The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word BOOK CLUB
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
B
O
O
K
C
L
U
B
More clues leading to the result BOOK CLUB
- Perhaps annual staff meeting for partners in Reading
- Reserve priest, say, for literary gathering
- Reserve card for a group of readers
- Reading squad reserve with green gear
- Society that might make Spooner’s chef weep?
- Arrest, finding weapon in bibliophiles’ association
- Well-read party that’s considering writing?
- Arrest, finding weapon in bibliophiles' association
- Reserve weapon: it can reduce work for members?
- Cook battered and choked by SOB at Reading event
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "literary gathering" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case literary gathering = book club.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.