South Manchester Book Group

We're a friendly and open South Manchester pub-based 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 8.30 pm, and 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 and present, appears below. Our upcoming schedule of what we’re reading next is here.

The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) — Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

XXX title="South Manchester, Chorlton, Cheadle, Fallowfield, Burnage, Levenshulme, Heaton Moor, Heaton Mersey, Heaton Norris, Heaton Chapel, Northenden, and Didsbury book group: The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa" alt="Book cover for The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa in the South Manchester, Chorlton, Cheadle, Fallowfield, Burnage, Levenshulme, Heaton Moor, Heaton Mersey, Heaton Norris, Heaton Chapel, Northenden, and Didsbury book group" width="20%" /> “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.”

It is the spring of 1869 and there is talk of revolution in Sicily.

Fabrizio, the charismatic Prince of Salina, still rules over thousands of acres and hundreds of people, including his own numerous family, in mingled splendour and squalor.

But then comes Garibaldi's landing on the Scicilian coast.

As Garibaldi's forces press inland, the Prince must decide whether to resist the forces of change or come to terms with them.

We'll be reading The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa on 26 November 2026.

though we won't be at The Didsbury on Wilmslow Road in Didsbury.