Constant Reader discussion

There were 11 on the ZOOM, could be a record!

I entered during a discussion of Elizbeth Jane Howard's Cazalet Chronicles and trading books thru Constant Reader. There are 5 books in this series so I won't list all of them. This launched straight into the topic of very, very long books, which some people don't mind at all. All lengths of books came up before we were done, including a couple of novellas--
The Light Years
Katabasis (this book is long, but apparently is not the one I was trying to think of. If I figure it out I will add it.)
The Hallmarked Man
The Way We Live Now (or possibly The Way We Live Now. I think the former since it is longer.)
The Books of Jacob
Thrust
Until August
Glorious Exploits
Train Dreams
The Briar Club
I wrote "Alchemized" maybe in error? I can't link that title to a book, but pretty sure it was during talk of very, very long books.

We also talked about calico and tortoise shell cats, the genetics behind that, and the woman who discovered the genetics. X-chromosome studies in digest form. (hat tip to Joan, resident font of information)

Reading glasses, reading in bed, astigmatisms, and so on.

We talked about Karl Bushby, and his challenges walking the world for the last 26 years.

Mary Anne's granddaughter will spend her gap year in Vienna as a nanny.

I wrote "Night Manager," but now I can't recall if somebody brought up the book, or the series. Can't remember when or why it came up.

Thanks for all the notes, Tonya! I think "Night Manager" is a series, recommended by Sheila (and maybe seconded by others), but I can't recall which streaming service it's on. Sheila said a new season just started and she was going to watch it as soon as our Zoom was done.

I wasn’t at the ZOOM, but I always read the note. This may be the book you were looking for, Tonya. It’s long at 1030 pages.

Alchemised by SenLinYu

Donna wrote: "I wasn’t at the ZOOM, but I always read the note. This may be the book you were looking for, Tonya. It’s long at 1030 pages.

Alchemised by SenLinYu"

Yep, I think that's it, Donna. It's a new release and 1040 pages (according to Goodreads), so it would have fit into our discussion of long books.

Re: discussion about long books.
The New York Times had an article with an unsubstantiated headline asserting “Kids Rarely Read Whole Books in Class Anymore”. It was based on a casual survey, not a rigorous investigation - very odd.

So if you read a citation of the NY Times article - be skeptical.
NYT December 12, 2025

I thought I posted here yesterday. Something went wrong I guess. Anyway, thanks Lynn for clearing that up, it's easy to recall once you say it. And thanks Donna--you are surely correct.

I still haven't found the massive book I alluded to. I believe I was reading one of the 'best of 2024' lists, was attracted by the synopsis, and clicked thru to learn more. But I have looked at too many lists at this point.

Sorry I couldn’t make the call—kids were home from college, so family time took precedence over all else!

I’m curious about the discussion of The Night Manager. I really liked the original series, and would highly recommend it, but I was disappointed to see that there’s a second season. I like a self-contained, single-season series, especially when it’s based on an existing work. That said, if the second season is starting off well, I’m certainly willing to retract my initial reaction! Anyone seen the first couple episodes? (The only service that I can find streaming it is Fandango at Home — https://athome.fandango.com/content/b... — and that’s just the first season.)

Btw, if you like miniseries based on LeCarré novels, I’d also recommend The Little Drummer Girl. I think it was the first thing I ever saw Florence Pugh in, and she’s excellent. As are the rest of the cast. It’s on Amazon Prime.

Also, as yet another btw, LeCarré has cameos in both The Night Manager and The Little Drummer Girl. Something to watch for (hint: they’re both in restaurants).

Donna..

correct that was the book

THE NIGHT MANAGER (series 2) is starting here on Prime on January 11th.

I am the one who loves long books, and I am reading book 5 of the Cazalet Chronicles. I read all of REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST, mostly on my own. I had read a couple of volumes in grad school and wanted to read the whole thing.

I do not like short stories, because (duh!) they are too short!

Jane wrote: "THE NIGHT MANAGER (series 2) is starting here on Prime on January 11th.

I am the one who loves long books, and I am reading book 5 of the Cazalet Chronicles. I read all of REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PA..."
Thanks for the info on Night Manager. I’m going to pass that on to a friend too. We both watched the first series and weren’t sure we would be able to see this new one depending on its availability.

And I must say that I like some big, meaty books too. I also like short stories but tend to read them as part of collections rather than singly.

Jane, if memory serves, you and I both read and enjoyed A Suitable Boy (1474pp) a long, long time ago. And I did enjoy it. Really! I've read many long books, but as time passes so much faster now I have become far more likely to rethink diving into a The Books of Jacob (965pp) kind of deal no matter how much I love the author. As I have said many times here, I am a slow reader so it is probably a bigger investment for me than for you.

I just posted more information about the April 2026 convention:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

If you're planning to attend or still thinking about it (or are even just curious), make sure you check it out soon. I'm getting ready to book a hotel block and need to know how many rooms we'll need.

Tonya wrote: "Jane, if memory serves, you and I both read and enjoyed A Suitable Boy (1474pp) a long, long time ago. And I did enjoy it. Really! I've read many long books, but as time passes so much..."

I started this book but, for some reason, never finished it. All I remember is a mother giving her daughter seven almonds to eat on the way to school. Do you two have any recollection of that? It made an impression on me because I've never forgotton it.

I don't remember the almonds; I remember her reusing greeting cards. Utter frugality which was embarrassing for the daughter, but IIRC successful on the whole. Oddly, various very long books I've read have been randomly popping into my mind ever since that note. Brains are very strange things.