Congratulations on your achievement! I've recently joined Simon's read-a-long group and looking at my copy of War & Peace right now! I'll be able to also say I've read it this time next year! :)
Yes, I did both! And found my year immeasurably enriched by both experiences. Simon Haisell's weekly posts provide context and insight. He's a brilliant writer and thinker. Without his posts & the group's chat threads, I'd have been likely to tear through the Cromwell trilogy, gulping it down, and I doubt I'd have stuck with Tolstoy long enough to fall fully in love. Knowing I had a whole year to slowly savor the novels removed any kind of internal pressure, and the riches offered in the weekly posts (and for Tolstoy, the daily chat threads) kept me engaged despite a year full of distractions. I didn't post in the daily chats—I have to save writing time for my work—but I looked forward to reading them after my W&P chapter each morning. I'm going to read this year's new picks with F&T (beginning in Jan with The Siege of Krishnapur, I think), as well as the War and Peace readalong once again. I *think* I'll take a year off Cromwell? Feeling rather raw about him. (In a good way—gosh what a feat those books are!)
Plus there's the fun of discovering what's in store in the Frizzlit Book Club!
Ok. You have inspired me. Someday I’d like to do a War and Peace read along, but this is not that season.
I’m still iffy on Wolf Hall, though. I got mad at the character assassination of my beloved Thomas More the first time I tried to read the book and I just couldn’t go on.
Congratulations on your achievement! I've recently joined Simon's read-a-long group and looking at my copy of War & Peace right now! I'll be able to also say I've read it this time next year! :)
Congratulations! I am thinking about doing it in 2025. But weren’t you doing the Wolfcrawl, too?
Yes, I did both! And found my year immeasurably enriched by both experiences. Simon Haisell's weekly posts provide context and insight. He's a brilliant writer and thinker. Without his posts & the group's chat threads, I'd have been likely to tear through the Cromwell trilogy, gulping it down, and I doubt I'd have stuck with Tolstoy long enough to fall fully in love. Knowing I had a whole year to slowly savor the novels removed any kind of internal pressure, and the riches offered in the weekly posts (and for Tolstoy, the daily chat threads) kept me engaged despite a year full of distractions. I didn't post in the daily chats—I have to save writing time for my work—but I looked forward to reading them after my W&P chapter each morning. I'm going to read this year's new picks with F&T (beginning in Jan with The Siege of Krishnapur, I think), as well as the War and Peace readalong once again. I *think* I'll take a year off Cromwell? Feeling rather raw about him. (In a good way—gosh what a feat those books are!)
Plus there's the fun of discovering what's in store in the Frizzlit Book Club!
Ok. You have inspired me. Someday I’d like to do a War and Peace read along, but this is not that season.
I’m still iffy on Wolf Hall, though. I got mad at the character assassination of my beloved Thomas More the first time I tried to read the book and I just couldn’t go on.
I’m impressed! Pretty sure I would read it at a Snoopy pace 😂