With January 1 just around the corner, it’s time to get ready to begin our 2026 Year of Tolstoy. We’ll be reading it the way we always do—one chapter a day, steadily and without pressure. If you’re already signed up, consider this a chance to take a breath, gather your book, and ease into the rhythm of the year ahead.

From January 1 through August 27, we’ll be taking Anna Karenina one chapter at a time. Then we’ll move on to Tolstoy’s final novel, Resurrection. To really make this a Year of Tolstoy, I’m also going recommend a couple of parallel reads that you might consider.

I’ve been anticipating this year’s books for quite a while. While I’ve read War and Peace and several of Tolstoy’s short stories, I have never read either Anna Karenina or Resurrection, so this read-along will be a genuine first encounter for me, which makes our shared journey even more meaningful.

About Anna Karenina

First published in 1877, Anna Karenina is often described as a novel about love, marriage, family, and society—but those labels barely scratch the surface. At its heart, it is a book about the inner lives of men and women: their longings, contradictions, failures, hopes, and quiet moments of awakening.

Tolstoy has an unmatched ability to make us feel as though we are living inside his characters’ thoughts, watching their lives unfold not as abstract ideas but as deeply human experiences. If War and Peace shows Tolstoy at his most expansive—surveying history, nations, and sweeping movements—Anna Karenina brings that same genius to the level of everyday life: conversations, relationships, moral choices, and the search for meaning.

Many readers consider Anna Karenina the greatest novel ever written. When William Faulkner was asked to name the three greatest novels ever written he responded, “Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina.” That’s one reason why reading it slowly, one chapter a day, can be such a gift. This is not a book to rush through. It rewards patience, rereading, and reflection.

Reading Alongside Anna Karenina

I really want to immerse myself in Tolstoy this year, so in addition to our daily chapters from the novels, I’ll be incorporating two complementary reading practices, both of which you are welcome to join if they appeal to you.

First, I’ll be reading Tolstoy’s A Calendar of Wisdom. This book is a collection of short daily reflections drawn from Tolstoy’s own writings and from thinkers he admired. As I’ve dipped into it here and there the last few months, I’ve found it to be filled with food for thought—something brief, thoughtful, and grounding to read either before or after the day’s chapter. While it’s entirely optional, I highly recommend it if you’re looking to deepen the reflective side of your reading. You can order it from Amazon (affiliate link), or you can read it online for free, thanks to Rory Flint.

Second, throughout the year I’ll also be dipping into The Everyman’s Library two-volume collection of Tolstoy’s short stories, thanks to a Christmas gift from my wife. Tolstoy’s short fiction is extraordinary—clear, piercing, and often spiritually resonant—and reading a story now and then can enrich our understanding of the larger novels without overwhelming the daily rhythm. Again, this is optional, but I wanted you to know what else will be in my reading life as we move through the year. It, too, is available via Amazon, but you can also find all the stories online for free at Project Gutenberg.

Sharing the Experience

One of the great joys of the chapter-a-day read-along is the sense of quiet community it creates. Even when we’re reading alone, we’re not really reading alone.

I encourage you to share a favorite line, a brief reflection, or a passing question on social media using the hashtag #tolstoyreadalong. I’ll be posting daily quotes and occasional thoughts on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Bluesky, and X, and you’re always welcome to join the conversation in whatever way feels natural to you.

As always, I ask that we respect the reading experience of others by avoiding spoilers. One of the pleasures of this format is discovering the novel slowly, together.

Getting Ready

As January 1 approaches, now is a good time to:

• Find the edition of Anna Karenina you’d like to read
• Download the reading schedule
• View this helpful video from Benjamin McEvoy: 10 Tips for How to Read Anna Karenina (You might even consider subscribing to Ben’s Patreon page to access his archive of Anna Karenina lectures)
• Choose a regular time and place for your daily chapter

Whether you read early in the morning, late at night, or in small pockets of time during the day, my hope is that this becomes a gentle, sustaining rhythm—something closer to a daily practice than a reading assignment.

Thank you again for joining us for the 2026 Tolstoy Chapter-a-Day Read-Along. I’m genuinely excited to step into Anna Karenina for the first time, and I’m grateful to have companions for the journey.

Until the next chapter!