Reading the 20th Century discussion

This is a locked post which contains a complete overview of all the current and forthcoming reads here at RTTC


See below for our August selections and beyond


Please feel free to comment on any of these reading discussions at any time

Also anyone can suggest a buddy read - it only takes a couple of participants and you're good to go

Everyone is welcome. Come and get involved



AUGUST 2026

📖 The Getaway by Jim Thompson (1958) 🔹️ discussion
📖 Palladian by Elizabeth Taylor (1946) 🔹️ discussion
📖 Great Granny Webster by Caroline Blackwood (1977) 🔹️ discussion
📖 Summer Moonshine by P.G. Wodehouse (1937) 🔹️ discussion
📖 Berlin Game (Bernard Samson #1) by Len Deighton (1983) 🔹️ discussion
📖 A Summer Bird-Cage by Margaret Drabble (1963) 🔹️ discussion
📖 Smiley's People by John le Carré (1979) 🔹️ discussion


SEPTEMBER 2026

📖 The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson (1954) 🔹️ discussion
📖 A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark (1988) 🔹️ discussion
📖 Providence by Anita Brookner (1989) 🔹️ discussion
📖 The Flight from the Enchanter by Iris Murdoch (1956) 🔹️ discussion
📖 Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (1961) 🔹️ discussion
📖 Effingers by Gabriele Tergit (1951) 🔹️ discussion
📖 Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot (1978) 🔹️ discussion


OCTOBER 2026

📖 The A.B.C. Murders (1936) by Agatha Christie 🔹️ discussion
📖 The Play Room by Olivia Manning (1969) 🔹️ discussion
📖 October Light by John Gardner (1976) 🔹️ discussion
📖 The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1970) by George V. Higgins 🔹️ discussion


NOVEMBER 2026

📖 The Glass Cell by Patricia Highsmith (1964) 🔹️ discussion


DECEMBER 2026

TBA


JANUARY 2027

📖 The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge (1991) 🔹️ discussion


FEBRUARY 2027

TBA


MARCH 2027

📖 The Dressmaker by Beryl Bainbridge (1973) 🔹️ discussion


APRIL 2027

📖 The West Pier by Patrick Hamilton (1951) 🔹️ discussion


MAY 2027

📖 The Bottle Factory Outing by Beryl Bainbridge (1964) 🔹️ discussion


JUNE 2027

📖 Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse by Patrick Hamilton (1964) 🔹️ discussion


JULY 2027

📖 An Awfully Big Adventure by Beryl Bainbridge (1964) 🔹️ discussion


AUGUST 2027

📖 Unknown Assailant by Patrick Hamilton (1964) 🔹️ discussion


*

AUTHOR READS

Barbara Pym reads:

Crampton Hodnet (completed circa 1940, published posthumously, 1985) - Sept 25
Some Tame Gazelle (1950) - Nov 25
Excellent Women (1952) - Jan 26
Jane and Prudence (1953) - March - 26
Less than Angels (1955) - May 26
A Glass of Blessings (1958) - July 26
No Fond Return of Love (1961) - Sept 26
An Unsuitable Attachment (written 1963; published posthumously, 1982) - Nov 26
Quartet in Autumn (1977) - Jan 27
The Sweet Dove Died (1978) - March 26
A Few Green Leaves (completed 1979/1980; published posthumously, 1980) - May 27

*

John le Carré's Smiley books

1. Call for the Dead (1961) (August 2025)
2. A Murder of Quality (1962) (October 2025)
3. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963) (December 2025)
4. The Looking Glass War (1965) (February 2026)
5. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974) (April 2026)
6. The Honourable Schoolboy (1977) (June 2026)
7. Smiley's People (1979) (August 2026)
8. The Secret Pilgrim (1990) (October 2026)
9. A Legacy of Spies (2017) (December 2026)
10. Karla's Choice (Nick Harkaway) (2024) (February 2027)

*

Henry James books

Washington Square - March 2026
The Portrait Of A Lady - June 2026
Not fixed - September 2026
The Ambassadors - December 2026

*

Beryl Bainbridge books

The Birthday Boys - January 2027
The Dressmaker - March 2027
The Bottle Factory Outing - May 2027
An Awfully Big Adventure - July 2027


*

Patrick Hamilton books

The West Pier - April 2027
Mr Stimpson and Mr Gorse - June 2027
Unknown Assailant - August 2027




==========================================


Want to see what other Lit Groups are reading?

Browse their schedules at the Literary Collective HERE


==========================================