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 22 August 2019

A Month in the Country — J L Carr

Book cover for J L Carr's A Month in the Country in the South Manchester, Chorlton, and Didsbury book group A veteran of the Great War arrives in Oxgodby, Yorkshire, to strip the whitewash off the chancel arch to reveal the medieval masterpiece underneath. He lives in the bell tower. Tom Birkin is a damaged veteran, his face twitching as he speaks, one whose wife, Vinny, has run off with someone else.

It is one of those summers you can only experience once and which live with you forever as an icon of contentment.

Nothing much happens, but what does happen seems important. A lovely book.

This week's book is J L Carr's A Month in the Country and we'll be meeting at The Fletcher Moss on William Street in Didsbury.

Thursday 8 August 2019

The Player of Games — Iain M Banks

Book cover for Iain M Banks's The Player of Games in the South Manchester, Chorlton, and Didsbury book group The Culture — a human/machine symbiotic society — has thrown up many great Game Players, and one of the greatest is Gurgeh. Jernau Morat Gurgeh. The Player of Games. Master of every board, computer and strategy.

Bored with success, Gurgeh travels to the Empire of Azad, cruel and incredibly wealthy, to try their fabulous game ... a game so complex, so like life itself, that the winner becomes emperor. Mocked, blackmailed, almost murdered, Gurgeh accepts the game, and with it the challenge of his life — and very possibly his death.

This week's book is Iain M Banks's The Player of Games and we'll be meeting at The Fletcher Moss on William Street in Didsbury.