Style 1: Mother: “I have an idea, let’s start a mother daughter book club. We can assign books that are better literature than those books you read all the time. It will give us a chance to talk about the really important issues of life. And when you hear the other mothers opinions you will see I am not the only one who thinks like I do”.
I can hear the footsteps fade as she runs the other direction.
Style 2: Mother: “What would you think about inviting a group of your friends over and their moms to read books and then have a get together with refreshments where you girls would get to relax and we’d all get to share what we thought of the story and do some fun activity with it?”
And with that, Shireen Dodson’s Mother Daughter Book Club is born. This is the story of a group of mothers and their daughters and how their relationship was strengthened and changed by starting this monthly reading club. I am going to be honest here, this book made me gush. And now – I am going to gush about it to you so if you feel rain gear is required while I pour my heart out to you about this book then go – change… I will wait….
OK. First of all it is easy to say that this book had me at “book club” books on books have always been a weakness. And really – this book is not even a fit for me. I have two sons. Two grown sons…. no daughters.
BUT…. if I did have daughters, this would be the book…. this is the book. First Shirleen writes this different from what I had expected. I thought it was going to be mostly great book choices for mothers and daughters to share. It does have that – but it is not the main focus. Shireen takes us from how the idea came about, how they started, what went right – what went wrong…. and even how this book became a reality.
There are great topics such as:
- Girl by Girl, Mom by Mom Building a Discussion Group
- Ice Breaker Games – for new friends and old
- Finding Books That Believe In Girl
and much more… there are even tips in this book that I found would be fun and useful to apply to my book club.
In the back section of the book there are great book choices with book titles, descriptions, discussion questions, and project ideas that tie in with the book.
The more I read – the more I liked this book. I would highly recommend it as a great read to get your own Mother Daughter Book Club going or even for great reading ideas to do with your daughter(s) on your own.
Shireen Dodson is Special Assistant to the Director, Office of Civil Rights attaché U.S. Department of State. Her second book, One Hundred Books for Girls to Grow On, offers a selection of both new and classic titles, and it serves as a companion to The Mother-Daughter Book Club. She lives in Washington, D.C., and is the mother of three children.
My Amazon Review
I received my review copy of this books from Harper Collins
Book Journey 
I’ve seen this title before and thought it is a great idea. Sounds like fun!
I was impressed with the layout Lydia – very informative.
Oh! I do have daughters, 3 actually, and I’m with you on “It had me at ‘Book Club'” I’ve added this book to my wishlist. It’d be lovely if we could actually manage to get a physical book club together around here.
koolaid mom this would be so perfect for you! She even shows how she did the initial invite to get other mothers and daughters involved. What a great way to bond….. now I am wishing I had daughters! 🙂
Sounds like a great one. I don’t have daughters but I’m sure that it was fun to read!
It was Staci! I can use some of their ideas for the book club I am in, so I am excited 🙂
This sounds like a book I must read! Thanks for sharing.
I know Laurel I am at the point where I want to bother other peoples daughters so I can do this 🙂 The ideas are just so good!
Sounds good, even though like you I have two sons! I have daydreamed about doing a book group with my older son (his two best friends’ moms are my best friends), but I know he wouldn’t go for it, even though he loves to read.
Sue
Sue, my 19 year old loves to read too but he would tell me… uhhhhh no.
Sounds like a fun read and it would be fun to belong to a mother daughter book club!
I think so too Natalie!
This one does sound fun! It makes me want to join a book club with my mom! But she sadly doesn’t read…. 😦
Thanks for the review! 😀
Thanks for stopping by Lea 🙂
This sounds so great! I too have sons…no daughters, but I’m a daughter and would love to do something like this with my mom.
I have an award for you:
http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/2010/01/awards.html
Michelle I think it would be an incredible way to connect!
Feel free to check out the resources, reading lists, reviews and author interviews I gear to mother-daughter book clubs at my website: http://www.motherdaughterbookclub.com. I get suggestions that I incorporate from readers everywhere and I post my own ideas from my experience with the two clubs I’ve been in for 9 and 6 years.
Being in a discussion group wit your daughter is one of the best things that can happen to keep the two of you talking throughout her teen years.
Thanks Cindy for your comment and information here!
Sounds like a lovely idea! Would have been fun to have been in a bookclub with my mother when I was a teen, even thought we read totally different books.
MY mom really wasnt a reader….. and I always was. Kind of funny now that I think about it.
I’m convinced – adding it to the TBR list!
Lori if you do create a book club with this, I would love to know how it goes! 🙂
I read this book and thought it was awesome. I don’t have any girls either but I’d use if it if did!
Thanks for the comment Carrie!
Alas, only sons! BUT, my youngest and I read a book together that we will be reviewing soon. He’s very excited to be featured on mom’s blog.
Angie that is so cool! I wanted Chance to do that but he never did!
Since we are trying to get a book club off the ground, this would be a good reference. Will have to check it out.
This would be a great reference Pat! I really am impressed with it.