Note: This Group has moved from the Tin Tabernacle to The Shed in the High Street, Hythe. Click the Venue link above for details.

The Novels 1 Group brings together people who love books and wish to discuss what makes a book a great and lasting experience. Novels can be fun, gripping, emotional and perhaps inspirational. They are a window on other lives, loves, tragedies and, indeed, the comic.

“So Matilda’s strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone.” Roald Dahl

The books we will read in the 2025/26 season are:

Date	Title	Author
9th Sept	How Green was My Valley	Richard Llewellyn
14th Oct	The King Must Die	Mary Renault
11th Nov	Of Love and Shadows	Isabel Allende
9th Dec	Sarah Canary	Karen J Fowler
13th Jan	The Birdwatcher	William Shaw
10th Feb	The Unbroken Beauty of Rosaland Bone	Alex McCarthy
10th Mar	Riddley Walker	Russel Hoben
14th Apr	When the Cranes Fly South	Lisa Ridzen
12th May	The Persians	Sanam Mahloudji
9th Jun	The Things We Never Say	Elisabeth Strout
14 July	Special Meeting

There is a range of genres in the list including crime, literary, thriller and horror.

Discussions on each book are wide-ranging, interesting and often surprising as different aspects and interpretations emerge.

This small Group is currently full, but members can still apply to join in the usual way and their names will be added to the waiting list.

This Group is participating in the pilot trial whereby members can apply to join online - see details on the Self-Registration page.