Today, guest blogger Elizabeth Noble shares a true-life story about three generations of mothers and daughters. Elizabeth's most recent novel is Things I Want My Daughters to Know, and she is also the author of The Reading Group, Alphabet Weekends, and The Friendship Test.

I just got back from Toronto, Canada, the last leg of my book tour, which has been going on and off since February of this year, when my new novel published in the UK. This book tour thing is not as glamorous as it sounds (I'm not sure if it even sounds glamorous). Especially when you leave behind two little girls who've taken advanced classes in guilt-inducement, and a husband who has many wonderful skills and talents that serve him well in life but who can't do braids or multi task at breakfast time... I'm old enough now that hotel mattresses can make or break a day for me, and airports have pretty much lost the exotic allure they once had.

What I do love about the book tour (apart from little bottles in hotel bathrooms and, actually, taking a bath alone and without having to answer questions about long division while I lather) is the book readers you get to talk to. It doesn't really matter if it's a "crowd of three" (okay, it used to, but I've developed the hide of a rhino at this point) or luncheon for 600 (now I'm showing off --- it was the delightful Texas librarians, and I "shared" the bill with Jenna Bush, first daughter, but hey, whatever works!). Writing is a solitary profession (I still miss water cooler conversation and lunch hours), and it is truly wonderful to be amongst people who love books (and if they happen to love YOUR book, your cup runneth over).

Since my first novel, The Reading Group, I have been privileged to be a guest at many, many book clubs. Library ones, which tend to be more serious and focused, school-run mom ones, where the ratio of book chat vs life the universe and recalcitrant husband chat is sometimes a little skewed, mother/daughter book clubs, some of which began when the daughters were teens, and now include granddaughters, book clubs with fellas (these are rare, and the dynamic is completely different, but I've had some great conversations at those)... I love them all. (I still "go" to my own English book group, two years after I moved to New York, over the phone, or via the magic of Skype --- favourite call of the month.)

This new novel is called Things I Want My Daughters to Know, and what has been especially lovely about publicizing it is that book clubs and mothers and daughters have come out together to hear me speak. What was especially lovely about Toronto is that I took my own mum with me. The event was at a liquor store (I know, I was dubious too, but this is the LCBO in Ontario, and they've kitted out a lot of their stores with beautiful event spaces not unlike the set of the Martha Stewart show --- fortunately no one asked me to make a complicated craft thing or a bundt cake while I spoke --- and serve themed cocktails and nibbles that match your subject) and there were lots of mums there with their adult daughters. We had a fabulous time, and I felt I really connected with many of them as we discussed this most complicated and formative relationship that we've all had.

Now, I'd never taken mum with me "on the road" before. She'd heard me on the television and the radio, but she'd never actually been there. She made me a little nervous, frankly, especially given the subject matter. (I think I probably prefaced a lot of the stuff I always say about mums with "this doesn't apply to my mum, of course," but I'm not sure anyone was buying it!) And I wanted to impress her (does that ever stop?!). I couldn't really look at her while I spoke, and she was off stage right, so I didn't see her face.

In the car on the way back to the hotel, we rang New York to make sure all was well. My daughter Ottilie cried because she was tired and she hadn't finished her spelling homework. My daughter Tallulah was flush with excitement, having survived the dress rehearsal for her school play (Honk, a musical of the Ugly Duckling story). My dad came on and asked my mum how I'd been. "She was MAGNIFICENT!" my mum said emphatically, beaming with pride. And so I exhaled.

We flew back Wednesday morning, and got to school just in time to watch Tallulah sashay and jump her way across the stage as 4th froglet from the left (a seminal role). This morning Tallulah's father, who was at Yankee Stadium watching the Yankees lose that night (don't worry --- he'll see the play today), asked Tallulah how the show went. "Don’t ask me," she said coquettishly. "Ask Mum." So he did. My answer? "Daddy, she was MAGNIFICENT!"

---Elizabeth Noble

With Mother's Day this weekend, we asked ReadingGroupGuides.com contributor Kathy L. Patrick to share some of her favorite mother/daughter moments. In addition to being the owner of Beauty and the Book in Jefferson, Texas, founder of The Pulpwood Queens Book Club, and author of The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life, Kathy is the mother of two daughters who both share her love of reading.


