One Booker Prize shortlist, one book to read, one very good dinner. That’s our Booker shortlist supper club.
You asked, we cooked. Well, Orchid House did. When we asked our community what you wanted next, a supper club came out on top. We get it: some books deserve more than an hour, so we’re giving them a whole evening, three courses and a table full of people who read along.
On Wednesday 4 November, we talk the shortlist through, place our bets and decide who we want to win. On Monday 9 November, the winner is announced in London by The Booker Prize. Did we call it? We'll know the 9th, after the dinner. Exccccciting!!

What you get
A three-course chef’s menu by Orchid House. Just pick meat, fish, or vegetarian per course on the night. Example of possible menu:
Starter: ceviche with young coconut and leche de tigre (vegetarian), or birria tacos with braised goat.
Main: halibut in a moqueca baiana, roasted cabbage with miso achiote butter (vegetarian), or Peruvian chicken with pearl barley and aji verde.
Dessert: triple chocolate brownie with mandarin.
Drinks are on your own tab.

How the evening works
Every course brings a new seat and a new conversation.
Starter: you sit with someone who read the same book. Finished it or not, maybe they’ll make you want to keep going.
Main: a switch, to someone who read a different book. Tell them honestly: should they read yours?
Dessert: all together. Who do we think will win, and who do we want to win?
After dessert, the table opens up. Grab a drink and find the people you haven’t talked to yet. Come alone, most people do. You won’t feel new too long!

The books
When you sign up, you pick one book from the shortlist. No need to read them all. Just read (or half-read) this one. We match you on it, so no switching later.
The End of Everything by M. John Harrison
A scavenger on the Channel coast finds something that isn’t quite human. Bleak, weird and surprisingly funny.
The Disappearers by Marlon James
Kingston, 1988. Eight gay men and the fallout of a mob attack, set during the AIDS crisis. Big, bruising and tender.
Black Bag by Luke Kennard
An actor attends university classes inside a giant leather bag for an experiment, and a professor falls for him. Absurd and very funny (we hope).
May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry
A curator digs into a medieval king who just wanted to garden. The only debut on the list.
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
A teacher in his fifties gets through ordinary American life before the 2024 election. Short, calm and quietly sharp.
John of John by Douglas Stuart
A father and son on a remote Scottish island in the 1980s, full of secrets and buried shame.
Read it, listen to it, get halfway. Half-read is enough, it’s in the name!
Good to know
Allergies or dietary wishes? Email us at info@herhalfreadbookclub.com before the night, so Orchid House can take them into account.
One ticket is for one seat at the table. You can join as long as there are seats left. This is our first supper club, and we’re keeping it small.
No refunds, but up to 48 hours before you can pass your seat to a friend via info@herhalfreadbookclub.com.
See you at the table, lovely!
The photos on this page are for atmosphere only and don’t show the actual menu.

We sometimes take photos in the room for our socials. Prefer not to be in them? Just let us know when you arrive.