Have you discovered Alex Andreou's wonderful Podyssey podcast? He focuses on a character or feature of Greek myth in each episode, tells the story (and he's a *great* storyteller) and then unpacks it with guests. Not a kid-friendly podcast, but fascinating. Would highly recommend.
Really looking forward to the APOGS slow read. With typical lack of willpower, I've already started it. Will try to hold off on too much romping ahead!
Oooh that does sound good! Thanks, Alison. I feel like a knowledge of Greek myth is so essential to literature. All our slow reads so far have been full of classical references.
Absolutely. He's also very good on the underlying themes (discussions with psychologists and so forth). I think he's an opera singer by trade, so he has a lovely resonance to his voice, and of course, being Greek, he can pronounce all the names perfectly!
Just purchased tickets for myself and a great friend - both Hilary Mantel fan girls - to attend Wolf Hall weekend, June 2026. Coming from the way coast of the US (Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR). Really looking forward to this event and meeting you, Simon. Thanks for sharing the information.
I am leaving for a two week holiday in Europe on May 14 and returning to Canada on June 1. So I will miss the beginning of the A Place of greater safety slower, and a couple of weeks of the Wolf crawl slow read. I can’t take the books with me in my luggage, perhaps maybe bring up the bodies, but not the other one.
So I’ll be catching up late.
Is there a problem with that as long as I finish when we all finish?
Thanks Simon. I am absolutely loving this slow read of Wolf Hall. Especially this week’s chapter and even though I have read Bring Up the Bodies twice and also listened to it on audiobook this past year it is still feeling new to me and so it is much more exciting.
Years ago, after loving Wolf Hall and before the other two books in the trilogy were published I tried to read A Place of Greater Safety but I found it very slow going and gave up. I borrowed a copy of the book but my friend no longer has it so I took it out of the library and of course I will have to return it. I will try to get it over and over again so that slow read will take me longer than it might have, but I am determined to read that book.
Gosh, yes, I hadn't really thought of the complications of slow reading a library book. There's also a great audiobook version if you fancy it. And it will be really interesting to see what the slow read experience is like for this one.
I’ve got APOGS ready on the bedside shelf. And I’ve successfully managed to keep up to date with W&P although I did jump ahead last week because I was traveling and did not want to pack such a large tome! Instead I read Horse by Geraldine Brooks which I need to finish up tonight. She is a favorite author of mine and this book was recently banned by the Nimitz library at the US Naval Academy. So of course I couldn’t resist (or rather I did pick it up as a small contrarian act of resistance😊.)
This will be my first time. I would have liked to have joined Wolf Hall but I read everything last year. This seems like a good way to get thru serious reads!
Tonight I read the first chapter of APOGS, getting to know a few of the characters, of which there are so many!!! I am looking forward to the read, and so nice to read through these responses and see old friends from last year's W&P. Good to be with you all again and the new people, too. 😊
I loved reading to and with my son when he was small. This brings some wonderful memories to mind. Thank you Simon. Oh and I’m ready for APOGS and Bring up the Bodies!
So, if I've got this right, for me, the next few months will be:
* Mondays - A Place of Greater Safety
* Tuesdays - War and Peace
* Wednesdays - Wolf Crawl
* Thursdays - day off
* Fridays - The Old Curiosity Shop
plus Anna Karenina at the end of the month. I think that seems doable.
I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
Have you discovered Alex Andreou's wonderful Podyssey podcast? He focuses on a character or feature of Greek myth in each episode, tells the story (and he's a *great* storyteller) and then unpacks it with guests. Not a kid-friendly podcast, but fascinating. Would highly recommend.
Really looking forward to the APOGS slow read. With typical lack of willpower, I've already started it. Will try to hold off on too much romping ahead!
Oooh that does sound good! Thanks, Alison. I feel like a knowledge of Greek myth is so essential to literature. All our slow reads so far have been full of classical references.
Absolutely. He's also very good on the underlying themes (discussions with psychologists and so forth). I think he's an opera singer by trade, so he has a lovely resonance to his voice, and of course, being Greek, he can pronounce all the names perfectly!
I will check it out!
I‘m already halfway through the novel here… can’t wait for the slow read to begin.
Hello, W&P 2024 campaign comrade! I'm glad it's not just me that can't sit with the book by my bedside *just waiting* 😁
Just purchased tickets for myself and a great friend - both Hilary Mantel fan girls - to attend Wolf Hall weekend, June 2026. Coming from the way coast of the US (Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR). Really looking forward to this event and meeting you, Simon. Thanks for sharing the information.
Oh that is amazing, Susan!
Ohh, lucky duck!
Thanks, Simon - looking forward to A place of greater safety!
I am leaving for a two week holiday in Europe on May 14 and returning to Canada on June 1. So I will miss the beginning of the A Place of greater safety slower, and a couple of weeks of the Wolf crawl slow read. I can’t take the books with me in my luggage, perhaps maybe bring up the bodies, but not the other one.
So I’ll be catching up late.
Is there a problem with that as long as I finish when we all finish?
Hey Cindy. Enjoy your holiday! There's absolutely no problem. There are no rules to a slow read, and you can do it however works best for you.
Thanks Simon. I am absolutely loving this slow read of Wolf Hall. Especially this week’s chapter and even though I have read Bring Up the Bodies twice and also listened to it on audiobook this past year it is still feeling new to me and so it is much more exciting.
Years ago, after loving Wolf Hall and before the other two books in the trilogy were published I tried to read A Place of Greater Safety but I found it very slow going and gave up. I borrowed a copy of the book but my friend no longer has it so I took it out of the library and of course I will have to return it. I will try to get it over and over again so that slow read will take me longer than it might have, but I am determined to read that book.
Gosh, yes, I hadn't really thought of the complications of slow reading a library book. There's also a great audiobook version if you fancy it. And it will be really interesting to see what the slow read experience is like for this one.
I may bite the bullet and actually buy the book. But first, I’ll put it out to my contacts and see if anybody has a copy of the book I can borrow.
I’ve got APOGS ready on the bedside shelf. And I’ve successfully managed to keep up to date with W&P although I did jump ahead last week because I was traveling and did not want to pack such a large tome! Instead I read Horse by Geraldine Brooks which I need to finish up tonight. She is a favorite author of mine and this book was recently banned by the Nimitz library at the US Naval Academy. So of course I couldn’t resist (or rather I did pick it up as a small contrarian act of resistance😊.)
This will be my first time. I would have liked to have joined Wolf Hall but I read everything last year. This seems like a good way to get thru serious reads!
Wonderful. Well the Wolf Hall guides will also be here for when you re-read them. All these books are worth returning to again and again!
Tonight I read the first chapter of APOGS, getting to know a few of the characters, of which there are so many!!! I am looking forward to the read, and so nice to read through these responses and see old friends from last year's W&P. Good to be with you all again and the new people, too. 😊
Finished writing my notes for week 1 and I'm onto week 2. So looking forward to sharing this book with you guys!
Good to see you are in this again Glenys. I really enjoyed your comment in last years's W&P.
I loved reading to and with my son when he was small. This brings some wonderful memories to mind. Thank you Simon. Oh and I’m ready for APOGS and Bring up the Bodies!
It's a great pleasure, especially now the fiction has begun to become more complex! Speaking of which, here we go with two complex Mantels!