I have read to my daughters since before they were born. A favorite book was Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, and then as the years flew by we embraced the Madeline storybooks by Ludwig Bemelmans. My oldest daughter, Helaina, named her sister, Madeleine, after those books. We moved on to those first chapter books, the Junie B. Jones stories by Barbara Park; then all of a sudden, my girls wanted to read on their own. I still kept reading aloud to them, although at the beginning reluctantly. I searched and found books so engaging to their interests that they soon resigned themselves to the good listen.

One in particular was Fat Girls and Lawn Chairs by Cheryl Peck. When my oldest was 13, she couldn't be bothered to even pick up a book. I lured her to my reading wingback chair with the most enticing cover. A yellow cat wearing sunglasses and a purple wig, sticking out his tongue, with a lime green background on the cover of the book captured her pre-teen attention. I began reading. After a couple pages, she slumped on the couch in total resignation. I reached the cat part and I knew I had her. We love cats. She slowly stood up and came over and perched on the arm of my chair to follow along with the words. Next thing I knew she slid down in the seat with me, legs a kimbo, while I read. I read and read until we read the whole book. When I ended we both smiled and hugged. Imagine a hug from a 13-year-old daughter. Sublime, my friends. Reading can connect in a way no other venue can.

Now with both my daughters graduating, one from the eighth grade and the other high school, sharing good reads has become even more our pastime. We are a family that reads. I learned a long time ago that children learn by actions not words. You want to see them reading, then you better be reading. Luckily for me, reading is a given. To me reading is the highest form of entertainment. I read every day and every night. Reading is just as much a part of my life as breathing. As Mother's Day rapidly approaches here are a few of the books we have enjoyed reading together, and reading separately only to discuss together later.

One Sunday my oldest came, bull in china closet, down the stairs. "Mom, mom, I read your book The Devil Wears Prada. I about croaked thinking that this book might be beyond her 15-year-old grasp. As she plopped on the couch we talked about the book, and then I told her about Bergdorf Blondes. I wanted her to read it, as I wanted to know if she thought girls should think more about shopping than about learning that serving others was to me of greater importance. After reading the book and discussing the book, she agreed with me wholeheartedly. These girls were shallow beyond all belief. Isn't it funny how books where you hate the story the most, you have the best book club discussions.

My youngest and I, too, have shared many a book. Recently, we started reading together Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor about a young girl and her mother who is far from normal. I left myself wide open for that comparison. I also found that Madeleine couldn't wait to go to bed so we could share that book together. Something to think about if you have a teenager that usually wants to stay up way past bedtime. I came back from my book tour with a book called The Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon that the girls and I have gotten quite a kick out of. It is the story of a 14-year-old boy who goes to live on an island off the coast of Louisiana with his parents to run a chicken ranch. His mother is totally against the whole thing and when asked about her chickens she tells to all, "Oh, we don't raise chickens for profit, we raise them for the ambiance." Funny, poignant, and a great coming of age tale that we have certainly spent many an hour being entertained.

For older teens, read A Model Summer by Paulina Porizkova. A 15-year-old girl is put on a plane to fly to Paris to become a model. I do believe that if every mother and her daughter would read this book, we could change the face of fashion today. Interestingly enough, Paulina too was put on plane at 15 to become a model. She told me when she was here visiting my book club at our Girlfriend Weekend, that if her mother had not done so she would have been a librarian. I was fascinated to learn that this international model turned author wrote this book in her third language. This is an important book and could change the way we view modeling today. My daughters and I have spent hours talking about this book and Paulina, who is even more beautiful on the inside as on the out.

Then, of course, I have to mention my all time favorite classic, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book that I read as a child, and now one I read every year, is the book that touches me more than any other. I did not realize how much my books meant to my children until one day I told them maybe I should sell my books to help raise funds for an author in need. Both my daughters forbid it and both told me, "Mom, those books are you. Long after you are gone, we will have you with us as we will have all your beloved stories. What do you want for Mother's Day?" All I know is I already received my gift: my children adore reading. Those shared story times are more precious than gold to me, and I have the filthy house to prove it, ha ha ha! I would much rather read to my children than clean house. Which do you think they will remember? My mother always kept a spotless house or my mother always took the time to read to me? I asked my daughters the other day what was their favorite childhood memory. They told me, "You reading to us, momma." Brings a tear to my eye everytime I tell it, I'm such a sap.

You want to connect with your mother? Your daughter? Share a good read. There is nothing in the world that means more to me than pulling my two almost grown daughters into my lap --- well, maybe scrunched on the couch on each side --- reading a good book. The power of the touch, the sound of each others' voice reading the story, the power of the good word is the perfect Mother's Day gift to me.

