect you will have lots of great experiences as you read together. I wish it would be possible to maintain a directory. I ventured the idea once from the website, but I imagine most people were content with their own groups and didn’t sign up. There wasn’t enough information to make it valuable. If you haven’t checked with your local library, please do, and if they don’t have a group, they may have a community board where you can post something. Good luck!