Topping & Co Working Group 3

Meeting on the last Wednesday of every month, the 'Topping & Co Working Group' will explore the rapidly changing character of work in the modern world.

From automation and AI to gig work and productivity culture, the working world is not what it used to be. Join the Topping & Co Working Group, where we will be exploring the dreams, nightmares, hopes, and frustrations of the modern workplace. We will be discussing novels set in the convenience store, university classroom, and newspaper advice column office. We will also read philosophical works on the fate of craftsmanship in the modern world, whether we should reassert our right to be lazy, and what the future landscape of employment looks like. Whether you are a student imagining your future, a retiree looking back on your career, or someone navigating their way through the ever shifting 21st century workforce, join us for a glass of wine and an evening of stimulating chat (out of earshot of any bosses).

The book group is hosted by our bookseller Michael, a former philosophy professor who has had more jobs than he’d like to admit.

For the third book of 2025, we are reading On the Clock by Claire Baglin.

A voice-driven, penetrating novel of the exploitation and alienation of the working class.

In one strand, a young family bumps and scrapes through life. The hapless father balances demanding factory shiftwork, while the mother constantly prioritises the needs of others over her own. But there is also happiness: a trip to the seaside; sibling squabbles, games and laughter; tenderness and support. In another strand, a young woman describes her days working in a burger chain. It is exhausting, repetitive labour, too often peopled by tricky customers and even trickier managers. Hours pass. Days, weeks, years. It is an existence that marks the body and mind and governs a life.

What emerges, alive with eloquent detail, is a compelling exploration of social inequality. Writing with nimble nuance, a sly, subtle wit, and a sharp ear, Claire Baglin marks her debut in On the Clock as a blazingly original talent.

Reading Group Structure

Ticketing: Each place is £5, which can be redeemed against a copy of a reading group book.

Frequency: Each reading group will meet once a month, on a set day of the week. You do not need to commit to one group, or every meeting! Just book for those you're interested in each month, and we hope to entice you back for another one.