---Kathy L. Patrick

Book club activism has struck a chord. Last month ReadingGroupGuides.com contributor Debra Linn wrote about how her group was inspired to take action after reading Edwidge Danticat's family memoir Brother, I'm Dying, and they donated money to the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. In her post she provided other examples of books that could lead to activism, one of which is Ann Hood's The Knitting Circle.

Here Ann describes her reaction to reading Debra's post, which also compelled her to share in an eloquent, poignant essay the personal circumstances that led her to pursue activism and how reading groups --- and knitting circles --- really can make a difference. To watch a video of Ann talking about The Knitting Circle, click here.


When I read Debra Linn's post about book club activism, I immediately thought of all of the book clubs I have spoken to about my novel, The Knitting Circle, and my new memoir, Comfort: A Journey Through Grief. Book clubs across the country are filled with excited and engaged people who want to reach out to writers, to communities, to other readers. I added a link to my own website, http://www.annhood.us/, after requests for me to speak by phone or to attend book club meetings began pouring in. And what an experience that has been! From New Hampshire to Ohio to Oregon, book club members have shared with me their own thoughts and personal stories about knitting, literature, and grief.

Debra Linn made me take these responses one step further. Book clubs are the perfect place for activism to take root. The members already have a commitment to meeting regularly and to the topics they discuss inspired by the books they read together. Both The Knitting Circle and Comfort explore the healing powers of knitting and of knitting circles. How easy to add knitting for children in need to already cohesive caring book groups. Many of the book groups I have spoken to ask me how they can get involved in their community. Debra Linn proves that activism is as close as your nearest book group.

---Ann Hood

Today's guest blogger is Karen Dulak, who discusses how her book club unexpectedly disbanded, the new reading group she has joined, and some of the most memorable books she's read and discussed. Karen lives near the banks of the Mississippi River in Winona, Minnesota, with her husband, two kids, and a big orange cat named Cheeto. She loves to read, and when she isn't reading she is searching for something to read. Karen is a contributing columnist for the Winona Daily News.


Belonging to a book club is an intimate affair. Without the proper guidelines for the entire group to adhere to, tragedy can strike. This is the case with the first book group I belonged to. One member invited a friend to join our group without consent and that marked the beginning of the end for our club. The new person was rude to an existing member and harshly corrected her analogy of an event in the current book we had read. After that night, I had several calls from members very unhappy that this new person was now a part of our community.

Like a marriage that suffers from an extramarital affair and falls apart, our club slowly and painfully broke up. It was a hard thing to experience as we had had a great run and discussed a wide variety of books within the time we had been together. I was asked to join a new club about a year ago. I was so happy to be welcomed into a new book club again because it's hard to gain entrance into an existing book group that's been hanging together for a while. Some of the most memorable book discussions I've been a part of, however, were books I read with the first club I belonged to.

We read a lot of great books, but two really stick out in my memory. The first is Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. We held our discussion on a dark and cold February night at a cafe. The discussion that evening became one about death, and we talked very openly and honestly about it. I will never forget my friend Nancy talking about when she was newly married, and had learned she had ovarian cancer and that she and her husband, Dave, braced themselves for the worst. She told our group that it was true that the flowers smelled sweeter, the colors in the world were brighter in those months, and that she and her husband were never closer than when she thought she was going to die. Although the discussion was heavy, we were all thankful for the opportunity to talk about the subject and thankful that Nancy shared her story with us. We mortals tend to forget that dying is a part of living.

We chose an easy book to read during a December meeting several years ago. Someone suggested we read, or re-read, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. With the holidays upon us, it seemed feasible to quickly finish this small familiar paperback from our pre-pubescent youth. Going back and reading that book was like meeting an old childhood friend again. We laughed about the bust-enhancing exercises and could all remember distinctly the middle school health talks about menstruation and bringing home a kit with a pad the size of a brick and a sanitary belt. Judy made us all feel normal about our changing bodies. I remember longing to get my period when I was twelve; now I just long for it to end. A new book called Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume is now available with contributions from Jennifer O'Connell, Meg Cabot and Beth Kendrick to name a few. It's a great read for Judy Blume fans and a wonderful trip down memory lane.

My first book club smoked candy cigarettes when we discussed Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, we shared prom photos when we talked about The Cheerleader, and we went to see the film version of Bridget Jones's Diary in our PJs. We always had great food, great conversations and a lot of laughter. We loved discussing a wonderful book and tolerated those that were just mediocre because what we cared about the most was time with each other.


