Miss Marley — Vanessa Lafaye

Orphans Clara and Jacob Marley live by their wits, scavenging for scraps in the poorest alleyways of London, in the shadow of the workhouse. Every night, Jake promises his little sister that to-morrow will be better and when the chance to escape poverty comes their way, he seizes it despite the terrible price.

And so Jacob Marley is set on a path that leads to his infamous partnership with Ebenezer Scrooge. As Jacob builds a fortress of wealth to keep the world out, only Clara can warn him of the hideous fate that awaits him if he refuses to let love and kindness into his heart ...

This week's book is Miss Marley by Vanessa Lafaye and we'll not be meeting at The Fletcher Moss on William Street in Didsbury — contact us for details.

Nota Bene We've changed the book from our original wildcard choice City of the Dead: A Claire DeWitt Mystery to something more seasonal.

A Confederacy of Dunces — John Kennedy Toole

A monument to sloth, rant, and contempt, a behemoth of fat, flatulence and furious suspicion of anything modern — this is Ignatius J Reilly of New Orleans; noble crusader against a world of dunces. The ordinary folk of New Orleans think he is unhinged. Ignatius ignores them, heaving his vast bulk through the city's fleshpots in a noble crusade against vice, modernity, and ignorance. But his momma has a nasty surprize in store for him: Ignatius must get a job. Undaunted, he uses his new-found employment to further his mission — and now he has a pirate costume and a hot-dog cart to go it with ...

This week's book is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and we'll not be meeting at The Fletcher Moss on William Street in Didsbury but will be meeting online — contact us for details.

Nota Bene A Confederacy of Dunces refers to the book the South Manchester Book Group will be reading, not the group itself.