Join us for Rotating Reads Book Club, a reading group that explores fiction, non-fiction, memoir/biography and classics every first Thursday of the month. For a fun twist, one of these months will also be a freestyle "book report" where everyone reads something different, and shares what they read with the group.

Every month, a different volunteer will serve as the “host”. Their role will be to select the book, guide the discussion, and bring any fun insights or background about the author or genre. 

Sign up for book clubs at Glendora Bookshop by email, call/text, or just stop in and inquire!

For the month of June, Rotating Reads Book Club is on the Fiction round! Join your hosts to discuss The Names by Florence Knapp.

*****

The extraordinary novel that asks: Can a name change the course of a life?

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son's birth. Her husband, Gordon, respected in the community but a controlling presence at home, intends for her to follow a long-standing family tradition and name the baby after him. But when faced with the decision, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of their lives, shaped by Cora’s last-minute choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

Through a prism of what-ifs, Florence Knapp invites us to consider the "one . . . precious life" we are given. Full of hope, this is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark. It is the story of one family and love’s endless capacity to endure, no matter what fate has in store.

The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.