---Karen Dulak

A book club selection doesn't have to be read and discussed at a single get-together. Longer books and those with complex subject matter can be split over two or more meetings, as Heather Johnson's group, Storie delle Sorelle, has successfully done. To read Heather's previous ReadingGroupGuides.com blog post, click here.


Are long books "outlawed" by your club? It may not be an official rule, but most clubs I know avoid books with 400+ pages. The most common reason I hear is "We just can't read any more in one month!" My reply to that is always the same: "Who says you have to finish a book each month?!"

My club's first book was John Steinbeck's East of Eden. The whole concept of a book club was new to us, and we didn't quite know how to attack this 600+ page book. So we split it up! That first summer we met every 2 weeks to discuss 150-page "bites." Each meeting began with a recap of the plot so far. Any confusing spots were cleared up before we moved on to official discussion questions. This was wildly successful for us. First, all six ladies were able to keep up with the reading schedule. Second, our meetings were relatively short (only 1½ hours at most, including dinner) --- a good thing when we met so often! And finally, no one "got lost" or quit. Many of the girls said they would never have made it through this book any other way --- and all were glad they did.

As our club developed we realized that most books don't work well when you split them up...there just isn't enough to talk about. Our rule of thumb now is to give one week of reading time for every 100 pages, usually allowing us to meet once a month.

Occasionally someone (ok, ok --- its always me!) chooses a longer-than-usual book. For example, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. We split this 800-page book in half with two meetings. At our first meeting one gal showed up with a character list she found on the internet; she said she had a hard time keeping track of who's who and used the list frequently while reading. As we began our discussion I found that many others were struggling, too. So we stopped our discussion of the novel to review the historical setting of the story. We also discussed the author's personal beliefs and how they come through in her version of the King Arthur tale. (I'm a big fan of doing some research before a meeting --- you never know what you'll find that will enhance the discussion!) The ladies left the meeting much more confident than when they arrived, ready to continue reading. Because we spent our first meeting reviewing and clarifying the plot, our second meeting was a huge success. Without that first meeting many of the girls would have quit less than halfway through. It's no fun to continue reading if you don't understand what's going on! This way, everyone did complete the book...and boy, were those ladies proud of themselves.

A book doesn't have to be long to benefit from two meetings. What about books with difficult or extensive subject matter? My club's current book is Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. It has a variety of themes, fascinating characters, covers a lengthy, politically turbulent time period in a country we know little about, and that's much more than we can cover in one meeting. Our first meeting was last month --- we talked for two hours straight! At the end of the meeting I passed out packets including a brief political history of the Congo and definitions of unfamiliar words. Armed with that info, we continued reading. The next meeting is just around the corner, and I'm really excited. Our discussion will cover the political situation as well as the conclusion of the story. The girls are really enjoying this book, and I know they'll have a lot to say. If we tried to cover this book in one meeting we'd have left out many of the best aspects of this novel. But by splitting it up we get to talk about everything that we feel is important.

I challenge YOU to choose an "outlawed" book for your club to read. Split it up over two or even three meetings --- whatever works for your group. You never know what literary treasure you might find or what sense of accomplishment you could feel. Go on, girl, break the rules!

---Heather Johnson

Today's guest blogger is thriller writer Michele Martinez, who shares ideas for injecting some mystery into book clubs. Michele is a board member of the Mystery Writers of America and the author of the novels Most Wanted, The Finishing School, Cover-Up and, most recently, Notorious. She once served as a federal prosecutor in New York City, the occupation employed by Melanie Vargas, the main character in her suspense-filled stories.


Reading groups are wonderful places for authors and readers to meet. I've been lucky to have my books chosen by lots of book clubs, and even luckier to get to talk to these clubs either in person or by phone. They all tell me the same thing --- they picked my books as one of their "fun" reads and were then delighted to find them full of compelling issues to discuss.

I write a thriller series featuring a young federal prosecutor named Melanie Vargas. It's set in New York, has lots of sex and romance in it as well as gritty suspense, and has been described as Law & Order meets Sex and the City. But like many thrillers and mysteries, it's very modern and cutting-edge, and chock full of life as we live it now. My heroine faces problems many women face in their everyday lives. Office politics. A difficult boss. The difficulty of juggling work and motherhood. The heartbreak of a cheating spouse. Overcoming past traumas. Fitting into a lifestyle she didn't grow up with. Great topics for discussion go down easily when mixed in with the page-turning suspense and spine-tingling romance of a romantic thriller.

