Slow Reading and Substack with Simon Haisell | Before the Work Begins Podcast episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 5, 2026 · 42 MIN

Slow Reading and Substack with Simon Haisell | Before the Work Begins Podcast

from Before the Work Begins · host Jo Hutton

This week Jo sits down with Simon Haisell, the self-described introvert bookworm behind Footnotes and Tangents, whose year-long slow reads of War and Peace and Wolf Hall have quietly pulled in thousands of readers a chapter at a time. Simon shares that amidst the typical morning rush, a few cortisol bursts included, there is no ritual to beyond a few deep breaths, a cup of tea and half an hour of reading to ease the day in. He also confesses to the occasional minor breakdown at a hotel breakfast buffet, having decided the ideal morning might be a useful fiction and what he really wants is gruel.Follow Simon Haisell:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footnotes.and.tangents/?hl=en-gbSubstack: Follow Jo Hutton:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johuttonyoga/Substack: https://substack.com/@johuttonyogaYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeforetheWorkBeginsProduced by @moja_socialNew episodes every Wednesday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.🎙️ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beforetheworkbegins.substack.com

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Slow Reading and Substack with Simon Haisell | Before the Work Begins Podcast

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