When he finished up reading (wisely at a spot where the last words were “Telegraph Avenue,” so people didn’t forget the name of the book after the mini-marathon), Chabon professed a lack of preparedness. He reminisced about showing up to a panel with Cynthia Ozick, one where he was told notes weren’t needed, only to find Ozick with a sheaf of detailed notes. But what Chabon lacked in terms of a proper introduction, he made up in with a bit of off-the-cuff sweetness by telling people that his happy spots include “the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, North Carolina barbecue pulled pork,” his Jewish son dressed up in a kilt for his Halloween costume, and “a new Zadie Smith novel.