More and more, reading groups are realizing they don't have to choose "issue books" or classics for every session. Sometimes those are the right selections, but it's important to change it up sometimes and give your group a dose of fun. You can choose a book set right here in America, featuring a modern-day heroine you can identify with, that's so fun to read that you can't stop turning the pages, and still get a great discussion out of it. That kind of variety is what keeps reading exciting.

As the Mystery Writers of America give their Edgar Awards for the best of 2007 this week in New York, now is the perfect time. Pick a great mystery or thriller for your next selection and see how much fun your next meeting can be.

---Michele Martinez


Click here to see pictures of book clubs that have read Michele's thrillers.

Today's guest blogger is Nancy Martin, the author of The Blackbird Mystery Series, who shares some compelling reasons why book clubs might want to lighten up.

The award-winning How to Murder a Millionaire is the first book in The Blackbird Mystery Series. Nancy is on the board of Sisters in Crime, a member of Mystery Writers of America and a founding member of Pennwriters. She lives in Pennsylvania and blogs on The Lipstick Chronicles. Check her website, www.nancymartinmysteries.com, for updates on the Blackbird books.


When I'm invited to visit a book club, I know they've had enough Oprah books.

Somebody has decided that the club needs to take a break from the emotionally compelling themes, or the hard-hitting journalism, the turgid --- oops, I mean tantalizing prose. You're sick of the insightful looks into the hearts and minds of psychopaths, molested children, or star-crossed lovers/sisters/childhood soulmates wrenched apart by unforeseen circumstances. Your hearts have finally been hardened against the downtrodden. Or the dysfunctional families make you want to grab the characters by their lapels and rattle their teeth with a shake. If you read one more ugly divorce story or gut-wrenching coming-of-age tale, somebody in your book club is going to pick up the canapes and hurl them through the nearest kitchen window.

You can only read so many poignant peeks into the lives of the clinically depressed before you start wondering if your old Prozac prescription might have one more refill left.

"It's time for a few laughs," one plucky book clubber might say. "Let's read something fun!"

That's me. The author you call when you want to lighten up.

Yes, even the most dedicated book clubs need to hit the pause button on the intellectual action once in a while.

Why not a mystery?

Mysteries come in many shapes and sizes now. While Agatha Christie is still a classic, there is a nearly endless variety of mysteries in the marketplace now. If the last mystery you read was about a tough-talking private detective with a drinking problem, icky housekeeping habits and a twenty-year-old supermodel panting after his middle-aged body...well, it's time you checked out the new stuff. (If you need help, there are many bookstores that specialize in mysteries --- like this one, that ships anywhere in the world: http://www.mysterylovers.com/) There are chick-lit mysteries, cozy mysteries and historical mysteries. Police procedurals and mysteries that are solved by talking cats. Janet Evanovich is wet-your-pants funny. Denise Mina writes about a Scottish journalist who shows us what it's still like to be a woman in a tough line of work. And I write about some Philadelphia heiresses who solve crime and sticky social situations on the Main Line. As we say in the writing biz --- hilarity ensues. Have a little laughter with your satire.

But what is there to talk about once your book club members answer the question, "When did you guess the murderer?" Since genre fiction most often focuses on plot, is there anything else to hash over before the coffee is poured?

Turns out, there's plenty to discuss besides the mystery itself.

The mystery novel is actually an old literary form. (You could talk about the roots of the mystery genre, if you like. Was Hamlet the first detective?) The whodunit question provides a structure, that's all --- a formula for telling a story that a skilled author uses as a springboard to convey more complex ideas. Some thought-provoking material can lurk beneath the sleuthing.

What about the nature of evil? Always a crowd-pleasing discussion. Or the circumstances in which a "normal" person might be moved to kill? Would you admit your guilt if you committed a heinous crime? Or lie to avoid prosecution? (Questions like these provoke laughter sometimes, but also some surprising insight into your book club members!) Is crime sometimes justifiable? Or is that idea the by-product of a society gone awry?

Here's a good one: How does the setting of the story enhance the themes the author has embedded in the plot?

Today the mystery novel has many permutations. There's surely one that will seize the imaginations --- and intellects! --- of your book club members. Take a break from the literary fiction with a walk down the mystery aisle of your favorite bookstore.

---Nancy Martin