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


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



January 2026

Mrs. Bridge by Evan S. Connell (Group Read)
The Honorary Consul (1973) by Graham Greene (Buddy Read)
Excellent Women (1952) by Barbara Pym (Buddy Read)
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall (Buddy Read)
Prelude to Terror by Helen MacInnes (Buddy Read)
Bread of Angels: A Memoir by Patti Smith (Buddy Read)


February 2026

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (Group Read)
The Director by Daniel Kehlmann (Buddy Read)
The Looking Glass War (1965) by John le Carré (Buddy Read)
Green Ink by Stephen May (Buddy Read)
Something to Answer For by P.H. Newby (Buddy Read)


March 2026

Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter (Group Read)
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (Buddy Read)
Jane and Prudence (1953) by Barbara Pym (Buddy Read)
Washington Square by Henry James (Buddy Read)



*


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
Not fixed - June 2026
Not fixed - September 2026
The Ambassadors - December 2026