My First Ever Read-Along: War And Peace
Taking It One Chapter At A Time
Hi!!! Happy Sunday!
How are you doing? It’s getting really cold here, so I’m downing cup after cup of tea and coffee.
This year, I’m participating in my first ever read-along, a year-long War and Peace read-along hosted by
I actually read War and Peace last year.
I remember the day I started it. I checked it on Audible and saw the 61 hours playing time, I almost signed out.
But I’m glad I didn’t. Despite its volume, it’s an excellent read and is actually quite easy to read too. The events are well-paced, the language, at least the English of the translated version, is rather easy, and the chapters are quite short in length. It took me about two months to finish (which is pretty long given how fast I read).
It was my favourite book of 2023 and I loved it so much that when I saw the read-along, I decided to join. In this read-along, I’m reading it with over a thousand fellow readers, one chapter a day, which is pretty convenient given this book has 365 chapters (Louise and Aylmer Maude translation).
However, I had a rocky start. I missed the very first day because I wasn’t home and was very upset about it. It was so disheartened that I was ready to give up before I even started. But then, I decided to at least give it one chance. So, I sat down and read the first two chapters on 2nd January. Since then, I’ve followed along. I read the chapter at night before going to bed, and then check the discussions the next morning. It’s now become a part of my daily routine.
There are three things that I’m really enjoying about the read-along.
The slow pace
I love the one-chapter-a-day pace, which I’m forced to follow because the point of a read-along is reading it with everyone else. So, I can’t rush through the book like I am prone to doing (I call it my fatal flaw as a reader) and as a result I’m absorbing more of the story, discovering the finer nuances I missed last time.
The various insights
There are so many people, some reading it for the very first time, while some not only have read it but also have done their studies (especially Simon, whose notes are very helpful), people from different parts of the world, coming from different cultures, reading different translations in different languages. It brings in a wide range of observations and insights and makes the reading very rich.
The group chat
It’s fun, being part of a community. Seeing what everyone is saying, and throwing in my two cents, the little human interactions— it’s nice and livens up my mood. Now, I look forward to checking the group discussion every morning, it’s somewhat like how I used to look forward to seeing my friends every day when I was school.
Since joining bookstagram, I’ve come across many read-alongs and have always wanted to take part. But I’ve also had my doubts, because I’ve always read by myself. I didn’t know if I could do the whole ‘reading with others’ thing. But in the end, I decided to give this one a try and I’m glad I did. Simon organises the thing so well and people in the group are all very nice.
There were a few more read-alongs I was interested in, like an Agatha Christie one and a Jane Austen one, and although right now, I’m only doing this one read-along, I’m definitely gong to take part in more read-alongs in the future.
What about you? Are you participating in any read-alongs in 2024? Don’t forget to let me know.
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That’s it for today, I'll be back in your inbox next week.
Until then,
Joyie 🌻