What we’re reading…
December, 2025
BARBARA MCKELLAR, Board Member
The Names by Florence Knapp
'The Names' has been called 'the best debut novel in years' and I can understand why. This is an intriguing and thought-provoking story, written with warmth, candour and compassion. Cora and Gordon are a couple, Gordon a well-respected physician who shows one face to his patients and society, and another to his wife. They have two children, a daughter and a recently born son. Cora is off to the registry office to register the baby's name, her husband's instructions ringing in her ears - the baby should be named Gordon to carry on the family name. Cora decides instead to name the child Bear to be strong, brave and warm-hearted. And here's the twist and power of this novel. What if instead the baby had been named Julian - inspired by the sky, limitless and ambitious. Or Gordon - immovable, looming, shaped by tradition.
Set over 35 years this cleverly interwoven story follows the lives of Bear, Julian and Gordon and their parents - three names and three different versions of a life. Wonderful writing. My rating: 5/5!
HAZEL - one of our young supporters (10 years old)
As Happy As Here by Jane Godwin
The Book As Happy As Here is a wonderful book featuring three girls, Evie, Lucy and Jemma, who have very different personalities and are in hospital for very different reasons. Evie, the main character, is there because a piano crashed into her leg and broke it, and her personality is loud, yet quiet and she loves music. Lucy is on the quieter side and loves books and beetles. She's there because she has leukaemia and pneumonia. And then, there is Jemma. She's there because her appendix burst. Jemma is the loud obnoxious one who ALWAYS annoys Lucy and Evie. Over time, they start to realise crimes are being planned outside of the hospital, and together, they try to investigate them.
I personally love this book and recommend it for 12-16 years olds who would love a book about a cute friendship being formed in the strangest way. This is honestly a must-read and I definitely recommend it!
CHE - a long-term friend of The Footpath Library
Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
Set in a ski resort in Australia's Snowy Mountains, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone follows protagonist Ernest Cunningham as he tries to solve a suspicious death at a family reunion.
This was a very engaging murder mystery that has hooked me in to read the rest of the Ernest Cunningham series. I would highly recommend if you enjoy a good mix of suspense and (slightly) dark humour.
NAOMI (Programs Manager WA)
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Midnight's Children is one I would recommend for anyone who (like me) loves reading about history but in the context of human stories. Midnight's Children is set during the India Pakistan separation. I think it would appeal to anyone who loves The Lie of Pu - the magic realism is beautiful and leaves room for the imagination and your own interpretation.