Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 17. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

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Chapter 17: What’s Ostrich in Russian?

As danger approaches Moscow, society g…

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Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 16. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

Chapter 16: Time and Patience

Andrei and Kutuzov talk. The commander-in-chief…

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Hello slow readers

If you have read up to Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 15, you can now read or listen to my weekly post, W&P #29: Marya's World, and join the discussion in the comments. I published this post in 2025, and the comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.

• Download and listen to the audio on your podcast app

• Explore and read the full book guide

Reading Schedule

Chat threads for Week 29 and Week 30

Week 29: Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

Week 29: Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22

Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 15. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

You can now read and listen to all my notes for this week in the latest week…

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Hi, I’m Simon Haisell, the host of Footnotes & Tangents, a book group where we take our time to live inside great stories. My aim is to encourage people to read with more confidence, curiosity and creativity. I pick books I love and set a gentle pace. Then I write a weekly discussion post packed with resources, record a podcast version, and lead an inclusive, friendly discussion in the comments.

Read our welcome post, explore our current read-alongs, and subscribe here.

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• Regeneration by Pat Barker (7 posts)

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Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 14. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

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Hello and welcome to Wolf Crawl, a year-long slow read of Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy. Read the introduction to this read-along.

Week 29 of Wolf Crawl runs from Monday, 20 July to Sunday, 26 July. The reading for this week is the final section of Part Two. Chapter II. Master of Phantoms. London, April–May 1536, and Chapter III. Spoils. London, Summer 1536.

• UK Fourth Estate edition, pp. 441–482

• US Picador, pp. 369–404

• US Henry Holt, pp. 371-407 (guide only, editions vary)

• Ben Miles audiobook, 14:51:25–16:19:00

First Line: The queen wears scarlet and black…
Last Line: Here is one.

Reading Schedule

Once you have read this week’s reading, you can read or listen to my weekly post: Wolf Crawl #29: It is done, and join the discussion in the comments. I published this post in 2025, and the comments include discussion from both this year and last.

• Download and listen to the audio on your podcast app

  • (All the episodes were recorded and released in 2025)

• Explore the full book guide

• Further resources for Wolf Hall

• Further resources about Hilary Mantel

Character Plot Summaries

Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 13. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

Chapter 13: Shining …

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Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 12. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

C…

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Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 11. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

Chapter 11: Uncommon …

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   'If you won't dream,' said Joe, 'I can't be. Ever. At all. But if you dream, I can. Happen we'll meet. Happen we'll not. But we'll remember. "Cut my throat and hope to die." We'll not forget.'
   'That's the skewer,' said Thin Amren. 'The skewer. So it is. The stab. Yet Whirligig has wisdom on him. He has the wisdom. He has it. Whirligig. Well, well. What larks. But will he be giving a body a drink? For I'm thirsty dry.'

Last Week | Reading Schedule | Further Resources

Welcome to Week 3 of a slow read of Treacle Walker by Alan Garner. I am your guide, , and this is Footnotes & Tangents, a book group where we take our time to live inside great stories.

Each week, I offer you my footnotes and tangents. You will have your own, and I encourage everyone to treat the slow read as an opportunity to explore, reflect and create. You can join the discussion in the comments to let us know what caught your eye or ask the group any questions you may have. And if you’ve tumbled down a rabbit hole or taken your reading off on a tangent, please share where you have been and what you have found.

This week, we will finish Treacle Walker and read chapters XIII–XVIII. On my website, there is a reading schedule and a page of further resources.

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To get these posts in your inbox, subscribe to Footnotes & Tangents and turn on notifications for “2026 Treacle Walker” in your subscription settings. More help with emails.

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Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 10. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

Chapter 10: The Demands o…

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Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 9. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

Chapter 9: The Wizard

The …

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Hello slow readers

If you have read up to Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 8, you can now read or listen to my weekly post, W&P #28: Life's Retreat, and join the discussion in the comments. I published this post in 2025, and the comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.

• Download and listen to the audio on your podcast app

• Explore and read the full book guide

Reading Schedule

Chat threads for Week 28 and Week 29

Week 28: Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8

Week 29: Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 8. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

You can now read and listen to all my notes for this week in the latest weekl…

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Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 7. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

Chapter 7: A Little Bird T…

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Hello and welcome to Wolf Crawl, a year-long slow read of Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy. Read the introduction to this read-along.

Week 28 of Wolf Crawl runs from Monday, 13 July to Sunday, 19 July. The reading for this week is the fourth of five sections from Part Two. Chapter II. Master of Phantoms. London, April–May 1536.

• UK Fourth Estate edition, pp. 406–441

• US Picador, pp. 340–369

• US Henry Holt, pp. 342-371 (guide only, editions vary)

• Ben Miles audiobook, 13:38:29–14:51:25

First Line: May is blossoming…
Last Line: If ever a man came close to beheading himself, Thomas More was that man.

Reading Schedule

Once you have read this week’s reading, you can read or listen to my weekly post: Wolf Crawl #28: The axe in your hand, and join the discussion in the comments. I published this post in 2025, and the comments include discussion from both this year and last.

• Download and listen to the audio on your podcast app

  • (All the episodes were recorded and released in 2025)

• Explore the full book guide

• Further resources for Wolf Hall

• Further resources about Hilary Mantel

Character Plot Summaries

Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 6. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

Chapter 6: The Land of th…

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Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 5. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

Chapter 5: Green Plums

Andrei leads his r…

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Hello slow readers

This is a daily post for the 2026 year-long slow read of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Today’s chapter is Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 4. Subscribe or unsubscribe to these daily emails in your subscription settings.

Reading Schedule

Chapter 4…

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