Footnotes and Tangents: Slow reads of great books
An online publication by writer
Simon for readers of historical fiction.Footnotes and tangents hosts a growing community of readers exploring books together at a gentle pace. Slow reading allows time and space to savour the words and explore the stories behind the writing.
I write book guides to accompany these readalongs. The guides are published in weekly posts and newsletters, packed with analysis and discussion to help you get the most from your reading.
In 2024, our book groups are reading Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy.
Slow reads in 2025
Join us in 2025 for one or more of these slow reads:
Jan–Mar: The Siege of Krishnapur by J. G. Farrell
May–Sep: A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel
Oct–Nov: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Nov–Dec: The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald
All Year: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (for paid subscribers)
All Year: Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy (for paid subscribers)
What to expect
For free subscribers to footnotes and tangents
Endnotes: A monthly newsletter with the latest news about current and upcoming slow reads. Includes details of other book clubs and readalongs on Substack in a regularly updated Book Group Directory.
Slow reads: Weekly book group newsletters. To join a current or upcoming book group, turn on notifications in your subscription settings.
For paid subscribers to footnotes and tangents
For £3.50/month or £35/year, paying subscribers enjoy:
Full access to all my book guides: Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace and three Cromwell books by Hilary Mantel.
Wolf Crawl 2025. Read Hilary Mantel’s trilogy: Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, and The Mirror and the Light over 52 weeks.
War and Peace 2025. Read Leo Tolstoy’s classic, a chapter a day with weekly posts and daily discussion.
Chat. A monthly ‘office hours’ chat thread to catch up, share our current reading and plan future slow reads. Paying subscribers can only start their own chat threads at any time.
Paid subscribers also help fund complimentary upgrades for engaged readers with low or no income. If that’s you, get in touch so I can support your reading!
On 1 January 2025, my prices are going up to £5/month or £50/year. This will not affect existing subscriptions, so upgrade before the new year for the best deal.
Who are the slow readers?
Find out about me and meet our wonderful community in the comments:
New to Substack?
Read this guide to using the website and getting the most from a read-along:
What people are saying about footnotes and tangents
The best online community for reading enthusiasts.
Jared Langford
I appreciate the depth and breadth of the study materials on Simon's site and the experience and research that he's put into their preparation. Excellent stuff!
Susan Wittig Albert
Simon's posts are insightful, thought-provoking, and witty. The slow reads of War and Peace and Mantel's Cromwell Trilogy are enjoyable—I'm savouring the writing and the stories. I'm so happy to be part of this community and wholeheartedly recommend it.
Susannah Fisher
What Simon fosters for readers is simply magic, not only in journeying with the stories and their elements, but also in engaging with fellow travelers on the same path.
Kristine Neeley
Simon Haisell's "slow read" newsletter gave me the structure to get through Wolf Hall and a greater appreciation of Mantel as a writer. Highly recommend! Reading along is the best thing I've done for myself in 2024.
Brian Dewey
Simon is the Slow Readalong host extraordinaire! He provides so much insight into the books being read and lots of valuable resources. I appreciate all the love and effort involved.
Laura Mac
I'm taking part in the War & Peace slow readalong and in awe of the care and effort Simon's put into it. One of the absolute best Substacks.
Keris Fox
