South Manchester Book Group

We're a friendly and open reading group, and we share a love of books and discussing them with other people. We meet every fortnight, but you don't have to come to them all. It's dead simple; choose a book you like the sound of, read it (or even part of it) beforehand and turn up with a few ideas and money for beer / wine / flirtinis. It's very informal, and we're quite a friendly bunch.

We meet at a pub in Didsbury around 8 pm. We can usually be found on the table with the books and flirtinis.

We've become rather popular recently so unfortunately aren't accepting new members just at the moment. But please drop us a line on the Contact Us form and we'll add you to our mailing list.

Our reading list, past, present, and future, appears here and a short version of what we’re reading next is here.

Thursday 15 December 2016

Golden Hill — Francis Spufford

Book cover for Francis Spufford's Golden Hill in the South Manchester, Chorlton, and Didsbury book groupNew York, a small town on the tip of Manhattan island, 1746.

One rainy evening in November, a handsome young stranger fresh off the boat pitches up at a counting-house door in Golden Hill Street: this is Mr Smith, amiable, charming, yet strangely determined to keep suspicion simmering. For in his pocket, he has what seems to be an order for a thousand pounds, a huge amount, and he won't explain why, or where he comes from, or what he can be planning to do in the colonies that requires so much money.

Should the New York merchants trust him ? Should they risk their credit and refuse to pay ? Should they befriend him, seduce him, arrest him; maybe even kill him ?

This week's book is Francis Spufford's Golden Hill and we'll be meeting at The Fletcher Moss on William Street in Didsbury.

Please note change of book.  This is our last book this year, and we meet next on 12 January 2017 for The Woman in White.

Thursday 1 December 2016

Gold — Chris Cleave

Book cover for Chris Cleave's Gold in the South Manchester, Chorlton, and Didsbury book groupIf your dreams pull you in one direction and your heart in another, which should you follow ? This is the question that haunts Kate Meadows, a world champion athlete whose eight-year-old daughter Sophie is battling a recurrence of childhood leukemia just as Kate is about to compete for her last chance at an Olympic gold medal. For years, Kate has sacrificed everything for her family and watched her best friend and closest rival, Zoe Castle, conquer the world stage. Kate has never won gold and will have to go through Zoe — who has everything to lose — to get it. Now her child is facing a life-threatening illness, and the stakes are higher than ever. How can she do what is right for her daughter without abandoning all of her dreams ?

This week's book is Chris Cleave's Gold and we'll be meeting at The Fletcher Moss on William Street in Didsbury.